A Much Needed Ride.

I finally landed some quality saddle time today after roughly two weeks of uncooperative weekend weather and a work commitment in the form of a conference. As luck would have it, the conference landed on a Friday and Saturday with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70’s. Where’s the usual weekend rain when you need it? In any event, Sunday proved to be a good day for a little single-track action, and I wasted no time in heading to the Whirlpool Trails once I pulled myself out of bed.

With the Chickasaw Trace Classic drawing closer, I decided to test my fitness level by maintaining a brisk pace and do a minimum of 30 miles to help with my endurance base. I worked out a very cool loop about seven miles long that is very similar to the Chickasaw Trail in Columbia, TN. My first two laps were rusty and rather pitiful. I felt awkward on the single-track sections and slightly winded. My hands also hurt and wanted to cramp. However, I eventually found a rhythm and started improving with each lap.

When I got back home, I decided to wash the trail residue off my bike and give the ole girl some TLC.



The Numbers
Trip distance: 37.28 miles
Trip time: 3:37:14
Average speed: 10.29mph
Max speed: 23.22 (bitch’n downhill section)

Ready or Not.

The Chickasaw Trace Classic is 26 days way and I'm not even close to being race ready for a fast cross-country race. I have even less time to train if you factor in my tapering days before the event. It all boils down to uncooperative weekend weather and a serious bout of boredom with the trainer. It's just hard to replace actual saddle time when it comes to these things. Ultimately, I don't have anyone but myself to blame, so I'll just have to suck it up and find a way to meet my goals.

If I were a Dog

There is an interesting series on Animal Planet called Dogs 101, which details the traits of various dog breeds. It is a truly informative and entertaining program, especially if you are looking to adopt a dog or are simply an animal person, which I happen to be. It was while watching an episode of Dogs 101 that I found my perfect dog, and quite possibly my alter ego in the dog world - the Whippet. In fact, if I were a dog, I would be a Whippet because I just have so much in common with the breed.

Here are a few Whippet characteristics:

-Whippets are quiet, gentle and loyal.
-Whippets are content to spend much of the day resting.
-Whippets do not respond well to punishment or yelling.
-Whippets are great with young children.
-Whippets are physically and emotionally sensitive.
-Whippets are very active when outdoors.
-Whippets do not do well in cold climates.
-Whippets can be very playful.
-Whippets are very loyal to their owners.
-Whippets are wonderful companions.

You can see the episode on Whippets here.

Other good sources of information on Whippets are petplace.com and terrificpets.com.

"This Bike is a Pipe Bomb"

(CNN) -- A bicycle with a sticker advertising a Florida punk-folk band forced the evacuation of a Memphis, Tennessee, airport terminal late Monday afternoon, authorities said.

A pilot alerted airport police when he saw a bike with a sticker that read "this bike is a pipe bomb" parked near the passenger ramps of Terminal C at Memphis International Airport, according to the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

"Terminal C ticketing and baggage claim at the airport were cleared out," said airport spokesman John Greaud. "A K-9 unit responded and found no explosive materials at the scene."

"This Bike is a Pipe Bomb" is the name of a band based in Pensacola, Florida, and this is not the first time in the band's 12-year history the name has caused a commotion.

Bikes sporting similar stickers at college campuses in Ohio and Philadelphia led to building closures, arrests and the bikes' destruction by bomb squads acting on the assumption the sticker was announcing a real threat.

The owner of the Memphis bike was taken into custody by airport police, Greaud said, but was later released because they had no grounds to hold him. Greaud said federal authorities were discussing possible federal charges, but a federal source said it was "a non-event."

Lance Pushes "Dope"

I found an interesting series of pictures from the Tour of California here while playing around on the computer the other day. The website appears to be in Spanish, so this is my best interpretation below. Well, maybe not.

Some random "dope" dresses like Didi the Devil and gives chase to Lance Armstrong during the Tour of California. Note the syringe tipped pitchfork.


Lance sees the "dope" and just says NO! You can see Floyd Landis just above Lance's elbow and to your left.


The "dope" is cast aside and Armstrong rides away.


Check out Bob Horner in the middle of the frame with a big grin on his face.

