I'm the type of person that seems to learn life lessons on a sometimes daily basis....current lesson, that biking (like life) is not just bout being able to ride a bike, theres much more to it, mechanics, weather, mental moral, the bike gods on your side...it's like that with art as well, just cause you can create a masterpiece doesn't really mean shit, it's what you do with it or what elements get in your way, economy, weather, culture....
Riding out to the Tour of Dirt Roads (66.6 mile dirt road ride leaving from Cortland) wanted to get in a century so road out with CVO and Wills to the starting point in Cortland...
My first experience with cramps, road for about 30 straight in pain, no power up hills but lots of tears, thanks to fellow pirate Rafal and Fob I got back on track with salt pills and pickles juice....
Ended up riding the last part of the Dirt Roads with fellow Pirate Dave, we stopped to feed the horses.....ended up getting 112 miles and was destroyed, those cramps killed me....but Schmidty came up with a beautiful route, super amazing, thanks man...
With our bike rack/hitch hell we ended up trading the Yaris in for a Rav 4, yes, we got a new car just to be able to carry our bikes, upside, our car sales dude was our buddy Gammel's nephew....
My new journal that I got at Brookside from my new friend Theresa Merriman, it rocks...thought I could get a little work done on our drive to Arkansas for Syllamo's Revenge....
The course....
Spent the first few days re-conning the trail, which was a really good idea, I've never ridden anything like this before, gave me a few days to ballz up for the race....goals, have fun, don't ride over my head and don't break anything...
Messing around in the stream after morning ride...
We're in Arkansas, what can I say, we got bored...
Time to race, ya ready????
My nerves got me for the first few miles, didn't ride very strong but then picked up the pace, bout mile 8 I was out of water, dying from the heat and the trail was winning, it was so technical that I was walking so much, I texted CVO saying I was going to DNF at the 1st Checkpoint if I can make it....it was 15 degrees warmer than normal with a record high and humidity...I made it to the first check point 14 miles in, told them I was done and sat with a few other DNFers under the shade of a tree....while I was sitting there a guy was trying to talk his teammate into going on, saying the first part was the most technical...I was sold, told the crew I wasn't DNFing and starting trying to talk others into going as well....Fuck it, I wasn't having any fun for the first part of the race I wanted to ride and hit stuff and have a blast....
I filled up my water bottles, forced some food down and hopped on the bike, not clipped in, half way falling off the bike I road into the second part of the single track....I had a blast but the heat was really getting me, was almost impossible to eat, half way throwing up and eating at the same time but this wasn't gonna get in my way of having fun, I may not finish but I was gonna have a blast....
11 miles later was the 2nd checkpoint, the last 3 miles where very technical again, steep switchbacks with cliffs of rocks, by this point I couldn't see any lines and was falling over just walking the bike at this point but was determined to make cp 2 by the cut off point of 2pm...And I did!!!!
I could have gone on but had to make the hard decision, see here we are, at the point of biking when it's not just bout biking, I could probably continue but I am in the middle of no where, no cell service, can't eat, can't drink water, want to take a break but have an hour to get to checkpoint 3, 9 miles away.....you'd think that making the right decision would become easier the older you get, I'm finding that it's becoming harder....but I was very proud to go on for 19 more miles since I gave up pretty much at mile 6....25 miles of the most technical singletrack, 2 check points, nothing broken but my shoe and the goal of finishing next year....feeling pretty damn good....CVO finished strong at 6 hours 25 mins and 20th in his age group, Roxanne won the womens and everyone else in the Ne/Iowa crew finished...was a good day....look like 179 people finished out of about 400....
Next race, Dirty Kansa....200 miles of gravel....pre race riders meeting....pretty awesome....very excited for this, very nervous...I have been training and preparing, feeling good....
Getting ready to leave it's bout 545 am, riders are ready, Mom was there to see us off...was pretty emotional seeing 480+ riders rolling out of town and having the crowd not only through town but on the beginning of gravel, got a little chocked up....
Feeling good, still very nervous but know it takes me bout 15-20 miles to get warmed up so just chilling and taking in all the peeps, having nice chit chat will all, can tell everyone is super excited for the day, good energy....
Man the views, pretty sick...I'm riding strong that this point, syllamos revenge has payed off, I climb with no problem, the strongest I've ever climbed...I'm thinking shit, I've got this, just keep this pace, weather is perfect, food is going down, running out of water but that's ok cause first check out if bout 15 miles away, I'm good....then it happened....CVO was carrying a pack with my long sleeve from the cool am on it, it got sucked into his derailer, we stopped and got it out, things were bent but he fixed the problem, no worries on our way....then "POW" CVO's back tire exploded, we stopped to fix the tire and double check the cut off time, cause if this takes a while we may be screwed with the cut off time of noon...we've got to hurry but we're going to be okay...CVO being the supportive and amazing partner not only in biking but life made the decision to carry our supplies on his bike, to lighten the load for me....I wasn't totally diggin it but he wanted to make it as easy on me since my 29r is a little heavy and since we were riding together it wouldn't be a problem....this ended up being a mistake as well...
After the flat tire, we had an hour to go 11 miles, no problem, I kick it in and start flying, we have probably 3-4 really steep hills that I (out of no where) fly up then we hit dirt...I'm going, we got this....then I realize I am alone, I can't see CVO anywhere, I freak thinking that's not like him...I stop and wait for him.....welcome to bike/life lesson what 2 for this blog, cause I know that throughout my year of biking it's really at 50++++++.....I should have gone on but since I had no pump and no tubes (again CVO is carrying it) and no idea if CVO was able to make it to the check point I had the hard decision to wait to make sure he was okay.....we made the first check point 10 minutes too late....I'm bummed cause I felt like I didn't really get a chance to race, but realize that sometimes shit happens....the upside, I have another race I need to finish for 2013....
Since we DNFed we became the support crew for Malcolm, Wills, Carl, Mark, Dave who all finished....we made sure and got some pie for Malcolm since we know it's his favorite....the NE crew was strong this year and deep....the rest of the crew finished including Jen Deep, very impressive....we have a very strong league of riders in this state and I am very proud to be a part of it....think we need to be called the Nebraska Brick Shit House Crew....great job everyone....I look forward to next year and thank you to Jim Cummins for a fantastic event and to my Mom and Grandad for being our support, look forward to the same next year....
Other things going on in my life, broke my first chain at Platte, upside, got a new chain....NICE....
Night ride to Platte....
Camped out and road back with the Matts, first bacon ride of the year...good times...
Found time to vote....
Repainted bike lanes....also part of the Endomondo National bike challenge, check it out...current stats...the PCL is #1 in Lincoln, #12 nationally and Lincoln is #3 Nationally....people need to start realizing that Lincoln is and has been a bike city....embrace it and realize cars are coffins so share the road....
And I've had time to work on jewelry...I know, I don't sleep much but that's okay cause I'm having some fun....this is a crazy brooch that I am working on and I hope to have it finished tomorrow...
Also t shirts are ordered for the kickstarter rewards, I received the custom stickers and I am waiting on the look books...things are rolling...I'm hoping to have the rewards sent out that don't have jewelry by the time I get the tshirts so by the end of June....thanks again everyone for supporting my project.....
I will try and update my blog more frequent so they aren't as long but as you all know, summer is crazy and is blowing by, what's left for the season, 12 hr branched oak, Ponca Ride, Cherry Creek Art Festival, Telluride Arts Festivel (same weekend as gravel worlds, damn it) and finish the summer with Dakota 50...hope everyone is have a great beginning of summer shenanigans....
I started a flickr account so check out my added jewelry photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68126235@N06/
