I Went Climbing Instead...

It was pretty close to this time last year that a group of us made our way to Hunters just outside of State College for a little bouldering. I got the opportunity to head up with Bob, and Christian and jumped at the chance.

Bob hooked us up with with his buddy Mike who let us crash at his place. A really sweet place.

We got a few hours on Saturday before the rains came, then had a nice long day on Sunday.

After Saturdays session we went into town for some much needed food and beverage, Otto's was the place, and Mike was feeling no pain. Saturday night did not go as well for Mike's poor dogs, who took off when let out and came home like this.

Even though we spent 5 more hours there on Sunday, we still didn't hit everything.

I think we were all wondering when we would get back there. I know I can't wait.

Looking forward to Michaux this weekend,
Cheers,
Buddy

The Mountain Bike Gods Must Be Angry...

I have to start by talking about Rachael's birthday. For years I have been trying to get reservation's at Gilmores, an upscale restaurant in West Chester. This year it finally happened, and I have to say it was worth the wait. The food was spectacular, through in great service and a nice atmosphere, and you have a very nice night out.



Saturday I went for a short ride to try and loosen the legs a little before the Long Pine Classic, I felt pretty good and even through in a couple of efforts.

Later that night we went to a nice Fourth of July celebration, good food and good fireworks.



Yesterday was the Long Pine Classic race in Michaux. This is a new event put on by Fast Forward Racing. Not an endurance race, but anytime I can ride Michaux and only do 1 lap, I am there. Since this was a cross country race, a the start was pretty fast. Being on a single speed and running a conservative gear, I was quickly spit out the back. It wasn't before the course went up and I started to reel in a lot of people. The most amazing thing, was I felt pretty damn good.



I had to work around quite a few people,and at one point I tried to pass by going over a big log, it would have been fine except for the big rock that I stoved my wheel into. Over the bars I went, not a big deal, or so I thought. Turns out I managed to taco my rear brake rotor, it was so bad that I had to stop and try to straighten it, which was near impossible with out a wrench. I got it so the wheel would kind of turn and took off again. I managed to catch a bunch of people a second time and was still feeling good, when I noticed my back tire felt squishy. I stopped through in a cO2, and went again. Half mile later my tire was flat again. Now I had to stop and put a tube in. By this time I had lost well over half an hour, and had decided to just ride and enjoy the trails. Lucky for me Mike Yarnell was in the same boat, so we rode the rest of the course together. I think we came in just under 3 hours.



The boys at Fast Forward Racing did an awesome job. Zach was very organized and I thought things ran smoothly. Props to Larry Camp for laying out what I thought was one of the best Michaux courses I've done. By no means was it easy, with 3600' of climbing in 23 miles, but it was a lot of fun.



Next up is another trip to Michaux, for the Curse of Dark Hollow in two weeks. Still not sure if I am doing the 40 miler or the 20 miler, I guess I will figure it out soon.



Cheers,

Buddy

Taking Advantage...

With every job there are some advantages and disadvantages. My current job has many disadvantages, it's hot, dirty and the pay isn't that great, but it also has it's advantages, the works not real hard, I have lots of paid holidays, and Rachael and I can ride the train for free. Since she had a very rare weekend off we decided to take advantage of the latter. We made our way the the Wilmington station and headed down to DC for the day. The ride down was nice, that is until we had to take the Metro. Hot and crowded, enough said.

While in DC we hit the Air and Space museum.

I thought the drone planes were bad ass.

After fighting through those crowds we both needed something to eat. Easier said than done. We finally found a cafe in a museum and had a couple of dried out cold grilled chicken sandwiches, which cost an arm and a leg.

Next up we decided on the American History Museum. Again it was crowded, and hard to get to any of the exhibits.

Archie Bunkers Chair, classic...

By now we were both ready to head home. We fought our way onto the Metro one last time and made our way to the Amtrak station. Since I am an employee and Racheal is my spouse, we have I.D. badges, we just walked up the the Acela line, flashed the badge, and we were on our way home in style.

It was amazing how much faster that train is, we were back in Wilmington in 1:05. Since we were a bit early we decided to head to Buckley's for a bight to eat, Les and Kathleen joined us.

