Playing in the Mud!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Sunday, Nick “The Stick” Price and myself headed out on dawn patrol to Rocklin, CA. for the first of 3 TBF MTB Challenge events put on by Total Body Fitness (www.tbfracing.com). We hit the road at 5 am and arrived in plenty of time for our 9 am start.  These events are always  fun and a great way to gage my fitness early in the season.  While not much of an xc racer, I enjoy the opportunity to put a number  plate on my bike  and see how hard I can push myself.  The first 10 or so minutes are JUST AWFUL  During those opening moments of the race I  always question why I do the 8-plus xc events I race each year…They hurt!  After the wide open sprint  from the start line, Stick and I settled into our own race, our own rhythm and had a great time. I felt good at  times, rode technically well and suffered a bunch.  Nick was fantastic off the front and we never missed a beat despite the many other racers whizzing by.  Unfortunately we Dnfed   due to a flat tire.  Not mine; it was the other guy LOL!  Nick’s 29er gave way just a few miles from the finish and was not repairable.  Nonetheless we had a solid ride.  Great Job Nick and thanks for the effort, my friend!

I rode the Santa Cruz Carbon Blur XC (www.santacruzbicycles.com) and it was the perfect  choice for that area, a way- to- light- for my own good pure xc machine.  The 4 inches of travel provided by a Fox 120 RLC fork and Fox RP23(www.foxracingshox.com) gave me a smooth ride through the single track,  a few rock gardens and with stood the large mud/water holes we had to navigate.  My tire  choice was the WTB(www.wtb.com) Epic Wolf 1.95 front and rear mounted to the WTB  XC wheel set with Race Lite front and rear hubs.  The WTB Rocket V saddle kept my keester comfy and the WTB Moto Grips kept my hands from slipping off despite being covered in Granite Bay muck.  I worked pretty well and my gear never faulted.  Again, a good way to start the season.

Next up:  I will be headed to  Tamarancho for the NorCal High School League Camp in Fairfax.  I have the pleasure of speaking to the overnight campers after a viewing of “Looking to the Ground.”  I seem to get as much out of being a part of these type events as those who ask me to participate.  Two days in Tamarancho will be amazing as I have yet to spend much time there.  A Bay Area Mt Bike resource with all types of terrain and conditions  dedicated to riders!

Great news from the medical world.  According  to researcher Charles Bamforth at UC Davis, beer has additional health benefits than previously reported.  According to Bamford, the hoppy beverage contains a form of dietary silicon which greatly benefits both bone health as well as connective tissue development.  Whew!  I thought the one true benefit was it  added needed ballast to my ass that made me go down hill faster! One to two beers   down my neck a day as ordered by my doctor…Hmmm,  I can live with that:)

It’s only February, however. I am already signed up for the Downieville Classic All Mountain, the 8 Hours of Boggs and at this date, The Sea Otter Classic where I will again race the dh and the xc (I’ll be guided by Yuri Huswald , yeh baby) is only two months away…the snowball of the 2010 season is beginning to gain momentum.

AIG update:  Apparently those who are waiting to receive their “bonuses” (after failing to do their jobs, losing  the life savings of many, and begging for  bailout money) are threatening to sue if they don’t get it.  I hope somebody sues those bag of dicks.

The weather  for  last few days has been great but a bit of rain is in the forecast.  Dont’ be discouraged, it is now staying light until 5:30.  MORE PLAYTIME PEOPLE.  Get out and get some!

The Saints pulled off a huge upset in defeating the Colts in Sunday’s Superbowl.  I am a fan of Peyton Manning’s, he’s a class act, but I always get warm and fuzzy when a true underdog pulls one out.  Loved hearing the Betty White/Abe Vigoda Snickers commercial…watch for it, you’ll fall out of your chair.

I’m out like a redneck in a spelling bee…

Bobby

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 10:55 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.