2019 Kentucky Six

I was really disappointed when the Tri-State 6 hour series was dropped down to only one race and then even more sad when that race was cancelled. I tried making the trip up to the John Bryan 6 hour to fill the gap, but as soon as we checked in to the hotel the race was cancelled for weather. When I saw this race show up on the schedule and I didn't really have any conflicts, I knew I had to attend this race. I was just hoping the weather would cooperate. I don't think they expected the number of people interested in racing to be as good as it was and they had to put a cap on the number of entries. Good to see other people still want this type of race to happen too.

The only real thing I didn't care for was the fact that the race was on Sunday. This was not a deal breaker since the race was fairly close to home, but it does make me drive home after the race. I headed over Saturday afternoon and got there in time to get a good spot for the pit tent. The other racers in the group showed up and we went for a lap to check the trail out. It had been a couple years since I have been here. The course was different then the last race. It was a pretty fun loop with a plenty of variety. After the ride we headed to The 857 Taproom and Grill to eat and re-hydrate. It was a real nice place and good service.

Hanging out for the rest of the evening was fun and I even got a pretty good night sleep. I came in to this race with very low expectations. I am not riding as well as I was last year and had really slowed down a lot since Lumberjack. I have been trying to get back in to the groove and get stronger, but my legs have just not been responding. I also knew there were some really fast guys signed up for the SS class, so even if I was riding well, it would take a great day or a mechanical on their part to beat them. I was really just here to support the ride and get some good training in for Fools Gold and BT Epic.

Photo credit: @lauralou644

The morning moved along pretty quickly. I made my coffee, ate breakfast and did the last minute things to my bike to get ready. As normal on race mornings it seems like you have a ton of time only to be running around last minute to get to the line. Since I was running a little late to the racer meeting, this unknowingly put me in a great place to get a good starting position. I didn't want to be in the front row, but I did want to be fairly close to it. I know my bike of choice can be an issue on the wide open prelude lap, but I also wanted to be right behind the fast guys when we hit the trail so I can minimize the conga line.

I am so out of tune with you

Since the Lumberjack my riding has not been the greatest. I took some easy weeks and not enough riding to help get me here. It is yet to be determined if this is a good thing or not, but currently I can't see the good in it. My legs are not very strong at all and my heart rate/lung capacity seems like I have taken half a year off. I am always tired and really struggling to get moving. I have been trying to motivate myself to be more motivated, but that is not very easy.

I have done a little bit of bike work that has been needed, but always have more I could do. I have been watching some of the tour and the Wold Cup MTB races have helped make me want to be motivated, just getting out the door has been the hardest part. Back in the end of 2016 I started using song titles for my rides. I had been trying to use better titles than just "afternoon ride", but when some friends were doing this I figured I might as well follow along. I have a lot of thoughts and songs that go through my head on rides anyway, so it should not be that hard. I was surprised at how many times in a ride I would think I have a good title for the ride and then do something completely different by the time I was done.

I was recently thinking about all of the lyrics I have used and wondered how many times I have duplicated the same one. I found a pretty easy way to export my list and sort them to see. It turns out that I used lyrics for almost 350 rides and only had 7 lyrics that were duplicated and couple of those were not exact copies. I will say that is a lot better than I thought. As I looked through the list, it was nice to actually remember most of the rides and what made me use that lyric for the title. I don't think a title of "afternoon ride" would spark the same memories. So for fun I am listing the lyrics below hoping to keep sparking memories and helping me find motivation to keep moving forward.

