ROAD BIKES & BEARS

40 degrees..........

I'm in Knoxville this morning working in a crisp 21 degree temp and all I can think about is "I haven't ridden my road bike in soooooo long". It's supposed to get to the mid 50's the weather bug said.....hmmm maybe jusssss maybe. I bust my butt and get back to Erwin so I can head home and give this ludicrous idea a whirl. 30 mph @ 40ish degrees = windchill in the freeze yo ass off range. But I'm still adamant about riding my road bike. I get home and I have a plan... Go get some mileage in on the road bike, come home and do my "regimen" then catch some guys on Buffalo for a MTB night ride. Sounds great huh? Well it's not going to be that way....

I hastily get home, get my cool weather riding gear on. Set my Garmin and I'm off. It's very very nippy right off the bat, sun is shining....doesn't help though. Down around cherokee and up Dry Creek I go. Spinning my Campy Ultra-torque cranks at a very quick
cadence something I'm not very good at. I look down at the time and wow! If I push I could probably get a very good time for peaking on top of Buffalo ( I haven't had many good times this year cresting Buffalo - I do this mini time trail from my driveway to the top of Buffalo alot during the summer. Usually takes 17-18 min). But I sat down instead and just enjoyed being on the road bike today, kinda trying to take it all in. I get to the '2 mile to the top' marker painted on the road and I start seeing SNOW! All over the place. We have had more snow already this fall\winter than the last two combined! Well anyway, I get the front side then the back and decide I better get back so I can continue with the plan. I'm nice and warm after the climb, zip up my Maxxis jacket and start down the front side heading home. I round the last curve @ 30+mph and my eyes bug outta my head..... BLACK BEAR IN THE ROAD!!!!!!! CRAP #$%#$%@^@##^* I swerve wide left to miss him and then it notices me. I'm 10 freaking feet close to it with no hopes of stopping, thank God hes all the way in the right and I'm in the left lane. If there had been a car coming I would have been dead. He bolts for the ditch and all I'm thinking is: If I hit the shoulder\grass he's not going to have a hard time finding dinner tonight. My tires got within inches of going off the road but I managed to get it back under control. (PURE LUCK) My heart and the rest of my internal organs had made short residence in my throat! I took an enormous breath and let it out. WHEW! That was one of the largest black bears I have ever seen in the wild, he was huge I tell ya. Must be because he has all his winter fat on. By the way.... WTF??? He's supposed to be in some cave hibernating ain't he??? Someone needs to let him know!

After the adrenaline rush of fright, I just take it easy back over to the house. Wow that was scary. I had to blog this while I'm still stoked about it. The rush is gone now so I will get back to my plan.....all but riding Buffalo that is. Hope you boys have a nice ride and don't see any bears! I won't be there tonight!!!!!!!

Later SMOKEY!!.............................................