Big Jim's Blog

Support Those Who Represent You

2012-01-25T11:18:00.004-05:00

I need a part time job just so I can renew some memberships that are coming due about the same time. I'm not complaining though because I believe in these groups.

Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association which is the local chapter of the Southern Off Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) which is an area chapter of the International Mountain Bike Association or IMBA. Yea, that’s allot of acronyms. Bottom line though TMBA represents me and other like-minded MTBer’s by representing “riders from the area and advocates for riding opportunities while working with City, County, State and Federal representatives in an effort to present cycling, and specifically mountain biking, as a positive and beneficial activity for the whole community.” If you know me then you know how much I love riding my mountain bike on the local trails and I do not take for granted how lucky we are to have what we have. If you love bicycling then I encourage you to show your support. More often than not when local organizations try to “get something done” at the local city, county and state level government officials will take into consideration the support of the local community. Simply join by going to this link. Make sure that you indicate TMBA is your local chapter when prompted. I know that Jose Sanchez and the other TMBA officers will appreciate it.

Capital City Cyclists (CCC) has a new President, Zach Finn. Zach has been around the bicycling community in Tallahassee….well forever. He’s very enthusiastic about his new role and I see great things happening within the club. CCC puts on some great events throughout the year. TOSRV and the Spaghetti 100 to name just two. Membership with the CCC is a steal at $15 for an individual membership or $20 for a family membership. Again this worthy club represents bicycling across the board for the Tallahassee/Leon County area. Just visit the CCC website to join or renew your membership.

Luckily my hair club for men membership is not set to expire until later in the year so I have plenty of time to save up for that.

On a final note I hope that you will support the Coastal Plywood (David Norman) charity ride (Second Annual Tour of Amsterdam Mountain Bike Ride & Poker Run) which is slotted for March 3rd. All of the proceeds go to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network at Shands Hospital. Support a great charity, have a cool ride and enjoy some good food. For more info simply go to this link.

Thank YOU for your support.

This IS Healthy

2012-01-20T09:47:00.004-05:00

I love Tallahassee’s cycling community. Talk about a diverse and passionate population group. We range in age from middle schoolers to senior citizen (sorry Norman). From varied educational backgrounds to varied career choices (state worker to medical doctor), what might not otherwise bring us together in the real world, cycling bridges the gap.

I’ve noticed more of an intermingling within our cycling community over the last year or so. Different factions getting together for rides and other social events. This is good, and healthy, for our little cycling community. If you want a good example of this interaction show up at Zone 5 Coffee & Bikes on a Friday night where you’ll find a good number of people who represent a good number of “cliques.” If you sit back and take it all in you’ll notice these varied groups talking, drinking a cold beer, and having fun BS’ing with each other.

Speaking of factions, I’m lucky enough that I have a few that tolerate me enough to let me join them on rides once in a while. Of course I’m tried and true black and orange and enjoy riding with my BC crew, but I also really enjoy my rides with the “Chaires” crew. I got hooked on the Charies Wednesday night rides over the Summer and it has evolved to Saturday morning road rides with the Chaires regulars. Randall only ocassionally yells at me any more about my poor road cycling skills. Brent doesn’t yell at all, he just rides away from me when he’s had enough. Now if I could somehow get the regular (those who actually ride consistently) BC crew and the Chaires crew together for an occasional road ride I’d be living in a perfect world. Of course we know the world is not perfect so whatcha gonna do.

So, here’s a new game. I call it guess whose body part this is. First person to guess it right gets to buy their own beer at Zone 5 tonight. I post this pic knowing the person will kill me on the next ride. The chance I take for entertainment value.

Riding the Wave

2012-01-19T16:53:00.002-05:00

So here it is Thursday. More typical then not I would ride my bike after work. That is what I do on Thursday. My friends that I ride with assume it, my wife assumes it, and even my cat gives me a strange look when I show up at home early on a ride night. But tonight when I leave the office I’ll be heading home. I may stop off at Publix first for some Blue Point Toasted Lager as a few folks have been pimping that beer to me lately. Strangely I’m looking forward to taking the next two days off the bike. This is me listening to my body which I almost never do. Lately I’m always tired. I get it. A combination of holiday feasts, lots of hours in the saddle, getting over a cold, and a 6 hour ride at Felasco last Saturday all have me feeling worn out. It’s time to sit back and relax, at least for the next few days.

Speaking of Felasco, I had a blast. It was good driving over with the guys (Big Worm, Big Tony, Wrecking Ball and Lil’ Wrecking Ball) the night before. It was especially good catching up with Big Tony after a decade of not talking to him at all. Saturday’s weather was perfect. I appreciate the guys support and not giving me too much grief for riding 90% of the ride solo. I wanted to use this event to see how I would hold up during an endurance ride. I’ve got some big plans this year for some endurance racing so I wanted to use this as an early measuring stick. I rolled with the crew to the first sag stop (about 10 miles in). When I noticed they had all stopped for a PB&J sandwich I decided to keep on rolling. Derwood caught up to me a short time later and we rolled together just past the second sag stop. Once he “let” me go it was all solo from there on out. I rolled into lunch grabbed a PB&J, filled up the bottle and 5 minutes later I was back on the bike. All and all I was happy with my ride. 61.20 miles in about 5:48 hours (10.5 avg). I admit that I started coming apart at about hour 5. I’ve got a long way to go to get ready for some of the races I have planned. Thanks again for the crew for their support and understanding.

I’ve been a little down lately on how bad I have felt on my bike. A buddy of mine sent me an email this morning stating that he had finally realized that fitness is like a sine wave (up, down, up, down) and that he needed to learn how to “surf” the waves. I had never thought of fitness in this way before. Makes sense the way he explained it. We all have seen it and we have all gone through it. One week you’re riding strong and the next week you’re ready to sell your bike.

Guess I’ll keep riding the wave.

Hello Friend

2012-01-12T13:17:00.002-05:00

This is the only picture of me I could find on the Felasco site for 2011. I can't get over how "healthy' I look. I must have been riding with the hopes of oreo cookies and fig newtons at each sag stop. You will notice Lil' Ball over my right shoulder. Nothing like a 60 mile bike ride with Lil' Ball pointing out every bad line choice that I made. By the time we were done I wanted to kill him. I could have thrown his body in the woods of the massive state preserve and, with any luck, he would never have been found.

The Tour de Felasco is like going to see a good friend. I love this ride. None of the pressures of riding in a race. With any luck I'll drink too much the night before, and eat a very inappropriate breakfast (Waffle House?) the morning of. The biggest question is do I forego my typical bibs for this ride and go with regular lycra shorts? I see some intestinal distress at some point early in the ride on Saturday morning. Bib shorts require work (close porta potty door, remove jersey without spilling jersey contents in potty, de-bib, do business, re-bib, put on jersey without spilling jersey contents into potty). I'm tired now just thinking about it.

Felasco is about what you make it and most folks have their own ideas of what they want to accomplish. I'd like to push myself a little bit this year just to see what I got in me. This doesn't mean riding overly hard but more like less stopping and a constant tempo. Maybe even a shorter lunch stop since there is the promise of pizza and soda at the end of the ride.

Tomorrow me, Big Worm, Wrecking Ball, Lil Wrecking Ball, and Big Tony will load up the truck and head on over to Alachua county. I haven't seen Big Tony in well over ten years so I'm stoked about catching up with him. The weather looks great.

The BC train that typically shows up will not be there this year but rest assured that us small, but hearty members will be having a good time.

1st Blog of the New Year

2012-01-03T14:01:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

So once again I have survived the Holidays. The bad news is that I spent way too much money on gifts, and ate way too many high caloric foods. The good news is that I still have enough coin to pay my bills and I’m only 5 lbs above my goal weight (7lbs above my ideal weight). Things could be worse.

I really enjoyed my time off from work during the Holidays. I don’t typically take the whole week off between Christmas and New Years and now I can’t imagine ever working between these two Holidays ever again. I slept in most days, got up and had coffee and ate breakfast with Libby, then got in some really good bicycle rides.

I’ve got some lofty cycling goals set for 2012. I’ve already registered for the Cohutta 100 for April. I’d like to give ORAMM a try in July if a few other guys share the same interest, and I plan on doing Fools Gold in September. I’m also considering the 12 Hours of Santos (solo) next month as a kind of training race to help me prepare for Cohutta (this will be a week of decision and the weather may be the deciding factor).

I’ve only done one endurance race in my past which was Fools Gold last year. I had so much fun that I swore I would make it my focus in 2012. Of course I cannot train the same way I’ve trained in the past when getting ready for 1.5-2 hour cross county events. Somehow I am going to need to find a way to get allot more hours in the saddle. I’m off to a pretty good start so far with a 4+ hour road ride this past Saturday and a 3.5 hour MTB ride yesterday. This is just the start of what I really need to be doing. Now that we have started the new year I am going to really need to start planning my training rides in more detail and do my best to stick to the plan.

Local legend Ricky Silk will tell you (and has told me more than once) that you cannot train for events and ride with other people. I know that he is right to a great extent. I can recall my fair share of “recovery rides” that I’ve been on where I spent the whole ride just trying to hang on to the group. A recovery ride that kept me pinned for 1 or more hours.

It’s going to be hard to convince most of the guys I ride with to join me for a 4-6 hour ride on a Saturday at a moderate pace, or to do 3X20 minute intervals on a Wednesday night. I don’t blame these guys one bit. For most people this type of riding would not be considered fun but, for me, at where my mind is at the moment I do consider this fun. I like having a goal to keep me motivated in what I love to do.

I know my friends will support me even when they are giving me grief about missing certain rides. With any luck I’ll con a few of them into jumping on the endurance event bandwagon. Last I heard Big Worm was thinking of doing The Big Frog on the same day I’m doing Cohutta. Now to keep him motivated and get others to come over to the dark side. Norman should be with me but he likes to cherry pick those Georgia series races.

Wishing you all great success in 2012.

Endangered Species in Florida

2011-12-01T09:39:00.008-05:00

Endangered species are defined as "a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers....". These are just a few that can be found on the endangered species list.

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

Whooping Crane

West Indian Manatee

Bikeposse

*Note: The big guy in the middle of this pic is still around, but he is the only pack member who is continually spotted in so called crew rides.

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-23T13:48:00.009-05:00

Thanksgiving friends:

Norman Turkey. The white feathers gives him away. That and the fact that this turkey looks like he's fussing about something.

Chris, it's a cupcake turkey. Get it.

The SteveA Turkey. I mean look at it. This turkey screams perfection. He rides, he paints, he sails, he probably even bastes himself.

Damn I miss Costa. I damn near cried when I saw this pic.

The Kent Turkey "hey who wants coffee, it's over here"

Terry on his soap box.

That's all, I'm done.

Sorry Mark, I couldn't find a Visalis turkey.

The Dark Side

2011-11-09T10:18:00.003-05:00

For those of you who are big Star Wars fans you missed out if you did not make it out to the Tally CX races on Saturday. As you can see by the picture above, Star Wars star Darth Sidious made it out to cheer on the racers.

My hope is that one day we can bring him back over from the dark side to where the force is good.

Thumb Twiddling

2011-11-04T15:00:00.007-04:00

Two bad ideas last Sunday have me off the bike this week. First I thought I'd try going for a run. I didn't think my hamstring issue was all that bad. Five minutes into the run I realized what a bad idea it was. It would seem the hamstring is torn, not just strained as I first thought. Disappointed by the run I decided on a MTB ride. The tendonitis in my arm hated this idea as well. I decided it best to just take this week off from such activities to see if my body can heal up.

Since I have nothing bike related to discuss, I figure this would be a good time to talk a little bit about the goings on with my "show" Young & The Restless. Libby and I are all caught up with the episodes.

First, what a relief that Sharon was able to get out of jail this week. She was falsely accused of killing Sky Lockhart. Thanks to a found video disk showing that Sharon was actually trying to help Sky and not trying to kill her got Sharon out of jail.

This jackass, Adam Newman, is the one who threw the video disk in the river. He was jealous that Sharon had been shacking up with another man. What a jerk.

The big cheese, Victor Newman, hates his son but thinks the world of Sharon. He has instruted Adam to stay clear or else. Victor is a baddass.

Nick is Victor's other son. The good son. We like Nick.

I'm hoping that Nick will hook up with super hot attorney Avery Bailey Clark. Go Nick go.

As you can see I need to get back on my bike real soon.

NC Reflections

2011-10-26T11:40:00.002-04:00

Well I guess it’s time to take some time away from the bike. I was probably due. I’ve been riding allot over the last 4 years with no real break. I’ve been told, and have read, that a break is good every now and then. This break, however, is due to something outside of my control. Last Wednesday I met Ric and Tim for some CX practice. It was a good ride, hard, but good. That night I noticed my left arm (in the area of the elbow) had some discomfort which I thought was odd since I had not crashed or had any other incidents leading up to it. On Thursday the discomfort was worse. Perhaps I’ve developed some tendonitis or maybe it’s something else altogether. I figure I’ll wait until next week and see how it feels. If I’m still having a problem I’ll see about a trip to the doc in order to get this thing figured out.

Libby and I had an enjoyable mini-vacation to the mountains of NC. She loves looking at waterfalls so we went in search of a few. The first night we stayed in Brevard. Of course I had my MTB with me so on Friday morning I’m up before the sun so I can get some riding in while Libby sleeps. I suffer from guilt riding bikes when I’m on vacation with her, but she always encourages me to get a little riding in. I was so anxious to ride Pisgah that I got to the trailhead before the sun is up…OOOPPPS. It’s all good, by the time I get the bike ready and gear up it’s light enough to roll. This was only my second time riding these trails. I love this area and don’t know why I don’t make more of an effort to get up that way more often. The trails in the Brevard area are epic and like nothing we have around here. They are an absolute blast. I will admit I was a little nervous once I got away from civilization. It was evident that I was the only one in the woods on this cold 30 degree morning. Knowing they have a large black bear population had me talking and singing out loud. I figure better to be heard sooner by a bear than to see him later as I round a corner. I had to laugh at times when I pictured what another rider or hiker would think of me if they heard me out there making such a racket. Before my next trip I’m going to record a bike ride with Terry so that I can just play that while I ride. This will be better than bear mace.

The Brevard trip was only one night. On Friday afternoon, after scoping out more waterfalls, we headed to Asheville for the next three nights. Our itinerary in Asheville had us driving the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the views of the leaves changing, chasing more waterfalls, and eating allot of good food. I was also able to ride Bent Creek Saturday and Sunday. Again, brief rides but I wasn’t complaining. It’s always good to ride new/different trails.

On Sunday I met up with Rick Baker. I met Rick last year when I was riding Bent Creek. We since stayed in touch and he offered to show me around Bent Creek once I got back in the area. The ride did not go off as I had hoped or had pictured. About a mile away from the truck/trailhead I cut a sidewall on my rear tire (did I mention I should have changed tires before this trip? Schwalbes are not the tires to choose for riding Pisgah trails). Not to get into the comedy of errors on my part to get the problem resolved. Bottom line is that I did happen to have an extra tire in the truck. So 45 minutes after the initial flat we are rolling again. It was a beautiful morning and the trails were in great shape. The Bent Creek trail systems are allot of fun and if you find yourself in the Asheville area I highly recommend that you buy a map from a local bike shop and ride them. For the most part this was a fun ride, up until I decided to play Superman (on crack cocaine) while descending a mountain at 20+ mph. Too much speed, mixed in with a water bar with a little more lip than I first noticed and about a three foot drop off the back side were a bad combination. Just as soon as I hit the bar I became airborne. Bad things happened after that. The good news is that I didn’t die. Luckily, other than being really sore, the only real injury sustained was a pulled (maybe torn) hamstring. By far the scariest crash I’ve been involved in. I can picture Rick trying to explain to Libby what happened. “Uhhhhh, sorry I killed your husband, but it wasn’t my fault, he was stupid and deserved to die….now can I have his bike.”

Not stoked about staying off the bike while I get the arm figured out. I guess on the positive I have wanted to start running again and once the hamstring heals I guess that’s what I’ll be doing. In the meantime I’ll be eating allot more and getting fat again. I know that this will disappoint many of you.

Good Times

2011-09-28T09:02:00.003-04:00

Last night’s ride is why I enjoy bicycles. It was FUN!

I was jonesing for a “regular” good time ride with crew. The last few weeks I have been in racer boy mode. First was the Tom Brown race on September 11 which meant I was on cruising mode the week before. The week before any race I typically shut it down. No ride on Monday, hour or so easy ride Tuesday, off Wednesday, super duty easy pedaling on trainer Thursday, off Friday, pre-ride course Saturday, race on Sunday.

The week after the Tom Brown race work had me traveling to St. Pete so no riding at all until the weekend. The next race was Fernandina on the 25th so last week was another “cruising mode” week.

Although I am considering racing Gainesville this Sunday, by yesterday I was in need of a fun ride. The thought of another easy week leading up to a race did not appeal to me at all.

I hinted to Big Worm that I haven’t ridden the North side trails in a while and that maybe some forbidden forest riding may be just what the doctor ordered to get my spark back. He was happy to oblige, so I met him and Perry Mason at the orifice. PM showed up amped up on caffeine, heroine, something. He was itching to go and got inpatient waiting on me to kit up. He did laps around the Popeye’s and Publix parking lot while I got ready.

The forbidden forest was a blast. It had been awhile since I rode out there and it was fun to see it again. Even the distress of having some old pedals on the bike that kept releasing from my cleats at inappropriate moments could not dampen my good time. On the way back BW suggests we drop into the Silk trail to finish the ride off. The big man drops in followed by PM. I missed the turn so the two got a gap on me. No problem, I say I’ll catch them so I jump on the gas. I’m going pretty good, but I’m not bridging the gap. BW rode that section like a man possessed. May be the fastest I’ve ridden that fun section of trail. By the time we spit out the bottom we were all smiles. BW hands me and PM our diplomas since he had just schooled us.

Although disappointed more crew couldn’t ride, I can’t imagine last night’s ride being much better.

Now, who wants to ride to Gainesville on Sunday for a day of race?

Rider Back!

2011-09-09T08:44:00.003-04:00

Last year at this time I had the worst mountain bike race ever. The race was at Tom Brown and was the first race of the Florida State Championship series. I had envisioned, and hoped for, better results that day. The Tom Brown race came off the heels of the Bump N’ Grind race in Birmingham just 3 months earlier where I had my best race since moving up to the Sport class (3rd place in a field of about 26), but nothing went right on that hot September day (weak legs, stomach issues, and general overall suckiness). I will say that the competition in Florida is just crazy good. Large fields of racers who can freaking fly on a bicycle. To compete with these guys you better bring your A game. You haven’t raced until you have been yelled at by a guy screaming in Spanish.

