Riders Ready.... Watch the Gate....

Woot woot - awesome weekend fo shizzle! I was able to salvage the last two days of spring break '11. Saturday morning Adam rolled over to the attic and we met up to cruise the whole two miles over to the Chasing Snakes 10K race where the ETSU Cycling team has rode bike patrol for every year the event has been held so far. We agreed to what sections to patrol and lined up with the runners. I had lead, I usually hang back in the middle somewhere and greet all my running buds while they are pounding the pavement, and was amazed how fast the front three guys were hammering. At one time the leaders were holding a steady 14mph! After sweeping the course Adam and I headed home where I was anxious to call the Morrostown BMX Hotline to see what the word was on the track condition. Upon answer I was disappointed that the track was too wet but they were going to make every attempt to race on Sunday. Well poo! I sat down and pondered............ "what do I do now?" Well I'm sitting here in a kit, might as well go ride some more so I sat out for an hour ride on the skinnies.


After finishing that ride I sat back down and looked at the clock, hmmph. I guess I could take this new Lyskey Ti Ridgeline 29er to Bays.... (insert frantic scream HERE!) 29er ??? Excuse me did you say 29er ?????????????? Whoa! You don't do 29ers boy!

I wasn't looking to get a 29er by no means until BMC releases theirs this fall. I guess I'm eating crow by riding it or I'm a super huge hypocrite but as Doc Holiday said in the Wyatt Earp movie "my hypocrisy knows no bounds"... or something like that.


There's a long story on the Lynskey bike but lets just say I'm missing one of my BMC knobby tired bikes and leave it at that shall we? We shall, thank you!

So back to heading to Bays.... I roll up the mountain and it's beautiful! I unload and see a couple of people I know, greet them and roll on out. It's been about three years since my last 29er and they have their pros and cons like all bikes so I rode the Lynskey with an open mind. (*The Lynskey is 10 times the bike my first 29er was now) First thing, rolling down the gravel it's definitely faster and the Ti? Smooth as butter! I head over to Chinquapin and run into Capt. Dingo and his wife Mel (who now has the demo Niner by the way, do I see a new bike in someone's future?). G looks at me in wonderment so I had to explain myself. After about a 20min chit chat I headed out to ride the big wheeled monster some more. I still feel the same about 29ers in the tight twisty techy single track (meh) but those big ole wheels roll over anything that gets in front of them (two thumbs up!) I'm still up in the air about what I may end up doing with this bike but for now I may ride it a few more times before parting with it.
OPPPSS! I almost forgot so I'm editing here. SUNDAY! I get to the track and slap on the TLD racing gear and just roll a couple of laps to see the change in the track and if there are any spots I need to be careful on, it's been a few years. I was surprised that most of the track was the same with some of the jumps getting a little more dirt and some lips built on the front of them. My first of 12 motos had be gasping for breath, whew! I mananged a 2nd against a very fast 13X in the 20". Next the cruiser, I was able to go 1-1-1 and was very surprised that I handled the 24" bike as well as I did. The new Haros are solid and go where you point them, I'm impressed! Carbon forks and they will be complete! One new rule change that I'm not down with is membership numbers, it benfits us racers by making it cheaper to race with the change but I lost my cruiser #955 that I have had for over 15 years, sad day! I now have to run my 20"# on both bikes. Anywho, thanks to Haro and Hampton Trails for the support this year, it's going to be sweet!

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