Back in the saddle

So Dan and I headed up to Kewaskum where we met his son Brian. After setting up their pop-up camper we hopped on the bikes... Me on the Flyte running 1x8, Brain on his Rig and Dan on his antiquated, small wheeled, fully suspended Specialized. Brian and I have been working on Dan to up-grade to a 29er of some sort but he's unwilling to drink the kool-aide. 

So we do a lap and I was popping on the first climb up the backside of the ski hill in my 36x21. I drop to the 25 and it was easier to stay with Brian running 32x18. Dan was busy spinning in the 22xWhatever on his 26" wheeled machine. We regrouped at the top and hit the descent down the property line. Large Sea Turtle-sized rocks dotted the lines but later they would be painted red and that helped show the line around them so gravity could be used to it's fullest. At least I think it was red paint. It could have been blood...

We finished a lap and I started the conversion of the Flyte to SS status. The biggest Surly cog I have is a 22t so it would have to do. I put it on and did another lap solo and wasn't entirely comfortable. I wished I had either a 34t chainring or a 23t cog. Oh well I couldn't lose sleep over what I couldn't get.

We settled in to the camp and the usual mingling before running into town to replace a playground ball Angel the Lab had destroyed. Again, Dan wouldn't play along at the Dollar General store when an employee asked "can I help you with something?" Dan couldn't use the set-up for the immature interrogatory... "Would you show me your large balls?" were words not uttered that night. Brian and I giggled in another direction. Must be a SS/29er thing, or not. 

The next day the weather was perfect and in the absence of Russell and Cupcake, Brian and I readied ourselves to follow the Citizen Youth Race sponsored by Hayes Brakes. Hayes Brakes for your bike, because speed isn't everything. 

Off we went following the 7-12 year olds. There was a youngster bringing up the rear who was digging as deep as he could and was having an okay race. He still had the Sharpie tattoo number from the triathlon he'd done the day before which I took as a clue that he may be having a worse day than most. It didn't help that his dad, whose intentions were probably best in his mind wasn't helping as he intercepted the youngster after every other corner. The worst utterance I heard was "c'mon we need to be out of here by noon." It wasn't even 9:45 yet fer cryin' out loud. It got bad enough for him that after the overlapping on the bottom of the course when it turned up the ski hill again the youth had had enough and he laid his bike down and softly sobbed. He was cashed and the pain was greater than his energy. Dad was a dick. He was saying things like "don't be a quitter" and "just walk with your bike." I parked myself right between them and leaned into the dad to give the boy some room to breathe. I said something to the effect of "you must have given your all yesterday in that triathlon. if you're not up for finishing today that's fine, just write today off as a training ride." The dad looked puzzled and irritated when I added "who's he racing for, himself or you?" The youngster took his water bottle and drank. Then he picked up his bike and began to move up the hill. When we got around the corner away from his dad he looked over at me and said "thanks." He dug deep and caught back on to the tail end of the group before passing a pair and holding that position at the finish. Mom and his siblings were waiting at the finish and he was looking better. I gave him a pat on the back and a "great ride buddy" and pedaled over to registration for myself. I didn't hear his dad say a word. 

So I rolled down to get ready for my race. TMontee and MK had driven down from O2S and they were chipper as ever. I begged a 23t from Tim and installed it as well as removing the last vestiges of shifters and deraileur. It was warming up nicely so I pounded the fluids while Dan was busy racing his tiny wheeled bike. He had a good event and finished 9th in his age group. Brain and I had left fluids for him and Angel to hand us at the top of the ski hill, so off we went to warm up. I rolled around with Jerry and he must have been still dead from 24/9 'cuz he claimed I was making him hurt on the climb and a spin-up. We rolled a bit more with the Montees and then staged for the start. 

I felt fair at the start but When the ski hill hit I felt like that boy earlier. I rode the hill but didn't feel optimistic about the prospects of repeating on the 2nd. 3rd and 4th laps. I cleared the top and I could see a pair of SS's within a hundred yards or so. I kept my head down and my spirits up and by the bottom of the lap I had passed one. A moment later I passed a multi speed only to have my front tire wash out in the hard grass of one of the 180's at the bottom of the hill. I picked myself up and started chasing again. By the top of the last climb (half a lap later) I had set myself up for a gravity pass on the SS. As I was closing on his left he started to lose control a bit and was bouncing all over the lines trying to keep from crashing. I went wider than the trail allows and escaped any mishap. A lap later I passed the second place Clyde, also on a SS and visiting from St Louis. By the start of the 4th lap I was closing on another SS and had moved into 9th. I kept spinning it up on the flats and didn't touch the brakes unless there was a U-turn and by the end I had kept anyone from passing. 

I had the gearing right for my conditioning and kept it pinned all day. I could have gone faster only if I had been in better shape... so I have a lot to do in the next two weeks. Brian was 5th in his age group was was pretty smoking for being up against other 21 year olds on gears. Had he been running Comp SS he would have still been 5th but he would have had the satisfaction of bumping me back to 10th. Maybe next race.

We packed up and headed home where I was greeted by a new friend...