spirit tree

i rode with Karlos and P at croom with the goal of finding the spirit tree. we found it and each paid our respects. mostly a memorial for the croom equestrian enthusiasts, it was nonetheless an interesting destination, and a challenge to find.

johnathan's gary fisher singlespeed 29er did me quite well for two rides out at croom, covering 70 miles. the bike is radically different from my usual ride - it is a hardtail, it has bigger wheels, it has one gear, and it is a size L frame (19in, rush is XL). i will consider each of these differences in the next post.

update, or lack thereof

it's the end of the school semester and by far not my favorite time of year. hopefully by the end of this week i will be able to get back in the saddle and get my mileage back to normal levels, or beyond.

i am temporarily in possession of Johnathan's gary fisher rig 29er ss and hope to throw that girl around for a bit soon, see how she feels between my legs.

i've got an out-the-door route for use in morning training rides that is pretty good and takes me down to the tip of davis island, one of my favorite spots. out and back is 25 miles, and can easily be increased with laps around davis island and/or by sightseeing down bayshore. this route should become at least a twice-a-week thing. it can be done in under 1h30min.

anyways, hopefully i will have some thoughts on the 29er singlespeed for my next post...

2009 Schedule

ok so here is the list of interesting off-road rides/races for 2009, organized chronologically:

Naked Indian Ride - Jan 3rd*
WT 50 - Jan 10th*
6 Hours of El Lagarto - Jan 25th
Croom 50 - Feb 14th*
12 Hours of Santos - Feb 21st (likely will do 6 hours)
Squiggy Classic - March 14th* (Advanced team class as SQUIRRELS GONE WILD)
Cohutta 100 - April 25th
12 Hours of Tsali - May 23rd
ORAMM - July?
8 Hours of Labor - August 29th
Fool's Gold 50/100 - August ?
12 Hours of Dauset - September 19th

asterisks signify those races that i am already committed to in some way or another. at least, i would like to do two 12 hour races, one of the serious out-of-state serious-climbing events (FG100, Cohutta, ORAMM), and those races listed above that i did last year (squiggy classic, 8 hours of labor).

if anybody reads this and has any other interesting possible races for me to check out, let me know!

mission accomplished

ok, so it wasn't easy, but i met my goal for the weekend. on saturday i took the rush out to wilderness park for what i hoped would be 2 laps. i wasn't feeling so hot - friday night i had a slight fever and saturday morning i awoke with a headache. out on the trail my pace was average but i never really got into the groove. i headed out from the trout creek site for lap two, and by the time i hit panther i was feeling nauseous and weak. i rode the levve back to my car and drove home, stopping once because i was sure i was going to barf. i managed 27 miles.

saturday night i was out drinking until 330am. sunday i awoke and took my commuter to el taco nazo and back. 8 miles. later i decided to check out the suncoast trail. i figured it would be easy enough to get the rest of the miles there. ride 35 miles out, then have no choice but to ride 35 miles back. no excuses.

i didnt start riding until 400pm or so. i knew i'd probably have to ride in the dark some so i brought my light. little did i know i would be riding the WHOLE distance back from brooksville in the dark. and that when it gets dark, it gets really fucking cold, especially at 18mph. anywyas, it was miserable, but i got the job done. 66.2 miles in 3:49.

27+8+66.2=101.2

priorities

my bicycles have been neglected lately. i have set myself a goal for this weekend of 100 miles, road, dirt, or any combination thereof. tomorrow i plan to hit the dirt at wilderness park for 2 long laps. sunday i will take an aggressive stance towards my hangover with a road ride somewhere, i know not where.