U-Haul

Not much to write about here of late. Getting stuff organized for the move. It's amazing how much a person keeps that you should actually throw away. I hauled several loads of "junk" to the refuse center @ Lamar. It's good to go through your stuff and get rid of the waste, it makes me feel like I'm being cleansed. Yea its weird! Sold my kayaks, I really wanted to keep them but they are too big to be moving around and stuff, I can buy more after I graduate. Besides I can use the money since the FWS job @ ETSU doesn't pay that well. School is going pretty good and it's winding down, last 3 weeks. Final projects due, study for finals and all that jazz...


It's now official...........I have been re-instated to the MAXXIS grassroots racing team for 2010. I'm not that big of a racer but they couldn't continue on without their biggest salesperson and cheeleader in the Northeast Tennessee area. I "officially" signed my contract this morning! I look foward to a great year with MAXXIS once again!





LAter G...................

DUPONT & Bright Lights

As you can tell from the water level the water was up and running at Dupont. This crossing we can normally step across the rocks and still have dry feet, not Sunday though. We headed out for Dupont Sunday morning with a total of 10 riders. We arrived a little late because I took a couple of wrong turns getting to Guion Farm trailhead. I have only been there twice and it was a little foggy in my brain and the Alzheimer's was flaring up a bit but fortunately we made it and hit the trail before noon. We were greeted by an amazing number of horses, some pulling wagons. After getting around them, crossing a few streams we found our fun flow part ,Reasonover trail. Greg K. busted a tire and had to fix it with the help of Ben. Then a little further down the trail Fat Tony's XT's crank arm decided to come loose and spin freely. We managed to get everything back under control but we lost alot of time and rerouted our ride. Meanwhile Greg and Melinda made a late decision to head our way but after getting down the trail a mile or so Mel's chain broke. What a day for mechanicals. We arrived back at the trailhead around 3:45 or so and part of the group wanted more so 4 of us did a 180 and back out we went. Ben lead the charge which quickly put me at redline at most of some climb to a trail he was making a beeline for. It was worth it though, we bombed that thing and climbed back up for some more sweet single track goodness. We arrived back at the lot, stripped, jumped in the exploder and made another beeline for Papa's Mexi cafe. Nothing like 10 bowls of chips and salsa with a big ole Dos XX Equis to start your recovery right. After some suds and hot salsa eating contest we rolled back Tennessee way, ya know we have the UT football team that can't beat a group of cheerleaders, even with a 4 TD spot! Anywho it was a great day with temps near 70 and not many chances to you wear a summer kit in the month of November near Brevard, N.C.

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Bright Lights? you ask? Oh yea after getting out of work at ETSU I rode straight home and strapped the new magicshine to my head, mounted up the Niterider HID to my bars then up the hill to the trails. As soon as my front tire touched dirt I turned off the HID and was running via only the magicshine. I was impressed! Nothing else can state that fact better. NO WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET A LIGHT FOR LESS THAN $90 THAT DOES WHAT THIS LIGHT DOES! PERIOD! I was amazed with this light and this little thing produces some serious bright light. 900 lumens? , not quite; but it does kick my Niteriders butt...barely. Needless to say I would highly recommend this light to anyone that is looking to buy LED lights. I can't say how durable they are because they are relatively new on the market but they seem to be built pretty well. I like it though! No where can you get 2 of any brand of light that performs as good as these do for less than $200 buckaroonies....bar none! I'm sold on this light.

OK - so lets rate it: 1=poor / 10=best

Style 9

Kewl Factor 9

Price 10x10 =yes!

Mounting 7

Hardware 8

Battery 10

Weight 8

Cons:

It's is a tad on the "I can tell this is on my helmet" it's not heavy but you can feel it in your neck, or I could. I wouldn't want to do more than a two hr. ride with this on my head.

That's my .02 cents worth!

LAter G.........................................

