a week of silence

Riding with Dogs will be observing a week of silence in honor of the gloved one. It was sad to hear that Farrah Faucet died yesterday morning after a battle with cancer but then when the news announced MJ was dead I was really in awe.
Actually Melinda and I will be camping and riding at Dupont like we've done for the past 4 years but I will make her listen to Michael Jackson the whole drive down today.
I'm sorry not much has been going on here lately but I just finished hell week. No I didn't go back to college and join another fraternity, work was awful this week and I pretty much went straight to bed after I got off work everyday this week. If you don't believe me just ask Melinda. I should have something to blog about when I get back in town. Dupont always seems to generate a few stories.

homemade kayak rack storage unit

After about 2 months of having the kayaks laying around the driveway and on the deck I finally got around to building a storage system for them. I needed something to protect them from the elements and get them out of the way. We're all about proper storage at our house... wait I should have said Melinda is all about proper storage at our house. Alot of stuff would be laying around in disarray if it were up to me. After a bit of Internet searching I found some pretty interesting storage systems, some were free standing outside systems which is what I wanted but most were various types of shelving units in garages. Since I do not have a garage I went for the outside free standing unit. I found this design pretty quick but with no dimensions so I had to come up with the spec. myself. There were some pretty interesting concepts out there but I found this one to be the best choice with my limited carpenter skills.

new stuff

It's been kind of slow around here at Riding With Dogs. We've had alot of thunderstorms plus my busy work schedule has left me with little ride time and the dogs with little trail running. You know whenever you buy a new bike it always seems to rain for a week straight leaving you stuck in the house just staring at your new steed anxious to hit the trails and break it in proper like but you can't. Well I don't have a new ride hanging in the bike room but I did buy a new pair of riding shoes, some new gloves and a new camera to replace the one Melinda and I trashed at the beach. That must be the reason for all the rain. I was really due for a new pair of shoes, the ones I've been using were on their 4th season and were on the verge of falling apart. I've had my eye on a pair of Shimanos for some time and I've put off purchasing any because I just couldn't justify spending the extra money right now with all the traveling we've done. Melinda has been harassing me to get a new pair and instead of waiting on me to go for it she bought them for me as an early Father's Day gift from the dogs. Yes the dogs give Mother & Father's Day gifts. They're usually not as expensive as a new pair of shoes but I really needed them.

For the past 3 years I've been using Mechanics brand gloves for riding in. I've found a style that has worked well for me and is a little more durable and cheaper than most of the gloves I've looked at in the shops around town. Shoes and gloves are 2 things I will not order online unless I'm sure about the fit so I'm sometimes limited to my choices. I've been on the look out for a new pair of gloves but the style I've been using has been out of stock at my Lowes and all of the gloves my local shops are stocking seem to be thin, flimsy and expensive. I was getting close to start an online search for gloves when I met the US General Manager for Endura, a cycling clothing co. out of Scotland. None of the shops in my area carry Endura products but I'd seen there stuff first about a year ago in several cycling magazines and most recently Dirt Rag did a review on some of their shorts. I do own a pair of their 3/4 pants which are very nice for riding in in all conditions. Anyway back to my story, Melinda and I were on a ferry in the Outer Banks on our way back from Ockracoke and I had been wandering around the ferry checking out all the boat that were passing us. As we approached the shore I headed back to my truck and went around to the back to check on the dogs when the guy parked behind us got out of his truck, approached me and started up a conversation about cycling. I guess he saw the back window of my truck which is covered with bike stickers and he introduced himself as the GM of Endura for the US which I thought was totally cool. I told him I had the Humvee 3/4 pants and loved them and that's when he gave me him card and told me to send him an email and he would send me a pair of gloves. What perfect timing, as soon as we got back in town I sent him an email with my size and my appreciation. Two days ago my friendly Fed-Ex man dropped off a package for me containing one pair of Singletrack gloves.

In my email I hinted around that I was a fan of full finger gloves trying not to be demanding especially since they were free. At first glance I was impressed with them, although they were not as heavy duty as my Mechanics brand gloves they fit snug and comfortable. I've yet to try them out other than in my kitchen, not as oven mitts just practicing my runway moves. As soon as Mother Nature cooperates I plan to put them to the real test out on the trails.