$2 When I’m hard up
A bigger better slice is what you like
A couple more shots of whiskey and I’m going down to englewood
a little messed up but we're all alright
Ain’t lookin for nothin but a good time
All I can say is that my life is pretty plain
All I want to do is put a drink in my hand
All I wanted was a Pepsi
All we are is dust in the wind
All who wonder are not lost, but some are
And everybody hurts sometimes
And I have been drunk now for over two weeks
And I just got a message sayin that hell has frozen over
And I just want to be alive while I'm here
And I'm 'a keep my pants saggy
And its gone daddy gone
And now that Saturday’s all gone
And that's the way we get by
And the tiny ship was lost
And there will always be stop and go and fast and slow.
And these ashes are all I got left
And you still don't like to leave before the end of the show
Answers don’t come in any one direction
Are you dead or are you sleeping
As we all do under its gaze, the yellow moon on the rise
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
Bangin ho’s and popin pills
Blame it on that simple twist of fate
Busted down in Baton Rouge
But every junkie is like a setting sun
But maybe just a half a drink more
But the heat came 'round and busted me for smiling on a cloudy day
Call me stupid call me sad
Can't you see that is is just raining? Ain't no need to go outside
Cause a rolling stone gathers no moss
Chasin down a hoodoo there
Circle songs and sands of time
City maps and spinal taps
Climbing up on the mountain, heartbeat pounding, reckless as a cyclone
Crunch like nuts in the mouths of squirrels
Dear Abby, got a problem
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
Divided sky, the wind blows high
Do you have the time to listen to me whine?
Does this thing still work?
Don’t you know I’m loco
Easy like a Sunday morning
Eight days a week
Even though the moment passed me by, I still can't turn away
Ever wonder if it’s all for you
Every time that wheel goes around your bound to cover just a little more ground
Fairly easy ride my ass
Fighting for a lost cause
First awake will stoke the coast
Flies in the Vaseline we are sometimes it blows my mind
Friend is a four letter word
Full of broken thoughts that I cannot repair
Give me things that don't get lost
Got a little change in my pocket
Got my toes in the water and my ass in the sand
Guess it’s better than nothing
Half my heart is in havanna
He had a black eye he was proud of
He said you'd like to at least make yourself happy though
Hello darkness my old friend
Hello me, it’s me again
Hey wake up, your eyes wern't open wide
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat any meat
How many subplots you got swimming through that mind
How's it go again?
Humidity is rising (uh rising), barometer's getting low (oh low, girl)
Hung over on the dresser with my brain leakin
I ain’t got no body
I am not who I want to be. I probably will not ever be
I am so out of tune with you
I attack with love, pure bug beauty
I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off of it
I can't swim so I dog paddle
I did it all for the biscuit
I didn't know that the words you said to me meant more to me than they ever could you
I don’t mind you coming here and wasting all my time
I don’t remember you looking any better but then again I don’t remember you
I don’t want to live like this, but I don’t want to die
I fake it so real I am beyond fake
I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real
I got a bug in my margarita
I got a pocket full of quarters and I'm heading to the arcade
I got guns in my head and they won't go
I hear that train a comin
I hope I've got a little more time, I hope somebody lends me a dime
I hurt myself today To see if I still feel
I just can't find the time to write my mind the way I want it to read
I just toss that ham in the fryin pan
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I kind of wanna be more than friends
I like me better when I’m with you
I love the dirty things you do when I have control of you
I love you like a fat kid loves cake
I made the bus in seconds flat
I might be freakin or peakin but I rock well
I must inquire, Wilson. Can you still have fun?
I need the crack of the whip I need some blood in the cut
I smell sex and candy here
I stroked the fattest dimes at least a couple of times
I walk the line
I want to breathe in the open wind
I want to love you madly
I was dreaming when I wrote this so sue me if I go too fast
I was riding down the road one day and someone hit a possum
I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
I’m going down town in a dead mans clothes
I’m just waiting on a friend
I’m still running against the wind
I’m the ice cream man. Stop me when I’m driving by
If I only had a brain