Use It or Lose It

The MSG series held it's latest series event at Winged Deer Park today in Johnson City, Tn. Also the collegiate CX racing series piggybacked this event via King College of Bristol. MSG was kind enough to host it for them. Myself being a collegiate "B" rider was put in the CX3 category. I knew nothing good could come from this! I have been racing the 45+ masters now and it's a 45 minute race too but I'm not conditioned for this at all. My new found college life has me not getting in the riding that I was accustomed to this summer and I can feel it, boy can I feel it. I registered for the collegiate B and SS classes today. It's nice not having to get ready at 10am to ride the first CX4 class. Our time came around and the starter checked off all the riders and then wanted to know how many collegiate riders she had. I raised my old non-traditional student hand high! What? No one else? Just me? Jeeeezzzzz! My strategy was to TRY to beat only the college guys and not worry about all those fast CX3's. NEW PLAN- just ride the best I can. (which wasn't very good).......although. I didn't get dropped out of sight as fast as I thought I would though. After 2 laps EVERYONE had went to the front desk of the hotel and...CHECKED OUT! I just tried to push and nothing, I mean NOTHING was in my legs. I haven't been that sluggish in a very long time, it sucked royally. That's what happens when ya study instead of riding. Anywho after two laps the announcer started heckling the riders to see if they could climb the wall ( a huge 25ft run-up that was pretty steep) and offering a free years subscription to CX magazine for the first one that could do it in CX3. I thought "well I really suck today so maybe I can give the crowd something to cheer about". I hit it not knowing how it would turn out and got half way, damn! Ok get off the bike stupid without flipping backward and giving the crowd something to LAUGH about. I managed and the lap before I asked one of my buds to get me an allen wrench to lower the seat from where I let a buddy borrow my bike for CX4, we forgot to drop the post back to original setting. I hit the pits, fixed it (thanks Mike!) and continued toward the wall for another attempt. I sat up a little better and got what momentum I could salvage after the hard 180 before the sharp left 90 at the bottom of it, the promoter didn't want anyone climbing this I think. I got withing 3 feet of getting it, my front Maxxis Locust yearned to put its rubber upon the tarmac that it could see so close in front of it. Failure #2. Dammit, that took alot out of this slug of a racer also. Ok rest and try this again as I motivate back around for another try. I didn't give it my all to say the least coming around this next lap trying to conserve energy to feed the beast wall. I sat up rolling into the chicane, selected the proper gear, rounded the 180, rolled out wide, cutback inside with a nice 100+ cadence and let my momentum drift me to the top right. Ugh ugh, don't stand up yet, get it, just a bit more, ugh ugh, bike stalls in a divot right at the top, STAND! lunge weight forward, yes it's moving from the slight track stand, YES CONQUERED!!!!!! BEAT DOWN! It was very sweet to hear the crowd erupt with "Sparks" and "Scooby" cheers, it made me feel good, thanks guys! That was it though, I used up everything I had battling this big ole steep berm. I came by for the one lap to go and just puttered through the last lap. I was done man, done. SS was next but after Newman went to the local brew store and brought me back this nice Samuel Smith nut brown ale pint (correct me if I'm wrong Aaron) for my accomplishment I wasn't going back out for squat! I just hung out and watched my buds battle and enjoyed the brew. I'm a new subscriber to CX Magazine now, thanks MSG! It was a good day but I totally sucked royally!





Tomorrow holds Dupont State Forest in Brevard, N.C. with a group from the local NTMBA. The plan is to hit the IMBA Dupont Epic 35 mile ride through the forest. This weather is 70 degrees & sunny in the middle of November, can't pass this up! I had to get this off my mind while it was fresh is the reason I'm blogging the race now.









LAter G..........................

It's the New Rage

This light seems to be the rage of late with the mountain bike night riding crew in East Tennessee and since we are the center of the universe for all in this world to follow I find it easy to believe that these are now very hard to come by. Our one and only bike with rockets man found these and graciously spread the word amongst us. We are cutting edge! We are the knobs that touch dirt. We are at one with the pedal and sprocket! It's hard to find the Magicshine stocked, alot of places have it back ordered and hopefully GeoMan will have plenty on his next order. I found mine on Ebay (same price), who would have guessed that? If I like this as much as I think I will, I'm getting another one for sure.


MAGICSHINE

Here's a web page that has them in comparison to several other top brands: CLICK HERE

Now go get one and tell them SCOOBY sent ya!

LAter G.................................

NIRVANA

Wow yesterday was absolutely perfect. The weather here was over 70 degrees, the trails were fast , dry and leaf covered. What a great day for a mountain bike ride at Bays Mountain. Met several folks on top climbed to the towers via Big Oak, rode across the ridge to the "rake and ride" trail that I had never ridden. It was a blast even though there was so many leaves covering the trail I could barely follow it. That was a perfect day! Just bliss I say!



LAter G..........................

