24 Hour race pics

Get them here - they should be up soon.

http://www.bobcat13photo.com/Terra-Firma-Promo-Adventure/24-Hrs-of-Rocky-Hill-October

24 Hours of Awesome

The 24 hours of Rocky Hill was a huge success and a great time for the whole crew. First off big thanks to Brad and Jan for staying up all night and supporting all 5 racers. We won a big pile of loot, achieved several out of body experiences and at least 2 of our guys were overcome with emotion.

The day after the race I was speaking with John about my various new ailments, prompting this potential quote of the year:

"Dude, anything that's wrong is totally normal - you just rode your bike for 24 hours"

Results:

Johnnie turned in 22 laps for a 2nd place in the Men's Solo Open. He tied the 1st place for distance with Greg "Caveman" Parham.

17 laps from both Tom and Lonnie secured a 1st place tie for the "coffee break" team in Men's Solo Sport. Their photo-finish is guaranteed to be the stuff of legends. I got to run 4 laps with these boys, I gotta say they are pretty damn entertaining when they are delirious.

Our only team, "Brawndo", turned in 17 laps for a 5th place in the 2 person open category. It was my first century!

More fun that should be allowed

http://canvasrider.com/tracks/696152

Walnut creek and my bits

Walnut creek conditions:

.6 loop - fast and tacky

powerline hill - huge faceslapper plant, be careful

Whore mountain - tree removed (thanks)

Powerline drop - swamp removed and filled (thanks)

Root drop - deeper, especially the drop into creek. Creek scoured. No rocks. Not over hubs at this point

Main Creek Crossing - muddy approach. Water over hubs on 26er

Limestone uphills are slick as owl shit - if it's green be careful.

Update on the H1N1 / Ebola attack

Lungs - 80%

Legs - 80%

Ridden 40 miles this week, spun twice. Gotta get back to 100% w/o overtraining. Balls

FML

Tuesday, about mile 16 I blew up. Not just bonked, I was weeping by the side of the trail. Feverish, sore, couldn't breathe. Doctor had my chest X-Rayed to see if I collapsed a lung. At the X-Ray place they asked me if I had any injuries or any trauma. I said "nope". They asked what happened, I said "The Doc said I was just 'Goin too hard'.

Now my wife won't let me live that down. She is calling me GTH at this point.

I wonder, is this included in the till death do us part bit? Cause I don't remember subscribing to spousal nicknames, the ones my buddies give me are enough - now I gotta come home to one too?

FML (F*** My Lung)

**** Chest XRays are normal! YAY. What's next, you may ask? Well, I'm gonna go to Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville and try to pop a lung! Something like 900 feet of climbing a lap outta do it :)*******

Can you please stop the itching? How about deadly sweeper collisions?

If you have any constructive comments/concerns about sections of the trails you ride regularly go ahead and email Nadia. Hopefully she'll send out the poison oak patrol. Maybe they can cut some of the vegetation down in the sweepers at Walnut so you can see oncoming traffic before you're kissing a stranger...

“The City of Austin Public Works Department, Neighborhood Connectivity Division would like your input on specific urban trails and/or trail segments that need maintenance. With Urban Trails under our division, PW management is investigating support the department could provide, during the slower winter road maintanance period, in urban trail maintenance. This could be, but is not limited to, issues with the surface condition/erosion, vegetation overgrowth, limb trimming, trash/debris removal, sight distance and American Disability Act concerns.

The scope of your comments should be limited to trails which serve both a transportation and recreational function.”

E-mail your concerns to Nadia Barrera at nadia.barera@ci.austin.tx.us by midnight Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Tubless. IMO

Opinions are like aholes - everyone has one. Here's mine. Why post it you ask? Cause I have awesome multimedia accouterment including a new life form. Click on the pics for larger versions in all their glory (or horror).

Tubeless systems are pretty commonplace now. You don't need UST rims or special tires. You can just get a special rim strip with a valve included from Stans.

Tubeless is great cause you can run lower tire pressure without fear of pinch flats. It is potentially a little lighter than a tube system (unless you're running those really light conti tubes) and the goo totally fills up small holes and tears.

Here are some things you may not know about them.

The "Burp". If you are running a lower tire pressure, (which is the best reason for this system), you can actually pop the tire off the bead if you do a fancy maneuver that puts a lot of pressure on the tire perpendicular to normal travel. This is the "Burp". It's usually cool because the tire re-beads almost immediately and you only loose a tiny bit of pressure. It can be decidedly uncool if you Burp in a technical section and that new lower pressure causes you to loose some traction or flip or tank your rim. This past weekend I Burped on a ledgy downhill in the Greenbelt. The result was a graceful endo and a big missing chunk of skin from my finger. Gross.