If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will
If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one your with
If you come on to me, will I come home to you?
If you find yourself standing at the end of your line
If you get lost, you can always be found
If you go straight long enough you will end up where you were
I'll confess this you're my tragedy
I'm an alcoholic, middle fingers in the air
I'm back in the saddle again
I'm down, digging through my old muscles looking for a clue
I'm in deep with this girl but she's out of her mind
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round
I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings
I'm not an addict (maybe that's a lie)
I'm not sure who I am
I'm out on bail, the checks in the mail
I'm still running against the wind
I'm stuck in Folsom Prison
In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
Inside my hope is fading
Islands in the stream, that is what we are
Isn’t it ironic
It didn't feel like the wrong time or place
It feels good for the first time in a long time now
It never rains in Southern California
It seems I found the road to nowhere
It took four years, three months, two weeks and a Sunday
It’s tricky
It's another day, another chance to throw it all away
It's as simple as something that nobody knows
It's getting hot in here
It's gonna have you begging pretty please
It's hittin rock bottom smoke 'em if you got 'em
It's nobody's fault but my own
It's not a habit, it's cool, I feel alive
It's so noisy at the fair but all your friends are there
It's the way you cling to the road when the wind tries to shove you
I've changed my mid so much I can't even trust it
I've dreamt about you every night this week
I've said what I'd said and you know what I mean but I still can't focus on anything
Just nod if you can hear me
Just turn around now you are not welcome anymore
Let's ride, ride how we ride
Life handed us a paycheck, we said, "We worked harder than this!"
Life is too short to last long
Long as I remember the rain been comin down
Long distance drunk
Looking for legs in all the wrong places
Loose your face, loose your name then get fitted for a suit of flame
Making the best of the worst day kind of night
May the wind take your troubles away
Mean old levee taught me to weep and moan
My brain's the burger and my heart's the coal
My get up and go must have got up and went
My hell comes from inside, why fight this
My thoughts were so loud, I couldn't hear my mouth
New boot goofin
Night falls on all our decisions. All our plans and all ambitions
No more tears
Nobody's fault but mine
Nothing shakin on shake down street
Nothing to see here but sparklers, fountains and snakes
Now what do we have here an outlaw and his beer
Now you make the scene all day, but tomorrow there'll be hell to pay
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Oh baby you, you got what I need
On a life boat sailing home with our drunken hearts and our tired bones
On my hands and knees, I will roll, roll, roll
on their knees the war pigs crawling
One eye on the open road
Open up my head and let me out
Out of gas, Out of road, Out of car I don't know how I'm going to go
Paint by numbers morning sky looks so phony
Pirate ride
Please don't make any sudden moves you don't know the half of the abuse
Pretty sure I saw the devil on a porch swing as we rode into hell
Psycle therapy confirms that I am not right
Put me in coach
Radar Lovins
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Rat in a drain ditch, caught on a limb, you know better but I know him
Reluctantly crouched at the starting line
Riding down the road one day someone hit a possum
Ripple in still water
Rocking Robin goes tweet tweet tweet
Run me around and make me hurt again and again
Run me out in the cold rain and snow
Runs like a junkyard dog with a brain of bras
Sad songs and waltzes aren’t selling this year
Same as it ever was
Say hello 2 heaven
Secret Lovers that's what we are, we shouldn't be together
Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul
She ain't no ball and chain
She F-N hates me
She goes in and out and in and out and in and out
She holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child
She is fast and thorough and sharp as a tack
She pulled her dinner from her pocket
She smiles when the pain comes
She takes a swing but she can't hit
She's a butcher with a smile
She's got a whole lot of reasons, she can't think of a single one that justify leaving
Shove me in the shallow water before I get too deep
Singing in the rain
situation number 4, the one who left you wanting more
Slip sliding away
Slow and low, that is the tempo
Slow down everyone your moving too fast
Slowride, easy, slowride, sleazy
Snot rockets in flight, afternoon delight
So many roads to ease my soul