I would have posted real time pics of the new gloves and shoes but like I said before we trashed our camera and the new one is still in the box waiting to be set-up. Hopefully I will find myself on the trail by this weekend with Melinda and the dogs to test out all the new equipment that is lying around the house patiently until it's called into service.

the open road or lack there of

I was out on my road bike Wed. looking over my shoulder at the sky. I knew there was a chance for severe thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours but my ride time was limited and I still needed to get a run in as soon as I was done on the bike. The clouds were dark but they didn't look to menacing and I was close to being finished with my ride. I glanced down at my bike computer to see where I was on my time and as I scrolled through the options I paused for a second at my odometer. I stared in disbelief for a moment squinting a little harder to make sure I was on the right setting. Did that say only 145 miles? It did, and this is already June, WTF? I reset my computer at the beginning of this year after entering a bet I knew I wouldn't win with some friends on who would have the most mileage this year for both on and off road. I pretty much screwed myself out even a 3rd place finish after I reset my computer on the Mamasita and I might feel a little better had I done the same with my road bike. One hundred and forty five measly miles, it's really all I've done this year and I guess I shouldn't be surprised I knew I've been neglecting my road bike this year. Normally during the summer months I ride my road bike 2 -3 times a week putting in alot more road miles than off-road, not this year.
I've been riding my bike this year, alot actually but it's been all off-road, trails, the singletrack goodness. I've had a couple of days to ponder this and I think I've come to a conclusion that makes me feel a little better. Normally during the summer I do a lot of riding on the road because I'm riding alone and I can mix it up and still stay local. With the trails in the past few years I've been limited to just a couple of places some of which have not always been the best of places to ride. I've never been one to take off on a road trip by myself to ride an unknown alone. This year, with Alan unemployed I've taken quite a few road trips and for a while we were riding somewhere different out of town 2 sometimes 3 times a month. Another factor is new trails, Bays Mountain has changed in a big way opening up several miles of trails some new some old hiking only. All of this change has been fun and exciting and has kept Melinda a little more stress free. She has never been a fan of me riding on the road, that's why I don't commute to work via bike. I can't say I hope things change, I really haven't missed my road bike that much, I love riding it but I've always been much more a fan of the dirt. Things may change though but for the good, Alan just learned that he's going back to work part-time. He says he doesn't want to but I guess I can understand, he's done well being unemployed.

OBX

I know I said after the Tsali race I would put together a video but I still haven't even looked at the footage. Why not? I haven't had time, I've barely been home and when I have been at home it's been busy. Melinda's out of school and studying for a big test so I have been trying to make things go as easily as possible for her by doing all of the chores around the house which is alot tougher than it looks. I can handle it though this test pretty much determines her paycheck and I really don't want her to fail. I don't doubt her one bit, she very smart but she would never admit to that. About the Tsali video, maybe I'll get around to it maybe I won't, it's old hat now anyway.

One of the things that has kept me from producing high quality trail videos for your viewing pleasure was our trip to the Outer Banks or as some folks call it the "OBX". I saw those stupid OBX stickers everywhere I went while I was down there and I have never really understood the fascination with the simple round colorless sticker with only 3 letters. I'll admit I stared at them for years wondering what the heck "OBX" meant, never asking anyone for fear of being made fun of. It seemed like everyone was picking up on the ultra cool simplicity of the cheap sticker. One of my old room mates in college one day showed up with a similar sticker but with a JS instead. I stared at it for a couple of weeks and I finally gave up on trying to figure it out so I asked him what it meant. "Jamaican Sports"... okay he wasn't on the bobsled team as far as I knew so I knew he was a wanna be from that day on.

Anyway back to my beach trip, I promise not to bore you with any goofy stories about sunsets or Jimmy Buffets songs (I hate Jimmy Buffet) but I do have a funny story or two.

