Not Bi-Polar but Bi-Winning...

Southern Cross is now days behind me and I still can't get over how much fun that race was!  Earlier today, I noticed that the American UltraCross Championship Series has posted the dates and registration for most of their events this year.  I'm definitely hoping to get in on this series.  Right now, it's just planning the traveling logistics to the two races in WV and PA.  There is a possibility we can get a crew together from the Harpeth Bicycles Team to go up and race.  Speaking of Harpeth Bicycles Team, I stopped by the shop last night to pay a visit.  This is a stellar establishment!  Jonathan Woody and his crew really know how to treat their customers with class and they sell some of the best bikes around.  They are now a dealer for a really rad brand that has just popped up, Cysco (Yes, like the Thong Song dude).  I'm really impressed by the craftsmanship of this builder.  Another plus is that they are made out of Chattanooga, TN!  It's great to see that Tennessee is becoming so well represented in the bicycle industry! And since we're approaching Spring Break this next week, I'll give you all a little video and music into that whole "Spring Break" theme (Sorry, mom).


Also on the top of the news front: Charlie Sheen is the man!  I have been pretty resistant of watching all these new videos that have been released this week until today.  The shit that comes out of that dude's mouth is nothing short of epic!  In fact, I have taken on a new motto for my life: "I'm Bi-winning!  I win here, I win there!"  If I just said this before every race, then I'm sure I could beat Dicky and Brickhouse (That would be bi-winning).

I need to rip a copy of this for my ipod and set it on repeat for the next race!

Book Delivery...

Spring break is coming up pretty fast!  Right now I'm planning to make a trip back down to Georgia for the last Snake Creek Gap race and then spend the rest of the week in Macon kickin' it with some old friends.  I still don't really have a place lined up to stay and may actually camp out on the river just North of town.  Talk to my buddy Lou at the bike shop and plans are in the works for his momma to cook up some good Southern Soul Food for me while I'm in town.  This is some of the best cooking around.  But for now, I've got to buckle down and make it through these last few days of class.  I've got two more papers to write and I'll be good to go.  I just can't get my mind focused this week on anything but bikes.

After class today, I'll be heading up to Nashville for the Ride For Reading Book Delivery to Bailey Middle School.  These deliveries are an amazing experience.  We meet at a common location, load our bike trailers, panniers or bags up with books and ride out to the school to deliver them to the students.  You should see these kid's faces when we ride up.  They are so full of excitement about seeing all the neat bikes and getting a free book!  It's truly inspiring!  The Ride for Reading organization helps these children by promoting literacy, but it also helps us cyclists.  When these kids see us pulling up on a bike, they'll remember that we (cyclist) did something cool for them.  When they're riding in the car with their parents, they are more likely to speak up in protection of us (cyclist) while their parents are driving.  One day, when they start driving too, hopefully they'll still remember us and keep on the look out.  And just maybe, one of these kids will join the ranks of our awesome cycling community for themselves!  I am really passionate about Ride for Reading and where the organization is going.  If you want to get involved, please visit the website to inquire about more information. 

Good Times and Great News...

My body is finally starting to relax from Southern Cross and just in time to throw it through the ringer again this coming weekend at the last Snake Creek Gap Time Trial in Dalton, GA.  All day yesterday, I was wishing to be back in the North Georgia mountains riding.  Southern Cross really spoiled me on that.  Eddie and Namrita (55nine) did such a great job laying out the course with 50+ miles of gravel roads and 6,400 feet of total climbing (and descending)!  I was also really impressed with the turnout.  200 people registered and it looked as though there were that many folks hanging around.  Regardless to say, it's no easy feat to be able to organize a race of that size.  It is my understanding that next year, the race will be part of the American Ultracross Championship Series.  I'm hoping to make this series part of my race calendar and hit each race.

Myself and Dicky at the Southern Cross awards.

Photo cred to Brickhouse

Onto other news.  Over the weekend, I got invited to join up with the guys at Harpeth Bicycles on their race team.  I had originally committed to racing with Ride For Reading this year but the Harpeth Team is taking hold of the reigns somewhat in an effort to help draw attention to Ride For Reading through a dedicated race team.  The Harpeth Team consists of some really great racers in the area and the team is supported by an amazing shop!  After talking things over with the wife, I made the commitment last night.  So, for the 2011 season, I will be racing for Harpeth Bicycles Race Team.  We've got a training camp coming up in a few weeks which will give me a great opportunity to meet several of the guys and ride the North Georgia mountains again.  I'm really looking forward to this opportunity and couldn't be more excited about the future right now.  Not to mention that the Harpeth Team is sponsored by Yazoo Beer and everywhere the team goes, there will be beer! 