So where are you? It's bee a little while
Some beach
Some day you will ache like I ache
Some of them want to be abused
Someone do me a favor and pour me some Jaeger
Someone else came out to win her, and I came out in second place
Someone told me long ago, there's a calm before the storm
Sometime we will find that these are the best of times
Sometimes I'm angry that I feel so angry
Sometimes you get lost
Stacking up problems that are so unnecessary
Still I burn this earth and fire
Stop, collaborate and listen
suddenly i'm not half the man i used to be
Summer Lovin it happened so fast
Suns coming up I got cakes on the griddle
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy
Take me to the river
Take your economy car and suitcase
Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Tangled up in blue
That is the sound of the men working on the chain gang
That the winds had swept me Wilson's way
That’s all folks
That's why I say hey man nice shot, nice shot man
The chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavored water
The empty bottle was half empty
The future is in the palm of your hand
The good times are killing me
The heart cracked, double down dreamer
The moment ends
The more you chase the cat the more it bites and scratch
The noose is hanging, at least you won't die wondering
The rain is gonna come, oh it surely looks like rain
The senoritas don't care-o when there's no dinero
The sun will come out tomorrow
The tires are the things on your car that makes contact to the road
The truth is I just don't stand a chance
The way you do the things you do
The whole damn situation could have been avoided if I only shut the window
There are times when you can beckon, there are times when you must call
There is an emptiness in side her
There might be a little dust on the bottle
There's some good points, some bad points
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
These shorts are made for walking
These walls are paper thin and everyone hears every little sound
They did the mash, it was a graveyard smash
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
They really want you, they really do
They'll stone you and then they'll say good luck
They're always having a good time down on the bayou
This is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about
This is my message to youhoohoo
Those kicks were fast as lightning
Ticket to ride
Time to take her home her dizzy head is conscious laden
To a little dive bar in Dahlonega
Too much trippin' and my soul's worn thin
Trying to play me like my name is Sega
Two bottles of bud light and a can full of whoop ass
Two hands on the wheel
Two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Wash uffitze drive to firenze
We all have some place to go
We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
We have cluster flies alas
We have to keep this traffic flowing and except a little sin
We sit here stranded, though we’re all doin’ our best to deny it
We’re going to party like it’s 1999
We'll all float on all right
We'll make great pets
Well take what you want from me. You deserve it all.
Well we sat on the edge of the river, the crowd screamed, "sacrifice the liver!"
Well, the lampshade's on fire when the lights go out
Were all stars now in the dope show
We're better when we're together
We're high above but on the floor
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
We've all seen a man at the liquor store beggin' for your change
What have I become
What part of yourself can you afford to loose
What time is it?
What we have here is a failure to communicate
What's my name again?
Wheels keep on spinning round, spinning round and round
When something's going wrong, you must whip it
When the bottle gets empty, lord it sure ain't worth a damn
When will these ideas really be my own?
When you dig my grave, can you make it shallow so that I can feel the rain
When you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail
When your hot your hot, when your not your not
Where is my head? Where are my bones?
Who cares about the clouds when we’re together
Who stopped the rain
Wish I knew you when I was young
With a horn that's honking like a mariachi band
Woke up, fell out of bed
Won't you come and see me queen Jane?
yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away
Yo so I continued to a1a Beachfront Ave
You cant get the chicken or the stuffing
you gotta have dreams to make it all worthwhile
You have to fight for your right to party
You hurt her but you don't know why
You know we need oxygen to breathe
You only answer perhaps, perhaps, perhaps
You turn the screws
You’re my #1 the reason I'm still up at dawn
You're the reason I've run out, Run out of metaphors
You've lost that lovin feeling
Zipping through the forest with the curdling fleas