I've seen many folks camped out in our WalMart parking lot over night and I've heard WalMart welcomes RVer's so instead of wasting a whole Saturday on the road we left Fri night drove to the other side of Raleigh and crashed in a WalMart parking lot. I slept just fine but Melinda didn't do so well, she was worried we were going to get robbed. It was a nice WalMart, we even had a nice little campsite with a good grassy spot for the dogs to crap in.

When we did arrive @ the "OBX" we set up camp and headed through town to check things out and scope out the beaches. As we approached the end of town which is small we came across a dirt road that was beach access for cars. Actually 4x4 only, I'm really not a fan of driving on the beach but my interest was sparked and I've never really done much four wheeling in my truck so I decided what the hay. A quick read of the warning signs gave a few tips and off we went. As I crossed over the dune and down onto the beach the sand became very soft and deep. I made it maybe 20 feet and I realized I was loosing momentum whether I liked it or not. I tried 4 low but it was no help, I tried to back up but that didn't work either. I was just digging myself into a hole. Luckily I had some pieces of wood that we use to level the ECO and I tried digging my tires out to see if I could get going again. Nothing, people were passing me in all types vehicles. I even got passed by a Honda Element with street tires. I knew I didn't have much experience in 4 wheeling but this was ridiculous and embarrassing. There was one thing I hadn't tried but it was my last and only option before I made the call for a tow truck. One of the recommendation on the sign was to lower your tire psi to 20 lbs, I did that along with placing wooden planks under each tire and I was finally able to pull out. Whew, saved from certain embarrassment!

The pics we took at the Outer Banks are the last ones I've taken in a couple of weeks, we managed to get our camera wet one day while lounging at the beach so until we spring for a new camera I'll have to excite my readers with my vocabulary.

more Disc Burner?

Just when I thought they couldn't get better, the fine folks who put on the disc Burner went and did it again. Almost every race has photographers out on the course snapping pics and a few days later they're online for you to download usually at a hefty fee. I have always declined this even though they are nicely done but I usually have someone in my entourage documenting the event for me. Well when I received the usual post race email from the Disc Burner folks I was pleasantly surprised to find that the pics from the race were free to download! What's next? I can't wait till next year!

paddling to work

Last Monday evening I finally made the trek to work via the Holston River in my kayak. I've put it off for many different reasons such as really cold dark morning and most recently the amount of water the dam just a few hundred yards up from our house has been releasing. Most of the entrance and exit points have been under water for a couple of weeks and the current has been so swift that the paddle home would have been impossible. After all our traveling was out of the way and the water level finally receded I decided to make my first attempt Monday afternoon. I left the house around 4:15, I normally leave @ 5:15 by car but I would rather have extra time left over just in case. From the time I walked out of the driveway until I locked up my boat and took a quick shower it was just about an hour so I was quite a bit early to work. I don't think most of the people I worked with actually thought I would go through with it because I got a few that didn't believe me even though they saw my boat sitting just outside the gate.
As the night wore on and I started getting tired I started having second thoughts about paddling back home but I knew if I called in Melinda to come get me I would never hear the end of it from my co-workers so I decided to stay the course. I knew once I got going I would be wide awake and probably end up having trouble falling asleep once I made it home.
As I gathered my things for my trip home I noticed all my co-workers still hanging around waiting to see me off and if I really was going to do this. I even got two offers for a ride home but I politely declined. Some admitted they were only waiting to see if I would fall in the water. One guy even asked how it was possible to make it back up stream with all the rough water. I said "what?" he then started to describe the conditions of a class 5 river with giant boulders. It was kind of sad when I realized how naive some people are about things and that probably the most contact they have with nature is mowing their yard.
The paddle home was pretty foggy and based on the markings of the rocks I could tell the river was almost 2 feet lower than it had been the previous evening. I decided that with the lower water level, limited visibility and the abundance of rocks near my original entry point I got out a couple hundred yards downstream and walked the rest of the way in via the fisherman's trail that runs along the bank. I had a feeling I was going to bottom out if I tried to make it all the way up and would end up turning around anyway.
Now the question is will I do it again, probably, but not on a regular basis. A 2 hour round trip on the river vs. a 6 min round trip in the car eats up a good portion of what's left of my day after working a 12 hr. shift. I did enjoy the time on the river, at 6am there is alot more wildlife to be seen as opposed to the rest of the day.