It's Raining Outside...

It's raining outside and tornado warnings in the area.  I made my commute via the short route today so I only got about 11 miles of biking in.  Those miles were miserable with a serious cross wind that nearly swept me into traffic multiple times!  Anyhow, time to relax on the couch and listen to some good music with a cup of coffee (black!) while writing some papers for class.  I'll have some more photos from Southern Cross up tomorrow.  The photos I have posted already can be credited to Mark Duffus.  Thanks Mark!

Southern Cross Recap...

Friday morning, I loaded up my old truck with my CX bike and gear but before I could hit the road, I went to my Friday morning classes.  This was the first time I have driven to campus.  I parked in the farthest student parking lot on campus and hopped on my bike to ride into class.  Two hours later, I returned to my truck to find a parking ticket on my windshield.  I read the ticket and it appears I was being ticketed for parking without a parking pass.  Since I never drive a car, I didn't even know I had to have a parking pass.  This $30 setback will hopefully be worked out when I pay a visit to the transportation office today and try to get it appeal. 

Anyhow, I got on the road and had a somewhat enjoyable trip to Georgia.  Heading out of Chattanooga, I found an awesome Outlaw Country radio station and was able to listen to that till I hit Elijay, Georgia.  Once in Dahlonega, I met up with my buddy Mark D. for a pre-ride of the winery portion of the Southern Cross course.  Right from the start, I realized this would be a tough CX course.  The start line narrowed into a course that winded down and around a steep hillside and down into a creek bottom then made a left turn straight into a run up that was about 150 feet long and super steep.  At the top of the runup, you got to ride back down the hill via a paved road and the out and up to the entrance of the property then out to the main loop.  Doing a little practice on the run up, I lifted my bike up in an odd manner and slightly pulled a muscle in my back.  At first, it wasn't  too painful but just a slight discomfort.  The next morning, I would realize otherwise.

Monteluce Winery CX Course

After the pre-ride, Mark D. and I grabbed some all you can eat spaghetti at Curuso's in town and I headed off to the Hiker Hostel for the evening.  At the hostel, I met some great people.  It seemed as though all the local bike blog celebrities were hanging out at the hostel for the weekend.  Of course, there was myself, then we had Andrea and sadly enough, we had to put up with Dicky all weekend.  All in all, we were in good company.  The next morning, we woke up to an awesome breakfast.  Josh and Leah know exactly how hikers and cyclist eat.  By 7:00am, we had a full spread laid out that included french toast, eggs, oatmeal and some awesome coffee!  The food was perfect but next time, I think I'll settle down on the coffee a little as to avoid a race start line need for a pee break.

Start Line

Dicky and I rode over to the race course around 8:30am where we got our race packets and caught up with the other racers.  Shortly after 10am, we were all lined up for the start.  Somehow, I found myself on the front row with 200 people behind me.  With a false start the turned out to actually be the official start, we were off.  Due to the initial false start by a few, I got sucked into the middle of the pack.  Luckily the front of the pack thinned out really quickly within the first few hundred yards and I was able to make my way back up towards the front.  I saw Dicky on the run up and tagged him as the person for me to watch since we were racing in the same class.  Right past the exit of the winery, I passed Dicky after catching a wheel of a guy with gears.  I held this wheel until part way into the gravel climb.  Once to the gravel climb, I was feeling good but knew I had a long way to go.  By this point, I was sitting in first place for the single speed class and right at the tail end of the main peleton.  Many of the geared guys dropped down into their climbing gear and took it easy up the first climb.  I, on the other hand, did not have the option of shifting.  So I got back on my saddle with my hands resting on the tops of my bars and mashed it out.  At about mile 11, I look back and see Dicky.  He's making a gain on me.  As I look back at him, he sees me and casts a huge smile and waves like a little kid seeing his best friend after returning from summer camp.  I didn't return the wave.  Instead, I became motivated to crank it out a little more.  Right before the first SAG stop, we hit an incline that was just ridiculously steep for my gearing (39x18).  I got off the bike and started pushing it.  By this time, Dicky and 3 other single speeders had passed me.  I was off the bike walking for a few minutes and kept seeing them get a little more distance on me.

