Down That Road...

This week, I have truly been living the uneventful life. Aside from exams at school, not much has been going on. I've also had limited motivation to ride the bike lately. Not sure what has got into me. I still love cycling and all. Something has got to give soon. Now the weather has turned to crap. Looks like rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. Most people would pull out the trainer. However, I'm not too fond of riding on trainers. They're boring and you sweat way too much. Yesterday afternoon, I was reading over the "Rules of Cycling" and came across Rule #9: "If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period."  So if I want to be a badass, I need to get out and go for a ride today!  I guess you'll find out where I stand tomorrow.  Regardless, I've got to do something since I have a race coming up this weekend and I just need a way to stretch these old Lincoln Logs.

Registration closes at 7pm EST on March 31st

On the topic of the race this weekend, I'll be racing at the Hell of the South in Berlin, Tennessee. The race has a couple of dirt road sections that kind of make it like a Paris-Roubaix style race. Since this is my first road race, I'll be racing in the Cat 5's. The Cat 5 race route is only 28 miles.  With the course so short, endurance shouldn't be much of a problem for me.  I've got a few other teammates who are also racing in the 5's.  Hopefully we'll get a good rhythm going and can pull out some podium spots for the team.

Also on the agenda is my summer plans.  I'm really debating pretty hard about doing a summer semester in school.  I'd really like to get some more classes knocked out in hopes of graduating as soon as possible.  The only problem is that I was wanting to do some kind of bike touring trip this summer.  I've got my Surly Cross Check all built up to be a perfect touring bike for pulling a BOB Trailer.  One of my plans is to do a tour back home to East Tennessee and stop in the Smokies for a few days.  This would be about a 500 mile round trip with a significant amount of riding in the mountains.  Another plan is to do the Natchez Trace Parkway from Mississippi back to Tennessee.  That trip is around 450 miles but it's all flat and not as nice of scenery.  Anyhow, registration for classes is coming up in the next few weeks.  I'll take a look at what is being offered and make a decision then.

My last thought for this post comes from a blog entry on Brickhouse's blog.  This entry has been on my mind for a few days and thought I'd share it with all my virtual friends.  The post is about how to treat your local bike mechanics.  We're coming up on that time of year when a lot of cyclists start dusting off their rigs and take them into the shop for a tune-up.  Sometimes are rigs get pretty filthy.  When you take your bike into the shop, at least clean it up a little bit.  It may make the turnaround time a lot faster for you.  Also, be mindful that bike shops are super busy this time of year.  Give yourself plenty of time to get your bike back.  Don't wait till the day before the race.  Anyhow, I'm going to let you read the blog post if you wish.  I certainly recommend it to all my cycling friends.  Check it out right **HERE**

Cheers and beers with a lot of bike riding for the years!