Disc Burner recap

The Disc Burner 12 hours race is now officially one of my favorites and will be on my agenda for next year. It wasn't the race course that did it for me but more the folks who ran it. I decided last minute to do this one and even though I missed pre-registration the cost was still reasonable for what we got. The swag that was given out to racers was the best I've seen yet: Mountain Hardwear wicking T instead of the normal cotton T, a pair of Smartwool cycling socks, and a pint glass with the Disc Burner logo. Plus at 1:00 the 3 free kegs were tapped and the cool pint glasses were put to good use.

The race started out with the normal Lemans start and a double track climb that help break up the pack. I decided on the 6 hr race for this one so I ran a little quicker laps that I would for the 12 hour races. I've been trying out all the Edurolyte pills I've gotten free at various events and they really seemed to help me at the last 2 races I've done. I still felt fresh 4 hours into the race. Once my free stash runs out I just might actually throw down some $$ for a bottle of these things.

All of my laps went well without any mechanicals or bonking. After lap 4 I rolled in and checked up with Alan who informed me we only had time for one more before the 2:20 cut-off. I was kind of disappointed thinking it would be closer to 3. I knew I had 6 laps in me but 5 was alot better performance than my measly 3 @ Warriors Creek. Next time I'll pay better attention to the time and not spend so much time goofing off in the pits.
Lap 5 I started out with Alan and for some reason I felt really good, better than I had on lap 4. I picked up my pace knowing it was my last and decided to give it my all just in case I might pick up a spot or two. About half way through the lap I caught sight of an ETSU jersey. I had no idea who it was or if I was even racing against them but I decided to make it my goal to catch whoever it was. Over the course of a mile or two I reeled him in and passed him at the top of a climb. Working pretty hard I didn't get a good look at who it was but he didn't look familiar so I said nothing and just kept riding. I put a gap on the rider and found another carrot to chase. I passed the rider who had given up on climbing the hills but as soon as we started descending he was all over my rear tire so I moved over and let him pass, being too tired to worry about someone breathing down my neck. As soon as we approached another climb off the bike he went and started walking again. Once again I passed him on the climb only to find him all over my rear tire once we started descending. I knew this was going to get on my nerves so I decided to make him work for it if he wanted to pass me. He stayed there through the rest of the course until we reached the last section of fireroads where he finally did pass me and luckily for him there were no more climbs so I just let him go. I turned around to see if anyone else was coming and in all see sawing going on between me and the other rider the cat in the ESTU jersey had caught back up to me. All the hard riding I did to keep the hill walker behind me had left my legs cramping and it was all I had left in me to keep the ETSU rider behind me. During the final stretches of the course he really began to reel me in and I could feel him drafting me really close. The end of the course takes you through a couple of large fields with plenty of room to pass but he stayed behind me until the road crossing just before we entered the final field that contained the finish line. As we approached the road crossing I sensed him start to try and pass so I stood up stomped on the pedals with everything I had and pulled back ahead by a couple of inches as we entered the cone lined lane set up several yards before the finish line. The cone lined course arched to the right as it approached the finish line and I took the inside line leaving no room to pass except on the outside. We were both coming in very hot and all of the sudden out of the corner of my eye I see a blur of bike and blue jersey on my right and hear an oh sh*t! as the rider attempted to squeeze into the space between me and the cones failing miserably. He smashed hard into me taking both of us down. We were traveling so fast that when I came off my bike I hit the ground and rolled at least three times. I somehow managed roll back to my feet and grab my bike which was sliding on the grass behind me. I jumped up but quickly realized something was wrong because the handlebars would not turn right. I decided to run across the line with my bike in hand just ahead of my pursuer. As I ran across the line I shouted a few choice words to the ETSU rider. After I crossed I turned to face him and told him how unnecessary that was before I accessed the damage to me and my bike. He said nothing, crossed the line and walked off. As I walked back to the camper I couldn't help but think how familiar he looked once I looked at him face to face. When I reached the camper I told Melinda the story and she commented on how she had heard a crash and everyone who was spectating shout holy sh*t! I told her the rider was wearing an ETSU jersey and she told me who he was and I immediately felt bad for cussing him even though it was his fault.
Later that afternoon he approached me to apologize about the crash and I apologized as well for cussing him. I told him not to worry, I said it was just hard racing. I felt kinda like a NASCAR driver when someone crashes into his buddies car and he doesn't want to call him an idiot on national TV. "Aw,... we were just racing each other really hard." By then I had already checked the results and we were both indeed in the 6 hr race something I wasn't sure of but he was a lap up on me. When I told him that he said he was chasing the guy in front of us who I had previously been see sawing with but by the time the ETSU rider had caught me the other guy was long gone and out of sight. Hmmm.......