Signing autographs for my many fans! :)

Eventually, I made it to the top of Springer Mountain and began our long descent.  This long descent was awesome.  It was pretty steep, fast and flowing.  I'm not sure how many miles it lasted but it definitely was a great break to the previous 15 miles.  At the bottom of this descent, we hit a paved road that continued for a few miles.  I was hoping that this section would benefit me with my gear setup.  I was able to tuck down and at some points, I would spin real fast to give a little extra push.  At the end of this paved road, we were back on the gravel.  This section was beautiful!  The road made a gentle climb for several miles back up to the SAG stop and paralleled a beautiful creek.  If anything, this section distracted me from thinking about the pain in my legs.  While in this section, another racer, Cody B. came up beside me.  He was riding a pretty rad Rock Lobster frame.  We chatted a little bit and he was cool with me drafting his wheel on the flats and descents.  We ended up riding together for the rest of the race.

SAG Stop

After the SAG stop, we hit a few rollers and then descended into a long and bumpy downhill section.  At first, I was feathering the breaks as to not get a pinch flat but then realized that breaking was only worsening the bumpiness.  So I let loose and tried to stay on top of the bumps.  We finally descended to the paved road where we had about 6 miles to the finish.  I found this to be a huge relief and my adrenaline took over.  Cody took the front on the pull and carried me to the entrance of the winery.  At that point, I went off the front in hopes of catching any of the single speeders.  To my surprise, I caught the 4th place single speeder right before hitting the winery.  I still didn't have Dicky or any of the other guys in my sights.  Instead of making any stupid moves and hindering my position, I played it somewhat safe.  I made it up the run up and through the rest of the course to finally cross the finish line at 3 hours and 49 minutes and captured the 4th place finish in the single speed class!

I was pretty impressed with my finish as I honestly didn't know what to expect for this race.  I definitely gave it my all throughout the course and felt pretty strong.  If I could have changed anything, it would have been my gearing.  Next year, I'll probably run a 39x19 or 39x20 gear to help out with the climbing.  I would also like to thank the great folks who make ibuprofin.  That little red pill became my life saver throughout the race.  After the pills wore off, my back was and still is killing me.  Maybe a little yoga and I'll be feeling alright.

The Hiker Hostel

Back at the hostel, beers were shared and good times had.  We turned in somewhat early and again woke to a great breakfast on Sunday morning.  I can't mention enough about how awesome the hostel is!  If you are ever in the Dahlonega area and need a place to stay, you can't beat the $17 cost of the Hiker Hostel.  Sunday morning was spent driving back to Murfreesboro and searching for that Outlaw Country radio station.  I made it home safe and was happily welcomed by my beautiful wife.  Overall, this was a great weekend.  I cannot thank Eddie and Namrita with 55Nine for all their work that was put into such a great race!  This will be back on my race calendar for the future!

More pictures will be uploaded as they become available.

Packed and ready to go...

Procrastination got the best of me.  I got out of class yesterday morning at 9:30am and what do I do?  I come home and watch Grey's Anatomy re-runs on Hulu all day!  I know, that's not a very masculine thing to do but I enjoyed it!  Needless to say, I didn't get much done yesterday in preparation for the Southern Cross race tomorrow.  Today is Friday and I got up at 5:00am to get my shit together before my morning classes start.  I'll hit the road around 11am and I hope to make it to Dahlonega in time for a pre-ride of the CX portion of the race course at the winery.  However, with all my procrastination, I am not going to be running the single speed in a fixed gear setup this weekend.  I tried to get an 18t cog off of one of my bikes and it seems to be seized on there pretty damn tight.  Instead of hurting myself to get it off, I said screw it and I'm going to just run a freewheel setup.  Call me a loser but I had my doubts about that setup anyhow.  There will still be enough climbing tomorrow that I will feel like hell when done!  Post race write up should come on Monday!  Cheers!

New Rig...

This weekend I have added a new rig to the bike collection.  I aquired a 1990 Proflex Offroad.  This bike was the first mass produced full suspension mountain bike.  The frame was built by Ben Serotta.  Originally, the fork was rigid with a Girvin Flexstem but I am a bit more excited to have a full Girvin fork.  I know that suspension technology has come a long way since this bike but I just wanted it due to it's old skool appeal.  The bike definitely needs a lot of work as there are a few rust spots.  I also need to track down some elastomers for the front and rear suspension.  I spent all day yesterday online looking for these parts or alternative ideas and have found a few.  I plan on doing a little work here and there over the next few months and maybe have it all together by the end of Summer.  I'm pretty stoked to add this rig to the collection and can't wait to see it finished!