On Sunday at 11:30am I will line up again to give this thing another shot. Assuming my race is as large as last year (30 racers) my goal will be a top 10 finish (compared to 20th place last year). This may not seem like a lofty goal but again, these Florida boys are fast (and a bunch of sandbaggers). To meet this goal allot of things will need to go right:
-No debilitating nerves while standing on the start line
-No dead legs within the first 2 miles
-No brain farts the first time through Cadillac
-No mechanicals
-No cramps
-No “whoops I clipped that %#$&^ tree now I’m in the air crap this is really going to hurt” crashes

If you have nothing going on Sunday morning come on out to Tom Brown for the show. This race will bring hundreds of riders from all over the state. The base class goes off at 9:30 with the Sport/Experts/Pro’s going off at 11:30.

To all the other Tally guys and girls racing on Sunday, good luck!

Ride it like you stole it!!! For the South Florida boys Montarlo como había robado (‘cause you probably did).

Just the Socks

2011-08-29T17:43:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, one of the local bike shops lost a valuable employee. Lil’ Ball worked for Sunshine Cycles, part time, for a number of years. His unofficial title, at least in my world, was Senior Foot Tube Organizational Analyst. Because of his tougher workload in school coming up as he continues his quest for an architecture degree, LB had to free up some time.

His loss is not only a loss for Sunshine, but for their customers as well. Picture this if you will. You go into Sunshine looking for that just right pair of cycling socks. You look on the rack for larges only to find mediums in that space. So you look at the mediums thinking that’s where the larges will be. No such luck that space has mediums with a few smalls thrown in there. This my friends would not have happened on Lil’ Ball’s watch. You could always have rest assured that for the few hours he worked there each week his sole (get it….sole) purpose would have been sock organization. I can remember going into the shop to look for LB. The staff would point me in the direction of the socks. I would turn the corner to see LB just standing there staring at the socks with a gleam and a purpose in his eyes.

Look how neet!

So my friends, I would ask that you go to your sock drawer, open it and light a candle. Remember those days when there was organization in your life….or at least in your “hey I need new cycling socks so lets go see what Sunshine’s got on hand” life.

Sad days indeed.

Grant Me Patience

2011-08-26T17:03:00.001-04:00

Do you ever feel that it is some people's sole purpose to try yours?

Race Recap

2011-08-22T22:09:00.003-04:00

A few months back I decided that I wanted to participate in Fool’s Gold (FG), the 50 or 100 mile MTB race in Dahlonega, GA. I had heard about this race over the years from local riders and it sounded like a must do before I get too much older. The distance to register for was an easy decision, 50 miles would be plenty for me. A good number of Tallahassee riders were talking of making the trip also, so this looked like it was going to be a fun weekend. At the time, my thought was to simply survive the race. FG is unlike a typical cross country race where they divide the racers into gender, category (base, sport, expert), and age group. I typically race Sport men 40-49. FG pretty much lumps everyone together unless you are over 50 or are riding a singlespeed bike. Since I knew I would be racing against other Sport riders along with Expert riders of all ages I had no thoughts off a podium finish so I was looking at this event as more of a ride with friends.

Norman had called shotgun in the truck months ago. Later on it was easy to convince Big Chris to tag along with us. Ricky Silk was a late commitment. So on Friday the four of us met at Zone 5 for some coffee before making the trip up to Dahlonega. A quick stop in Atlanta for lunch at Fat Matt’s Rib Shack with Phil Southerland (Team Type 1), had the weekend starting off right. When we finally rolled into Dahlonega the plan was to do a short one hour pre-ride. We had some difficulty finding the section of trail we were looking for so we mainly rode the gravel roads. Once done we head over for packet pick-up. Most of the other Tallahassee riders were there picking up their packets also (Don Davis with his bride Megan; Chad; Mark A., Paige/Paul, Don H. to name a few).

That night the F150 crew met Don and Megan at a local Italian restaurant downtown. The food was OK, the service was not. After what seemed like an eternity we finally get out of there and head to the hotel for an early night. Which is typical for me the night before a race, I barely slept. It was a combination of things. First, I rarely sleep before a race (nerves and anticipation). Second, Ric was pushing me pretty hard to actually race the race instead of treating it as just a ride. He knew that I have been working hard over the last few months to improve how I ride my bike (combination weight loss and more “effort” rides). He made a good point “you’ve been working hard, wouldn’t it be a shame to not see what you can do”. He was right, but I had promised my friends that I would ride with them. Luckily they agreed with Ric and encouraged me to give it all I could. The decision was made on race morning (I’d be giving this all I could give).

At 5:00 the alarm goes off. I down a peanut butter, banana and honey wheat bagel and a grapefruit, kit up and we are out the door. Leaving for a bike race at 6:00 in the morning seemed like madness to me. Unlike a typical cross country race, I was not having the typical pre-race jitters. I knew this would not be a balls to the wall race from start to finish like the shorter races are. The goal would be to settle into a rhythm and try to maintain my heart rate in the mid 160s while surviving the climbs.

Around 7:45 the 160 or so racers line up. The announcer gives us some information about the course then we’re off. I was a little surprised at how fast the race seemed to start. I pictured a more sedate pace for at least the first few miles. We weren’t off the start/finish property before my heart rate was climbing up towards 170. Was this going to be a long day? It was starting to feel that way.

After about 3 miles into the race, the gravel dirt road we were on started to pitch up. It went on for what must have been 6-8 miles. It only got steeper towards the top. The good news, for me, is that I felt really good. It seemed that I was climbing all day. The descents were a definite blast but they didn’t seem to last very long before we were climbing again. The quote of the day belonged to Don D. I had passed him on the long road climb going up the mountain but he flew by me on the descent down winding stair gap (? Name). As he passes he yells “come on old man.” I had nothing for him. I learned that day that Don is a descender and I am not. Don and I were able to ride with each other into the second sag stop. We also rode out together and made it as far as Bull Mountain before we got separated.

The only hiccup all day was a crash around mile 37. I was headed down a fast descent. At the bottom, the descent took a sharp left turn and, unknown to me, it would be an immediate right into some singletrack. I thought I had set-up perfectly to make the turn but something went wrong. I’m still not sure what happened, but I had one of my more memorable crashes on a MTB. After hitting the ground hard I jump up only to have my left hamstring cramp on me (twice). Once I shook the cramp I lunge for the bike. It’s a heaping mess. My fear was that it was damaged and that I would not be able to finish the race. Luckily it was OK.

The last 13 miles were long. I was tired, hot, and my leg muscles were starting to get that twinge feeling they get just before cramps settle in. Once I hit the gravel road at the end I was re-motivated and got a second wind. Once I hit the pavement I knew the pain was almost over. I was never so happy to see a start/finish banner. 53 miles in 4 hrs 48 minutes. My goal was 5 hours so I was really stoked to realize I had gotten in just under. My placing was 25 of about 160 racers. As far as I was concerned it was a good day for me.

Ric had a great day getting 5th place overall. David, although he may disagree, had a good day as well. When Big Chris was at the finish he came through with a big smile on his face. When Big Chris is happy everyone is happy so….everyone was happy.

Props go out to Brent who got 10th place overall and to all of the other Tallahassee riders who finished the day.

That night margaritas and good Mexican food were well deserved and enjoyed. This was a well run event. I look forward to doing it again next year and would encourage you to do the same. Whether you race it or “festival” ride it….just do it!

Small Changes

2011-08-10T10:59:00.004-04:00

I could use a vacation but it looks like it’ll be October before Libby and I can get out of town for a few days. We have a nice Fall trip planned for the mountains of NC and it won’t get here fast enough. In the meantime the trip next weekend to Dalonega for Fools Gold will have to do.

I’m ten weeks into my “get your fat ass in better shape” plan. I hate to call it a diet because dieting never really worked for me. For me small changes seem to work best. I was already getting a ton of cardio with my cycling, but my eating habits were horrible. This explains the weight gain over the years even though I ride constantly. The small changes have helped and I’m down about 17 pounds. I’m two pounds shy of my goal weight but truly if I could just stay where I’m at I’d be happy. It’s tough. The one thing I do really well is eat and I really enjoy it. Not to say I will not go visit the Market Diner and pig out on their good country cooking every now and then. Everything in moderation (at least that’s the goal).

It’s funny what gets you motivated. I can remember the day very well when I decided some changes in “fitness” needed to be made. On June 4 I was on a 72 mile Ride for Hope prep ride in Havana Hills with about 35 other riders. I was getting my ass handed to me on the uphill’s. I was giving it everything I had and still couldn’t keep up. On every climb I would think “I’ve got to drop some weight.” That was a miserable day but the start of “the plan.”

Like I said above I’m looking forward to next weekend’s trip to Dalonega for Fools Gold. I elected to do the 50 mile race in lieu of the 100 miler. When I first decided to do it I figured I would just treat it like a long ride, but now I’m thinking I’d like to see just how well I could do in an endurance event (this will be my first endurance race). I have no illusions of getting on a podium because of the way they structure these endurance events (no beginner, sport or expert categories by age group), but I’d still like to see what kind of time I can do the event in. Looks like a large contingent of Tallahassee riders will be making the trip. Ric, Chris, Norman and I will load up the truck and head up there a week from Friday. It should be a good time.

Stay cool, hydrated and keep on riding.

Got Me Thinking

2011-07-22T08:44:00.002-04:00

I take life for granted. There I said it. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day to day routines and to forget just how short our time on this earth really is. Only the good Lord above knows just how long we get to enjoy this place.

This week I was reminded of just how quickly we can be taken away. Local cyclist Dave Baton walked out his door on Tuesday morning for an easy bike ride with his son. For reasons we may never know or understand, he was struck by a car and killed. He was about my age. I did know Dave but not well enough to say he was my friend. I met him a few times through mutual friends. The few times I talked with him I did enjoy the conversations. I feel so bad for his children and for those that called him family and friend. To those that are hurting I pray that God brings you comfort and understanding. Certainly something good can come out of all of this although at the moment I cannot imagine what.

When I heard of the accident I started questioning my decision of riding my road bike more than I ever have before. Should I give up something that I enjoy because of fear that a driver may not see me and hit me. To say that Dave was a much more accomplished cyclist than me would be an understatement and yet look what happened. At the moment my answer to this question is NO, I will not give up road cycling because of fear. I will be more wary of where and when I ride. I will try to ride as often as I can with others, but there will be times I will ride alone. Life is too short to be guarded and afraid to walk outside. There are many ways we could leave this place un-expectantly and before our time. From what I have heard about Dave, he loved his children and he loved cycling. He was a cyclist and I wonder if he could read this would he agree to continue the ride. I have to believe that he would say ride on Jim, ride on.

Dear God, help me to appreciate what I have and to not take it all for granted…thank you for the ride.

Ride on!

The Real Fat Cyclist

2011-07-15T09:09:00.003-04:00

I wear one black jersey on a ride (which we all know gives a slimming effect) and Terry shouts to the Facebook world that I am “skinny.” I am here to put an end to this rumor at this time. I am still the fat, disgusting, chili cheese dog (with Funyun Rings) loving, middle aged dude I have always been (and then some). If you want to see skinny just take a look at Juancho. That boy needs to eat a hamburger or two.

So I made my first Joe’s ride of the year last night. Those who know me know that the Joe’s ride is not my favorite ride to do. On my way to the ride I just knew I was making a mistake. I took a detour on my way up north. In the process I run over a curve while trying to make a tight turn. The result was some cosmetic damage to my fairly new chrome wheel. The kicker though was the damage to the side wall of my tire. That mistake will end up costing me about $200 for a new tire. I was afraid this was some kind of warning from the cycling gods above trying to tell me to go home and not do the ride. When it was all said and done I had a good time. Chris hammered the climbs which made me hammer them harder than I would normally. The sprints were tough. Every now and then I will convince myself that I am a pretty good sprinter. Those young guys last night put an end to those thoughts. It was like I was standing still as they sprinted away from me.

Another aggravation is a cough that I picked up about 5 weeks ago. It did not come on as part of a cold like usual. Just a dry annoying cough. Next week I go in for a “complex spirometer “ test. Doc wants to see if I have “exercise induced asthma.” I hope that this is not the case but if so at least I’ll know what is going on. My impressions of Doc Holiday during rides are getting old.

I’m glad it’s Friday. The weather forecast for the weekend looks like crap but hopefully I can get in some type of long ride in tomorrow morning before the rains come. My plan is to do Fools Gold this year (the 50 mile option). If this is to happen I’ve got to get in those long miles now. August 20 will be here before I know it.

Enjoy your weekend.

I'm Going to Duel Him Left-Handed

2011-07-07T09:20:00.003-04:00

There are two things that I feel like discussing and neither has anything to do with riding a bicycle (at least not directly). The words “Change” and “Friendship” are on my mind this morning.

CHANGE is an action that most people don’t like, but it is the one thing you can always count on. I can remember times in my life when things seemed to be going pretty smooth until “change” got in the mix. These memories mainly include relationships with people and changes in work environment. Personally I do not accept change with open arms. I tend to fight change until I am blue in the face. I have rarely won a battle when change was involved. I will say that some of the most significant changes I have had to make in my life have worked out for the best. The problem is we do not always see how positive a change may be at the time we are going through it. It may take weeks or even months before we realize that perhaps change was exactly what we needed. Change can transform us. It can make us bitter and resentful or, if we embrace it, it can make us stronger, wiser and all around better for having gone through the experience.

Friendship: The word friend has numerous definitions. The definition I like most is “A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts; A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause.” A favorite movie line of mine comes from the movie classic It’s a Wonderful Life. At the end of the movie George’s guardian angel leaves behind the book Tom Sawyer and writes in the cover “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” That part always gets a tear or two from my wife (of course I am waayyyy to manly to tear up about such things).

So what does “change” and “friendship” have to do with each other? As I have eluded, sometimes change just plain sucks. When I think back on some of the most difficult changes in my life I tended to keep it bottled up inside instead of reaching out to friends who would have been happy to lend an ear and help in any way they could. I am fortunate to have friends who seem to care about me and my well being and I wish I would have let them help me get over some of the rockiest of changes in my past.

So when change comes your way don’t fight it. If you do, pick up your sword invite a few friends to join along, and fight change with your left-hand….just to make it interesting.

I IS ME

2011-06-17T08:02:00.003-04:00

It started out as funny the first time someone mistook me for another member of the crew (we’ll call him Danny Devito or DD) .

It was a couple of years ago, I was with some crew on a ride, while stopped on the fern trail some dude I’d never seen before rolls up and starts chatting it up with me. I’m thinking this must be the friendliest guy in the world. Some of the things he talked about had me scratching my head (things you would say to someone you know). A few days later I get a call from “DD” asking if I spoke to “so and so” on a ride a few days back. Apparently his co-worker walked up to him saying “it was good to see you out riding over the weekend.” Yea co-worker thought he was talking to DD. So DD and I had a good belly laugh at this.

Now here’s the rub, this thing has gotten out of hand. Two examples:

-One week ago I roll up to Zone 5 at lunch. Me, looking all smart in my work clothes, while unloading my bike to take into the shop the dude who works in the establishment next door walks out, says hi to me and states “I almost walked over to have a beer with you yesterday.” Ahhhhh, huh. Oh yea, I’m not DD you blind effing Dbag.

-Last night, I’m getting ready for my ride in the parking lot of the St. Marks Trail. The parking lot is pretty empty. A dude, who most of us know by name (local runner/rider in our area) rolls up to me all smiles and says “you look like a DD.” It took all of my strength to not punch him in in the face. I told the guy “I am not DD.” He gives me that look like “why are you lying about WHO YOU ARE.” Effing Dbag.

If you see ME out and about here are some hints that I am not DD:

-If the guy you are seeing has on some nice pressed Docker khakis with a clean fresh “matching” polo or button down shirt then…..I IS ME.

-If the guy you are seeing is kitted up, preparing for a bike ride then….I IS ME.

-If the guy you are seeing is driving a vehicle somewhat clean, with no foul smelling rotting meat coming from the interior then….I IS ME.

-If the guy you are seeing does not criticize the bike you are riding, and states “I can get you a killer deal on an Ellsworth, you can’t afford not to ride an Ellsworth then….I IS ME.

Don’t get me wrong, I love DD but….I IS ME!

Good ride with Juancho last night. Since it was just he and I riding I was worried he might try and beat me up on Munson/Twilight. He was gentle and never made me push the pace too hard. We got in a solid 20 miles. The trail conditions seemed almost perfect.

Ride 4 Hope Recap

2011-06-14T08:20:00.003-04:00

I’m no roadie, although it seems I’ve ridden my road bike more than my MTB since the weather turned warm, but when Lawyer Steve mentioned weeks ago doing the Ride 4 Hope Century that took place on Saturday it sounded interesting to me. I like shooting for a goal and having something to look forward to. I didn’t figure there would be much interest from the crew but a few stepped up to the plate. Lawyer Steve backed out due to family obligations but Chris, Terry, Tim Ric, and Ken all registered. My buddy and road riding partner Don H. (who I would like to nominate for BC consideration) also registered. Having the boys committed to the ride made me happy. Mark R. was also out there with his son and nephew.

First off, this was a very well organized and well run event. Friday after work I headed down to the fairgrounds to pick-up my packet. This was in one of the A/C buildings and was set-up as an “expo”. Various bike shops had a table set-up displaying their wares. In addition different vendors were giving away “goodies.” Event staff were also serving dinner. I met Don down there and we sat down to some sliced ham, turkey, potato salad , cole slaw, baked beans, and bread. They even had a band playing on stage.

Saturday morning came early. The Century was scheduled to start rolling at 6:30. So I’m up at 4:45 to get ready and run out the door so I can go pick up Don who lives nearby. We pull into a dark fairground parking lot by 6:00. Even though it’s early I’m feeling good and am looking forward to the ride. In true Terry fashion he is already in the parking lot kitted up and on his bike. Terry made the last minute decision to sign-up for the metric century but would ride with us to Monticello.

So about 6:40 the horn sounds and the Century riders are off. Tim and Ric went off with the racer boys, but me, Terry, Chris, Don and Ken settled in with a large group of the Cheeky Monkey riders. The first 23 miles of the course was dead flat and the pace was comfortable. Chris and Terry brought their tiny bladders to the ride so before Wacissa we stop so they can have a nature break. So much for riding with the big group.