photo cred: Scooby's Snacks

beach cruiser week

Friday night Melinda are planning on embarking on our first trip to the beach in 4 or 5 years. It will also be our first trip to the beach with the ECO. Yes we are going to camp out this time. Most of our trips to the beach we have stayed in some sort of hotel or condo and usually it involved my whole family. We've been unable to coordinate a family beach trip for some time mainly due to job schedule restraints and 2 big black dogs that for some reason are never welcome at the places we've stayed in the past.

We finally found a place that not only allows dogs but they welcome them. We're going camping at the beach, Cape Hatteras to be exact. Our original plan was to leave bright and early Saturday morning but Melinda just found out that she's off Friday so we may leave Friday night and knock half the drive out. I've always wanted to pull into a WalMart and set-up camp for free like I see so many do at our local WalMart. I don't know why this appeals to me but it does and this way it will allow us to arrive alot earlier in the day on Saturday instead of late in the afternoon wasting most of the day on the road.

My biggest issue so far in planning this trip is not whether I should bring my bike or not but rather which bike do I take. I would like to take two but I think that would be pushing it. My bike of choice for this week is my cruiser but the only problem is it has full fenders and bolt on hubs as does Melinda's Schwinn making it impossible to put on the various types of roof racks I have for the truck.

When we haul them around to the CRAWLs we always use the hitch rack which works flawlessly but with the ECO trailer hooked up it eliminates the hitch rack. I really didn't want to take my road bike or mtn bikes because I have a feeling the sand and salt will find it's way into places I don't want it to.

Melinda and I came up with the idea of putting the cruisers inside the ECO trailer. We have a floor rack at home that we use to store them currently and I think with the use of some bungees and towels to protect the insides of the camper from pedals and handlebars I think they will ride upright inside the ECO just fine. Tonight I plan to try this out to make sure it will work. The key to making this work will be securing the bikes so they do not fall over during travel and wreck the cabinets.

The 12 Hours of Tsali pt. 3 (what $66.95 really got me)

The 12 Hours of Tsali is a pretty popular race put on by the nice folks at GoneRiding.com. I don't really have any bad complaints about them. I've done a few of their races all at Tsali but I think for the price of the entry fee an event T-shirt is the least they could do. They did have an event shirt but it cost you an extra $12 if you bought it online sight unseen which I actually thought about doing. I remember the past event shirts and they weren't that impressive. I've gotten a lot worse but they have all been free with registration. They did have the rumored spaghetti dinner but it was during the race which if you were really trying for the 12 hour win, stopping mid race for watered down spaghetti was out of the question. When I arrived at the event I checked out the shirts and yeah they sucked and the price had gone up to $15 so I knew I made the right move by not purchasing one. As I was registering I was told I needed to cough up $2 for the trail fee which is the norm for riding the Tsali trails. I would have thought surely my $64.95 would have covered a measly $2 trail fee. Not too happy about this I decided to write the lady a check for $2 instead of handing over the cash which she was not happy about but gave me a little satisfaction. About the $2 trail fee, I do not oppose paying to ride trails because I know first hand that building and maintaining trails cost money. The problem I have with the $2 I pay at Tsali is I haven't seen any improvements in the last 5 years other than removing fallen trees. There are some serious drainage problems, alot of pot holes that can take you down if your not paying attention and in some places the corridor is very narrow due to the brush creeping in on the trail. I've got the poison ivy to prove it. If your going to charge me $2 to ride the trail, use it to maintain it like you say you do. My mtn bike club doesn't charge to ride the local trails and I think we do a better job maintaining them. I hope it's more of a lack of volunteers rather than someone using it to fund their beer supply.