Another bit of awesome news to report is that I hit the 1,000 mile mark for 2011 yesterday.  Last week, I rode my ass off trying to get some fixie miles in before this next weekend's Southern Cross.  I'm about 75% sure I'm going to do the race using my fixed gear wheel on my CX bike.  I think I'm going to be in for one hell of a punishment.  I'm pretty sure I can't get on the podium regardless of what I ride so I figured I would do something as a personal accomplishment for me.  This decision will probably be made at the last minute on Saturday morning at the start line.  Anyhow, this week will be spent studying for mid-terms and getting in some base miles whenever possible.  I doubt I'll have much time to post anything else but I'll try.  Hope everyone has a good week!

A Week In Review...

This past week has been amazing!  The weather has definitely contributed to that.  Just one week ago today, the temperatures were in the single digits.  Last Friday, I started my morning bike commute as the thermometer dipped to 5 degrees.  Today, the outside temperature is 59 degrees!  Such an improvement in such a short time.  All week I've enjoyed temperatures in mid to upper 60's.

Needless, to say, I have been riding the bike a lot.  I got my fixed gear frame back from the powdercoater on Saturday night.  By Monday, I had the bike built back up.  All this week, I've been logging my miles on the fixie.  Each morning, I've been taking the long route to class by practically zigzagging through various neighborhoods and looking for any way I can to log that extra minute on the bike.  Another awesome part of my week has been hanging out with my bike friends.  From road rides to urban rides in town, it's been great!  So far this week, I've logged 170 miles on my fixed gear.  I'm hoping all this riding will build some muscle memory for my next upcoming race, Southern Cross.  Southern Cross is looming just over a week away.  From the looks of the race roster, it appears that a lot of fast chums are going to be there.  I doubt this will be a podium finish for me but I'm gonna fight like hell to do my best!

Here are a few pictures of my week.  If you're anything like me, you probably didn't even read my text but instead browse the pictures and move on.  Enjoy your weekend!

Building up the fixie

New Fixie Build

Sunset Commute

Sunrise

Sunrise from the greenway

Happy Me

Too Nice To Blog Right Now...

Seriously, step away from the computer and go outside and ride your bikes!  It's too nice to be inside (at least if you live in Tennessee)!

If you live in some remote arctic place where it's too cold to go outside, watch this:

Brrr...

It has been pretty freakin' cold around my way lately!  It's almost to the point that I'm starting to get tired of it.  I have remained pretty tough throughout the winter and not missed a riding opportunity yet!  However, there is a point when enough is enough!  Yesterday, we had some snow that canceled my morning classes.  Instead of commuting into campus, I replaced those commuter miles with a ride in the snow on my CX bike (All City Nature Boy).  The roads through my neighborhood were mostly iced over so I rode the sidewalks and in the grass until I got to the greenway.  The greenway had a nice 1 inch layer of crispy snow covering it.  Of course, there was not a soul out there.  As I was pedaling along, I decided to take a little detour off the side.  You see, there is some small farm plots that parallel the greenway on the Southwest side of town.  I hoped onto the snow covered dirt road and made my way over to an old dilapidated barn.  This place was pretty cool.  I snapped a few pictures and hopped back on the bike to warm up again.  The temps at this point were hovering around 15 degrees.  Of course, my goatee and mustache iced over.  I got in about 20 miles during the out and back on the greenway.  That was about all my body could take of those temperatures.

Greenway Bridge

Inside the barn looking out

Cannons at the Stones River Battlefield

Well, this morning class is back in session as normal.  I hopped on the bike to start my typical commute.  My Garmin bike computer read 5 degrees Fahrenheit when I started my commute!  I decided to take the short route to campus which was only 5 miles.  By the time I got to campus, my mustache and goatee were completely iced over and the edges of my lips were starting to freeze.  That was one of the most painful bike rides I have ever experienced!  Luckily the temperatures are supposed to warm up into the 30's today and into the 50's by Sunday.  I'm not going to lie when I say that I'm ready for the warmer weather! 

Awesome Weekend...

What an awesome weekend it was!  The weather was great! Most of the weekend was spent enjoying the company of an out of town friend and riding the bike in this awesome weather on Friday and Sunday.  Today appears to be another nice day in regards to weather and I plan on busting out the sandals for the first time this year.  I'm looking forward to this next weekend in which I will make my way back down to Georgia for the 2nd Snake Creek Gap Time Trial race.  I'm feeling pretty good for the most part.  We'll see if the weather cooperates.