Most of the ride we are able to hook up with various people so we have at least 8-10 guys at any given time. Because of the early start the weather seemed cool for ¾ of the ride. There were sag stops everywhere so drink and food was never a worry. This was a fun ride so we never really hammered, but we did try to keep a steady tempo on the flats and just survive the hills. Terry rode really well and I have no doubt he could have finished the century if there was no worry about a neck issue. You never would have believed this was Chris’ first century as he rode really well and never showed signs of blowing up.

Although I felt I did all the right things leading up to the ride and all the right things during the ride as far as nutrition and hydration, during the last 10-15 miles during one of my pulls I started feeling my hamstrings “twitch”. I knew this meant that cramps were coming. I pulled out and tried to stretch them which seemed to work until I started pulling again. Guess I need to experiment more with something else to figure out how to keep the cramps at bay.

So me, Chris and Don cross the finish line together. Once we get into our street clothes we have lunch that was provided by the Event. Once full Don and I head to the house. When we pull into his driveway I get out to talk with him as he unloads. Just as soon as my right foot touches the ground my hamstring decides to cramp. So I’m yelling in agony in the driveway pretty much believing that the cramp will never end. Of course it does, but the hamstring is still sore today.

Anyway, it was a good event and I look forward to participating in it again next year. Great idea Lawyer Steve, hopefully next year you can join in the fun.

Positive

2011-06-08T16:07:00.003-04:00

I’ve been looking over some of my previous posts and I have noticed a pattern:

1. I complain…..ALLOT
2. I never feel good on a bike ride

I’m going to try and do better and not complain so much. It’ll be hard since I come from a long line of complainers. It’s funny the traits that you pick up from family. Most folks will tell you that I’m quiet and they’d be right. My dad was always quiet and his dad was very quiet. My mom has been known to complain some, her mom does some of the same and my great grandmother was so bad that you dared not ask how she was doing (“oh son I woke up this morning and my sciatica was acting up, better than yesterday though when I could barely crawl out of bed because of my swollen **** {insert something uncomfortable to hear from great grandmother here}. From now on I will strive to make the glass half full.

I’m not sure what to do to make me feel better on the bike. Perhaps I ride too much, perhaps not enough. No doubt a big part of the problem is my weight and not enough true “recovery “ rides. I love riding though and I’m thankful to be healthy enough to enjoy this sport.

Even though I know it’s going to hurt, I’m looking forward to the Ride 4 Hope Century on Saturday. I’ve only ridden two centuries ever and my last one was two years ago. Not only that, my rides are not usually very long. I do have one 85 mile ride and another 72 mile ride under my belt the last two weeks. This should help. The only crew members that have signed up so far has been Chris and Tim. No doubt Tim will head out with the fast boys and leave us behind (which I do not blame him for). Chris and I will hook up with my buddy Don and anyone else that we can find. It’d be nice to have a group of at last 10 in order to share pulling/drafting duties. A nice group will make the suffering much less. I wonder how long it will take though for everyone to get in the every man for himself mode. On the 85 miler it came at around mile 75.

I would talk about how hot it has been around here lately….but that would be complaining wouldn’t it.

Just a Quickie

2011-06-03T16:54:00.003-04:00

Well hello there. Thanks for stopping by to take a quick peak at this pitiful little blog spot.

Not much new going on, but here are a few quick notes:

Zone 5 Coffee and Bikes: Kent is still trying to get this thing up to 100% ready. Where I sit I would say he’s at about 90%. Once he gets a full service coffee bar with some local baked good items; and gets more of a “décor” going on I’d say he’ll be good to go. He/we need those soccer moms to buy allot of coffee and soccer moms love “décor.”

Last Friday night had about 30 people in the shop drinking beer and having a good time. Looks like tonight will be more of the same. It’s cool to have a fun place to hang out. I’m looking forward to the day shop rides start rolling from there.

Rides: It seems I’ve been doing more road rides than MTB rides lately. This time of year with the heat, snakes, ticks, spiders, mosquitos, etc. it’s kind of nice to get on the pavement.

Last week a few of us rolled the rural streets East of Leon County. We got in a good 85 mile day at a chill pace. Tomorrow is looking like a 70+ mile day. Looking forward to rolling from the house tomorrow as I don’t get that option very often. I am a little bummed that “my” crew is not planning on making the ride but what I can tell you, BC rides are a little sketchy if the stars are not in alignment (ride starts too early, ride starts too late, it’s too hot, it’s too cold, Chris won’t be there, Terry will be there, highway too crowded, I’ve got church, etc). Oh well, Tim’s promised to make it out and it’ll be good to ride with some new faces anyway. Don H. has pulled a good number or riders together for the ride and it should be fun.

A few of us are considering the Ride 4 Hope century next weekend. It’s always good to have these goals in the future to keep the juices flowing.

Hope you all have a good weekend. Come to Zone 5 tonight for a cold one.

Hiatus

2011-05-25T09:07:00.001-04:00

Arrrggggg

2011-05-18T13:19:00.003-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that I am a moody SOB, but the last few days I have dug a mood hole that I can't seem to get out of. Hate when I get this way. For now keep moving along. I hope to have a bright happy blog written sometime real soon.

In parting, yea the Red Bug Challenge was last Sunday and was a blast. Great weather, great trails and a good turnout. Kent and company did a really job of putting this on and everyone appeared to have a good time.

Whatever.....bllllaaaahhhhhhhh

Come Get You Some!

2011-05-07T19:10:00.003-04:00

The Red Bug Challenge is next Sunday (15th).

Don’t know what it is about this race, but I really enjoy it. I guess it’s because it feels so old school to me. Back in the day Red Bug was raced quite a bit. Even the FCS would hold races here on occasion.

Plus I love these small local races. Moutainbikers in Tally are pretty tight knit. If you ride allot chances are you know others who ride allot. We all get along. Yea, we like talking the smack but truly we are one big family.

It’ll be good seeing all the local guys and gals out racing next weekend. Come get you some of the Red Bug.

Our Very Own Judas?

2011-05-05T14:37:00.003-04:00

“Though those that are betrayed do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor stands in worse case of woe” William Shakespeare

Only one time in my life can I remember ever being “asked” to join a sport team. This was my senior year in high school when the track coach asked me to come out for cross country/track. Don't get the wrong impression, I was not a good runner. As a matter of fact I was not a runner at all. Me and the track coach were friends (hence the invite to come join his team). It still felt good to be asked and to know I was wanted.

I have had fantasies in the recent past about being young again and an accomplished cyclist. The fantasy always turns to pro teams fighting for my services and begging me to wear their team kits and riding their expensive bikes. My very own chef and masseuse are always a part of the fantasy. Of course I know that this will never happen but dreams like these are healthy….right?

I’m not looking to throw anyone under the bus, so I’ve decided it’s not appropriate for me to give any names here, but word is that one of our own may have been approached by a rival gang and asked to ride under their team colors. Promises of cycling related discounts and blood doping were made. Perhaps a handshake was exchanged but I cannot be sure. So this is what some success will get you.

In 2009 I had visions of being recruited by some of the big players. My year started out strong, but low and behold this was the year of the Blalock. My hopes and dreams were crushed under the very knobbies that Blalock turned. My dreams were dashed. No one loves second place.

Now I know it sounds like I’m busting on this crewmember, but truth be told I cannot blame him for his decision and if I were in his shoes at his place and time I’d probably make the same decision. You gotta do what you gotta do for you and your family. For me it is too late. My blood was transfused years ago and now bleeds only black/orange. This thing is like the mafia, once you’re in deep there is no pulling yourself out (blood in blood out).

The good news is that I am sure nothing much will change. We will still love this guy and he will continue to ride with us and be our friend. I even expect we’ll have a cup of coffee or two once Zone 5 opens their doors.

So remember “judge not lest ye be judged” Jesus Christ

And the people said “Amen”

Breezy

2011-04-28T08:52:00.002-04:00

It’s been good getting on the road bike more over the last month or so. I’m trying to do at least two road rides a week hoping it will help with my fitness (plus getting the base miles I missed over the winter is a plus).

Last night’s ride was a Rule #5 ride. Brutal is the best way I can describe it. On Wednesdays I roll from the house and pick up Don H. who lives nearby. We head up Hwy 27 and do some type of Gadsden county loop. It’s nice rolling from the house. Because of my location this almost never happens.

Over the last few Wednesdays we’ve been averaging around 36-38 miles because Don needed to get back home to be somewhere by 7:15. At mile 32 last night when we got to Coon Bottom, Don yells take a left. This is about the time my spirit took a nose dive. Left takes us to the Georgia state line and farther away from home. I brought no food with me (why bring food for a 35 mile ride) so I began to bonk. We had been fighting the wind all night and it was taking its toll on me.

At mile 35 we found ourselves at the convenience store just across the Georgia line on Hwy 27. I had no money so begged Don for a snickers bar. It helped but did not really give me the strength I needed for those last 16 miles of headwind. We rolled South towards home and at times it felt as if we were barley moving. The wind was throwing me and my bike all over the road. I was fantasizing about pulling my fat ass over, calling Libby and asking her to come pick me up. We battled on and, after 51 miles and almost 3 hours, finally made it home. Home never looked so good.

It’s funny, and I’ve had these kinds of rides in the past, during the ride you can’t wait for it to be over, but once it is your glad you did it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…..or so they say.

Next Chapter

2011-04-26T14:21:00.003-04:00

Here it is Tuesday again or as I like to call it “my Monday.”

The weekend was a busy one. Busy enough that I did not ride for three days.

On Friday afternoon me, Chris, Berg, Zak, and Zak’s girlfriend (a/k/a, the blind, deaf chic) piled in my truck and headed to St. Augustine for the Rise Against concert. When we hit town Berg was begging me to stop by the outlet mall so he could hit the Croc store (what a dork). Afterwards we hit a really good taco joint for some grub then finally we show up at the venue. I really enjoyed myself and by the looks on the others faces they had a pretty good time too. My ears are still ringing and so worth it. Afterwards we drove back to Tally which put me in bed at 3:00am Saturday morning. I finally drug myself out of bed at 11:30 which screwed me up for the rest of the day.

Easter was good. Early church service with my girl followed by a trip to Marianna to visit the family. My twin 5 year old nieces were in town and it was fun hiding and watching them search for Easter eggs. Times have changed. Back in my day family boiled, then colored eggs which they hid. Today they are plastic eggs filled with candy and money. That’s right $$$. Who says todays child is spoiled.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming weekend. My nephew Jason (a/k/a Van Wilder) is finally graduating from college. This is a picture of him sporting the bikechain look. He’s getting his 5 year degree in architecture from FAMU (hisssssssss go rattlers). Gotta tell you that I’m pretty proud of this boy. Jason is my nephew by marriage. I first met him about 17 years ago when he was around 8. Our first meeting was less than amicable but as the years passed by I really took a liking to him. It’s been neat following his life. He’s turned out to be an exceptional young man and I expect he’ll do great things in the future. Couldn’t be more proud of him if he was my own kid. Now here’s hoping he can find a job fairly quick. He hasn’t come out and said it yet, but I know he’ll need to move out of Tally in order to pursue his career. This makes me more than a little sad, but he’s got to do what he’s got to do.

Ride-Finally got back on the bike last night after three days off of it. Got in a good 39 mile road ride with Don H. riding the mostly back roads of Gadsden County. Tonight back on the MTB riding Fern, Tom Brown and Cadillac.

Eat-Way too much eating going on. I did hit Canopy Roads yesterday and got their Breakfast Club and curly fries. Very tasty.

TV-A new Glee tonight, can’t wait. Finally, just in time for the royal wedding, I saw The Kings Speech. Great movie and if you haven’t seen it you must.

Have a great week!

The King

2011-04-20T07:38:00.003-04:00

The good news…really good MTB ride last night…The bad news…I’m beat.

Ride-I’ve heard the name Nathan King before but I’ve never met the guy. Even Zak was asking who Chris’ new friend is. Halfway through the ride Nate introduces himself to me just after he mistakes me for Kent (don’t sweat it dude, I say, you are only one of a long list who have made that mistake in the past).

One of the funniest nights of my life was in a hotel room in Gainesville last year with the BC crew drinking beer and toasting to NATHAN KING!!! I guess this guy is a local legend, and in watching him ride I got a glance as to why. I spent most of last night trying to keep him in my site.

Nate took control of the ride and we rode allot of the forbidden forest. I’m not usually stoked about riding these trails in broad daylight this time of year but I had a blast. I was at max heart rate for what felt like most of the night. Battling a sinus infection did not help my cause. It was a good ride and it was cool to have Darien back out on a ride with us.

Eat-Our friend Crystal came over and cooked dinner for us last night. I don’t know what the dish was called but it had chicken, broccoli, rice, other stuff, and lots and lots of cheese. Very tasty dish. Throw in a salad and some garlic bread and that’s some good eatn’. If I only had some ice cream in the fridge it would have been a perfect evening.

TV-Finally a new Glee last night, although not one of my favorite episodes. We upgraded our Comcast package this week which included a new HD DVR box. The bad news is that we lost about 30 shows that we had recorded on our previous DVR box. Now I’ll never get to catch up on the goings on with Young and the Restless. Rumor is Sharon died in a car accident. This would be a travesty as she is smoking hot.

Happy Hump Day!

I Am...

2011-04-15T08:04:00.004-04:00

So, I was recently advised that I am on some sort of BC “watch list.” I chuckled when I found this out. A watch list? I’m not really sure what this means but I do find it funny. Well it shouldn’t be hard to find me. Just look for the guy sporting orange/ black and riding his bike.

I’m soooo glad that Friday is here. I’m now on my 24th year of serving the citizens of the great state of Florida and I gotta say…the days drag on longer than I can ever remember them doing before. The good news is that the weekend will fly by (like the Wrecking Ball sprinting for a yellow duck sign). I wish the weekends were more like Juancho (tick along at a much slower pace).

Ride-No big ride plans for the weekend. The weather forecast is calling for rain in the morning. Wonder if I can talk anyone into a mid-afternoon ride. I’m really jonesing lately about a trip back up to Thomaston/Dauset. Before long the heat will settle in. It’d be good to get at least one good road trip in before then. Who’s in?

Eat-Guess I’ve been eating the Hopkins chicken tetrazzini salad a bit too much lately ‘cause last night’s version wasn’t that good to me. I should have gone with Sonny’s which is what I was truly craving (always go with the first instinct). What I really want right now is two chic-fil-a biscuits with tots.

TV-Ok no more Dexter until I buy a streaming video device, so the last few days I’ve been watching Spartacus on my iPhone Netflix app. Pretty sure I am watching this show for all the wrong reasons. You need to watch season 1 to figure out for yourself what I’m talking about. I didn’t get to catch up on Young and the Restless last night. Wonder how Sharon’s doing in her trial?

Have a great weekend!

Thirsty Thursday

2011-04-14T08:49:00.004-04:00

First things first. Happy Birthday to everyone’s favorite Big Worm….Chris. Not everyone can pull off the hip hop earing look at his age, but he wears them well.

Ride Update: Nothing real exciting to report. Monday was Munson Monday. It was fast, I got dropped, blah, blah, blah. Tuesday me, Terry, Cory, David, and Blake hooked up with the HG ride. Once again they had a huge turnout (I long for the days of a large BC group ride but I’m afraid those days may be behind me). I spent most of this ride chasing John D., Brent and Mickey. The ride was hard but really fun. Last night I hooked up with Don H. for a road ride in the Havana Hills area. Not a particularly fast ride but my legs were really feeling the effects of the Monday and Tuesday rides. I’m hoping tonight will be something easy.

Eat Update: Again, nothing real exciting. I did make an easy chicken pot pie recipe last night. Very tasty. Tonight I’m on my own for food…..hmmmm, what will it be…..Hopkins? (perhaps)

TV Update: American Idol sucks so I did not watch it last night. I’m thru season 2 of Dexter and now that I am totally hooked I cannot get season 3 on my iphone app. I’ve got to get out this weekend and buy something that will allow me to stream video. I’m leaning towards the Apple TV. Libby and I did catch up on Young and the Restless last night. Adam and Phyllis are close to finding proof that Sharon did not kill Sky (very exciting stuff).

Well that’s about it for now. Have a great Thursday!

Monday Update

2011-04-12T09:04:00.005-04:00

Well today is my Monday. Aren’t we supposed to all be bright eyed and bushy tailed at the start of the work week? You know, from all of the R&R obtained from the weekend. Not the case for me today. I’m beat.

It was a good weekend. Libby “dragged” me to a Play on Friday night at the Tallahassee Young Actors Theatre. They were putting on a production of Charlotte’s Web (Libby’s favorite childhood book). To say the least I DID NOT WANT TO GO but you know how it is, sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do. I will say though, I really enjoyed the play. Those kids did a better job of acting then some of the plays I’ve been dragged to at the Civic Center.

Saturday began with a road bike ride with Don D. up through Havana to the Georgia state line and back. Not a long ride at 38 miles but considering the head wind, hills and my crappy legs I was happy with our 20+mph average. For some weird reason that felt more than just pedaling hard my heart rate stayed unusually high that morning. This has happened in the past with certain medications but that morning I was not on anything. I did eat a small breakfast not long before we rolled so I wonder if that could have been a contributing factor.

Saturday afternoon was Steve and Kristen’s wedding and reception. The wedding was a little different than anything I have witnessed before. I have never been to a Catholic mass and that is exactly what this was. Catholic mass is very structured and, if you are not Catholic, it is easy to get confused and lost on what is going on. It was a nice wedding however, and the reception was allot of fun. Steve and Kristen are a great couple and I wish them all of the best in their future together.

Monday’s (since I have that day off from work) have typically been a day I set aside to get all of my chores and running around done. I usually use it as an off day from the bike. However, the last two Monday’s I have gone out to the Munson Monday rides. Now I have been told by those in the know that the ride week, beginning on Monday, should start out slow and build up harder/faster at the end of the week (Saturday/Sunday). This has not been the case for me as of late. The Munson ride the last two weeks have been fast and hard. As I did last week I’ll hook up with the HG guys tonight and go harder than I really want to. If anything like last week this will mean that the rest of the week I’ll be beat.

Lastly, I am almost finished with Dexter season 2. Now since my IPhone Netflix app does not give me season 3 I’m going to need to buy something to hook up to my home tv so I can stream this show (i.e., blue ray, app tv, etc). Everyone seems to have their favorite “box” they use for streaming and I find this all confusing. I’m leaning towards just getting a blue ray player which I assume will take care of this streaming issue. We’ll see.