President’s Day Weekend

Saturday:
I slept late on Saturday, but eventually made my way out to the Whirlpool Trails to repair a bridge over a particularly muddy section of trail. This was a long overdue repair since several rungs were rotten and the bridge itself was about 5 feet too short. After considering my options, I rode my bike to an old abandoned bridge, actually a woodpile, on another part of the trail system to salvage scraps for replacement rungs. Since I couldn’t find my backpack that morning, I had to carry the scrap wood in one hand and push my bike with the other on my way back to the bridge. This was not an enjoyable experience. After dropping off the wood, I went to another section of trail to retrieve a short bridge that washed down the creek and settled onto a sandbar. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far away so I was able to drag it back to my worksite even though the thorns and underbrush seemed to object to its removal. After a few slips and hard tugs, I eventually made it back to start the job at hand. I decided to remove a couple of small trees on one end of the trail so access to the bridge would be easier and allow people to bypass the bridge once the trail dries. After about an hour of moving, shifting, chopping, nailing, and positioning it was finished. The final product isn’t sexy, but it will get you safely across the mud hole.


Sunday:
One of these days, I’m going to learn how to dress appropriately for cold weather. It seems I’m either over dressed or under dressed. Rarely do I get all the pieces of the puzzle to fit as they should and this day was no exception. The forecast celled for sunny skies and a high in the middle 60’s. When I left the house just before 9:00 AM, the weather channel said it was 40 degrees, but it was actually in the upper 30’s, which I didn’t learn until after I departed. When I arrived at Up-Town Coffee to meet the rest of the crew, I huddled in a corner to keep warm and await my fate on the road.

The ride was a 110-mile out & back to Davis Lake on the Natchez Trace and back to town. This is a yearly training ride and one I have found quite enjoyable in the past. As expected, we maintained a brisk pace between 18 and 21 mph on the way out. However, my hands hurt so bad from the cold that I found it hard to shift gears. It wasn’t long before my feet started going slightly numb and the cold wind eventually found its way behind my glasses to irritate my eyes. On top of all this, my nose dripped like an old faucet. Yes, I was miserable. About 20 miles into the ride, one of my water bottles ejected itself from the cage over some slightly rough pavement. It happened again a few miles later and that is when I learned one of my expensive carbon fiber cages cracked, so I had to carry a full bottle in my jersey pocket to add to my misery. Once we reached the hills on 334, the final nail went into my coffin. I dropped my chain on a climb and I knew this was going to be a jinxed ride. I decided to bail from the Davis Lake ride once we reached highway 9. This would still give me a nice 65-mile ride, and I wouldn’t have to worry about slowing anyone down with by issues. Shortly after turning around for the home leg, the sun decided to make an appearance and it began to warm up slightly. After a few miles, my hands stopped hurting and my feet felt somewhat better. Since I really wanted to get in as many miles as possible, I decided to turn off of 334 to add a few extra miles to my ride along the 444 route and back onto 334 about 15 miles from town. I ended my journey with 72.11 miles.

Since I had a little extra time when I got home, I decided to get out my camping equipment for a quick check for the Syllamo race and even set up the tent in the back yard. I’m going to need a new sleeping bag and a decent mat. The tent looks good.


Monday:
I slept late again and eventually made my way to the sofa to sleep for another couple of hours before finally facing the world. My big plan for the day was to ride 30 miles on the Whirlpool Trails. This didn’t happen. I ended up riding, but only 21 miles since I found myself stopping every so often to remove debris and even to construct a log-pile bridge over a fallen tree that has irritated me for years.

Yeah, I'm Obsessing.

This is a satellite image of the Syllamo Trail area. As you can see, the typography looks brutal. Add 350 mountain bikers, a course that is 99% single-track, large rocks, some creek crossings, 4905 feet of climbing, and I'm quite sure brutal is a very good adjective to describe this race. I realize I have a little over three month to get ready for this thing, but I can't help but worry. I feel like I should train even harder. Yeah, I'm obsessing.

There is a good map and trail descriptions here.

Bad Branch Loop,
12 miles, 880 ft. elevation, Beginner.

Jack’s Branch Loop,
14 miles, 1280 ft.elevation, Intermediate.

Bald Scrappy Loop,
7.3 miles, 970 ft. elevation, Intermediate.

White River Bluff Loop,
4.5 miles, 385 ft. elevation, Advanced.

Scrappy Mountain Loop,
12 miles, 1390 ft. elevation, Advanced.