Here's a pretty cool video I stumbled across this weekend.  Enjoy and I will update more on the Uneventful Life as more eventful things happen.

Sunrise...

Yesterday morning fared a lot better than the previous.  My commute to school was quite pleasant.  There was still a dusting of snow on the ground with temperatures in the mid 20's.  The nice part about the commute was that the clouds were nowhere to be seen.  I started my commute right at the break of day.  About a mile from my house, I cross over I-24 on Hwy 96.  Within the city limits of Murfreesboro, there aren't many hills.  The only elevation change comes from crossing the highway overpasses.  As I crossed the I-24 overpass, I had a spectacular view of my town with the sun rising in the background.  This view gave me a renewed energy for a new day.  This view was a welcomed change from the weather we have been having over the past few weeks. 

This brings me to my next topic.  I read a blog post from the one and only, Dan Hensley, regarding the relaxing aspect of driving a car.  He made several good points but the one point that stuck was, "When was the last time driving home from work helped you relax after a long, rough day on the job?"  While I was riding my bike yesterday, I thought about this quite a bit.  That is what prompted me to stop my bike on the side of the road and take a picture of the sun rise in the distance.  I almost always have my camera with me when I ride my bike.  I love capturing some of these moments when I ride.  However, while I was taking the picture, I realized I was the only one on the side of the road taking in the sunrise.  Everyone else was zooming by me in their cars.  Most were traveling 10-15 MPH over the speed limit and several had a cell phone plastered against the side of their head.  I was content with this moment.  However, I wish others could have joined me in the enjoyment of the moment.

I don't want to come across all anti-car.  Because I'm not.  I own a car, my wife owns a car.  I just choose to use mine a lot less frequently than most others.  My point is that I want people to slow down their minds a little and seek to enjoy life.  If you can do so while driving your car, then great.  Just be courteous of us cyclists who are outside of the box and enjoying our commutes as well!

Cold As Ice...

Iced Cassette

If there was any day that I could have driven the truck into town instead of commuting by bike, yesterday was that day!  I know I gave everyone hell for not getting out and riding their bike in this weather.  I ended up eating my words during the entire commute to school yesterday morning.  Anyhow, I made my commute but morning ride was pretty frigid.  I got up a little earlier yesterday morning in an effort to get a head start since it was snowing pretty good.  Thankfully, I picked up a new softshell jacket the day before and decided to test it out.  I got started on the road around 6:45am.  I immediately started to feel miserable.  The snow was coming down so hard, I could only see about 50-60 feet in front of me.  The worst part was the snow was really wet.  As it would hit my face, the snowflakes kept building up on my chin fuzz and freezing.  Another thing that started to freeze was my cassette.  The roads were really slushy and all that slush somehow managed to make its way into my cassette.  Within 3 miles of my commute, I had lost the ability to shift.  I was stuck in my 28t cog.  This left me spinning pretty pretty hard for the rest of the commute.

I made it to class with little insult to injury.  Classes were fine and after a few hours, I came back out to my bike to find that the cassette was still frozen over.  I pulled out my bike tool and tried to chip away at the ice but it wasn't working.  I was able to pedal up the street to MOAB where I used their hot water and got the ice to melt.  I hung around the shop for a bit and let the water dry on the cassette so it wouldn't freeze again.  Afterwards, I made my commute home via the greenway for a few extra miles.  The commute home was fantastic!  It was no longer snowing and the path was really clear.  As I suspected, I hardly saw anyone out and about which made it nice for me.  I did come up on a female runner from behind and she did not anticipate my approach.  As I rode past her, she let out a yell of several profanities.  Not only was she startled but her outburst certainly startled me!  I politely apologized for startling her but she was even more embarrassed and could hardly respond.  Anyhow, I rode on and made it home safely and a lot more comfortably in the afternoon commute than my morning commute.  This was definitely a commute that I will remember!

Some Days Are Just Pretty Rad...

It's been a pretty cool day so I thought I'd share something that always makes my smile.

Its Snowing Out, Of Course...

Looks like it will be yet another snowy commute to school this morning on the bike.  Luckily, I threw on some 32c WTB Pathway tires that have a little bite to them for the road.  I also installed some new Velo Orange fluted fenders on the bike this week.  These fenders have been great!  They really cover both the front and rear tires really well.  On my rainy commute yesterday, I didn't get a drop of road spray on my feet or my drive train.  Anyhow, I'm not going to puss out this morning just because its a little cold and wet.  For those of you who are thinking about staying off the bike today, watch this and grow some balls!