Thanks for listening. Have a great week!

Friday Post

2011-04-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

I believe in the saying that opposites attract. This is a wrinkle in nature that helps everyone and everything adapt and cohabitate. Can you imagine if we were all alike? There would be mass chaos and the murder rate would be much higher. I aggravate myself enough so can’t imagine being around someone just like me.

Libby and I are very different and we knew that from the beginning. She is driven by work and, recently, into song writing. My main passion at the moment is bicycling. Between her work and song writing and my time on the bike we spend allot of time apart.

Over the 17 years we’ve been together we have found things that we do enjoy doing together. For example, we love good food and enjoy eating out every chance we get. We also have a ton of TV shows that we enjoy. We got so much stuff DVR’d at the moment I’m not sure how we will ever get through it all. Although we haven’t seen one in a while we also enjoy going to the movies. I admit that I like chic- flicks which is another little wrinkle that gives us something fun to do. Oh and there's our cats (closest thing we'll ever have to children).

So in keeping with my new blog title “ride – eat –tv”:

Ride-after missing riding time while working in south Florida a week then being sick a week I’ve been trying to make up for lost time this week. The result now is that I’m really tired and my legs are sore. Last night was a “recovery” ride with David, Blake and Steve. I was determined to take it easy so I let them go on ahead. Although my average heart rate was in the 120s I still felt like I rode harder than I wanted. I’m considering going on a every other day riding routine to see if that works for me. I’m convinced that my genetics will just not allow me to ride the way I want to ride. May need to changes some things around to see what works.

Eat-I’m hooked on the Hopkins chicken tetrazzini salad. True goodness. I also recommend their black bean and grilled chicken salad.

TV-Libby and I were bummed that Pia got voted off American Idol last night. I’m debating never watching that show again. Although I am having to watch it on my iPhone because we do not have Showtime I am addicted to the show Dexter. I really want to have a beer with that guy.

The weekend is near and I am jonesing to get it started. Hope you all have a good one.

Manic Monday

2011-04-05T13:08:00.002-04:00

Monday’s are usually my day off from riding bikes. The only exception is usually a lack of ride time over the weekend, or some called ride that I think might be fun to try.

I’ve been hearing talk of this Munson Monday ride over the last few weeks and, since I have not ridden much over the last two weeks due to work and sickness, I figured it was as good a time as any to give this ride a try.

I got to the trailhead early in order to get a warm-up lap in before meeting the rest of the ride at 6:30. David and Blake are in the parking lot getting ready. By the time I’m ready to roll Don D. and John W. show up. Great, so much for a warm-up lap. I’m still trying to shake this cold and my lungs are giving me fits. That and my strength is still not where it was before getting sick.
So off goes John and Don followed by David and Blake with me in the rear. The pace was pretty quick at the start. I’m concerned. I’m pulling my best impression of Doc Holiday hacking and coughing and wondering how long I can pull this pace off. I guess my lungs got warmed up because the coughing attack subsided about half way thru the lap. So we finish our “warm-up” lap and head back to the parking lot to see who showed up.

I was impressed by the number of folks who showed up for this ride. The ability level of the riders was varied. It ranged from advanced riders to the very beginner and everyone else in between. About 6:34 Chad S. yells lets ride and takes off. I fall in behind him. At the top of the paper cup we wait for everyone to catch up. Once assembled no one seems to want to take the lead. Eventually Don D. takes off and I follow in behind. Don starts setting a pretty fast pace and I’m wondering how long I’ll be able to hang on. About a quarter of the way thru the lap I look back and only see two other riders behind us. I recognize Steve A. because of his all white cotton t-shirt. I can’t recognize the fourth rider. I continue to look back most of the lap and see the same two riders about the same distance back. At the water fountain area at the Munson trailhead Don announces he needs water so pulls off. I slow down a little as I try to decide whether to wait for Don or keep on rolling. Don encourages me to keep going so I do. By that time Steve A. has caught up followed by the fourth rider who I have not taken the time to recognize. I pick the pace back up and hump it back to the paper cup entrance. A few seconds later Steve A. and the fourth rider (3rd rider by this time since Don stopped for water). It was David N. (great ride David) We stand around chatting for a minute or so until Don D. shows back up. As we stand around waiting the more advanced riders start showing up. It was fun to chat with those guys a few minutes before heading back to the truck.

It was a fun ride but truth is, other than standing around mingling in the parking lot beforehand I guess I really didn’t participate in Munson Monday. If there’s a next time maybe I’ll do things a little different like maybe riding and talking it up with some of the other riders. Yea, maybe that is just what I’ll do.

Not as good as I once was but….

2011-03-18T08:33:00.002-04:00

I don’t know how Norman and Andrews do it. I mean look at those two guys. They are really old. For a couple of guys who were around when the Allies invaded Normandy (OK, they may not be quite THAT old), they ride their bikes hard and fast. I often wonder how they feel the day after a particularly hard ride. Do they rise from sleep a little slower, do their muscles ache as they hit the floor. Is the Ben Gay rub the only relief they can find to relieve the aches and pains…….

I ponder the above because lately, even though I am MUCH YOUNGER than these two old codgers, I am keenly aware that I am not as young and spry as I once was. My legs take longer to recover and the muscles in my legs stay sore longer than they used to. Maybe this is the price we pay for experience. I actually feel that I am riding stronger and smarter than I did 15 years ago.

This has been a fun week of riding. Sunday found me on the road bike pedaling up to the Havana area with a friend I haven’t ridden with in a while. Monday I hooked up with all the guys from Higher Ground for a mini epic MTB ride which found us trying to cut through Welaunee plantation, in order to get over to the Greenway, only to get caught and threatened with jail time (luckily Roger is much better at reasoning with people than I will ever be). Tuesday was a fun crew ride which included Pizza Steve. Last night I ran into Don, Mike and Tyler. After I was lied to (“we’re gonna take it easy” they say) I sit in as they proceed to rip my legs from my torso (did I mention they are ALL twenty somethings…)

So even though I am worn out this morning and my legs are a little sore, I am having a blast riding my bike. Sometimes I forget how luckily we are around here. We’ve got fun trails, rural roads, and good folks to ride with. Maybe life is good after all.

Some Days....

2011-03-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

All Smiles

2011-03-02T09:23:00.003-05:00

I almost blew off last nights planned “welcome back Wrecking Ball” ride in lieu of doing my own thing. The first Georgia race is just over 3 weeks away and I know that I am ill prepared. For various reasons over the last few weeks I have not been putting in good quality long base miles on the weekends nor have I been putting in many hard efforts. I had a pretty good idea that last night’s ride would probably be short and not very hard so I debated just riding from my office over to TB for a tempo ride. Having said that, I had a blast and am really glad I didn’t miss it.

If you haven’t heard, Wrecking Ball is back on his bike after taking an unwanted, but necessary, six months off. I counted 16 riders who made it out to Munson last night to welcome WB back to the singletrack. It was definitely cool to be sharing the trail with that many riders. It was a mix of not only BC crew but other familiar faces that make up the Tally MTB community.

I know there are some mixed feelings (good and bad) out there about the recent work at Munson, but I find the changes to be really fun. Granted it’s like riding your MTB on a sidewalk, but this is a sidewalk with some pretty cool downhill’s and corners.

The highlight of the night was me and Chris trying to finish up the ride in the dark without lights. With plenty of light left, like clockwork, Storming Norman turns on his light first. No sweat, we understand that SN’s older eyes struggle as dusk starts to settle. The problem is that light casts shadows for those in front of him who haven’t yet felt the need for artificial illumination. Chris, who was leading the way, notices the light first and tears off to try and put as much distance between him and the light. I’m behind the big man so I tear off after him. We get a nice gap but the darkness is settling in making it hard to keep our pace. Near the end I see the lights behind us closing in fast. Not wanting to be caught we plunder on in the dark and somehow manage to get to the trailhead before being caught. Chris and I were all smiles….challenge met.

Anyway, its great having WB back and what great timing. In less than two weeks we’ll have longer days which mean no need to bring lights. With that and the warm weather the hope is that some faces I haven’t seen riding in a while will show back up.

Daydream Believer

2011-02-17T14:32:00.002-05:00

So I’m checking Facebook last night and see where Carl has posted his plan to do a solo road ride from his home in the Orlando area to Tallahassee today. To say the least I was incredibly impressed but also a little envious. Although in my mind I can fantasize and visualize doing that kind of ride, realistically I know there are numerous reasons why I never would. The most glaring reasons would be fitness but mostly my lack of a big pair of coconuts will keep me from it. The fear I would have on the road that long by myself would take any fun out of the adventure. I’ve always been envious of people that have no fear, who nut up and do what it is they enjoy and consequences be damned.

So, I checked FB again this morning. Carl got rolling by 3:00am and he already pedaled 70 miles before the sun came up. Hell I bitched about how foggy it was driving my truck 12 miles to the office at 7:00 and this guy is pedaling from central Florida. I won’t lie, I’ve got a bit of a man crush on Carl at the moment. He keeps posting picks along the way and I keep staring out my office window wondering where he is on his journey and wishing I had something that epic to look forward to.

I don’t know about you but I need something epic. I was hoping to do the 12 hours of Santos this weekend. That would certainly have been epic. Trying to ride laps from 10:00am to 10:00pm would have definitely tested my resolve. Then sickness hits and I’m still wheezing climbing stairs to the office each morning. So much for Santos.

There was talk of a 100 mile road ride in the Tally area heading over to Chattahoochee then South, but that plan seems to have died out.
Spring is coming and so too is the warmer weather. I need something epic I’m just not sure what it will be.

Thanks to Carl for getting me thinking. For now I will keep looking out my window and wishing for what is to come.

Square 1

2011-02-11T14:33:00.001-05:00

I know it’s not just me ‘cause I’ve seen other BC crew go through the same thing. It never fails when it comes to my fitness and trying to reach a goal. Either injury or sickness is going to derail my efforts.

My latest goal has been to prepare for the Georgia State Championship series MTB races that start up in March. Prior to this week I was doing what I needed to do to get ready. Putting in the required miles, chasing faster guys to help with the top end of my fitness, eating a little better, etc. Then BAM between bad weather and catching a cold now I’m off the bike for 9 days. It’s very frustrating but does appear to be a part of the game. Tomorrow I hope to get back on the bike. I don’t expect to be able to pedal very far or very hard but it’ll be great to get back on the saddle. Perhaps the effort will help to clear my mucus filled lungs.

It’s been weird this week missing rides. For the first time in a while I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. Someone would call me or I would read about a fun ride and get a little down. The only thing keeping me from having a true pitty party is the thought of Terry. I’m complaining about one week while he has had to wait month after month after month to get cleared to ride again (which by the way won’t be much longer).

Anyway, the upcoming weather is looking good. I’ve had it with the cold, wet and short days. I’m ready for Spring and everything that it has to offer.

Big Jim & Wrecking Ball Catch Up

2011-01-27T10:04:00.000-05:00

This About Sums It Up

2011-01-20T17:18:00.000-05:00

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....

It's Not a Sin - It's a Zen

2010-12-14T11:08:00.003-05:00

Enough talk about bicycles. At least for right now.

There is something that I’ve been hiding from some of the people who are the closest to me. Some have had their suspicions for a while now. You see, from time to time I use words and phrases like fruity; corkscrew; bouquet; woody; robust; and pop a cork. Talking like this will get you found out. With a New Year fast approaching it seems that now is as good a time as any to come out of the closet.

Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoying grabbing a good Amber as much as the next guy, but lately I crave the stem of a robust Italian or Chilean.

Let me come right out and say it. I LIKE WINE!

Dear Santa: Please bring me a nice Cabernet, perhaps an oaky Merlot, or even a fruity Pinot Noir.

Salute!

I'm Not OG

2010-12-08T10:47:00.007-05:00

After a hard ride last Saturday, Steve Andrews and I met up at Hopkins for a much deserved good lunch. In between bites of his Greek salad he says to me that someone should write a blog about the history of Bikechain and who the different characters are and how they came to be a part of the crew. We’ve had some new faces join the crew recently so this sounded like a really good idea to me. That same day I contacted Big Worm with the idea hoping he would run with it over on his blog. Big Worm is not only a much better writer than me, he has been around from the crew inception and knows the history and all of the different characters who have come, gone, and come back. Seeing Big Worm’s latest blog I’m thinking that he may have thought Steve’s ideas was a good one too. Although Big Worm will continue to spin his history lessons on future blogs to come, I thought it might be a good idea to put out there how I came to be a part of the crew.

To be honest my memory going “back in the day” is a little fuzzy. I remember clearly me buying my first MTB in the middle/late 90s. Libby and I had the bright idea that we could ride neighborhoods and the St. Marks trail together. I also remember my good buddy Rod Smith giving me a call soon after I bought my GT telling me that he and some friends take their bikes off road to ride and asking me to go ride with them. I remember that first off road ride at Red Bug. It scared me to death but at the same time I was hooked.

Around this time I do vaguely remember going into Revolutions Cyclery when they had a store on Mahan Drive, but I believe it was Rod who got me in there more regularly when they moved their store near 7th Avenue. Talk about being uncomfortable in a place. These guys were nothing like me. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m about as vanilla as they come. From the way I dress, to the music I like to the things I do, I was much different than the guys in this bike shop. For example:

-Chris (aka Big Worm): He was the wrench always in the shop. Sleeveless shirt/cargo shorts/huge earrings/tattoos. He looked like he should be bouncing or slinging drinks at a biker bar. You didn’t have to talk to Chris long to learn that he was just a big softy who was really intelligent.

-Kent (aka Red Dragon): Although some folks think we look a little alike, Kent is the complete opposite of me. My impression of Kent was hyper, loud talker and full of crap. I was spot on.

-Steve (aka Spanish Mackerel): This was a guy I could talk to. He was the closest thing to me in there. He was the more reserved one in the group. No shaved head, no obvious tattoos, dressed how I dressed and was really laid back. It was a shame he knew nothing about bikes, but he could point me over to where the socks were kept.

Honestly, I can’t remember how long it took before they accepted me into the group. I remember invites to bike polo, Kent’s bachelor party, my first race trip to Ellijay following Chris/Michelle up there. I don’t remember allot of the crew rides. I’m guessing I must have bailed on most of them. You see back then I looked at these guys (Ace, Desrosiers, Chris, Kent, Mark, Steve, Big Tony, Tim, Brent, Ron, Jim J, Ric, Lyle, Joe, Ray, Chip and others) as pros. I knew that I rode like crap and these guys intimidated the hell out of me. I do remember a few rides with Kent and Mark and how they used to make fun of “how fast” I was on my bike. Back then fast meant slow.

Well, this blog is running long and there is the whole story of my long hiatus apart from the crew. Bottom line is they accepted me back with open arms. I feel that I’m not only a better rider today than I was back then, but that during my time away I learned more patience and understanding. In this crew you better have allot of both.

As Worm once wrote “you’d definitely rather be with us than against us.”

Random Thoughts

2010-11-30T09:34:00.003-05:00

The Good:
I “like” running. I like that I can get out and run for 30-45 minutes and feel like I’ve had a great workout. It’s also nice to have that in the bag for cross training away from the bike.

The Bad:
My 45 year old body does not appear to like me running. Just as I start getting into it a new injury pops up that keeps me away from it for awhile.

The Good:
My grandmother turned 80 today. Despite years of bad health and close calls her strong desire to live and the love of her family have kept her around. We should all live our life like today is our last.

The Bad:
I don’t follow her example. I complain and worry too much about trivial issues.

The Good:
My buddy Terry, after quite a few medical set-backs, may be able to ride bikes again beginning in March.

The Bad:
It’ll be March before I can ride with Terry again. It’s been too long.

The Good:
Libby still has not changed the locks on the door.

The Bad:
I’ve given her plenty of reasons to call the locksmith.

The Good:
A couple of new pieces fitting nicely into the Bikechain crew (Norman/Andrews)

The Bad:
I can’t seem to drop them on rides. NOT that I’d try to.

The Good:
It’s the Holiday Season.

The Bad:
It’s the Holiday Season. I never prepare before it gets here.

It's All Relative

2010-11-17T14:32:00.006-05:00

BIG WORM IS FAST

BUT NOT AS FAST AS A

WHICH IS NOT AS FAST AS A

WHICH IS NO WHERE NEAR AS FAST AS A

WHICH WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME COMPETING WITH A

FAST REALLY IS RELATIVE

The Forbidden Forest; The Best Ride Ever and Zak is an Unmotivated Punk

2010-11-10T10:36:00.002-05:00

So, after a long hot summer, I spent some of last weekend going through my riding gear pulling out my winter stuff in preparation for the upcoming cooler days and nights. I also charged my light and got it mounted on top of my helmet.

Last night’s ride was my first night ride of the fall and it was “THE BEST RIDE EVER!” Ok, maybe not the BEST ride EVER, but for those in my crew who always have their “best rides” when I’m not a part of it this is for you. I will say this, the ride ranks up there with some of my all time favorites.

When I pull into Big Worm’s office parking lot last night I find the big man standing around still in his work clothes and bike in his truck. It appeared he had no thought of getting dressed to ride. After we stand around chatting about the recent election outcomes, the rising stock of Publix Supermarkets, and the resurgence of the American bald eagle, I finally say to the big man “get your ass in gear and let’s go ride.” I was starting to get the feeling this was going to be “one of those rides.”

Finally on our bikes we start heading towards the Overstreet area. We use a crude trail that cuts through one of the neighborhoods to pop out on Maclay Road. Already starting to get dark, but not dark enough for lights, my helmet light finds a low hanging vine which I did not see. Suffice to say that said vine tried to rip my head from my shoulders. Damn, that hurt. Big Worm hearing the commotion and showing his concern for my well being keeps on going. Butt head!

I group back up with BW at the Overstreet power line where Storman Norman is waiting for us. Into the first piece of Overstreet singletrack I finally crack and turn on my light. I love riding in the woods at night but it takes a few rides to get used to how things look in the shadows. It’s a little harder for me to pick out the roots and other trail debris. So we’re tooling along not particularly fast when I hit either a root or stick “just right” in the trail. It kicks me off my line and into a tree. My forearm hit the tree like an offensive lineman hits a linebacker. I didn’t tell the guys at the time, but the arm hurt so bad I was worried that I may have broken it but as we went on the pain subsided.

