Cassidy, 5 yrs old, stomped the VA Creeper Trail!

That's right. Saturday, we went with a large group from our church, Trinity of Fairview, and drove 2 hours to do the VA Creeper Trail. Apparently it's pretty long, as in epicly long, and we did the most trafficed section. It runs from Whitetop to Damascus and finishes out in the town right behind all the bike shops. http://www.adventuredamascus.com/CREEPER.HTM

You pay $11.00 for a shuttle to the top and are unsupported for 18 miles on a converted railroad bed. It's such a gradual grade that you don't ever use your brakes. Ryane pulled Charisma in a buggy behind her and took off at her own pace. I followed Cassidy and cheered her on.

Event highlights include Cassidy slipping off her bike and Ryane running into her with the wheel of the buggy, Cassidy doing tricks with daddy and wrecking, Charisma being relaxed, stopping at the river and eating lunch on these fantastic little docks and incredible scenery the whole way.

Just go do it. It beats a lame cruise on the parkway in a car any day! Any bike can do it.

Up the mountain at 7:30am!!

Now that our 5 year old, Cassidy, is getting up at 6:30am every morning for school, it makes it simpler to be on the bike for a trail ride before work. But, boy did mother nature have a say in it. I hit a private gravel road near the house and did a quick 40 minute ride this morning on the DH bike. Climbing on a 40lb bike standing up for 20+ minutes wakes you up!

Hardest part was the last 100 yards uphill to the blazer. DH tires and tubes into a 15+ mile an hour head wind. Had a blast...now to wake up again after the caffeine has run it's course. Don't forget to look up at that crystal blue sky today. It's amazing.

Caveman Mechanics Institute

So I backed into my own DH bike, had to jack my Blazer up to get it out and figure out what was bent. One spare handlebar, one direct mount stem swapped out for a Thomson that was going on anyway...and swapping a upper crown on my fork out for a spare old parts fork.

Only problem was that apparently for a week now, I've not realized I swapped out the upper crown, but didn't really. I got confused and had just slid the same one back on. I'd been banging my noggin trying to figure out what was bent still. I brought the bike in the house to look under the bright lights and noticed what I thought was the old one was way too clean to have come off a bike. So now....I want to ride.

7am it is!

End Game.

This has been a week full of highs and lows. Starting last weekend, I raced the last reace of the Triple Crown www.triplecrowndh.com guilt free while the girls were with the grandparents getting spoiled and the wife studied in peace for tests.

I did great in practice, although I don't think I won practice in the slightest. I ran a decent qualifying run and came in 10th, dropping 7 seconds off my race 1 time, which had been my first race of the year and on a borrowed bike at that time.

I had a clean, smooth run taking all the biggest, fastest lines on course and was home free. Except my front wheel slid on the last 5 feet of slick and my front wheel went straight between the last 2 trees on course. It went in like a quarter slot, but I couldn't figure out how to pull the bike out b/c the wheel turned at an angle to the ground. After a long time, I got it. But I just gave up and hucked the last step down and coasted home mad as snot. But I got over it since being back on the DH bike is wonderful.

But then Monday, the very next day, I backed my Blazer into it and messed a bunch of parts up. Most are just damaged, not destroyed and the bike is OK. But I had to jack my truck up to get it out from under the rear bumper. My rear tire spun against the down tube and ate the sticker right off!!!

Just blinking awesome video!!!

Sometimes adrenaline oozes out of your pores when you watch something like this!

Pump Track World Championships:

http://dirtmag.co.uk/news/category/events/hannah-wins-2009-pumptrack-worlds/dirt-1235650.html

Today is a Big, BIG DAY!!!

This morning Ryane and I took our 5 year old Cassidy to her first day of school and what a difference it is from pre-school at church. The list of things to do was huge and I even found myself at the store last night buying her a pair of shoes as we realized all she has that fit are flip flops.

But it wasn't as throat swelling as I pictured. We saw so many people we know in the community and from church as well. Cassidy has a few friends in her class too to ease the transition, so she was nervous but excited all the same. Such a bright smile on her face waiting to take on kindergarten. If anyone out there ever wants to feel like you've done something in life, get your kid to this point and feel pride like no other.

God Bless!

Triple Crown DH Race Report on the new bike

Man,

I had some kind of fun this weekend getting back on a bike that is all my own. I've been riding borrowed bikes from time to time when buddies are able and time allows. But I've not been able to truly pin it and feel comfortable on someone else's rig.

I got the Turner built up thanks to oh so many good friends help and literally finished building it in the parking lot Saturday morning. Maiden voyage went well thanks to the fact that DH bikes these days are getting closer to being idiot proof. Geometry, suspension, drivetrain...they all bolt on and go these days.

Saturday the track was twice as tacky as the first race, with grass off the slope and the soil down to the underlying hardpack, instead of loose mulch, topsoil, sod and goo. Even the bog at the bottom, although wet, was fast and rock solid. Since I was back on a Turner, I wanted to clip in again for the first time in 2 years. It was fantastic being able to float over roots and hold the rear wheel in place.

I even wound out sprints with no issues and didn't feel blown up for the first time in a long time. Maybe just the excitement of having my own bike again gave me the mental edge I needed to race hard again, or the comradarie and excitement of racing locally again.

Qualifying seemed kinda silly at first so I just sprinted around the corner, sat down and rode no handed, went around the first double, rode no handed on the lower straight..and clowned for the crown by doing an aero tuck into the finish. Popped off a 2:32, 3 seconds faster than my clean race run from race run and 8th fastest qualifier. But now I regret not doing a full speed run!

Race day came and I'd been dodging the top double jump thinking it wasn't costing me. Followed a buddy into it to see if I was right but got dropped by going around...a good 3 seconds!!! So next run, I went for it behind Greg and got it with a pedal crank. After that I didn't even pedal, just pump over it. So nice and so much faster.

My race run, I felt great. Charged it and then just fell down in a flat right hand grass turn. Took forever to get up, get back on and go around the rock under the slope...even saw a shrew turning into the woods, which was weird. But I finished the rest of my run trying to salvage some dignity for the crowd. I honestly had my name shouted top to bottom, so that cheered me up and some nutty guys chased me ON BOTH SIDES down the straightaway...so awesome!

Finished with a cruddy time, 1 second slower than the previous race at 2:36. Between gapping the double (2-3 seconds) and picking myself up off the ground, there was roughly 10-12 seconds to be had by staying upright, but that just doesn't count in a race run. The clock does not care what you "could" have done.

But I feel confident again in my riding and that I can maintain a great race pace again. The Dirty Bird is coming up and not the kind of course I shine on, but on the new bike, I like my chances for a good result. It's gonna be tight times and a clean run will mean everything. Should be a blast!!!