Slacker...

So, I've been slacking on the blog.  School has played a major factor in that.  However, I'm becoming more accustomed to my new daily schedule and will become more frequent with the blog posts again. 

Being a student has in fact increased the amount of riding I've been doing.  Having classes Monday through Friday, I now actually have a reason to get out and do a little riding.  There are a couple of commute distance options.  If the weather is shitty, I tend to take the 5 mile route to school via a busy highway into town.  If the weather is nicer (i.e. not raining), I'll typically take the 10 mile route via the greenway.  I've been averaging about 20-25 miles per day in commuter miles.  This has been a good way for me to keep up some base fitness throughout these cold months and stay off the trainer.  As for the weather that I've had to ride in lately, it's been awesome!  I thrive on cold and snowy conditions.  Something about a snow covered road or greenway brings back memories of being a child and playing in the snow.  We've definitely had a fair share of snow in Tennessee lately.  The ice, on the other hand, hasn't been very awesome.  I've had a few spills this year and one close call with traffic due to the ice.  I could definitely do without that!

Bike Commute Route

On Sunday, I decided to mix things up a little bit and get on the road bike.  The weather was a bit warmer than it had been for the last few weeks and it was finally dry!  I left the house with the intent to meet up with the Murfreesboro Bicycle Club down in Rockvale.  When I arrived at Rockvale Elementary School, there was a small group of the usual club riders.  Most everyone had done a hard ride the day before and the general consensus seemed to be that everyone wanted to go out for some base miles.  We all started together but I quickly got the urge to take off the front.  For most of the ride, I would hammer it from intersection to intersection and would wait up for the group since I didn't know the route.  When it was all said and done, I finished the 43 mile ride with an average pace of 21.1 mph.  This was definitely my fastest ride for 2011 but I haven't had many road rides to compare it to.  I was definitely satisfied with my stats. 

The next few weeks will of course contain a lot of daily commuter miles and some weekend hammerfests.  I've got the Snake Creek Gap TT coming up the first weekend of February as well as the first weekend of March.  I'm considering doing the Knoxie-Cross race following the February Snake Creek Gap race as well.  Then, I've got the Southern Cross race in Dahlonega, GA on the last Saturday of February.  My race calendar is going to be pretty full for the next few months.  We'll see how it pans out.  I'm really excited to be riding for the Ride For Reading Cycling Team this year.  Hopefully we'll make a good showing at some races and promote this awesome charity!

As for the blog, I'll try to check in at least a few times per week even if it's just to post something that is of interest to me at the moment. 

Weekend Getaways and Wardrobe Changes...

I must say, this has been a very relaxing weekend!  Saturday evening and part of this morning was spent up on Monteagle Mountain at a cabin with some friends.  The drive to the cabin was great!  There was still a significant amount of snow up on the mountain.  The driveway into the cabin was still pretty slick and covered with packed down snow.  While at the cabin, we enjoyed each others company with a great selection of beer and food.  The nicest part of the weekend was just being away from our day to day lives and unwinding. 

Driveway to the cabin

Now I'm back in the Boro.  Once I got back, I decided to head over to the local Goodwill based on a lead from a friend.  I stopped in to find a perfectly good pair of yellow Specialized mountain bike shoes for $10!  Checked the fit and got my spot in line to checkout.  These shoes will make a great addition to my totally rad style on the bike!  Hell, I figured Dicky got a new pair of kicks for the season, so I should follow his footsteps of less-than-awesomeness and get a new myself a pair as well.  Turned out to be a great decision.  Maybe I'll get a little ride time on them sometime this week.

My kicks look better than Dicky's

Also on the list of wardrobe changes, I'll be wearing a new cycling kit this season.  Recently, I signed up to ride for the "Ride for Reading Cycling Team".  As many of you know, Ride For Reading is a charity setup to provide books to underprivileged kids.  All the books are delivered by bikes.  The organization has a grassroots cycling team.  This year, I'm stepping up as the Team Coordinator and hopefully we'll get to quite a few races and events to support such a great cause!

Tomorrow is MLK Day and I will be off from school.  I expect to run a few errands to pick up some last minute school supplies and books.  After that, maybe a good long ride will be in store?  We'll see! 

