First Century

Well it's been over a month since I've written anything. I've ridden a bicycle at least a few times over that period. I did something to the SS 29er fork riding in the Foothills. I really noticed it during the last descent of the day - the travel seemed to disappear and the fork felt like it had too much pressure. So the bike sat while a rebuild kit was ordered and then it took coordinating the use of a buddy's garage for a few hours. The bike is back together now and the travel is back and just as supple as when it was new.

 Last weekend was my first race of the season: The Albuquerque Big Friggin Loop (an NMES event). 9am start for both the 55 and 102 mile options. I was planning on riding the 102 on the B'snatch 1x10 MTB. The cross bikers dropped us MTB peeps heading up Tramway. I didn't try to give chase - too early for that. Hit the first bit of single track and then heading up the hill to the water tower Dylan (doing the 55) blasts by. He walks the rock chute on the other side; I ride it but he is immediately behind me and I let him by. About a minute later on a turn that dips into the arroyo and then rolls over a little rock slab coming out of it I break an aluminum I9 spoke. The rock slab doesn't have a ledge to it but I somehow managed to be leaning way right of the bike in the berm and when I went to crank out of it I must have side loaded the wheel. Ping!

I keep riding after an inspection stop, albeit gingerly. Wilder and Nick roll by. I pass Anatoly on his SS cross bike. I pass the Scalo peeps after one of them wrecks and they all stop. I follow my GPS instead of just using my common sense and knowledge of the trail system and make two short detours in the south foothills. I get off course going through the neighborhoods leading to Tramyway Rd. The GPS is being a real pain in the ass by this point and the track is disappearing, leaving a blank screen every few minutes. We ride as a group back towards downtown. Jason and I split to follow the course after the others decide on a beer stop. We ride together till the turn onto Rio Grande for the 55 milers. I continue on. Left to myself again I notice that the rear wheel is less true then it was earlier. The tire is about to buzz the stays. I get off course again on Bobby Foster Rd., worry about riding on the west mesa (where I have no idea of where I'm going) and bail to the Bosque trails back to the finish. I see a group of three other riders get to the clipboard seconds before me and so I sign out once their done. Good for 5th place. Sixty-five slow miles followed by some Whataburger to fill my stomach and sorrows.

Short Tuesday night ride with Mike and Jason (a different Jason). First ride back on the SS MTB. Legs were still sore and even 9 miles was enough.

Saturday was buckle down day: 104 miles on the SSCX. Rode "around the mountain" and then added the Juan Tomas loop in Tijeras and a few miles of single track in the Foothills on the way home.

Fitness

Rode to work on Tuesday.  Got out Wednesday for a night MTB ride in the foothills.  It was good to be back on an SS mountain bike again and I felt like a kid out there riding around.

After a couple of days of rain and snow riding on the dirt was pretty much out of the question so I hopped on the cross bike and tried to find some pavement to climb:



I think I found enough to wreck my legs for a few days...

Slow Start

January is almost over and I can count the aerobic activities I've done for 2015 on two hands, one if you count mountain bike rides.  I've done a few commutes and a few runs.  Why?  Because cold, because Winter, because I know how hard 2015 might be if I actually do all of the races I'm planning on.  Oh, and there was a mountain bike ride in the south foothills back before Thanksgiving that gave my thumb an owie.  I was headed up a steep climb, stalled out, didn't unclip in time, and fell downhill off the side of the trail.  I imagine that if I could have watched a replay in slow motion I would have seen my thumb bend backwards like it was a miniature gumby figurine.  I said meh, finished my ride on it, and kept chugging away with riding, work, and opening those giant pickle jars these past two months.  My stubbornness hasn't made it better.  I'm afraid to fall on it which doesn't make for good mountain bike ride.  Without my thumb I'm just like one of our cats wishing they could open the food jar.

Today I got out to Placitas for 17 miles of mountain bike action (much better than reading Mountain Bike Action):

 New Mexico mud is a PITA.  What can look like dry ground is more like a powdery brownie mix sprinkled on top of a layer of sticky egg yolks.  This was from two steps in a soft spot:

Spin those cranks!