Stan's Stalagmites. This is a rare occurrence but does happen. The Stan's will become it's own sentient organism and party hard in your tire until you set it free. This is pretty fun and it's good practice for being a dad, but at speed that 3 oz critter plastered against the inside of your tire makes it feel like you've been drinking...


The phenomena wherein impermeable substances become permeable and then, inexplicably, become impermeable again. OK - not really but this Stan's stuff is pretty volatile and subject to an almost unbelievable level of evaporation - it'll evaporate inside your tire (!!). Every few months you'll need to reapply the 2 cups of goo. Where did it go? Lookie here, Stans Schmeg...

Beading a tire without an air-compressor. This is the sux part of this system. You must have some way to quickly put air into the tire. Bike shops are all set with their compressors, but regular schmucks like me have to blow 3 bucks a pop on threaded CO2 cartridges? Nope - get a superflate or something similar that uses the Crossman 12oz bbgun cartrigeds. .50 a pop, and if you have the right device you can bead 2 tires with one.

The big hint (read this bit) to bead is the get the tire evenly centered between the rim edges, forming an "as tight as you can make it" seal between the narrowest part of the rim (red arrows) and the bead of the tire (green arrows). Following this super accurate image, you'd want to try to make the green and red arrows touch ALL THE WAY AROUND THE RIM The easiest way I've found is to hold the wheel by the hub or spokes and gently manipulate the tire with your other hand. I've had the greatest success beading a tire by keeping it suspended vertically. This will allow the compressed air to expand the tire in all directions all at once with minimal air escaping.

FYI - the mental block I have with this technique is that if you already have one side beaded (you're patching a sidewall or adding more Stans due to evaporation) you have to un-bead it. It seems like 2 steps back, but it is necessary. Also, a pertinent note is that once you've done this, the second, third, etc time become easier and easier. And, if you are careful when un-beading to not damage the Stan's Schmeg on the bead itself you may have great luck just re-beading with a pump.

These may seem like a real P.I.T.A. but seriously, I've only put air in my tires for the last 3 months. A little endo and a strange little boogerish friend are a pretty fine trade for all the tubes I haven't bought or changed...

Trail FU

http://www.trailfu.com/default.aspx

Maps and such whatnots. There is an iPhone app too.

FLASHBACK - WARNING

To quote our own dear Johnny boy.

"This photo was in a magazine in Europe in the early 90’s talking about the Texas BMX scene and how it was exploding. Man, now that I look at it, that was like 12 feet of air, no helmet or anything….."

Bigotry Detection Accessory

Just got this for the Ibis. It's gonna piss any bigots off when I fly by them riding it and I'm hoping will cause them to face-plow a sticker bush.

Rant - etiquette or I KEEEL you!

I don't mind one bit people going backwards on the trail or going slowly as long as they follow etiquette. It exists for safety not for propriety's sake. I'm not talking about using the correct fork for your farkin salad, I'm talking about NOT spearing my kneecap with your QR skewer.

Calls:

RIDER BACK - If you're being overtaken this call is to the people in front of you. If you're overtaking someone, this is notice they'll need to break off trail

RIDER UP - This call is back to your group notifying them about an oncoming rider. If you see oncoming that doesn't see you, this is your call

ON YOUR LEFT/RIGHT - The faster rider's call, so those you are overtaking know which side you're gonna pass on.

# BACK or CLEAR BACK - Call to oncoming riders informing them if you're solo or if not, how many are behind you. Don't count yourself, dork, he knows you're there...

Examples:

1. When your riding a backwards lap or you're new - scan ahead as far as you can. If you can't see around a sweeper or something, call out "RIDER!"
2. When you pass someone going the opposite direction:
   *Break RIGHT, just like a car
   *Call back to the other riders in your group "RIDER UP!"
   *Tell the oncoming rider how many you have back. E.G. - "3 back or clear back"
3. When you're being overtaken by a faster rider break right UNLESS he calls "ON YOUR RIGHT", then break left.
4. When you're overtaking someone, first and foremost, don't be a douchebag. Overtaking riders tend to be viewed as dicks anyway, so be extra-cognizant of this fact and be super-cool. Call out "RIDER BACK!" early enough so the slower rider has time to break. If you want the right side call it. If you can tell the person is a novice (plastic pedals, shiny new bike, helmet tipped back, seat too low, white knuckles on the flats, no bike shorts) be extra-super-duper-cool. They are probably a bit scared so you MUST call your side - "RIDER BACK, ON YOUR LEFT". As you pass, thank them and tell them to have a great ride.
5. If you pass someone who is broken down (flat,etc.) ask them "You have what you need?". 99% of the time, they'll say yes and you've just earned 1 karma point. If they say no, and you end up fixing a flat for some dude, you'll earn like 50 karma points. I always ask, and I've yet to have to fix someone's flat.
6. At some point, if you're overtaking and the guy won't move (stubborn, iPod turned up to eleven, jerk) you'll have to pounce. You'll be annoyed but keep that to yourself. He obviously has enough social problems as it is, and your righteous indignation isn't gonna do anything but f'up your heart rate.