Packing

Man I'm so totally not liking the time change this year or for any other year for that matter. Keeping at ETSU til 7pm 4 nights a week now with my new arrangement kinda stinks but it's worth it in the end. It's weird how you enter a building in the daylight and then when you exit darkness has arrived. Oh well the season of night riding is upon us it seems. Most of my spare time has been taken up with putting stuff in order around the homestead for absolute relocation of living properties and such forth. The new pad is going to rock! I think I'm gaining about 50-100 square feet and it's all going to be modern and new! Don't get me wrong I'm grateful for my little cottage that I have lived in for years but it's very old and out-dated. The new place is fresh! I plan on staying there until I get out of school and secure a job but there's an old saying: If you want to make God laugh tell him your plans......... that's what I have in plan but of course I will do what his plans are for me.

I have been able to ride my bike to class this week alot mostly because it hasn't rained. I think that's going to change though with that hurricane down on the Gulf of Mexico. We have had a very quite hurricane season, THANK GOODNESS! Florida didn't get anything this year, yet!

On another note seems like I have got my wires crossed with my bestest sponsor of all time, Maxxis. Apparently I never got taken off the roster for 2009, I didn't get to do much racing under my circumstances but I like those people and would be proud to be on the team as usual. Looks like ORANGE IS BACK FOLKS. With everything back in somewhat of an chaotic order I may be getting to spin the cranks competitively on a consistent note for next year! Wait that would mean I need to train.............hmm well maybe a little, as long as I still have fun; MAYBE! Why do I still race? for fun and fitness in a race type atmosphere, period. I don't like training, I never have. It's not why most peeps would think though, PAIN? I can handle the pain it brings but that's not it at all, not even close. It's because I watch how people here in the area where I live do it. Some get so into it they actually seem to think that they are on a quest like Lance Armstrong or something similiar. It's like; what will a person gain winning a CAT5 or beginner classification in a series? Silence some insecurities that one is lacking in their life?? Most are past their prime (like myself) but continue on hoping that Mercury or whatever that mythical Greek speed god is will swoop down and grant a wish of SPEED or something. I see alot of people doing this and it doesn't seem FUN to me at all. Just watch, you will see someone KILLING it in one of these entry level categories and soon as they win and move up you never see them again! Get a little rough for ya in a class that folks are serious about racing? That's the posers I'm referring to here. I have a little article that I will post when I can find it that a local rider has written. I ride my bike because I have a passion for it, it makes me feel good and I get to spend time with folks and friends that have the same passion and that's good. I'm not out to win some grand title or beat everyone in sight ( I do like beating my buddies sometimes but I like when they beat me too). Fun competition totally rocks but when it's taken personally, I'm out! Now some may have a personal vendetta to conquer something inside themselves via the bicycle, that's totally cool. I have experienced such but not with a bike. I mostly witness roadies doing this but some dirt riders do it also. All in all I guess I'm just babbling about why do I want to ruin my passion for cycling by training all the time and never enjoying what it's all about? So what if I don't win a LOCAL race (it's not a WORLD EVENT) duh! If I'm needing for the respect from racers that would look at me differently because I win well that's not the type of peeps needed around me in my life, hey but some people want that and sadly NEED that. The Freedom to ride my bike in different places and Fun with my friends is what cycling is about to me. Some people need to ask themselves that same Q because I see more and more people working while riding their bike instead of enjoying riding their bike!

DISCLAIMER: If I offended any riders in any form or fashion you are probably one of the peeps I'm talking about and you have my deepest apologies, now get back to training you're getting slow! J/K

LAter G..................................

Harmony

Wow what a week so far, busy busy busy! I was able to secure a small part-time position at ETSU with my financial aid so that came at a great time. It's pretty cool too, all the other peeps that I'm working with seem ok. It's not hard work just office stuff like running errands and helping in the computer lab mostly. The bike shop is slow so not many hours there although I did pull a late night work shop last night. I got there shortly after 7 and had a couple of jobs that had priority. I built a Masi TT bike that had been a demo, when I lifted that out of the box it was chipped all over the down tube and a big ole black stain near the head tube also. YUK! The guy that bought it was supposed to show up last night and pay for it since B is out in San Diego with the Masi folks getting schmoooozed. He's done well this last month, he's been on both coasts of the USA with two different bike companies on their dime! Good job!

At the end of this month I pack up and move out of this small cottage home that I have been in for several years. The economy and college has my finances stretched to the breaking point to where I have had to make different living arrangements so come November 30 I will not live at this address anymore. Racing has took a huge hit also, not many for me this year! Another big note: I parted with the S-WORKS road bike, yea I know I loved that thing but it's time for a change so next year I think I will throw my legs across a BMC since I will be working up there an such. I haven't decided what model but with the $$ I will be saving with my new living arrangements I should be able to put a little something together with my discounts and all. The EPIC stays though unless times get totally crazy...



LAter G...............................