After we rolled a little bit of redbug we head over to the forbidden forest (FF). This is where the fun really began. We, typically, only ride the FF this time of year when it gets dark. During the day the dementors roam these trails waiting to feed off of the happiness of unsuspecting mountain bikers. The FF trails have some sick technical sections, a few switchbacks and some short hill efforts. It’s always a challenge to try and ride these trails clean (which I never do).

On our way out of the FF my light goes dark. A trail full of sick roots is not where you want to go dark. No problem I say “I’ll just follow behind Big Worm and utilize his light.” Seemed like a great idea. Five feet later I hit some gnarly roots and find myself over my bar and slung to the ground. Now THAT hurt. Norman’s like “don’t move left.” He aims that way with his light and I’m a foot from falling down into a creek bed. What was a great ride diminished rather quickly. I just wanted out of the FF forest before any more of the dark magical creatures could reach up and cause me more harm.

Back at the truck Big Worm and I are all giggles as we recount some of the ride. Although I woke up this morning with more aches and pains than usual, last night’s ride was a blast and I can’t wait to do it again (minus the entire body trauma).

In closing, please pray for my friend Lil’ Ball. LB has not been on his bike in almost two weeks. I’d like to blame his lack of pedal time on school and work commitments, but it has more of a feeling of lack of motivation. Please pray that he’ll find his love of riding again. The thought of not having him on rides like last night is nothing short of a downer. AMEN.

Decisions

2010-11-05T16:43:00.005-04:00

So the weather looks great for tomorrow. After a cold night/early morning the temps should rise to the mid 60s. Now that’s what I’m talking about. This is the kind of weather that I just love.

I’ve been sitting in the office today contemplating what kind of ride I want to do tomorrow. I want to get longer rides in in preparation of some pretty epic rides planned in the months to come.

One option is to ride the CX from my NW home and do a monster loop around town. Maybe head North and do the Overstreet/Phippes area before heading to the Micc. Greenway; Alford Greenway; Cadillac; Tom Brown; Fern then back home via Tharpe/Hartsfield. I’m guessing this would be close to a 4 hour bike ride.

Maybe another option is to park at Forest Meadows and work in some kind of 2.5-3 hour MTB ride tying in some of the above trails.

So many options. What will I decide? This may be one of those game time decisions. Sleep in, eat breakfast then see what mood hits me.

Same Ol' Same Ol'....NOT

2010-10-29T09:44:00.002-04:00

I’m looking forward to riding the “Dirty” Spaghetti tomorrow with the crew. A few of the die hards are doing the 85 mile option while me and some others will opt for the 62. The dirt roads on the East side of the county that lead up to Boston, GA and back are gorgeous and fun to ride. My hope is that the rain we had yesterday will make the dirt roads even better. We’ve been scoping out the route over the last month and the lack of rain had some pretty serious sandy sections in some spots. Watching me ride in sand is like watching Zak walk out of a nightclub on a Saturday night. It’s a little scary to watch, but entertaining at the same time.

It’s easy to get into a routine where we do the same ol’ rides week in and week out so it will be good to step out of the routine for something different. Another cool factor will be riding with other guys (and gals) that we only ride with or see a hand full of times a year. For this reason I’m sure that Big Worm will neglect most of the crew (especially me) tomorrow and pretend that he doesn’t know us. I’ll do my best not to embarrass the big man like I do on most Joe’s rides.

There’s talk of some pretty cool rides being planned for the winter to keep everybody focused and motivated. Hmmmm, maybe our own version of a dirty spaghetti or maybe a trip to the Ocala and Macon areas. We’ll see how these rides/trips pan out but for now the thought of it has me pretty stoked to be on my bike.

Hope to see most of you tomorrow.

Appalachians Mountain High

2010-10-21T16:00:00.003-04:00

Libby and I just got back from a 6 day North Carolina mountain vacation. It was kind of a spur of the moment trip. We tied this in with her birthday and the changing of leaf colors up that way. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. The nights were cool enough that we built a fire on 4 of our 5 nights, and the days were cool and comfortable. We spent the first two days in the Cashiers/Highlands area then Saturday we headed over to Asheville with a brief stop at the Dupont State Forest near Brevard. We did plenty of hiking, waterfall finding, and Blue Ridge Parkway driving. Not to mention the massive amount of good eating. I also enjoyed partaking in some of the local spirits that the area has to offer. Asheville is known for their many micro-brews so I sampled all I could.

When we started planning for the trip, mountain bike riding was mentioned. Libby wanted me to get some riding in since we would be in the land of mecca MTB’ing on the East coast. I was hesitant on hauling my bike all the way up there. I felt guilty knowing that I would be leaving Libby alone while I rode and that ate at me a little, but she was very insistent that I get some riding in. She went so far as to make a reservation at a place called the Bent Creek Lodge just south of Asheville. This place is literally 2 minutes from some of the best riding on the East coast. Knowing this is why she made the reservations. Yep, she’s a keeper.

Before I get into my ride report, I gotta throw out a recommendation on the Bent Creek Lodge (bentcreeknc.com). You’ve got to take your significant other to visit this place. It is owned and run by two of the nicest people (Doug and Jodee) you’d ever want to meet. We came to find out that back in the 80s they actually lived in Tallahassee for a short time. They both also MTB and were able to give me the scoop on the local Bent Creek trails. The lodge is so nice and comfortable that we didn’t want to leave. Jodee has a culinary arts degree so it was no surprise that our breakfast (which was included in the price of the room) was amazing. Libby and I cannot wait to get back up there for a visit Now about that MTB’ing report.

We didn’t get to the lodge until late on Monday so it was 4:30 before I could start my ride. I was chomping at the bit to get out there. I knew I wouldn’t have much time before darkness set in. Map in hand, Doug had given me what he thought would be a good 2 hour loop. So I set out to find the parking area, kit up and off I go.

The map was easy to follow so I didn’t have any problems finding my way around. My impression of the Bent Creek trails were similar to what we have around here (but on steroids). Most of the climbs can be done in the middle chain ring and nothing too terribly technical. The Ingles Field Gap climb was, to me, the toughest. After climbing it on Monday I had to stop at the top to catch my breath before venturing on. While stopped I met one of the locals (Rick). Rick stopped to chat with me as we both caught our breath. Come to find out Rick lives about 7 miles from the trails and is a psychologist with his own practice in the area. I should have asked if he was a sports psychologist. Perhaps he could have helped me with my cornering and race demons. Rick offered to let me tag along and the thought of not having to constantly stop to look at a map sure seemed good. Rick and I continued to climb on the doubletrack chatting the whole way up. The next stop would be Greens Lick which is the must do downhill at Bent Creek. It’s exactly 2 miles to the bottom. Rick was sure to let me know that he had broken a shoulder on that very same downhill not long ago (this got my attention as I did not need to get hurt on this trip). Come to find out later that Jodee (from the Lodge) had broken a collarbone on this same downhill. Greens Lick was everything that it is advertised. It had berms, rocks, jumps, etc. After the downhill Ric and I followed his loop then it was time to part ways. Thanks Rick who, by the way, offered to be our tour guide should we get back up that way.

Tuesday morning I got up early so that I could get another ride in before we hit the road back to Tally. I did most of the same loop as the day before. This time I really let it rip on Greens Lick. About ¾ of the way down I had to stop. My forearms were on fire and they needed a break. At the bottom, with map in hand, I ventured around and checked out a few trails I had yet to hit. All in all I give Bent Creek an A. There’s talk of a crew trip planned for that area in the Spring. That will definitely be something to look forward to.

Oh yea, I also checked out the local bike shop right outside of Bent Creek (Carolina Fatz). Those are some cool guys. I bought a map and some other swag from them and got a little of the scoop on the trails. If you guys are ever up t hat way give them a shout. You can tell that they are use to having allot of tourist stop in and they are more than willing to help out when they can.

O-BEER-SITY

2010-10-06T09:40:00.004-04:00

Ronnie came up from Broward County last weekend for a short visit. It was great to see him. Me and the guys always look forward to him coming up as it is usually way too long between visits. Some good riding was had by all. Friday and Sunday had us on the MTBs while Saturday had us doing a little Dirty Spaghetti recon on the CX bikes up to Thomasville. Unfortunately, with Ronnie’s visit brought much good, but bad, eating and more beers than I would normally consume over a weekend. The scale is not my friend showing about a 5lb weight gain in the last 7 days. The picture above was taken of me before last night’s big group ride. I’ve got to get refocused and lose some weight and get in better riding shape. Perhaps I’ll hire Terry to get me on his dieting program. Below is a picture of Terry showing the awesome weight loss he has achieved.

As is usually the case 98% of the time, I’m not happy with how I’m currently riding. My inability to corner a bike is at an all time low. If you don't believe me ask Zak. He'll be more than happy to explain just how much I suck. Nothing like having him on my wheel the whole ride while he lets me know how many corners I've blown. He loves showering me with confidence (NOT). I’ve let this thing fester in my head so long that I can’t seem to shake it. I’m also riding really slow. I’ve been having fun on my bike all summer but the lack of “training” rides has me unable to hold hard efforts for very long. I guess I’m going to just need to pick a day or two a week to get out and ride hard for an hour or so. Either that or officially retire from all racing. Perhaps I’ll head up to the Macon area and let Neil B. train me in the hills of Thomaston. Tim, you’ve got his number right? Marko and I are trying to run at least two days a week to get ready for the Turkey Trot in November and I’m hoping this will help with my cardio fitness.

Anyway, it was great to spend time with Ronnie and the other guys who come out of the wood work when he’s in town. That being said my waistline cannot handle many frequent visits.

Captionater

2010-10-05T10:40:00.003-04:00

You Got Some 'Splaining To Do

2010-09-28T09:22:00.002-04:00

Tallahassee’s BC crowd is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a celebrity from Little Havana, Lil’ Ronnie Ricardo. For some reason, that only an abused puppy would understand, I can’t wait for his visit. Plans have been set for a long weekend of bike riding, beer drinking, eating, and a possible white trash BC fishing tournament. His visit always brings out the crew members that have been in hibernation since his previous visit.

What I think I’m most excited about is the chance to actually ride my bike and being able to “smell the flowers.” You see most rides I do with the crew are fast which does not afford me the time to look around and enjoy nature. Usually I just stare about 10 feet up the trail unaware of anything going on around me. With Lil’ Ronnie riding at “his pace” I can enjoy the sights and sounds of birds singing and watch the squirrels as they forage for food. Perhaps I’ll even spot a deer or some turkeys in their natural habitat. It’ll be good to have a long recovery weekend of not having to ride my bike hard or fast. They say “fast is fun” but nah nah I say “slower is super”.

Ah, to be able to experience relaxation the way they do it in Little Havana. Like the arrival of Fall, I’m looking forward to the change.

Captionater

2010-09-22T11:17:00.003-04:00

Racing Hell

2010-09-14T11:26:00.005-04:00

I love riding bikes. Riding them while racing is another emotion, far from love, altogether.

This past weekend kicked off the Florida State Championship Series races. Race #1 (in a series of 8) was right here in Tally town over at Tom Brown Park. Even though I felt like I did all the right things leading up to the race (hydration, diet, rest, etc.), I raced horribly.

Typically leading up to a race I am nothing but nerves. I stress over and over think what I expect will happen on race day. I know for sure that nerves have helped in poor showings in the past. What’s weird about this race is that I wasn’t that nervous leading up to it. I slept well the night before and woke up feeling calm. Even getting to Tom Brown and hanging out with the crew before my start I felt strangely calm. I took this as a good sign (was I ever wrong).

There were 30 guys in the Sport 40-49 class. The start was a little sketchy with so many guys trying to get good position, but no big deal. Through the first piece of short singletrack, over the rock garden, then on the doubletrack I find myself in the middle of the pack. By the time I hit the Cadillac portion of trail I felt pretty good. Pop out of there and pass a few guys on the road back up to Tom Brown. Somewhere between the gun range and the flow track (kudzilla?) I start noticing a few things going wrong. My lower back is killing me, my heart rate is higher than it should be for the effort, and all of a sudden I have no energy. By the time I get up the flow track climb I know that I am in trouble.

The second lap was a nightmare. Back is hurting so bad I can’t stand being on the bike and I’m having trouble regulating my heart rate which is staying near my max. Then I start to get stomach cramps and worry about vomiting on the side of the trail. When I get to the flow track this time I wonder how I am possibly going to finish a 3rd lap. My back is jacked, my stomach is unhappy, I have zero energy and now my arms start feeling like noodles. Simply leaning on the handlebars was uncomfortable.

Even though a DNF did cross my mind it really wasn’t an option. I knew that Big Worm was behind me suffering in the Clydesdale class and I knew that no matter what personal hell he might be going through he would venture on. The thought of what he would say and do to me if I quit is what kept me going.

The last lap was brutal. I was barely moving the bike. I could not believe how bad I felt. I was so discouraged. Us home boys always want to race well on our home track. It just wasn’t meant to be for me on this day.

After what felt like an eternity I finally cross the finish line. I dismount my bike and feel dizzy/lightheaded. I stagger over to the Bikechain tent and plop down. A beer is handed my way, but I don’t want it. My wife wants to fix me some food, but I don’t want it. I just want to sit and recover.

I’m not sure what went on with my body on Sunday. The inability to regulate the heart rate may have been the result of a bad decision to take a Claritan D the night before thinking it would have plenty of time to clear my system before start time. Maybe the rest of the issues can be blamed on the heat. I guess I’ll really never know.

Allot of the local boys did really well and I give props to them for a job well done. From the BC crew Zak had a second place finish, and Jason had a 1st. I also want to give a shout out to some other local boys I know who found the podium: John Davis; Earl May; JC Lakey; Daniel Korecky; Blake Norman; David Norman; Frank Flynn and Steve Andrews. Congratulations to all you boys.

Oh, and me? Yea a 20 out of 30 guys. Shame.

Strange Bedfellows

2010-08-26T11:14:00.003-04:00

It’s funny how things work out. I can remember back some 12 (give or take) years ago me and Libby discussing buying bikes so we could start riding through the neighborhood together. One Saturday we stop into what was at the time Dean’s Bike Shop. I walk out with a $400 GT and her with a comparable Raleigh. We had good intentions but truly we never did ride much together. We rode through nearby neighborhoods a time or two and even rode the St. Marks trail once or twice, but with Libby trying to start a new career in real estate there wasn’t much free time to ride a bike.

Then a buddy called me on the telephone one day and invited me to go ride mountain bikes with him. He heard that I had bought a MTB and thought I might be interested in trying something different. Remember now I bought the GT to ride on paved neighborhood roads with my wife. I was not familiar with the concept of riding a bike in the woods. It sounded fun so I got the time and place and told him I’d be there. The time was to be a Saturday morning and the place had a funny name “Red Bug.” That’s right my first true MTB riding experience was the Red Bug trails. So I show up with my fully rigid, flat pedaled GT. Lace up my hiking boots, make sure my wallet is in my jean shorts, adjust my ball cap and off I go. That ride may have been the scariest bike ride I was ever on…….AND I LOVED IT! I was hooked. That day I went back to the bike shop and bought a helmet and some straps for my pedals. It took a while longer for me to get weaned off of the hiking boots and jean shorts but I eventually got there.

Not long after I got hooked on mountain biking I stumbled into the old Revolutions Cyclery. The same guy who got me into riding told me about this place. I remember the first few times I went in. You talk about a fish out of water. There was me (the definition of metro sexual) then there was Big Worm, Red Dragon, Marko and the Spanish Mackerel. With the exception of the Mackerel (who may have a few more metro sexual tendencies then he would admit) I was the complete opposite of these bike shop guys and most of their clientele. But what was cool is that they didn’t care. If you loved bikes and weren’t a total douche bag you were pretty much excepted. It took some time but me and the guys eventually started warming up to each other and I became a fixture in the shop.

Insert empty space here which will represent my 10 year no cycling hiatus….yada yada yada yada….

Now fast forward 10 years and my reacceptance into the Bikechain/Bikeposse (f/k/a Revolutions) way of life. As it was back in the day the crew makes up a group of guys with very different backgrounds, beliefs, tastes, etc. We range in age from teenager to guys with retirement on our minds. What we do have in common is the love of riding our bikes and the respect we have for each other and of our differences.

Now the thing that’s got me all reminiscent and chatty today is this, a part of our crew is down. He’s not down and out just down. I know he will not be down long. Just another hiccup in the road. But the scare I felt when I heard of his ordeal has given me a new appreciation for the crew. It reminded me of how fragile we are and how things can change in the blink of an eye. I have a renewed sense of pride when I put on the BC kit (orange and black forever) and the last few crew rides have seemed even more fun. We are tough on each other and give each other allot of grief, but as Big Worm once said you’d rather be with us than against us. Amen to that.

Last night’s crew ride had two new faces. Both guys seem cool and more than capable to continue riding with the crew if they wish. Perhaps they’ll blend in or fade away (time will tell). One thing’s for sure, Bikechain is not a membership club it is a way of life and if you love the lifestyle hop aboard we’d love to have you…..douche bags need not apply.

Love you T…..get better soon….the rides are not the same without you.

Captionater

2010-08-06T13:25:00.003-04:00

Having not slept well the night before, I decided to try out this comfy cozy crash barrier and get a little siesta before the race.

00....Puss

2010-07-02T10:09:00.004-04:00

OK, I can no longer hide my disappointment. Yea, yea, I know life is full of the big D. Get use to it and move along. But this one I can’t let go of.

You see way back on June 6 a very select few of the Bikechain crew made the trip to Birmingham to race the annual BUMP n’ Grind MTB race. It was hot, the course was tough but each of us suffered through it with varying results. Some of us were pleased with our results, others disappointed (there’s that word again), and one or two were just happy that they made the trip and did the best they could.

Now one of our crew, no names please, documented his BUMP training for months leading up to the race. I mean this guy let us know when he was doing simple local crits in his home town to adventures in road racing the Swiss Alps doing 50,000 foot climbs every other day.

Now I have nothing but respect for this guy, BUT since he did not stick around after the race to discuss the good and/or the bad (he simply took off without so much as a goodbye or a hug), I have anxiously been awaiting his updated blog with a race recap. You know how many blog updates I have seen from him since BUMP? Nothing, zilch, nada, naught, zip, nil, the big goose egg.

Now if I come up missing please check with Big Worm, Marko or the Red Dragon. They may have a suspect in mind.

Dude, you know who you are, quit keeping your fans waiting…UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!