2019 Lumberjack 100

If you have not read the post on the day before the race and would like to, you can find it here.

Saturday morning came around earlier than I would have liked, but that is pretty typical. Most nights I don't really sleep that well and this night I woke up a few times. Every time I woke up, it was still raining. This was not exactly what I was hoping for. I normally can ride in the mud pretty good, but I didn't really want to ride 100 miles in the mud. After sleeping as long as I could, I finally got up and moving. Made my typical breakfast and had some coffee. My stomach didn't really like my breakfast and I didn't eat all of it. I could have used a little more coffee, but it was all gone and I didn't feel like making any more. I got everything ready and loaded up. I was feeling more anxious than normal and not really sure why. I know it was going to be a hard day, but I didn't really feel a lot of pressure on my self. I just tried to relax as much as I can and go with the flow.

We headed out to the venue. Once we got there we needed to take our coolers and pit gear to the pop up tent. Since we parked in the overflow lot, it was a little bit of a walk. It probably would have been a good idea to try and drive over to drop everything off. Once we got over to where the tent was, it took us a minute to find it. The rest of the group dropped it off the night before and we were not sure exactly where it was. After I got everything set up I headed over toward the bathroom line. The line was very long and I didn't really feel like I had time to wait. I headed back to the car to get ready the rest of the way. Then I headed back to the start area. I hoped the line would be smaller, but it really was not and I just had to hope I was good enough.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

I headed up toward the front group. I thought I might be a little too far forward, but I figured I would get dropped enough on the road and wanted to be as far forward as I can when I hit the woods. It was cold and still raining. I was wondering if I had too much on or maybe not enough. Looking around I could see all kinds of different clothing choices. It seemed like I was about in the middle of the choices and figured I would be good enough. There was a few announcements that I didn't really catch and then off we went. I tried to go as fast as I could with out completely blowing myself up. I found a few wheels to jump on and felt like I was doing as good as expected.

After the road section we jumped on a fire lane kind of section. It was still pretty fast. I was getting passed by some riders, but I felt like I had a small group I was keeping pace with. I also didn't feel like I dropped too far back, but it is really hard to tell. As we hit the trail section the group I was with was riding at a good pace for me. I had a few people I would pass and there was also a few that would pass me. I didn't really feel like anyone was holding me up or making work harder than needed. There was a couple climbs that I had to take at a slower pace that I would prefer, but nothing I was too worried about. I just kept the pace up the best I could with out over doing it.

Somewhere along here Dustin came up on me. He rode behind me for a little while and eventually I was worried I was going too hard and he went around. I tried to hold his wheel the best I could with out hurting myself. I was a little worried about going too hard. Either I was going too hard or Dustin was taking it too easy. I didn't figure I should have been riding at his pace. But, I'm still not sure if I was going too hard or not.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

We came through the pit area together. I think he got ready and left before me. I tried to keep moving and leave as quickly as I could. The end of the first lap was a little hard on my legs. I started the second lap taking it a little easier and trying to recover. I walked a few more hills, but still felt like I was moving at a constant pace. Not too far in to this lap I was really feeling it. I must have gone too hard the first lap. Lovins caught me along this section and I jumped on his wheel and tried to keep up. I kept hurting more and more and feeling really run down. It didn't take me too long to start to feel like I really needed to make that bathroom break I wanted to do in the morning. I figured I was pretty close to the rest top just before mile 20 and could go there. The rest of this section of trail was not very pleasant. I was really needing to make it to the rest stop as quickly as possible. I was hurting very bad and not riding very well.

I was just about to the point I was going to just stop and I saw the leis hanging from a tree and knew I was right there. I had to let Lovins go and try to take care of myself. I made my stop and took in some pickle juice and coke and took off as quickly as I could. I immediately felt better and started to roll along at a better pace. The lap still felt like I went very slow, but I was getting faster near the end and was starting to feel better. I still hurt, but was improving. I rolled in to the pit area after the second lap, grabbed a new bottle, drank some Mt. Dew and took off as quickly as I could.

Photo credit: Rob Meendering

Feeling better at the end of the second lap than I did after the first, I started the 3rd lap in a little better head space. I was still tired and walking the steep sections trying to reserve as much energy as I could. On the first double track sections a pair of women came by me and I jumped on their wheel. The pace was rolling well and I was dong good enough hanging on. I think they felt like I wanted to pass in the trail sections, but I was just happy to have some wheels to help keep my pace up. There was a small group that formed and we rode together for a good section of trail. As we hit the rest stop, I wanted to make a quick stop to get more pickle juice and top my bottle off. I didn't take too long, but I was too slow to keep with the group. I was on my own again.

It didn't take too long and I found a couple more people to ride with. The pace was still moving good and the sections I was walking, I was really not going any slower that the rest of the people around me. I guess I was walking at eagle pace. Toward the end of the lap I could really tell the end was near. I picked up the pace and was riding pretty well. I was really hurting and just ready to be done. The last section took a little longer than I remembered it would, but eventually I was in the section that was all down hill to the end. Finally I came in to the last little bit before the end. It was awesome to see Lovins standing there cheering me on and giving my a high five. I rolled through the finish line and just like that I was done. I ended up finishing in 9:19 and in 19th place SS.

I hung out a minute talking with a couple friends and then made my way over to the beer tent before heading to our pit area. I tried to put a couple things away and sit down for a minute catching up with everyone. It didn't take me very long before I was really wanting to get changed. Then I headed up and got in line for my awesome pizza. A couple more beers and hanging out with everyone making sure we were all done and ready. Eventually we headed back toward the house, but not with out making a stop for some more pizza and ice cream. The rest of the night was full of aches and pains with a good amount of beer an laughs.

