Sunday On The Mountain

After two days of not riding I was stoked to get back in the saddle and even more stoked to leave the road and suburban park single track behind for the ferns, rocks, and dirt of the mountains. There are many trails to choose from in then mountains of South West PA, but it's no secret that I am focused on one thing right now- NOT making a complete ass of myself at the 24 Hour Champion Challenge at the end of the month, as I seemingly have done all year at races. So to Seven Springs it was.

I've hit these trails about every weekend for the past 5 weeks now. I STILL have not got bored of them. They are just so good. My local post work single track is Boyce Park. It's tight, twisty and fun, but right now it's a tad weedy and overgrown in parts. Not to mention that the trails in the mountain seem to dry/drain better and from what I gathered in the a.m. we got a round of storms that I never heard, saw, or tasted. But from the looks of the roads both here and up at the Springs we did indeed get some rain. The trails were tacky, and sweet though.

I felt real good on the Dos Niner and it was rolling sweetly over the mountain's rocks and roots. I'm feeling real good about my race pacing, hydration and nutrition right now. Granted on race day it could all go out the window! But for right now I'm geeked. Enjoyed 1.5 bladders of Camel Back Elixir, 2 bottles of Carbo Pro (mixed with Gatorade and Hammer Endurlyte Powder), 2 Power Gels and 1 Snickers Charged bar.

I ended up rolling 3 laps/36ish miles in a about 4:45. I think my 3rd lap was actually my fastest. Wifey had dinner plans with a friend, so I need to make sure I could finish up 3 laps, stop for my pepperoni roll, and drive the 50 minutes back to the W.O. in time for her to make dinner on time. So I put the hammer down and let the Dos Niner roll just a tad faster on lap #3. I can't say enough about my Dos Niner. It's my fave bike. I only wish it had about another .5" of cush. That would rock. The bikes is SOOOO much more comfy than a hard tail, but it is in NO way a full on full suspension. That's why I will most likely be looking at using a Big Mama for races like this next year. BUT I'M also anxious to see what Salsa has planned for the Dos Niner in the near future. I'm not ruling out Dos Dos Niners! ;) Having my back NOT hurt during a race or long ride would rock. So it's either more time with a chiropractor or the Big Mama. I think I'm gonna go with the Big Mama. I trust her more! ;)

I had one of those moments today where I thanked God for my helmet. I was going through the P.S.H. rock garden at the 3/4 point of lap 2 and I tried to take the same lines as I took on the dab free lap one attempt. But this time I f*ck up my gearing, and ran out of some steam when I needed to dig a little deeper. This resulted in me tipping over to my left and having my head smash down on a slab of rock. THAT my friends is why you ALWAYS WHERE YOUR F*CKING HELMET!!

Once home it was clean up, hanging out with the B-Man and making up some Whole Wheat Pasta/Hot Turkey Sausage Casserole. I may or may not have enjoyed a couple or three brews from Dogfish Head too.

Rest day tomorrow. I need sleep BAD!

Later.