BUMP Re-Cap

2010-06-07T21:52:00.008-04:00

Me and Lil’ Ball loaded up my truck and headed out of town early Saturday morning. Destination Pelham, Alabama for the sixteenth edition of the BUMP n’ Grind MTB race at Oak Mountain State Park. We were two of six Bikechain guys going to represent in one of the southeast’s biggest MTB races of the year. Derwood, Mingo, Mingo Jr., and 007 made up the rest of the crew.

We made good time getting to Oak Mountain. When we arrive we find 007 starting to gear up. Derwood is there too and has entered the “Turn N Burn” which was something new BUMP put on this year. In typical Derwood fashion….he flats. I’m not sure what Derwood has done to piss off the tire/tube god’s, but they show their anger at him by flatting him on, what seems, every ride he’s on. After watching Derwood suffer on a few of his laps, Lil’ Ball and I kit up so we can begin the ridiculous 20 mile pre-ride. I will never understand the rationale of riding a course like that, for that far and that long the day before a race, but I am told by the “experts” that that is part of the racing experience. Derwood hooks up with us so off we go. As expected Lil’ Ball and Derwood take off. My goal was to do the easiest pre-ride I could pull off. 007 is in agreement so we let the expert guys go and we ride together for a while. As is typical for me I am already getting discouraged during the pre-ride. My legs felt like noodles and even though I’m taking it easy I feel that my heart rate is too high. The 90 something degree temps weren’t helping either. 007 is looking strong and I can tell that his training is going to pay off. In my mind I’m in panic mode. I really wanted to do better than my dismal 15th place finish at last years BUMP. Anyone who has every traveled to a race with me knows how “anxious” I get. I suffer from the worst case of pre-race jitters than anyone I know and have no doubt that it has affected several of my races over the last two years negatively.

So after 2 hours and 4 minutes and close to 20 miles I crawl out of the woods and hunt something cold to drink and some shade. Me and Lil’ Ball go get checked in at the hotel and enjoy the AC while we put the legs up to help the blood flow and try to rehydrate. We finally meet the Derwood clan at the California Pizza kitchen for a great dinner. Back at the hotel, stuffed and tired I actually fall asleep early and get a good nights rest. I typically toss and turn the night before a race and am lucky if I get in 4 hours.

Up early I down my bagel, yogurt and start getting fluids in me. Truck loaded Lil’ Ball and me pick up 007 and head to Oak Mountain. Derwood and the Mingo clan have already arrived. Mingo Jr. is gearing up to do his race which starts before everyone else’s. He ended up destroying the field and getting 1st place. Way to go Mingo Jr. and way to represent Bikechain. The rest of us go through our pre-race rituals of getting geared up, and getting warmed up. Part of my pre-race ritual is visiting the restroom as many times as is humanly possible in the shortest amount of time (damn those bib shorts).

So off to the starting line I go. Lil’ Ball and Derwood are going off with the experts ahead of the rest of us. As luck would have it this year me, 007 and Mingo are going off in the same class (Sport men 45-49). They say go and we’re off. I find myself in pretty good position getting into the woods in about 4th or 5th place. I make it through the first singletrack section feeling pretty good. When I pop out onto the first piece of doubletrack I ramp the pace up a bit. I get into the second piece of singletrack and my heart rate is starting to climb. I find a good tempo and keep on moving. The next and biggest challenge of the day was next, the infamous 2 mile climb. It starts out manageable enough but when you get closer to the top it really pitches up. I put my head down and just keep telling myself that if I can make it to the top the rest of the race should be gravy (I was wrong). In my mind I’m picturing 007 and Mingo passing me on the climb. I admit this kept the legs churning a little harder. Finally, what seemed like an eternity I make it to the top. Down the long ridgeline and over to blood rock. I put my tip toe shoes on and run down blood rock (that damn thing scares me). After blood rock is a knarly/rocky downhill and when I get to the bottom my arms are super pumped and tired from holding onto the bars so tightly. I cross the paved road and hit the next piece of singletrack. I’m starting to suffer and I realize that I’m not drinking near the fluids I should be. I have also not eaten any of the hammer gel that I had in my jersey (tried but couldn’t reach it due to a bad decision to put a heavy bottle in my jersey pocket). With about 5 miles to go I start feeling a twinge in my right hamstring. Wasn’t sure what it was but I knew it couldn’t be good. The last 3 miles of the race was brutal. I could tell that I was starting to bonk. No food and not drinking enough was taking its toll. Finally pop out of the singletrack onto the paved road that would take me to the finish and both hamstrings cramp up. I can’t freakn’ pedal my bike. Un-clip and stretch the hammy’s. Clip back in and pedal. Two pedal strokes and cramps again. I can’t freakn’ believe that after 1 hour and 45 minutes of racing my ass off I’m not going to be able to pedal the last 100 yards to the finish. So un-clip and clip-in about 3 more times and make it to the finish without getting passed. Wasn’t sure how I did but knew, other than not hydrating well, that I raced the best I could.

When all was said and done I podiumed in 3rd place out of 24 guys in my class. I was super stoked and learned allot about the need to hydrate properly while racing.

Lil’ Ball had a great race finishing 8th out of a stacked 18 man field. Derwood also finished 8th in his class (of course he flatted…again). Mingo got a flat at the top of the big climb so had to DNF. 007, so I hear, was disappointed in his race. He has been training hard for BUMP and I know he was expecting a better showing. Everybody has a bad day and Sunday was bad for him. That dude is a bad ass and me and everyone in the crew has nothing but the utmost respect for him. Dude, you don’t ride MTB much so keep your head up. It’s hard to transfer road fitness to trail fitness. When you get back to the ATL you can retire the skinny tire for the knobbies. You’ll be trail ready in no time.

So all in all a great weekend. I’m tired, and my hammy’s are sore. Had a great time traveling with Lil’ Ball. Hoping next year will have the whole crew at Oak Mountain at the BUMP.

Swinger

2010-05-27T09:45:00.003-04:00

I’m not sure what happened to Spring. Perhaps it got stuck in all of the muck going on in the Gulf of Mexico, but I’m pretty sure there was nothing in between Winter and Summer. It’s turned hot and those pesky afternoon thunder showers have been popping up about every day.

That being said I do not miss the Winter. It has been nice not having to throw on leg/arm warmers and a vest for a ride. Also don’t miss wearing that 20lb light on top of my skull. I haven’t had the pleasure, yet, of getting a face full of banana spider but the snakes have been in full force (I guess they were pretty tired of that record cold/wet winter too). While on a long ride with Cliffie over the weekend I skirted a moccasin at the end of Cadillac trail on the way to Alfred. I’m not sure if it was my bike or my shrill, little girl like scream that got his attention to move out of my way (why is it that every root looks like a snake after the initial sighting).

Say what you will but there is no doubt that the Bikechain crew that are riding on a regular basis has dwindled significantly. Blame it on school, new bundles of joy, work, or just other priorities in general. It if were not for Lil’ Ball, Big Worm, and Wrecking Ball my rides would be very lonely. This may not be just a BC issue. In speaking to a member of another local “faction” they seem to be having similar issues .

Attrition in a few of the local cliques may explain some of the really cool rides that I’ve been on lately. Last week me, Lil’ Ball, and Cliffie hooked up with the Higher Ground/GBS ride. There must have been 20 guys (plus Rita) in the woods. When it was all said and done we decided we wanted to get some more of that in the future. Last night started out with me, Wrecking Ball, Big Worm, Cliffie and Ponytail Chris. Somewhere in the middle of the ride BW and WB decided to do their own thing, Cliffie decided to venture his own way ¾ through the ride which left me and PTC. PTC and I headed out to the Alford Arm Greenway for a steady/tempo lap before we headed back in. The pace was pretty high (for me) but it was exactly what I needed. It was also fun to watch his lines and to see him jumping every obstacle around him. So even though I do miss the guys I was riding with regularly this time last year it has been cool to ride with guys I have only seen in passing before.

In closing another Bump & Grind has snuck up on me. Hard to believe that it is only a week away. This is a race that typically brings everyone out of the woodwork but this year it appears that the BC contingent will be much smaller than in years past. I won’t lie that this bums me out more than a little. Oh well. I’m not sure that I’ve put in enough hard effort rides to compete in the race, but I do hope to go out and do some things different than last year. A top 10 finish would satisfy me.

Keep the rubber side down and I hope to see you on the singletrack.

Get With

2010-05-07T13:53:00.014-04:00

Big Jim

Lil' Ronnie
Big Worm

Wrecking Ball

A few weeks ago me, Big Worm, Wrecking Ball and Lil’ Ronnie loaded up the F150 and headed north for a week’s worth of mountain biking adventures.

The anticipation of this trip had us all wound up. Before getting any further than Thomasville we had already purchased a case of Fat Tire Ale and consumed about 10,000 calories at the Donut Hole. Less than two hours later we are already stopped near Cordele at Stripling’s Country Store for some smoked sausage and various other high calorie items. By this time Wrecking Ball and I are getting that glazed over look in our eyes wondering how we were going to survive the, what was turning into, high caloric consumption of this trip.

In between Tallahassee and Ellijay, which would be our first stop on the trip, was a visit to Team Type 1 (TT1) headquarters in Atlanta. Phil, co-founder and manager of TT1, graciously invited us to drop by for a tour of the team’s warehouse and a promise of some swag. It’s always good to see Phil and even better to get free bike stuff. Swag in hand we load back up and continue heading north.

Six or so hours after leaving Tally we roll up to Mulberry Gap Mountain Bike Getaway. This is a place run by a couple of ladies and their sons. This place is cool. About 7 cabins on the property. Our cabin had two bunks with four beds and just enough room to move around. It’s getting late in the afternoon and we want to get about a two hour ride in, so Big Worm talks to son #1 about the best trail for the day. It was decided that we’d hit Pinhoti #3. What’s cool about the “Gap” is that you ride your bike right out of the gate. P#3 was just up the gravel road. This trail was a blast. Lots of ups, downs and serious switchbacks. This trail was one of my favorites for the week.

Breakfast and Dinner at the Gap was amazing, and ABUNDANT. From waffles, pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, for breakfast to chicken, steak, potatos, beans, ice cream and pineapple upside down cake for dinner we did not go hungry.

Tuesday’s ride was soggy. We awoke to rain but decided to get a ride in anyway. Ronnie, perhaps the smartest of the bunch on this day, decided to hang around the cabin. The rest of us went out to get wet and cold. WB got tired of riding with me and BW so he let us go ahead. He said something about wanting to look for bears and mountain lions. The rain did put a bit of a damper on this ride, but still fun and challenging. The downhill’s on Pinhoti #2 were attention getters.

Wednesday, after another killer breakfast, we said goodbye to the Gap and headed farther north to Brevard, NC (home of Pisgah and Dupont). Like Monday, we get to Brevard mid-afternoon and are chomping at the bit to ride. We stop by the local bike shop, BW gets the skinny on a good ride, we head to the hotel to unload, kit up and we’re out the door. This was another 2 hour ride in the Pisgah area. From the parking lot we get a 30 second warm-up before the trail starts heading towards God. We climbed, climbed some more, then for good measure climbed a little more. It was tough. Every corner I went around I just knew the climbing would be over only to find the trail continued upwards. What made the climbing worth it were the descents. Unlike Pinhoti near Ellijay, these descents were fairly technical. You definitely wanted to pay attention to what was coming up. When it was all said and done this was another fantastic day of riding. The downhill’s on this day were epic and I want some more bad.

What I have failed to mention until now is that BW and Ronnie had been fighting some type of cold like symptoms most of the week. By Thursday BW was starting to suffer. It didn’t stop the big man from getting a good ride in the Dupont State Forest. We saw some cool rivers, little waterfalls and a little slick rock, but near the end of the ride BW was drained. We get the big man back to the hotel and leave him while the rest of us go out for a bite to eat and then some white squirrel hunting (the Brevard area is known for having these white squirrels). Ronnie with his special training spotted this guy while we were on a drive by.

Friday had us heading home a little earlier than expected. We were supposed to head to Asheville that day before heading back down to Athens, GA for the weekend to see the Twilight Criterium. Me, WB and Ronnie decided it would be best to head back home even though BW tried to get us to stay to ride longer. The weather for Athens looked bad and BW looked even worse so homeward bound we went.

Bottom line is this trip was a blast and I really enjoyed traveling with these three guys. If nothing else I’m hoping we, and some others, can get back up to Mulberry Gap before this year is out.

Come join us.

Red Bug Challenge

2010-04-02T07:52:00.006-04:00

The Red Bug Challenge is back. The RBC is a fun and competitive event with lots of extras, including music, bike trivia, bull ring and more! It will be held on Sunday, April 11.

About the race: The RBC is a benefit mountain bike race on a true east coast-style race course - super technical single-track balanced with open sections for passing. We even throw in some hills.

The RBC offers cash payout for experts and prizes for all classes.

Sponsored by: The RBC is sponsored by the bike shops of Tallahassee. It's a true community event with other local businesses supporting the event.

Benefiting: A portion of the proceeds will go to support the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association

For more information and to register, visit this link http://redbugchallenge.com/

Springy

2010-03-04T10:03:00.004-05:00

Ok, I’ll try not to complain about the below average temperatures Tallahassee is currently experiencing. For that matter I will not complain that Tallahassee has had one of the coldest and wettest winters since they began keeping track of that type of stuff. It is what it is and the weather is the one thing I have no control over so I’ll make the best of it. Plus 007 is up North training in Snowmageddon and if I complain anymore I’m sure he will punch me in the face the next time he sees me.

I don’t know about you but I am stoked that we get to set the clocks forward next weekend. I am looking forward to no longer needing to make sure my lights are charged for the next night ride. With the time change comes the promise of warmer days. Bring it on.

I can tell that I’m not the only one looking forward to spring getting here. There seems to be a little more motivation around my circle of riding partners to get on their bikes. Last night’s ride was a blast. A small group with only me, Lil Ball, Marko and Big Worm, but we were determined to get some time in the saddle (2 hours) and put in some quality efforts. We haven’t been putting in allot of efforts over the Winter so last nights race pace efforts through red bug and climbing every hill at Phipps has me a little tired and sore this morning. I have a love, hate relationship with hard efforts. I hate the efforts while doing them (it’s disconcerting to look down at the heart rate monitor to see 180 and knowing you’re not half way up a climb) , but I love getting the efforts in because I know it will make me a better/faster rider.

So tonight I’ll bundle up again, put that heavy helmet light on my head again, and do another night right again. Bring on spring!

Yawn!

2010-02-16T16:57:00.001-05:00

I need Winter to turn around and go back to whence he came. He can also take his buddy daylight savings time with him. I hate them both. In the words of my buddy Wrecking Ball, they are both BASTARDS!

For 4 days now I have not been on my bike or done any type of exercise. I can’t remember a time over the last 2.5 years when I went this long without exercising. I find myself unmotivated and uncaring. I’m tired of being cold; I’m tired of being wet; I’m tired of riding in the dark. Needless to say I am in a funk. I’m not sure what it will take to turn my attitude around. Maybe more than 2 days of dry weather; or perhaps temperatures about 59 degrees. There is talk of a North Georgia/North Carolina MTB trip in April which may be just what I need to get me reenergized.

For now though I will just plod along…….hoe hum…..woe is me.

Captionater

2010-02-04T13:46:00.003-05:00

Give Me Your Best Shot

2010-01-27T09:19:00.003-05:00

Some of the most fun I’ve had in my life have probably been considered “bad ideas”. For example:

When I was in elementary school me and my buddies got football helmets and pads one Christmas. We got tired of hitting each other so we decided to run full speed, with our pads on, at a tree to see if it would hurt. It did and we decided this was probably…. a bad idea.

In junior high we used to make and jump ramps on our bikes. One particular day I was riding a bike that had a stripped handlebar stem which meant that I could not tighten the handlebar down. It moved freely in my hands and I had to be very careful while riding. My buddies dared me to make a jump anyway. I did and ended up doing my best imitation of Superman. After skidding down the rock road I landed on my back. While lying on the ground I looked up and thought to myself this was probably….a bad idea.

When I was 19 I decided to ask my girlfriend to marry me. She said yes, we get hitched….yea you guessed it….a bad idea.

Last night was a very cool night ride. Some guys actually decided to come out of the woodwork and rides bikes. The cast of characters included Me, Big Worm, Wrecking Ball, Lil Ball, Lt. Dan and a special appearance by JD.

The ride started out normal enough as we head out of the orifice parking lot over to Overstreet. We do some secret singletrak and then head over to Forest Meadows. It’s starting to get dark but no one wants to be the first one to turn on their lights. So I head in first to the new twisting singletrak. I can’t see a thing but damned if I’m going to turn the light on. Wrecking Ball is trying his best to get me to flip the switch. Somehow I make it out without serious incident. So we decide to head down to the lake. As we approach the long downhill to the lake it’s pretty damn dark but still no one wants to turn their lights on first so down we go. This was a wide eyed, white knuckle decent. I’m just watching the guys in front of me. I figure if they go down I’ll have time to react. Near the bottom I catch a hint of a light behind me. Wrecking Ball couldn’t stand it any longer so he was the first one to “flip the switch”. We get to the bottom and the rest of the lake loop is a piece of cake. It was a great night. Good temps with an almost full moon. So we make our way over to Red Bug and Worm takes us in. Red Bug is challenging enough in the light so imagine what it’s light in the dark. Most of us attempted this without lights (again WB and Lil Ball cracked and lit it up). I go down once after hitting a root but no big deal. We make it out alive and head back over to Overstreet and decide to hit the singletrak back out. Again most of us without lights. This is a series of comic twists and turns. Me, Big Worm, Lt. Dan are making new trail as we could not see the one already established. Finally, we make it out to the doubletrack. We had survived the no light adventure ride…..or so we thought. Again, we’re running no lights. Big Worm (to the left) and Lil Ball (to the right) are leading with me behind BW. We’re rolling along chatting and laughing it up when all of a sudden it appears that BW has been hit with a tranquilizer gun. What really happend is that he hit some quicksand that he could not see. He makes a weird little motion and then he and his bike tilt right and make a hard crash. Poor Zak, all 130lbs of him never saw the 240lb big man coming. I look over, again with no light on, and I see Big Worm laying there. His bike is on top of Zak’s but I see no Zak. I then realized Zak was UNDER Big Worm. Oh my God we have killed Zak. Big Worm gets up and Zak appears to be OK. Unfortunately Zak’s almost new, very expensive carbon fiber frame is not OK. He spots a crack in the top tube.

So, as much fun as last night’s no light ride was I ask myself, was this probably….a bad idea. Nahhhhhhhh

Addicted to...