Sunday morning we were up pretty early so we figured we might was well start the long journey home. The trip was long, but not too miserable with rain on and off. We eventually made it home and I was back in the real world just with a lot more parts of me hurting. Looking back I am really torn at how to feel. Before the race I would have said that to finish under 10 hours would have been considered a success. With how well I rode and how bad I felt second lap, I can't help but think that I could finish in under 9 hours. That kind of feels unreal to me. 9 hours just sounds so fast for me to be able to ride 100 mile race. I don't understand why this race is so fast. Even if I would finish in 9 hours or less, I still have a ways to go to make it anywhere near the podium. SS may be ded, but the class is not lacking on talent.

Last year after the Mohican I was not sure if I would ever do another 100 mile race. After the Lumberjack this year I would easily say yes to doing this race again. I am not sure if I will next year yet, but out of all the options for a 100 mile race, this one is right up there. I will have to make that decision sometime early next year. Until then I will just have to try and figure out where I am falling down on my training plan and try to finish the year off riding strong. I am not sure exactly what is in store for the rest of the year, but I am getting closer to making some of those decisions. Hope to see you at the next one.

The pre-Lumberjack 100 fun times

This weekend must have been a good time. I have a lot more text than most races so I figured I could break it up and give you the before race and the actual race. So, here is the days leading up to the Lumberjack 100.

Over the winter I was talked in to racing another 100 mile mtb race. I had heard a lot of good things about Lumberjack and figured why not. The drive is on the longer side, but with most of the race being on trail it seemed worth it. If you read the Mohican write up you will know that I am not in the shape that I really wanted to be or even should be. I am also not sure I fully recovered from that race but I can't add days to the calendar. The week leading up to the race was pretty typical for the rest of the year and they had some rain. The weather looked like it might clear up and not be too bad a couple days before and race day looked like it had a chance to be fair.

With the long drive ahead of us, we headed out Thursday and went part of the way. Actually we went quite a bit of the way and made a stop in Holland. We got checked in to the hotel and went out for a bite to eat. When we saw Big Lake Brewing just down the road we knew right away where we were going. The beer was really good, the food was not bad and they had some live music too. Can't ask for much more than that. After some food and a couple beers, we headed out toward the lake looking for a light house. We found a nice place to park and took a little walk to get there, but the trip was worth it. The light house was pretty cool and we were able to walk out on some concrete walk way and took in a better view. The waves were pretty big at times and I ended up getting my shoes and pants pretty wet. I was just glad I didn't get washed off the side or it would have been very cold.

Being close to sun set we hung out just long enough to take in some really nice views before heading back to the hotel. Got settled in for the night and didn't stay up too late that we would sleep in all day. The next morning we got up fairly early and got moving. It didn't take us too long to eat and hit the road. We were wanting to get there early enough to ride a little before the chance of rain was increased. The morning weather was much colder than home and I found myself wearing a couple layers. I was really hoping I brought enough warm clothes to wear.

The drive was not bad at all and it seemed like we got there easy enough. But, as we got closer we found ourselves on what we found out was a typical dirt road. I was really glad we were driving a vehicle that I was not too worried about getting hung up in. We made it to the M parking lot, got ourselves ready and headed out for a ride.

The trail was in good shape, but it was colder than I wanted it to be. I didn't need a lot of layers, but it was close to needing more. I was a little concerned at how my legs were responding to the climbs. I was hoping they were just stiff from the drive and would be better for the race. The trail was a bit of a spaghetti pile, but there were lots of signs and maps to show you where you were. We did seem to be a little lost for a little bit, but it didn't take too much to figure out where we wanted to go to head back to the car. The route took a little different path than what both of us were thinking it would.

