3rd time is a charm

I tried twice before to put a road trip together to Wilkesboro, NC to hit the Warrior Creek trails and the first two times the plans fell through for various reasons but yesterday all the stars finally aligned. I guess good things come to those who wait. The crew, 8 large descended on Wilkesboro yesterday morning and the weather couldn't have been better. It wasn't hot or cold, the trails were dry and hardpacked. The pace was a bit fast all day but it just couldn't be helped as good as it felt. At Warrior Creek the faster you ride the more fun the course is so it's hard to hold back and save gas for later in the day.
Fat Tony and his older bro Keith rolled over to my house early yesterday morning and we blew outta town as fast as we could to meet up with the rest of the crew. Our plan was to ride the Warrior Creek trails and in the back of my head I was hoping we would have time to squeeze in a run on the OVT to get in some extra miles.
Over the past few weeks I've been riding the JET9 but my last run at Warrior's Path it had me worried. My chain line is a bit off causing derailleur issues that have been plaguing me for a while. I decided too give it a rest until I had time to remedy the situation. I called upon the trusty AIR9 which would be better suited for the fast and flowing Warrior Creek trails. Riding the AIR9 yesterday reminded me how fast that bike is, it felt like an absolute rocket ship. If only I would have had a little more gas in the tank to keep up my end of the bargain. After mile 20 or so my legs were starting to feel the effects of the pace we had been keeping. It also let me know how much riding I need to do in order to be prepared for the 6 Hours of Warrior Creek.
After we finished the Warrior Creek trails a couple of the guys decided they were done for the day and volunteered to drop us off at one end of the O.V.T. and meet us at the other end for pick up. We knocked out another 7+ miles before calling it a day.
Once everyone rolled in and loaded up we headed back towards Boone for some Black Cat Burrito action. Definitely a good way to end the ride.

If you've never ventured over to the Warrior Creek trails I suggest you do so. If you conquer that, hit the O.V.T. or the Dark Mountain Trails, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

I sensed a bit of nervousness the other day in my readings, it appears as if more and more folks are riding and building 29ers. I wonder what the ratio of carbon 26ers vs. 29ers coming out of China is? Actually the 26" numbers might be starting to fall as more and more people make the switch. Pretty soon a 26" wheeled bike will be in the same category as cantilever brakes or a purple anodized handlebar with matching bar ends, "the older guys who can't let go club".