Today was a 4 park ride with a twist, we rode from Rotten Bob's place. We had a nice big group which included Keith aka Bobby's boy, Les, Rob, Nick, Michigan Matt, Ben, Leo, and Jay. Good loop, but I wasn't feeling it. In fact lately, my legs have felt pretty heavy, and I don't seem to have any speed, or power. I know I don't need time off, since it rained every day in June almost, but I am at a loss.

Oh Well, there is always beer.

Cheers,

Buddy

Is That What I think It Is...

While riding yesterday I came upon a curious sight. I was making my way back to the lot to meet up with Wes when I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. I slowed down to try and see what it was. The creature was pretty shy, so I stayed very still and tried to remain out of sight. After a few moments the creature became a little more comfortable and decided to reveal itself. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Suddenly the shy creature was not so shy. As I watched it slowly came out of the water and I saw it in all its glory. It was the most beautiful Big Brown Beaver I ever saw. I am pretty sure this Big Brown Beaver was looking for wood. Then, it saw me and just like that, was gone. I have to say it was a great Beaver shot though.

I then met up with Wes and later Jeb. The ride was pretty fast and after almost 3 hours I was done. Great ride though. Thanks to L Webb for providing dinner after.

Time for bed, 4:15 comes way too early.
Cheers,
Buddy

Riding the Road...

Due to the excessive amount of rain our area has had, trail riding is out of the question. There for I am relegated to the road. I have been trying to make the best of it by changing up some of my usual loops. I hate to admit it, but I have enjoyed my road riding lately.

Today was a good example. I met up with Slik Rik, and later we picked up K Man. My plan was the hill loop. I haven't been feeling great so this could have been a bad idea. Turns out I felt OK, we managed to keep the pace steady, since this was supposed to be a non-hammerfest ride. It may not have been a hammerfest, but it certainly wasn't a walk in the park.

I am hoping for a couple of dry days so maybe I can hit the trails again. Fingers crossed.

Cheers,
Buddy

The Stoopid Not Quite 50...

I made my way to State College Saturday for the Stoopid 50. I was lucky enough to be staying with Wes' parents, who are just awesome people. I got there around 2ish and decided to hit Tussey ridge for a little ride.

The trails and the view were awesome. I even hooked up with Jeff Schalk and Anna on the ridge.

After a good ride, some awesome home made lasagna, and a good nights sleep, I was ready to go.

I started pretty slow up the road climb, which made riding the ridge difficult. I was stuck behind a group of people that were having a tough time in the rocks. After some frustrating sections I finally managed to get some open space in front of me and I let it rip. At the bottom of the descent I saw a guy who had crashed and was in pretty bad shape. I stopped to see how he was. I got him off to the side, and as comfortable as possible, then continued on hoping to see a marshall along the way.

It wasn't long until things started falling apart. My legs were not feeling good and my stomach wasn't very happy either. I made it to the aid station, drank a beer, ate bunch of food and carried on. I saw Wes' dad on the road and gave a quick wave. I kept expecting to feel better, but it went the opposite way.

I was on a section of the course that had 2 way traffic and was thinking of calling it a day there. Instead I kept going. I was no longer having fun, I was just suffering, so I decided to pull the plug when I hit the aid station again. I'm glad I did, there was nothing but fire road left, but there were 3 big climbs that I just didn't have in me. Lucky for me Wes' dad was at the aid station with a cooler of beer. Unfortunately my stomach was so jacked up I couldn't enjoy one. I can't thank the Shempf's enough for all they did for me this weekend.

In the end I did 36 miles in just under 4.5 hours with 4219 feet of climbing. Nothing to be happy about, but it is what it is.

I think I will drown my sorrows with a few of these tonight.

Cheers,

Buddy

Off to Race...

Tomorrow I am off to State College for the Stoopid 50. I haven't raced since my collapse at Cohutta, so I am not sure what to expect. I've felt OK the few times I've been able to ride, but who knows. I do know I am looking forward to it, I also know the course may be harder than the previous years, but that's OK too.

The single speed is shined up and ready to go, I just hope I am as well. The weather around here lately has been less than ideal for riding. Very humid with storms constantly rolling through. I did manage a couple of short road rides this week, but that's it. For now it's beer, Racer 5 IPA, and dinner, followed by a movie, and I get to enjoy it all with Rachael.

Hoping for a good race report
Cheers,
Buddy