75 Minutes of Flow/I.B. Lust

The Mental & Physical Comfort Zone is the place where ride way too much. I push myself physically of course. If you're reading this you're most likely the same kind of bike goof as me and you do too. But it's not often outside the race course that I break through that "comfort zone". Mentally I TRY to push myself through, but it can be hard. Taking chances, speaking up, letting go, joining in, etc. are all things I'm not terribly good at. (without enjoying some "social lubricant"). But today I achieved some "flow" and spent some time out of the Comfort Zone with moderate success, both on the dirt and in some other stuff I'm working on. I'm not gonna get all Buddha on your ass or get too into the whole day, but since I DO tend to blather on about my day...

I was anxious to get on the dirt with the Mamasita tonight. Interestingly enough a buddy who is privy to my lust for a "bigger" Mama e mailed me today inquiring about buying the Mamasita. As much as it was cool to know that there is a LOT of spicy lust gong around these days, I had to let him know that Mamasita and I are not breaking up yet! Maybe it was the want to spend more time with her, maybe it was the other stuff in my day, but I was pretty geeked to get her in the woods and ride her. (I think I just turned MYself on with that last sentence).

I hit the dirt solo as per usual. The dirt was hard pack and fast as hell. I'm getting more and more used to the Maxxis Cross Marks and they were perfect for the dry trails tonight. I had some nice flow going on. I just felt "connected" to the trail tonight. I know you know the feeling!

I had about 3 miles in and I was just coming out of the single track leading out from the ball fields and heading up a small climb, when I ran into Don P. and Glen. Yep, "Bad Luck Glen". Not HIS bad luck MY bad luck. As you may or may not have read here before I could build a whole bike up with the parts I've broke over the years trying to hang with Glen. So tonight when Don P. and Glen asked me to join them I of course said "no". But then I said "what the f*ck", I'll try to hang with them for a while. At this point in the season I can afford to break some bike parts.

We took off with Don leading on his 1 month old Mamasita, then Glen on his rigid single speed, and I followed on my Mamasita. We had Glen in a Mamasita sandwich. I have to believe that Don and I pumped out some sort of Salsa "Rasta" Mojo that prevented Glen from weilding his part breaking vibes. I also envisioned Jason Boucher sending telekinetic good vibes from the bottom of a pint glass in Vegas, and into the scandium/carbon goodness Don and I were rolling. Saying something Yoda-esque like "strong power is the Mamasita's they roll". HA! OK, OK, I'm gonna stop now.

Don had a nice pace going, I was hammering harder than I'm used too. Like I said I spend TOO much time in my "comfort zone". I did what I could to hang on Glen's wheel. I was doing it though. Following two fast guys is the best way to get faster and GO faster. You know that. I know that too. Yet, I NEVER do it! I've rode every trail in Boyce in every direction, yet as we rode I couldn't have told WHAT friggin' trail we were on. It was like tunnel vision. The flow was ON! It hurt at times, but in a good way.

When I ride on my own there I keep a pretty consistent pace and ride the twisty stuff from 7 to 11 mph. The few time I had chance to look down at my computer I saw speeds of 13 and 15. Nice. I finally gave in at about the 20 minute mark. A small little up hill saw my legs go. I hadn't planned on pushing like that tonight, so I said "adios", peeled off and rode another 40 minutes on my own.

The last thing Don said to me tonight was for me not to write anything bad on the blog about them. No worries Don, it's all good. I hope to chase you guys more next season. I can go long. Now I need to go long faster. I don't have the will power to do it on my own. Riding with fast folks and doing some XC is what I'll need next year. I realized again that I'm no XC racer, but I am even MORE convinced that racing XC and training faster will make me a better Endurance racer. I'm pecking away at the "mental comfort zone" and get better about riding with folks. After tonight I'm pretty certain I'll get there and then I can work more on kicking the "physical comfort zone's" ass.

Now for some Interbike porn:

Found this shot of the Big Mama on MTBR.com

The pic was taken by MTBR.com Forum member "Chequamagon". His post has a ton of shots from the Dirt Demo and many Salsas. Here's a few lines from from him an some other folks about the Big Mama:

"The main impression I had of the Big Mama is that the bike felt light. Even though it was built with heavier wheels (XT hubs, Salsa 30mm rims, Nevegals), it really pedaled like a lighter bike, and climbed that way too. It just felt light. Big Mama is a sure thing in the 29er full-suspension arena. It will be one of the best on the market. One comment I heard from another person today, is that as he rode by on a Ventana El Rey, he yelled to the Salsa guys that "your bike won!" ." - Chequamgon, MTBR.com

The folks at Dirt Rag demoed Big Mama too, saying this:

"The Big Mama’s a pure fun bike, and didn’t feel as big as her name implies – she’s more big in spirit than in body. She handled the loose, gravelly terrain with enough ease that I even caught a little air, and didn’t feel hefty hefty on the way up (or down)." -Karen B., Dirt Rag

I thought I was done with full suspension. I never had an issue with it other than missing the feel for the trail you get from a hard tail and a little added maintenance. But as a 37 year old, making attempts at Solo racing, and after a summer with a f*cked up back. I'm MIGHT be ready to try the Big Mama. EDIT: Here's another link MTBR.com link from Shiggy with a shit load of Mama pics and some feed back.

Another friggin' BOSS item out there is the new Chis King bottom bracket. You all know my hatred for the external bottom bracket and their "disposable" bottom bracket cups. The CK looks to kick the other B.B.'s right in the nutz! AND it comes in some swank colors too!
The REAL bonus is the serviceability of the B.B. It has grease port to make sure you can keep the bearing rolling nice and smooth. Hmmm, buy the special tool and some grease OR shell out $50 a season to replace cups that inevitably get shot to hell from muddy races and bike washes?? Not sure what the retail is on it yet. EDIT ($130).

Finally a REAL selling point for me on the C.K.B.B. was seeing this pic of Chris King at the outdoor demo grillin' meat. That's some serious meat! (pic from Singletrack Mag).

Time for bed. But first I need to scout for more Interbike Porn. :)

Later.