Back to my original topic, what I got for my now $66.94. This is really beginning to remind me of my cable company with all the little fees being tacked on. The entry fee started out as $60, then add on $4.95 for the online registration and another $2 to actually ride the trails.

After I paid all the fees gave some blood and urine samples and signed a form saying I wouldn't sue anybody I received my swag bag. The bag itself was a pretty white bag that was sturdy enough to be reused on another camping trip but in all reality it will probably end up taking up space in a landfill for the next 50 yrs. In the bag was a couple of pamphlets full of useless info trying to get me to buy their products (more stuff to take space in the landfill). I got a small packet of sunscreen which could save me from skin cancer one day so that right there folks might just be worth the $66.95. I also received the following Hammer products: an energy bar, Endurolytes, and some Heed endurance drink in a funny melon flavor which I have a feeling is going to suck. I guess if I got lost in the woods for several days during the race these 3 items might keep me from starving to death. That's worth the $66.95 right? So if I manage to survive getting lost in the woods and skin cancer due to the swag bag contents then when I do make it home I'll be able to wash my NTMBA kit with my really small sample of Sport Wash, some kind of fancy new detergent that says it improves the performance of your clothing. WTF?? Sounds like a watered down detergent that just doesn't wear out the fabric as fast to me. I just go the cheap man's route by only washing my lycra when it's really dirty. Kinda gross I know but I have to pay for my cycling kits, I'm not a sponsored rider. I won't offend any sponsors if my kit doesn't smell like fresh lavender. Last but not least there is the small b&w Trek sticker, I can't think of a way for this thing to help me out so I'll probably just toss it into my useless sticker pile or stick on the back of Olga's SUV. (I stuck an I-9 sticker on her window about 5 yrs ago as a prank and she never realized it). Now she actually owns a set of I-9's so the sticker finally has a purpose.
$66.95, was it worth the race? I still haven't decided. I had fun and would probably do it again as long as the price doesn't continue to go up and I don't have to burn vacation to do so. The only negative experience other than the entry fee price I had were a few folks who thought way to highly of themselves. I got cussed on more than one occasion by someone who felt I didn't get out of their way fast enough. Nothing slows me down more than someone being very rude behind me. I'll get over alot faster if you just ask politely. I guess some folks feel like they own the trail. We even had some lady get pissed off because she had to wait all of 3 minutes for us to back our camper into our campsite. There was no where for me to go and no room to pull over. I don't know what she wanted me to do but after we finally got out of her Highness's way I told her patience was a virtue as she drove by. I think that pissed her off a little more and she stopped for a half second like she wanted to fight us. I have never experienced this much hostility and impatience at a mountain bike race before. Alan, "Mr I get along with everyone" almost got into a fist fight with the guys next to us who were very rude about sharing a spot in the pits.

photo credit - Scooby's Snacks
I guess the $66.95 entry fee with no T-shirt was getting to everyone.

12 Hours of Tsali pt. 2 (photo essay)

The pics are in, I didn't get a whole lot because I was riding alot more than usual. While the race course was fun some of the people we encountered were not. After I got cleaned up and had some dinner everyone seemed to filter out of site too tired to stay up. I guess the 6 hr race really took it's toll on everyone.

We had to make a last minute stop to make an adjustment. The truck was really loaded down for this trip but it did well going over the mountains. Alan said we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies but there was no Granny or a rocking chair.

Friday night we got everything set-up, the ECO is alot quicker and easier than the Pancake Shack ever thought about being. Nicer too!

Jackson will hang out with you all night as long as you'll pet him or share your beer.

Alan in his Hillbilly hotel with the AC on, er I mean the rear hatch open.

Our pit area that we had to fight to keep.

My biggest fan and crew chief.

Melinda, her Mom, Olga and Joe all paddled around the lake until they found a good place to watch the racers fly by. It just so happened that I saw them and stopped for a second for a photo.