2010-01-19T16:51:00.002-05:00

Definitions of addiction (n)
1.drug dependence:
2.devotion: great interest in a particular thing to which a lot of time is devoted

They say that the first step to recovery of an addiction is to first admit that you have a problem. Folks, I may have a problem. Presently I have at least three addictions in my life that are consuming most of my waking moments. They are in no particular order; cycling; IPhone; eating.

When I am not eating I am either riding or playing with the IPhone. When I am eating I may be on the IPhone downloading information about riding. When I am riding I may also be eating ‘cause you know you’ve got to stay fueled. Oh and yes, usually my IPhone is with me on a ride and I have been known to stop in order to update my Facebook page, text or email.

So here it is at the end of a work day. Let me grab a quick snack, while I download an IPhone app then get dressed for a Tuesday night ride.

Betty Ford here I come.

Felasco Revisited

2010-01-12T16:23:00.002-05:00

What I know from this trip:

It was incredibly cold;

If you slap (Marko) a 40oz beer can from a friends (Lil Ronnie) hand while he is drinking there is a good chance he will chip a tooth;

If you are attacked by four of your drunken friends (you know who you are) there is a good chance of a bloody nose (Me);

If the plan is to make the trip to Gainesville wearing the gaudiest “holiday” sweater you can find, someone will step up and go all out (looking good Big Worm);

People staying in hotels are either very tolerant, very scared, or very stupid. Why the police didn’t come knocking on our door I will never know;

Ricky Silk and Longshanks are funny as hell when they’ve had plenty to drink;

Single speed bikes are fun. Me, Marko, and Little Ball rode ours the full fifty miles. Lil Ronnie got over 30 and will get the full 50 next year;

Spanish Mackerel likes to look for butterflies on his own;

We should not stay as long at the lunch stop;

Wrecking Ball will take his bike to the shop prior to Felasco and request that they do whatever they can to ensure it will not work properly;

Felasco is fun

Road Trip

2010-01-07T14:40:00.004-05:00

I am really looking forward to getting out of town with the fellas this weekend. As stated below, this is the weekend of the Tour de Felasco near Gainesville. The 50 mile mountain bike ride through San Felasco State Preserve starts Saturday morning, but the fun will begin tomorrow afternoon when me and the guys meet to load up the truck and head to Gainesville.

We are slated to roll out at 1:30, but then again the Spanish Mackerel is slotted to be in my group so it may be more like 2:15. The 2 hour drive with the 5 "personalities” will be fun.

Marko is driving. He’ll start out playing his gangster rap on the radio which I’ll hate (which is why he’ll play it extra loud). He’ll also explain to us how he tore down and rebuilt his bike that same morning “I’m not sure that was a good idea” he’ll say “but it is what it is.”

Big Worm will get shotgun because, of course, he IS Big Worm. He’ll start out insulting everyone in the truck, other than Marko. He’ll push me just to the edge of where I want to kick the shit out of him then back off for 10 minutes before starting all over again.

Wrecking Ball, you know he used to be in a band, will be wound up. He’ll tell me how much he loves me and how good of a bike rider I am. He’ll word it like this: “for a fat, old guy with absolutely no bike handling skills at all you’re one hell of a mountain bike rider” “you scare me though so please ride behind me….but you really are good”.

Spanish Mackerel. You know if the Mackerel was a chick every one of his periods would be late. The Mackerel will stare out the window looking for butterflies and shiny objects. He will also insult me until such time as I feel the need to punch him in the stomach. He will then begin to tell me how awesome I am and will call me “greatness.”

The rest of the gang will meet us in G’ville. Friday night we will most likely hit the Ale House so we can drink, eat and carry on. It’ll be fun to drink with Little Ball now that he has come of age. He’ll talk me into doing shots which I will do even though I am old enough to know better. Ice Berg like most of the guys will try his best to annoy the hell out of me. I can’t punch him as he is still a little child. Well he is a giant child but I still can’t punch him.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Little Ronnie. I don’t know him that well but I always enjoy talking with him when he’s around. He’s the main reason I decided to ride the Tour on my single speed this year. Misery loves company.

So anyway I’m all wound up and am ready to get out of dodge. Look for a Tour recap next week.

San Felasco

2010-01-06T10:59:00.002-05:00

It's that time again. San Felasco, the 50 mile (or 62 if you desire) mountain bike ride through the State preserve. I'm stoked and can't wait for Friday when me and the boys load up the truck and head to Gainesville. What I do know is that there will be drinking, eating, and coooolllllddddd weather in store. Stories and pictures to follow. Stay tuned.

The Reason for the Season

2009-12-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

"I just don’t understand Christmas. Instead of feeling happy, I feel sort of let down." Charlie Brown, in a Charlie Brown Christmas 1965.

Let me come right out and say it, I do not get into the Christmas spirit as I once did. I’ve got a pretty good idea why. The financial issues of buying too many gifts; the stress of having to go out and buy said gifts, commercialization, hassels of dragging out family visits every single day I am off from work, etc. As I write this blog I find myself in a bitter/bad mood.

The big problem is that I have lost site of the reason why we celebrate Christmas. Linus reminded us best:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Here’s wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

The Flash

2009-12-02T16:28:00.001-05:00

Ever since I was a little guy growing up in Jackson County I have been active. Me and my buds played allot of football, jumped ramps on our banana seat bikes, and played war in the woods. We were just glad to be outside. Nintendo was something on sci-fi movies so it was either be outside or watch one of the three channels we could pick up on TV.

As I got into junior high and high school I played organized football, got into weightlifting; ran a little, and wore the hell out of the Schwinn Scrambler I had gotten for Christmas one year (God I loved that bike).

As an adult I’ve gotten into and out of: city league football; softball; volleyball; golf; weightlifting, cycling, running, kayaking, and hiking.

When it comes to sports I am the definition of “Jack of all trades, master of none”. I often wonder what kind of cyclist I’d be if I hadn’t walked away from it for nearly 10 years.

I don’t know if it’s a short attention span or if I just get bored, but I find myself thinking less and less about bikes lately. In the last couple of weeks I have started running again and it has been fun. It’s like I’ve found a new challenge. I remember when I joined the cross country team my senior year in high school. First day of practice I couldn’t run a half mile before stopping. By the end of the season I was running 10 miles non-stop. Thanks to my cycling fitness I am able to run about 6 miles now, but the downside is I am running SSSS LLLLL OOOOO WWWWWW. That’s the challenge. Can I get faster?

Anyway, I do not see me hanging up the bike. My hope is that by cross training It’ll actually make me a better cyclist and keep it fresh. I guess time will tell.

Hmmmm, I haven’t tried skydiving….

OG

2009-11-19T16:47:00.001-05:00

I stumbled across these guys today. It has been years since I listened to their stuff. Back in the late 70s early 80s I was a big fan of them and they shared 8 track space with Styx, Chicago, Foreigner, Kiss, Rush, ACDC. It’s funny the things you remember when certain old school songs get played again.

Slightly Worn

2009-11-17T16:46:00.003-05:00

What has happened? What has changed? I mean hell, most people tell me I’m immature and have the mental capacity of a child. If this is the case why won’t my body play along?

I’m finding that I do not recover from physical activity as quickly as I once did. I’ve noticed that most of my days start out with a grunt as my feet hit the floor “wow my back really hurts”; “damn my shoulder is sore”; “what’s with this twinge in my knee”.

Yesterday I spent about five hours doing yard work followed up with a 5k run with my buddy Marko. Today I get up and my whole body hurts. The Advil bottle is sitting at the ready as I start thinking about a mountain bike ride tonight. I’m sure to wake up in the morning with a new wonder “it all hurts”.

They say that getting old is a bitch. I refuse to accept it. If I live to see 100 I hope that I’m doing something that I enjoy whether it be mountain biking; kayaking, hiking or needle point. I can hear me now “damn, what’s with my pinky”.

Charmed Life

2009-11-13T14:22:00.001-05:00

A four year old boy in Tampa sneaks out of his home one afternoon while his mom was busy doing housework and walks the four blocks to his grandparents house. Mom would later threaten “wait ‘till your dad gets home” but to the young boy it was totally worth it.

A seven year old boy walks down a long dusty dirt road in rural Jackson County in the middle of the afternoon looking for the dust cloud in the distance that would signify the return of his Grandpa home after a long day of work. He gets excited once he recognizes his grandpa’s Chevy truck in the distance. As his grandpa pulls up he stops and lets his smiling grandson jump in the bed of the truck. Once home, they sit down and enjoy a tall glass of iced tea and catch up on the day’s events.

A nine year old boy follows his Grandpa around the yard listening to every word that his grandfather has to say about each of the plants and vegetables he has planted. The young boy would walk in his grandfather’s footsteps and be amazed at this size of this grandfathers foot as compared to his own.

An eighteen year old college student in Atlanta receives a letter from his grandfather. The note that accompanied a check simply states “Lucille” (step grandmother) “sends money, I send love….don’t buy cigarettes”. The college kid smiles.

A twenty year old man asks his grandfather if he’d be his best man at his upcoming wedding. His grandfather smiles and they shake hands.

A twenty-eight year old man leans over his grandfather’s hospital bed gives him a hug and says “love ya man.”

A twenty-eight year old man stands beside his grandfather’s grave site and remembers all of the fishing trips, walks in the yard, and great talks that they shared.

A forty-three year old man gets up in the morning, puts on his necklace that holds a United States Air Force insignia charm and remembers his grandpa.

After fifteen years it seems like just yesterday we went fishing. Miss ya Grandpa!

Up from the Ashes

2009-11-12T15:13:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything to this blog site. A while back I had resolved myself to posting anything that I might have to say over at Bikechain since most of what I had to say at the time was bike related stuff anyway. Bikechain is a way of life and is a compilation of guys ranging from high school aged to middle aged guys who ride and race mountain bikes (and other disciplines from time to time) together. Our goal is to not only physically abuse each other during rides, but also to abuse each other emotionally every single time the opportunity presents itself. You know you have been accepted into the bikechain fold when you leave a ride, a group lunch, whatever, feeling completely beat down physically and emotionally. As my buddy Big Worm once wrote over at his blog “you'd definitely rather be with us than against us.” Amen to that.

Now let me get back on track. Recently I have had the itch to start this blog up again. Not only to discuss my biking adventures but also to write down other things that I’ve got going on in my life or in my head. This blog is not going to be rolled out with any fanfare, no mentioning to others that it is back up. Simply me writing the things I feel like banging out on a keypad. If I am the only person to ever open this blog site up, I am perfectly OK with that.

So up from the ashes I rise. I am interested to see where these new wings take me next. Stay tuned.

Address Change

2009-05-07T08:23:00.002-04:00

In the future most of my blogging can be found at http://bike-chain.blogspot.com/. I hope that this does not inconvenience any of my TWO readers.

Slade! Party of One.

2009-04-27T16:59:00.004-04:00

This past weekend had me driving, alone, to the 3rd installment of the Georgia State Championship Series at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder (near Athens). This was about a 5 hour trip (one way).

A typical race weekend will have the guys meeting somewhere in the AM, loading up the truck (usually Marko’s) and heading out of town. You can count on allot of BS; fat free fig newtons, unpleasant hotel room odors (Big Worm); and allot of eating the night before the race. This particular weekend did not get much interest from most of the guys, but you can always count on Marko and most of the time Big Worm to be in on an out of town race (especially when it’s in Georgia).

Since Athens was having their annual Twilight Criterium road race Saturday night, Marko and Big Worm brought their significant others along so they could enjoy some of the fun. Although both offered to let me ride with them I thought it best to give them their space. Did I mention this was a 10 hour trip.

I did meet up with Big Worm and Marko at Fort Yargo on Saturday. Because Marko was running a little late, Big Worm went off on his own (surprising I know) to preride the race loop. Once Marko showed up he and I went on our way. This course was fun, but tough. A section of the course is nicknamed the “Monster Mile.” This is a mile long area with nothing but roller coasters. I swear that some of the drop offs went down 10-15 feet then up the other side. Fun for sure, but during a race these down/ups really take allot out of you. The climbs were not long, but steep. I was exhausted after the preride. Once done, we loaded up the truck and headed the 25 miles to Athens where we would be staying that night.

A quick shower and we are off to downtown Athens to find food and watch some road racing. We located an Italian restaurant. The food was not particularly great, or plenty, but at least the service was poor and the food expensive.

Watching the pros race was fun. It’s amazing to me that they can race so hard and so fast for as long as they do.

Sunday morning we get up and head back to Fort Yargo. Marko’s race starts at 9:30 and he shows up about 9:00. So much for a good warm-up. But of course he’s Marko so he just goes out and gets 10th place, in EXPERT, out of a very large field (26 guys).

Big Worm and I go off at about 11:50 after our start was delayed by about 20 minutes. Big Worm was definitely hurting after his race, but it appears that he did really well and he looked strong coming out of the woods at the end.

Then there’s my race. No doubt I had become spoiled after winning the first two races in this series. I may have been a little overconfident (but I don’t think so). I knew I was in trouble during my warm-up. The legs felt really tired (not a good sign). I figured they would come around near the end of the warm-up but they never did. So I line up, Dave yells go and we’re off. I had a horrible start. In the woods about 5th place. I figure if I can just keep the leaders in sight that I’d be OK, but I just wasn’t feeling it on this day. I lost sight of a couple of the guys. Then, of course, I get mixed up with the slower guys in the classes that went off before me. I road clean, but again the legs just didn’t feel fast. When I crossed the line I had no idea where I placed. I was very disappointed in my race and my effort. When it was all said and done I got 3rd out of 19 guys. If this was a Florida series race I would have been very please, but considering this is GA where the competition if nothing like FL, I felt let down.

Long drive home, in about 9:30 last night. I’m happy that we have a few weeks off before we hit the road for the next race. I’m tired.

Vanilla Update - Week in Review

2009-04-17T11:00:00.001-04:00

This has been a pretty good week, for me, both on and off the bike.

It started out with Ms. Slade and I hitting the road for a weekend of well deserved R&R up in Pine Mountain, Georgia (Callaway Gardens). My two regrets that weekend were eating way too much and not taking our bikes. Callaway Gardens has about 10 miles of paved biking trails on their grounds. They do rent bikes, but I could not bring myself to spend that much money on a rental. Also, having some 5 year old kid in pig tails passing me with her banana seat and basket full of flowers would have just pissed me right off (after all EVERYONE is faster than me…well except for Red Dragon). Funny, they did not have any tricked out Ellsworth’s in their stable. We did get plenty of walking in (you know holding hands, smelling the flowers, that kind of stuff).

Biking this week has been fun too. Started out on the normal Tuesday night ride with the Red Dragon cracking me up as usual. Wednesday was the torture fest (intervals) with Marko, Big Worm, Wrecking Ball and a late appearance by the Spanish Mackerel. This is a good group of guys to be training with. Last night was the Joe’s ride and even though this is not my favorite ride, it was fun. I swore I would take it easy and of course I didn’t.

The week will end tomorrow with me, Derwood, and Big Worm heading up to Columbus for a race on Sunday. I wish the other guys were going, but at least a good bit of them will be headed up there the day of the race. My race results may determine how next week is for me.

That’s my week in review. Hope yours was equally swell.

Shaken, Not Stirred

2009-04-15T13:46:00.002-04:00

It’s “hump day” which means Marko and I will stay with our training plan and do intervals tonight. If pain is all I’m looking for maybe I could just have someone kick me in the….well you know. At least this way I could get the pain over with and get home a little earlier to catch the American Idol results show.

Intervals are no fun but I am told they will make me faster. Misery definitely loves company so I’m hoping to see Big Worm, Wrecking Ball and Spanish Mackerel at the pain fest tonight.

As motivation I am going to tape the above picture on the back of Marko’s jersey. I’m sure I’ll see plenty of the back of 007 come May 31.

A Red Dragon By Any Other Name

2009-04-09T10:57:00.006-04:00

Dear Red Dragon,

I appreciate your interest and for keeping up with my quant little blog. Per your request, I am posting an update to said blog. I value both of my readers, so the focus of this blog will be on one of them. It just so happens this person is one of your favorite subjects….YOU. No blog, about the Red Dragon, would be complete without talking in the third person, so here I go.

Big Jim Slade is happy to see you, Red Dragon, on more bicycle outings as of late. Big Jim Slade also believes that you are one skillful and fast (for a five minute effort) Red Dragon. Rumor has it that the Spanish Mackerel is training hard in an effort to humiliate the Red Dragon in the next mountain bike race (Columbus???). The Mackerel may be underestimating the heart of the Red Dragon. Granted, the Red Dragon’s legs, lungs, and waistline may not be what they once were, but the Mackerel may be underestimating the heart of the Red Dragon. Big Jim Slade also believes that the Red Dragon has the eye of the tiger and that the Red Dragon will be ready to throw the smack down on the Mackerel, and the rest of the field, on April 19.

Some other training notes that Big Jim Slade would like to point out:

007 has been posting some serious training notes on his blog. Rumor is 007 is training in the Swiss Alps averaging 40mph going uphill with a 40 knot wind hitting him in the face. These results are unsubstantiated. Could be a Whittington playing the game a little early in prep for Bump.

Big Worm doing interval training last night. I know, I know, you think I’m a liar. It may have been a dream on my part.

Wrecking Ball: Look up the definition of stealth training in Webster’s and I’m pretty sure his picture will be there.

Spanish Mackerel: After Tuesday’s ride I hate him and that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Marko: Quit talking to me during interval training. I hate that.

Big Jim Slade would like to thank you for reading. Until next time.

MIA

2009-03-27T11:14:00.002-04:00

Where in the world is Waldo, uh I mean the Wrecking Ball? He must be practicing his juggling. Not juggling as in little rubber balls, but life. Where is the Wrecking Ball (a/k/a Ward Cleaver; John Bonham; and Joe College Student). Hmmmmm, stealth training for Bump and Grind?????

Racing Recap

2009-03-24T13:38:00.002-04:00

Marko, Big Worm, Derwood, Spanish Mackerel and I left for Macon last Saturday to participate in round 1 of the Georgia State Championship series MTB races. Long Shanks, Ricky Silk, Red Dragon and Mingo got up EARLY Sunday morning and met us at the race course (East Macon Park) on race day. I don’t know how those boys can get up so early, drive so far, and still be race ready. I, not being a morning person, could never pull this off.

It was a good weekend. The weather was perfect and, except for some sand, so was the course. I still haven’t figured out how this course had 90% climbing, 5% downhills and 5% climbing. I may be exaggerating, but damn this course hurt bad.