FYI - My bike handling skills are for sh1t...

"Let's Get Mystical" - TEXAS from Mutiny Bikes on Vimeo.

Wouldn't you know it..

Yesterday was the one day I forget my stupid chainsaw shoulder pads...



Smoked a tree with extreme prejudice. It's currently blackening, more pics as it gets more hideous. Luckily it was a tree not a rock, or I'd probably have broken something. Jury is still out on the innards of the shoulder - there are some bits in there popping that weren't popping when I woke up yesterday morning...

Polar Heartrate Monitor Transfer Instructions

What they don't tell you is that putting your heartrate monitor super close to the mic doesn't work, and putting it far away doesn't work. You have to put it exactly this distance...



Uploading to Polar Personal Trainer using the Polar Weblink tool for my F6 (thanks Shawn!)

Simple but informative enough...

From Drop Box

MAGIC PILLS MAGIC PILLS!

Holy crap

Shawn and I took those magic salt pills. They tasted like the ocean smells. About 15 min into our ride at the nut I felt like I had just got a quickie from an angel. Turned our fastest lap time out there ever.

EDIT -

These were the ones (I took 2):
http://www.amazon.com/Trace-Minerals-Research-Performance-Electrolyte/dp/B000AMR8YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1278615923&sr=8-1

CRAMPS

It's hot. I'm sweating balls. I think I need electrolytes (Brawdo has electrolytes - it's what plants crave)

http://www.succeedscaps.com/htu_scaps.html

or

http://www.amazon.com/Trace-Minerals-Research-Performance-Electrolyte/dp/B000AMR8YO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1278615923&sr=8-1

I'll try both and let you know.


EDIT:

Then there's this. Johnny raced 186 miles in 24 hours on this stuff. Says he was never hungry and never cramped.

http://www.infinitnutrition.us

Mostly True

Some wasps kill mosquitoes, but generally this is my impression

Shawn's temporary Ride

Since he killed his 29 Shawn is gonna run an old skool 26in rigid.

Carbon frame and fork. Ti saddle. Not quite as plush as he is used to.

From Drop Box

And, on that note. I sent an email last night but it seems that the new iPhone OS sucks balls so you didn't get it. Ride tonight at 4ish at the nut. Trying to squeeze in one last roll b/f the slurricane...

Post Father's Day wrap-up

Saturday's ride at The Nut was awesome. Had a great first lap but bonked on the second. I'm blaming my epic quad-cramp on over-consumption of those silly little squeeze-food thingies (while purposefully overlooking that six pack I chugged Friday night). I mean, really - when has beer ever hurt anyone?

Saturday went out to the greenbelt with Damon. Started at the entrance behind the Toys-R-Us. Headed West for a few miles. Found myself hike-n-biking while hanging onto chains and navigating green mossy rocks in clip-less shoes. The trail could only be described as 'retarded technical'. We headed up some unofficial trail called sweet sixteen cause it crossed the little rocky creeks 16 times. On my hard-tail with ~3.5 inches of travel in the front I had a dual concern. Making sure I didn't endo over the 75 billion baby-heads and making sure that my seat didn't pop up and crush my prostate through my diaphragm. Since I can still pee and my collar-bone is in one piece (knock on wood) I'd consider the ride a total success.

Really though - I gotta work on some technical skills. I was like a piss-scared 10 yr old girl out there. If Johnny had been filming, he'd have titled the youtube upload "Sweet Baby Jesus Thad, If I'd have wanted to come on a fucking hike I'd have worn different shoes"

Father's day ride weekend...

Saturday - the Nut with the boys early.

Sunday - Greenbelt with Damon, then beer, then beer, then beer and bbq.

Check this vid of Johnny - minute 1:00. Tabletop.

Welcome

Blog rides, links maps etc. Use links at the left to log your lap times or make a more formal map link etc.