It turned out that registration was a little later than we thought it was. We were done riding too early to sit around and wait so we headed to our house for the weekend. We got our stuff ready for the race and just killed the rest of the time waiting for either someone else to show up or time to go sign in. The house didn't have any tv and cell signal was not the greatest so there was not as much things to help pass the time as usual. Eventually it was time to go sign in. It as raining for most of the time we were waiting and that made the dirt roads a little more tricky to drive. I'm just glad we made it.

After we signed in we were still a little early for the rest of the group. We then headed in to town to get something to eat. On the way we figured out that we both bought the same sock hat at registration. I guess good minds think alike. As we were eating, I noticed that there was a brewery pretty close. We had to walk over there and check it out. It was a pretty cool place and the beer was not bad either. Just as we were getting ready to leave there was a big down pour of rain. Since we walked there, we figured it would be best to wait it out a little.

Eventually it let up enough that we headed toward the car and went looking for another light house. There was one not too far away. It was pretty cool, but we were not able to walk out as close to it as the one from the day before. There was a walkway near by, but the way was pretty flooded and we decided not to mess with it. We then headed back to the house to join the rest of the group who had shown up right before we got there. The rest of the night was hanging out having a good time and making sure things were ready for the race. With the early wake up call, we didn't stay up too late, but later than I should have.

Mohican 100k 2019

Sorry I'm a little slow to get this posted. I was waiting for more event pictures to be posted, hoping I was in at least one of them, but somehow I was not in the right place or the right time. I only have a couple pictures where part of me made the shot.

This year I didn't do the 100 mile version. I decided to take it "easy" and to the 100k. I am signed up for Lumberjack 100 and didn't feel like doing two 100 mile races 2 week apart. As it got closer to the race I was very thankful for this decision. Life has been busy and I have not been riding as much as I should be and I was taking longer than expected to snap back from my efforts at PMBAR. My last ride the week before the race had me feeling that maybe I was turning the corner, but I was sure I would still be struggling more than I could be.

After a long day of driving through construction traffic I was ready to get there. I got away a little later than I had hoped and the drive took a little longer than expected, but somehow I ended up getting there about the right time to check in and join the pre-ride group. I tried to take it easy and loosen the legs up but not do a bunch of damage. I felt like I rode well enough, but when we were done with the ride, my Garmin said my recovery time was 24 hours. That is not good!! I don't have that long before the start of the race and that is some of the higher numbers I have seen. Maybe I really did need to be worried about how bad I was going to ride. After the ride I got cleaned up and we headed out for a bite to eat. I tried to not stay out too late, but ended up heading back to the motel later then I should have, but could have been worse. 

I made sure everything was ready for the next morning and got to bed as early possible. I actually slept pretty well, but a little more time would have been nice. I headed down to the lobby to get some coffee and check out breakfast. It was not exactly what I wanted, but close enough that I decided to eat stuff there and not get out what I brought to eat. I was ready earlier then normal and soon enough I needed to put the finishing touches on my pregame setup and headed out the door to meet the rest of the group in the parking lot. The little ride in to town doesn't take very long and really is not enough to be a good warm up, but I was not going to do any more than that.

We kind of pulled up along the side of the pack. It was a little farther on the side then I normally would have gone, but it was closer to the front than if I would have went all the way to the back. Once the race starts, it will be all spread out pretty quickly anyway. After all the announcements we were finally ready to get underway. It seemed like we got there kind of late, but it still took a little while before the race was actually started. Then they said go and we were off down the road.

PMBAR Monsoon of 2019

Pisgah Productions

After last years race we quickly wanted another shot at this race to see if we could do better. We had a lot of time that was wasted and figured we should be able to get all 5 check points. So, when it was time to sign up, I didn't waste any time to get us signed up and its a good thing since it sold out very quickly. It is amazing how many people sign up to do this very difficult race, but here we were right with all the other crazies.

The house had a great set up for bikes

We got there on Friday and went for a short ride after getting settled in to the house. We took the 8 mile climb up to Bracken and enjoyed the trip down. We were a little worried about the trail conditions with all the rain they had had, but everything was in pretty good shape. The weather also kept changing for the weekend, so it was hard to tell what Saturday would hold for us. The most recent forecast showed the rain holding off a little while and we hoped it would hold off long enough for us to get finished, but we really didn't think we would be that lucky.

Climbing to Bracken