Alan and I getting ready for a lap, we got harassed by the Gone Riding folks who tried to say I was drafting behind him. That's the first time I ever heard of that especially when he rode behind me the whole time. At first I thought they were giving Alan a hard time trying to say he was riding a kids bike. I knew he shouldn't have gone back to the 26" wheel.

My last lap, I got harassed by the Gone Riding folks for not properly dismounting. Too many goofy rules, they even told us we couldn't ride with Ipods. I did anyway but got a disapproving remark from Mr. Boggs.

I wonder if Melinda ever would have thought before she married me that half her wardrobe would be cycling related clothing.

Screw the watered down spaghetti, we made tortilla soup, much tastier.

On Sunday Melinda and I hit the N.O.C. and saw this really cool VW van. There was some crazy lady directing traffic when we rolled in. She told me my truck would not fit into the parking lot but I argued otherwise. She allowed me to pull in and told me to think good thoughts.

12 Hours of Tsali recap pt.1

I wasn't too sure how to start this post, I had alot of fun this weekend. I didn't have a plan, I didn't train, I really only had a pit because of Alan. I just wanted to see how far I could push myself but still have fun. I wasn't really interested in seeing how much suffering I could endure because what fun is in that? I came here to enjoy myself and if I ended up suffering there might be a chance I would lay off the bike for a while and I don't want that to happen. After it was all said and done I'd have to say I succeeded. I had fun, I did hurt but I didn't really suffer. My goal was at least 6 laps and I could have gone longer but the sun went down and cold beers were a flowing.

I rode my mountain bike farther than I ever have in one day, 60+ miles. Technically I don't have an exact mileage number to give because I accidentally reset my bike computer on my last lap. I didn't just reset the ride but I reset the whole damn thing which is hard for me to do when I'm trying. I was riding lap 6 in the dark, closing in on 60 miles and my head light kept bouncing a glare off the screen so I reached down to try a adjust the position of it on my handlebar and reset the whole thing. I was trying to keep track of my mileage for the year and how many miles were on the bike but now all that is lost. There are 3 buttons you have to push at the same time in order to reset the computer and how I manged to push all three I'll never understand. I was on my 6th lap (my goal) and was feeling good but a malfunctioning cleat set me back a little in the pits causing me to get a later start than I wanted. I was feeling a lot better than I had expected so had decided to keep pushing making my last lap a night lap. I'm not really a fan of riding at night. If I had a better light set up I might but as little night riding as I do it's hard to spend the $$ on a new set up when the old really heavy one works good. Anyway I got a late start and did the last half of my lap in the dark. The combination of the computer resetting and the darkness setting in on me kinda took the wind out of my sails on going for a 7th. All my friends were done and drinking beer having a big ole time and I just couldn't bring myself to go out for another lap. I felt satisfied with myself but I was ready to have some fun off the bike. As far as my body goes I felt fine with the exception of some saddle sores, the course was actually pretty easy.

Those were just a couple of small instances that were part of a very fun weekend. I did manage to film alot of the race but unfortunately I will be working all the week and then heading to the beach for a week so it's going to be a while before any footage will be seen. Alan rode a couple of laps with me and as we were entering the woods I had an idea. I never get to be in my own videos and most of the pics are taken by me so they are always of other people. I pulled over unhooked the camera and gave it to Alan to film so I can actually watch myself ride. I'm not really that vain I just think it would be interesting to watch myself ride for a change. I'll try and get my pics uploaded tonight and post them up tomorrow.