Ricky Silk performed at his typical super human level placing 2nd in his expert race behind a guy who once held a pro license.

Long Shanks placed third in his race even though he had a flat. No doubt he would have won his race had he not had to stop for that mechanical (got to get that boy running tubeless).

Marko in his first “real” race as an expert got 9th. He was stoked and the fellas were stoked for him. What a race he had.

The Spanish Mackerel may have had the performance of the day. He got 4th. Although he did not podium, this was an awesome result for someone that has not been riding a whole lot over the last few years. He is obviously one of those genetically gifted persons that I have grown to hate. Good for you SM, keep it up and keep on riding.

Dragon, as he describes it, had a tough day. That being said he still got 9th out of 16 riders in his field. Again, for a guy that has not been riding a ton lately, that’s not a bad result.

Derwood had a couple of good laps, but some physical problems had him out of the race a little earlier than he would have liked. I think secretly he wishes he was racing beginner and that is why he cut it short.

Mingo gave the Sport class a try on a bike that was brand new to him. Unfortunately, he had some mechanicals that forced him to retire early as well. Rumor is there was a guy on the side of the trail hitting his spokes with a big oak tree branch, but I’m sure this could not have been Mingo.

I would describe the day Big Worm had, but I am scared of the big man, therefore, I will say that he gave it all he had and I believe that he did better than he thinks he did. It wouldn’t be as much fun to race if Big Worm wasn’t around to give me a hard time. Please enjoy the picture above (Big Worm on left) as much as I did. He's a clydesdale so yes, he's eating.

My results do not matter as I am simply a beginner, therefore, irrelevant to this blog.

Racing is hard, for me anyway, but the getting out of town and hanging with the fellas makes the pain worth the effort.

Come get you some.

I'm Your Huckleberry

2009-03-16T21:40:00.005-04:00

Georgia State Championship Series Race #1 in Macon this weekend. I'm stoked. Normally I'm stressing these races, but for some reason I am excited about this one. Maybe it's been the stress of work the last month, maybe it's the bad economy, but I want to take some aggression out this weekend. I may fall flat on my face (literally), but I'm gonna give it all I got. The new Ellsworth has a handfull of rides on it. Hopefully we will both be ready.

Marko, Big Worm, Ice Berg, Long Shanks, Red Dragon, Derwood, Spanish Mackerel and, hopefully, Ricky Silk will be making the trip. Berg will not be able to yell obscenities at me this year as he passes me in the woods as he will be racing his second ever Sport race. Also, Marko will be racing his first Expert race in a Series event. Good luck to all of the crew.

Tour de Killearn

2009-03-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

Longer Days; warmer temperatures; pollen, and Big Worm acting like a little school girl at prom. Must be close to Spring and the infamous “Joe’s Ride” on Thursday nights.

What can go wrong with a bunch of guys riding road bikes in the most populated subdivision in Leon County ? Plenty! If you mix in a few sharp corners, a screaming downhill, a two mile sprint, junior Lance wannabe racers and middle aged mountain bikers wanting to prove they can still mix it up on the road, you have the Joe’s ride.

Don’t get me wrong I love riding road bikes as much as the next guy, but my idea of fun is getting on the open road in a paceline and getting the miles in. I’m not as comfortable acting like Joe racer sprinting for the line to win the Tour de Killearn. Now perhaps my apprehension comes from the fact that my first fall on a road bike came on a Joe’s ride last year. The scars will stay with me forever.

I must be a gluten for punishment because I’m sure I’ll be out there on most Thursday’s taking up my usual spot in the rear. Big Worm will annoy me just enough to get me to race him up AJ Henry hill, Lil Ball will call me a little girl; Ice Berg will call me names that cannot be communicated in this blog, Wrecking Ball will scold me for not pulling at the front for the sprint finish, and Marko will be Marko.

Spring is definitely in the air.

Red Burrrrrrr Challenge

2009-03-01T21:20:00.003-05:00

Today was the Red Bug Mountain Bike Challenge. I’ve got to give a shout out to Kent and Mark for doing such a great job. I’m sure that most of the race participants do not realize the work and stress that must go into putting on such an event. Considering the bone numbing cold the participation was pretty good. Good job guys.

Another shout out goes to Terry and Ricky Silk. Terry MC’d the event. The music was well chosen and the humor was free flowing. It’s a shame he couldn’t race, but he was right where he needed to be today. Ricky Silk planned the course and although it was brutal with the Phipps climbs (more like false flats) it was a great route.

Thanks to Steve and Dan for pressuring me to enter the Sport race. The extra lap kicked my butt and I am pooped. Can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow.

Did I mention it was cold today? Apparently the high came while we slept overnight and it just kept getting colder as the day went on. The wind gusts made it feel around 32 degrees all day. The only time I felt warm was during my race. Five minutes after finishing I was freezing again. This is Florida in March….RIGHT!

Anyway, the race today has me excited to get on the new bike and get ready for the Georgia series races later this month. With any luck the first race in Macon will have snow flurries. Fingers crossed.

Cross Time

2009-02-15T21:50:00.002-05:00

Work has been rough the last few weeks. My saving grace is getting to ride the bike on the weekend and hanging with the fellas. Sometimes Mother Nature throws a few curve balls. Yesterday’s rain and a family obligation out of town had me getting up and hitting the trainer for an hour. Riding a bike on a trainer is just wrong and no fun at all.

I slept in this morning. When I get up I see that I have a text message from Big Worm. He is trying to beat the rain and is planning to ride Munson in 60 minutes. Unfortunately for me, the text was sent at 7:45, and I got it at 9:00. Needless to say I was not a happy camper. The weekend was not looking good for riding bikes.

Mrs. Slade and I decide to hit Cracker Barrel for some comfort food. Marko, on his way back into town, calls and suggests an afternoon cross ride when he gets back, so we meet up around 3:00 and head out. Forty two miles and 2:37 hours later we’re done. My first ride on the new (to me) cross bike and the only thing that could have made it better is if the rest of the gang could have joined us. Half pavement, half dirt roads, a little mud and a whole lotta fun. Marko kicked my butt. We gotta do this more often.

So Close

2009-02-13T21:27:00.003-05:00

Tonight, Mrs. Slade and I hit the local chinese buffet for dinner. My fortune cookie read "Something on 4 wheels will soon be a fun investment for you!" Hmmm, could they have gotten the wheel number off by a couple of digits? Stay tuned.

Red Bug Challenge

2009-02-09T21:39:00.002-05:00

Red Bug Challenge, March 1, Red Bug MTB Trails.

Roots, switchbacks, sweet singletrack....and that's just the parking lot.

Come get you some.

Miles

2009-01-27T08:40:00.001-05:00

The weekend was a blast. My legs are toast so I must be getting in the good base miles needed for a successful Spring/Summer.

On Saturday, Silk allowed me, Big Worm, Marko, and Lil’ Ball to join him on one of his training rides. We rolled from the old Food Lion north of town and headed East for Old Centerville Road. The plan was to ride (once on Old Centerville) 50 minutes at a pace that kept us in Zone 3 of our HR. This would have been a great cross bike ride on old clay roads, however, since my cross bike is currently under construction, I took the hardtail out. Once the tempo pace began, the experts shot off quickly which left me and Big Worm riding together. The Plan, I came to find out later, was to ride 30 minutes up (zone 3) turn around and ride 20 more minutes (zone 3). Some confusion on my part had me hanging a left down another dirt road and rolling for 20 minutes. Poor Big Worm, after realizing what I had done, hauled butt to try and lasso me. Unfortunately for him, this put him riding at a higher HR than he wanted. It also put us with more time and miles on the bike than we had planned. All in all a good day of riding even though I did take quite a bit of ribbing from the Worm. Lil’ Ball did come back and ride us back to the cars. Of course Lil’ Ball had to feed his tape worm so we stopped by Bradley’s so he could scarf down a foot long sausage dog. I don’t know how the boy can eat as much as he does and not weigh as much as me. Once at the cars the Garmin reflected a 37 mile day…not bad.

On Sunday I rolled from the house, picked up Big Worm at his, then headed to Joe’s to meet the rest of the crew (Wrecking Ball, Spanish Mackerel, Silk, Marko Shank, and Cliff). This was to be about a 3.5 hour tempo ride heading South to hit Munson/Twilight. Once at the trail head, the faster boys shot off which left me, BW, WB and SM riding together. BW and I were still tired from the previous days efforts and had no wish to chase the other guys around the trail. A nice steady pace was welcomed. Once done at Munson, the ride North was a bit brutal. As we ALL know the WB loves a yellow sign sprint. We must have sprinted for at least 10 or more. It was good fun and we all joined in. At the end of the day a 41 mile ride was in the books.

It was good to be off the bike yesterday for some recovery. I’m anxious to see what this week has to offer.

Bend in the Road

2009-01-23T08:29:00.001-05:00

Webster’s defines a “Corner” to mean:
1 a: the point where converging lines, edges, or sides meet : angle b: the place of intersection of two streets or roads c: a piece designed to form, mark, or protect a corner

I define “Cornering” as:
1 a: incapable of being or of occurring b: felt to be incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled : insuperably difficult

Cornering a bike should not be hard. Little boys can do it, girls in pigtails do it, even the Wrecking Ball can do it. For me it is the proverbial “fly in the ointment” that leaves me slow and frustrated.

I’ve read the books, I’ve listened to the advice, I’ve practiced, practiced, practiced but I am no further along then I was a year ago. The bottom line is that I am over thinking this thing (OK, set-up outside, look where you want to go, don’t hit the brakes, why won’t Wrecking Ball shut up, if you fall it will hurt, you’re not as young as you used to be, what if I break a leg, why is Big Worm such an ass, BRAKE, BRAKE, BRAKE). The day I learn to shut off my brain and flow over my bike will be the day I learn to corner and become a decent cyclist.

Until that day, I will keep riding. I will keep reading. I will keep listening. For now I am at a bend in the road.

Some Of My Favorite Things

2009-01-22T16:37:00.002-05:00

Wife: she’s my best friend; ain’t bad to look at; she tolerates me and accepts me as I am;

Family: they love me; tolerate me, and accepts me as I am;

Bicycling: it’s fun; helps keep me in shape; an avenue to have some pretty cool friends who tolerate me, and accepts me as I am;

God: blessed me with good health, a great wife, family; friends; and accepts me as I am.

Eating/Drinking: you just can’t beat a good steak and a glass of Cabernet.

Television: after eating the steak and drinking the wine it’s good to relax while watching one of my many favorite shows (yea, I should read more).

Feel free to share some of your favorite things?

So What!

2009-01-16T11:00:00.004-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bNDr1A6dTU

Click on Link above. So you read my blog, but you don't commnet. Well so what!

Tour de Felasco

2009-01-12T20:39:00.003-05:00

I survived my first Felasco!

Me and the gang headed down to the Gainesville for a weekend of debauchery and mountain biking. Well debauchery might be a stretch, but Friday night was one of the best times I’ve had in a long time. A tradition, started just last year I am told, is for the fellas to dress up as if we were headed to a Halloween party. My getup might best be described as the gay cowboy line dance instructor. The Tallahassee crew met up with Lyle (St. Pete) and Ron and Bob from Cuba North (So. FL). It had been a long while since I’ve seen Ron and Lyle and it was really good to see them again. The Ale House in Gainesville wasn’t quite sure what to think about us. A few beers, a tequila shot or two, had us in rare form. Not even the half dozen sheriff deputies sitting behind us could keep our spirits down.

Saturday morning came early. A couple of Advil, two Waffle House waffles and some coffee had me prepared to begin the 50 mile Tour de Felasco.

We donned our new Bikechain garb and headed for the trail. A little later than the scheduled start time, but considering the size of our “tribe” perhaps that was a good thing. There is no doubt that our presence at this event was a spectacle no one could hide from. Even though we headed out together, the groups split up throughout the day. Even when I felt like riding solo in order to set my own pace I couldn’t get away from the guys.

There is no doubt this ride kicked by butt. The total mileage, according to my Garmin, was a little over 47 miles with a 4:51 actual pedaling time. The BBQ before the drive home hit the spot. I can’t wait for next years Felasco.

Road Trip

2009-01-05T19:30:00.007-05:00

Big Worm, Wrecking Ball, Lil’ Ball, Derwood, Tyler and myself headed to Macon this past weekend for a MTB road trip. Man was it good to get away and ride something new for a change.

The weather Saturday pretty much sucked as it was foggy and drizzly for most of the day. It was evident that the Macon area had been getting quite a bit of rain as the Dauset Trails were saturated. Starting out I was not looking forward to riding in the mud, on wet roots and rocks, but the more we rode the more fun the ride became. It was a blast. I can’t wait to ride this trail system when it is dry.

Sunday’s weather ended up being pretty nice. We headed to Thomaston to ride Camp Thunder which is a super nice Boy Scout camp. I rode this trail about 10 years ago in one of my first MTB races. This is also the first time that me and Marko slept together. No, it’s not like that. You see back in the day the Boy Scouts would allow folks to sleep in their “tent type” shelters. These shelters still exist, but apparently you have to be a Boy Scout to stay there (Scouts Honor).

To say Camp Thunder had some climbs would not do it justice. To say that it had leg ripping, lactic acid pumping, heart pounding, puke on the side of the trail, never ending climbs would be about right (just ask the Wrecking Ball as he will back me up). They say what goes up must come down, but there did not seem to be that many descents as opposed to all of the climbing. The climbing did kick my butt, but to tell you the truth it was pretty cool. For me it’s a mental challenge. The brain kept thinking stop stop stop, but the will said go, go go.

Following the blogs of Big Worm, Wrecking Ball, and Lil’ Ball, here are some things learned this past weekend:

1. Big Worm can be a pain in the ass when he is playing the role of Chief Ride Leader, but if
this were Survivor I would not vote him off the Island;

2. Wrecking Ball continues to make my MTB riding fun. I wonder though if I’d ride better if I didn’t laugh at him so much during rides;

3. For such a little fella, Lil’ Ball sure does eat and snore allot;

4. Darien needs allot of sleep to recharge his batteries, and what does he do in the bathroom so long (I don’t really want to know);

5. Tyler is quieter and tougher than me. He also understands that the shortest distance between to objects is a straight line (this was evident as he made his own lines to get around me and the WB).

Next road trip is this weekend as the crew is headed to Alachua to do the annual Felasco 50 mile ride. This is my first Tour de Felasco and I am stoked.

I could get used to these road trips.

Rolln'

2008-12-28T17:52:00.010-05:00

This was a good weekend for getting some of those much needed Felasco prep rides in. Yesterday Big Worm and I hooked up for a 26 miler at Munson/Twilight. Below BW shows his appreciation for me cutting my lap short to meet up with him:
Today about 9 of the crew met at Bikechain for a ride. Most of us put in a 23 miler (see map above). Below are some pics documenting the event.

All in all a good weekend of riding. Unfortunately the Wrecking Ball bailed on us all weekend. Rumor is he may be hanging around with another group. Hopefully this is false rumor and we'll see him around a little more.

Rare Species

2008-12-19T18:07:00.009-05:00

You may have heard of the Spanish Mackerel. No, not the ones that swim in mass abundance in the Atlantic Ocean, but the one rumored to ride on our local MTB trails. Now the MTB Mackerel is allot like the Northwestern Big Foot. Few have seen one and the ones that haven’t swear the ones who have are liars. Well I’m here to tell ya, the Spanish Mackerel (Tally version) does exist. I saw the Mackerel on a ride last night and on another ride this afternoon. I hear ya now “Big Jim, why would you lie and tell us this when we know this is not true." Luckily, I had my camera on me and was able to capture rare footage of the Mackerel in action.

There was a tense moment when I was afraid the Mackerel was going to be swallowed hole by this scary creature:

The Mackerel just laughed and poked the serpent with a stick:

You see my friends there is a Santa Claus, I mean Spanish Mackerel.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

2008-12-17T14:58:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of my readers for wishing me a happy birthday (all two of you).

The Good:
I had the day off;
I got in a 52 mile road ride (see training notes top right of this blog);

It was a beautiful day;
I did not get splattered by a vehicle.

The Bad:
I am sloooowwwww on a road bike;
My heart rate stayed high while my mph stayed ridiculously low;
The economy although I am trying my best to help it out.

The Ugly:
Big Worm
Wrecking Ball
Lil Ball
Ice Berg
Red Dragon

And whoever else had no desire to ride with me today. Just kidding (well except for Big Worm) I know that everyone had their work responsibilities (except for Berg who had pre-school).

Thank You!

2008-12-16T23:08:00.001-05:00

December 17 I celebrate my 43rd birthday. Damn where has the time gone. You may now forward the traditional greeting my way.

Focus

2008-12-11T09:18:00.002-05:00

For the most part I have led a fairly active life. As a boy I was rarely inside the house. Me and my buddy’s would roam the neighborhood on our bikes or we would be in the woods near home building forts and fighting make believe wars (bang you’re dead).

In junior high I played football. I gave JV a try in high school but I was just too small and I got tired of the varsity guys knocking me out during scrimmages. My senior year I ran cross country and track. Even as a young adult I tried to stay active by playing on local flag football and softball teams. I’ve done weight training off and on (mainly off) most of my adult life. Today I ride bicycles and, on occasion, will go for a jog.

Although I’ve participated in physical activity most of my life, I’ve never been real focused on the training aspect of it all. To be honest, allot of the training stuff I read simply confuses the heck out of me. I mean come on: VO2 max; max HR; carbo loading; wattage; lactic threshold. What does it all mean? Now I know most would say who cares, just get outside and have fun. This is good advice; however, I fall in the group that believes that if you really want to improve in something you need to have a plan and work hard at it in order to get results.. Sure, I want to have fun riding a bike, but the competitive side of the sport fascinates me too.

I need a plan. My workouts are suffering and the scale in my bathroom is pissing me off. I’m going to attempt to survive December and the Holiday’s without losing too much fitness or gaining too much weight and then try and re-focus my efforts in the New Year. My resolution will be to start a training log; do more road riding; and work on handling skills both on the road and on the trail. Silk, our local Expert (bad ass) racer dude has offered to throw some training bones the way of those of us who are interested. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to jump in on a few rides with him and the other fellas in an attempt to learn some training techniques.

This blog may turn out to be part training log as well. Whatever it takes to get and keep my motivation. Feel free to join me. As my good buddy Marko/All Pro would say “If you’re not first you’re last.”