When you motor away on the icey streets...

The blog posts have been not much more than a trickle lately.  It seems as though many of the blogs that I read are in the same shape.  My excuse, however, is that I am back in school.  Thursday, I attended my first class in nearly 7 years!  Things are going well so far.  I'm enjoying the class schedule that I have and think it's going to be a great transition.

Bundled up for my commute to school.

Being back in school doesn't mean I'm going to ride less.  In fact, I think I will be riding much more.  This week, I had to actually set my alarm clock.  I've been getting up around 5:45am, showering, drinking some coffee and on the road by 7:00am.  The temperatures have been pretty frigid around here for being in Tennessee.  Each morning during my commute, the temperature never got about 20 degrees.  I've adapted pretty well and it doesn't really both me too bad.  By the time I get out of class, the temps have been getting into the low 30's for a nice balmy ride home.  The commute to school is about 5 miles each way if I take the main highway into town or about 9 miles if I take the scenic route along the greenway.  Hopefully this next week will be a little warmer and melt some of the ice that is covering the greenway.  Until then, I'll have to stick to the main highway into town (which is pretty scary to say the least).

Our snow covered campus

As for my weekend, I'll be relaxing today and tomorrow up on Monteagle Mountain at a cabin with my wife and some friends.  I'm going to take a few days off from the bike and just enjoy things a little bit.  Word has it that Monteagle still has about 3 inches of snow covering the ground.  That should make for a beautiful setting to enjoy the weekend.  As for Monday, school is out but I plan on swinging by the bookstore to waste a few more hundred dollars on unneeded reading material for class and will probably go for a nice bike ride around the Boro.   

I've been really stuck on listening to some GBV lately.  They played a show in Nashville last night but unfortunately I missed it.  So, here's a little something for me to leave you with for the weekend!

Snake Creek Gap Reflection...

 
I've been meaning to update the blog earlier this week.  Between playing in the fresh snow and making gallons of snow cream, I just haven't found the time to do so.  Since I'll be going back to school tomorrow, I figured I might as well give everyone an update.

On Saturday, I raced in the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial in Dalton, Georgia.  The wife and I packed up the car on Friday and drove to my in-law's house for the night.  Saturday morning, I woke up earlier than necessary and made the 45 minute drive to Dalton.  Once in Dalton, made a much needed pit stop at the local Race Trac gas station and met up my buddies from the Macon Crew for some breakfast.  It was definitely nice to catch up with all these guys since I haven't seen most of them since moving from Georgia back in the Summer. 

Not too much later, we were at the registration for the race.  I shot the shit with several other familiar faces and loaded my bike onto the trailer to be taken to the start line of the race.  Around 9am, we all loaded the bus and made the trek to the start line.  The bus ride was somewhat nerve wrecking as there were 40 guys on each bus probably average 175 pounds each.  Each time the bus would go down a hill, the bus driver would apply the brakes which would cause the bus to shudder really bad.  Anyhow, we made it to the start line.  Luckily, I got my bike and made it in the first 1/4 of folks for the start.  The race officials allowed about 4-5 people to start at a time in about 2 minute waves.  At the start line, the race official asked my last name.  I informed here, "Deane."  She responded, "Like James Dean."  I responded back, "Well yes, that is actually my name."  I felt really proud at that moment!  So proud, I knew I had to blog about it.

I started in the same wave as my buddy Mike Brown.  Mike gave me some advice to avoid starting to hard from the line.  Well, I didn't listen.  Pretty soon, Mike B was no longer to be seen in my vision.  I came to the first stream crossing which has been notorious for being flooded.  Luckily, the stream was low enough to ride across.  After crossing the stream, the race course continued to climb the ridge on an old fire road.  For the most part, everything was in great condition.  There were a few slick muddy turns here and there but nothing too bad.  Since I was riding a single speed, I had to watch myself on the climbs in an effort to make sure I didn't blow up too soon.  One of the APB riders came around me and I decided to catch his wheel for a little drafting assistance up the mountain.  We began to average a pretty good pace up the double track and soon came to where the actual singletrack trail starts.  During the first 17 miles, everything went pretty well.  I felt great and was very surprised when we made it to the halfway point so quickly. 