All photos courtesy of Scooby's Snacks

Forgetful Jones

This just in, Tsali campground is almost full, luckily my good buddy and campsite sharing partner went down today and secured us one of the last spots. It looks as if it's going to be crowded down there with tents and bikes everywhere. I'm ready to go down now but I'm working till 6am & Melinda's gotta work till 1pm tomorrow. I've got lists of stuff all over the house, grocery lists, packing lists, all types of batteries to charge. The lists are many and long, why? because I'm forgetful.
If you watched Sesame Street as a kid keep reading if not skip to the next blog. There is one character I'll always remember and no it wasn't Big Bird, I'll liked his friend Mr. Snuffelufagus better. I'm talking about the old cowboy Forgetful Jones and his horse, who's name I can't recall. I feel like Forgetful Jones and I are related somehow, no I'm not a cowboy but I did grow up in TX. The thing is that I'm always forgetting stuff, Melinda fusses at me all the time for it. I'm constantly having to make lists of things I need to do or they won't get done. Take this blog for example, throughout the day I'll be daydreaming away as usual and I'll think of something really good to write about but by the time I get to sit down and type it's gone like keg at a frat party. I refer to myself as Forgetful Jones sometimes when Melinda is upset because I forgot to pick up toothpaste at the store especially when my list only has 5 things on it. If I wasn't so forgetful I could probably remember F.J.'s horse but oh well. See you at the race

I'll try to remember to turn on the Hero cam for this race and bring extra batteries to get plenty of footage.

flying tents and spaghetti

Gonna be a busy week for me, I've got to get everything ready for a trip to NC for the 12 Hours of Tsali. Today I gave the bike hauler and Eco trailer a bath, got the Mamasita tuned up and ready to roll with a little help from Alan. I still managed to screw up the crank and he finally set me straight. I still need to install a new set of brake pads but I think I can manage that one myself.

I've done a few of these 12 and 24 hour races over the past few years and the thing that always gets me is the price. Probably the best race for the money I've done yet was the 6 hours of Warriors Creek this year. For $40 (early bird reg. fee) I got a cool shirt, a BBQ dinner, and free beer plus I managed to win a door prize. The 12 Hours of Tsali, one of the more popular races in the area I paid $60 plus a $4.95 charge for something I can't remember to race at a trail I've ridden a hundred times. No T-shirt, there is a rumor of a spaghetti dinner (the cheapest dinner possible besides Ramen noodles) but I doubt we'll see it and no beer. For an extra $12 you can purchase a shirt but the past few years they have sucked so I always passed on it. Why am I doing the race, well good question, it's probably the best course for me to try out as my first 12 hour solo experience. In reality it does usually turn out to be a good race and is usually run pretty well and they actually do have a podium.

Enough complaining, how about some pics from last weekends Racks by the Tracks. Racks on the Tracks was a BBQ Rib cook off and beer tasting gig. Pretty cool event even though Pisgah Brewing Co. was a no show. I was really looking forward to tasting their brew. I think there ended up being around 15 breweries on hand and we got a cool little souvenir glass to take home. A few of us decided to take a wrong turn in the woods out on Bays Mtn earlier and were having to much fun so we were a little late and missed out on a few beers. I think I'd had enough anyway.

Anthony had a few too many and thought he was the Dog Whisperer for about 10 minutes. Caesar would have definitely said it was Anthony who needed rehabilitating.

This cat had it going on, that was one long ride. I bet he had hard time pedaling that thing up hill.

As soon as we got ready to leave a storm rolled in and the wind picked up several EZ-Up's and started hurling them in all directions. Everyone was running for cover and chasing flying tents down the street. I thought about helping but decided it was much more fun to laugh and snap pictures.

http://vimeo.com/4709556 from Greg Carr on Vimeo.

The annual NTMBA club picnic was this past Saturday and it was probably the best one I've seen yet. Check out the video for a short recap for those of you who missed it. Lot's of folks showed up, alot of them I'd never seen before. Towards the end of the day a few of us snuck off to ride the backside of Bays mtn which has been all the craze as of late. The singletrack at the end of the video is some of what's out there but I just couldn't do it justice with such a short clip. Alot of good footage was lost due to dead batteries in the Hero cam, my fault. I'll get it next time. The 12 Hours of Tsali is on the horizon for this weekend and will be my 1st 12 hour solo attempt. As luck would have it I've been sick right before the race but this time it hasn't kept me off the bike. Lotsa packing to do this weekend and I've got to try and squeeze in some riding as well. I did make it out to the trails today with the dogs and the Karate Monkey. The trail were in near perfect condition so if you haven't been out in a while get out now before Mother Nature decides to throw some rain our way.