At the halfway point, volunteers had our sag bags laid out for us.  I scanned 20-30 bags looking for my bag.  It was a target shopping bag with my name drawn on it with a neon sharpie.  I had no luck finding my bag.  I then asked one of the volunteers and he replied that they are all right there.  I was bummed as I really wanted my Oreos and I had a bottle of diluted Gatorade that I was in need of.  Instead, I settled with refilling my water bottles with water and stuffed a few Fig Newtons in my jersey pocket from the aid station.  Luckily I didn't waste much time at the sag station and got back on the trail pretty quickly.

I had been warned about the second half of the course.  Many of my friends who have previously raced the Snake had advised to be on the lookout for the last 8-9 miles.  I was told that the last section of the trail had a lot of rocks that would jar the hell out of you.  With this knowledge, I decided to conserve some of my energy before that section.  At this point in the race, I was wheel to wheel with Jonathan Woody of Harpeth Bicycles.  He and I yo-yo'd back and forth a bit for several miles.  Woody was riding really strong and I enjoyed keeping pace with him.  After peaking over a ridge and making my descent, I pulled away from Woody just a bit made my break.  I was feeling great!  One concern that hit me was my water level.  I had been drinking a lot of fluids throughout the race as to not start cramping.  With my water bottles getting low, I was slightly concerned.  Luckily we came up on a water truck at the top of the last double track climb.  I filled up one bottle and hit the trail for the last section, the rocky section. 

At this point, I had caught up with good friends Monty and Charlie (Macon Crew).  Monte was having some mechanical issues and Charlie and I passed him for a moment.  All three of us yo-yo'd back and forth on our positions but soon enough I was in the front.  I was a bit concerned with leading through the rocky section as I had to take it a bit slower than others.  You see, I don't have suspension on my bike.  The rocks wer

I knew the race was close to being over.  I did feel a bit tired on some of the brief inclines but I still had a little bit of energy left.  About 1.5 miles from the finish, my buddy Mike Brown caught back up to me.  I was shocked as hell!  I just couldn't believe in my head that I had stayed in front of him the entire race and at the last moment, he catches up to me.  He could tell that I was wearing down a little bit and took the chance to get around me.  He made the pass and I tried to stay on his wheel but couldn't hold on enough.  We made it to the paved road that descends about a mile to the finish line.  I had Mike in my sights the entire descent but being on a single speed, there was no chance of me being able to catch him while doing 35mph down the road. 

I finally crossed the finish line with a time of 3:58:12.  I was super stoked to find out that I broke a 4 hour finish.  Mike had crossed the finish line in 3:57:36.  He finished 36 seconds ahead of me!  Regardless, I felt great with my finish.  The course wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be.  I definitely look forward to the next race in February.  I can't be any happier with the race conditions of this race.  The temps stayed in the low to mid 40's for most of the race.  We'll see how things play out for the next two races.

Tomorrow, I'll probably blog about the fun in the snow that I've had this week.  I think you all have read enough about my uneventful life for one day.

This week...

The Uneventful Life

Sorry for no updates on my uneventful life this week but honestly, things have been pretty uneventful.  Most of my week has involved watching the first 3 seasons of Entourage on DVD, eating and going for casual bike rides into town.  Boring, I know.  I decided to rest up some this week yet get some easy rides in before the Snake Creek Gap tomorrow.  I'm registered, I'm going and it may still be cold.  To all of my Georgia friends who think I will probably back out, it's not gonna happen!  The car has been recently repaired and there doesn't appear to be anything that will go wrong with it.  My wife is 100% supportive of this adventure as well.  She is even taking off early from work today so we can hit the road to stay at her parent's house tonight.



Tomorrow morning, I'll make the 45 minute drive from my in-law's place to Dalton, Georgia where I'll prepare myself for probably one of the hardest mountain bike races I have done yet.  The Snake Creek Gap Time Trial is a 34 mile course where you are shuttled to one end on a bus and you ride the course back to the finish.  The course covers some of the hardest terrain in North Georgia.  I'm completely prepared for the race.  I'm on the peak of my fitness and I feel pretty confident!  Hell, if Dan Hensley can finish it, I sure as hell can finish!  Anyhow, life is life and it's meant to be spent having fun!  With a cooler full of beer and 34 miles of some tough mountain biking, how can fun not be had?!?

One other important topic to mention on today's post is regarding an important registration date.  The Southern Cross Race is coming up on February 26th.  Southern Cross involves 50+ miles of North Georgia gravel and dirt road racing that finishes on a true cyclocross course at Montaluce Winery in Dahlonega, GA.  If you want to race Southern Cross and get a really rad t-shirt, you need to register by 5:00PM EST today (Friday January 7, 2011)!