Let me begin by confessing that the TDF is the ride I look most forward to each year. And who would blame me? With miles of beautiful twisty single track, long sustained climbing, quick technical sections, and many outstanding vistas that leave you wondering when (exactly) you crossed the state line into parts of Northwest Georgia, the trails at San Felasco Hammock State Preserve offer a little something for everyone.
Preparations for this year's tour officially started back in October of 2008. I began pushing a bit harder during each weekend ride, I started logging more dirt and road miles to get the ole legs ready for a 5 - 6 hour ordeal, and I modified my diet to help drop about 10 lb before the ride. Finally, as a precursor to the TDF, On January 3, 2009 I participated in the NK ride during which I (comfortably) logged 61.9 miles; I felt that I was ready, "Bring on the Tour!"
I had originally planned to do this year's ride alongside my friends Kevin (Q Factor) and Wayne (YaMon). Unfortunately, fate would simply not have it this year, and so the night before the tour Q Factor fell victim to major mechanical issues with both his bicycles. With the clock ticking away until the ride start, Q had no choice but to pull-the-plug on his ride, and just like that our group of three had been whittled down... and then there were two.
YaMon and I arrived at San Felasco at approximately 8:20 a.m. After quickly saying saying hello to a few new pals, Luis (Mucaro), Marcel (Sandpine), and Mike (MkSandoz), we rushed over to registration and then got suited up for the ride. I'm pretty sure that the temperature was in the high 30's to low 40's at the ride start. To put in plainly, it was a bit nippley out. Fortunately, it didn't take long to warm up, as I tried (for a while) to keep pace with Karlos (Naked Indian) and his Shaolin Fixie of Fury. My attempt, although worthy, would eventually prove unsuccessful, as I was dropped immediately upon exiting the first section of single track. In my effort to stay on NI's wheel, I had gotten way out in front of YaMon; once he caught up we began the climb across / up a section of open prairie which took us through sections of Tung Nut and eventually to the first SAG.
After topping-off my camel back and munching on a few peanut M&Ms, we rolled out and mashed our way through the remainder of Tung Nut, Odd Buck, and Ravine Trail. If memory serves me correctly, the next SAG was about 5 - 6 miles away and I was determined to ride hard through these fun technical sections (whilst) keeping YaMon in sight). My steed of choice for this year's tour was my new, full rigid (and first 29er) Karate Monkey. Gearing selection was 32x19, a bit conservative I must admit; however, this was my first long ride on a 29er SS and I wanted to be able to handle everything that Felasco might throw at me (without having to hike-a-bike).
I was thoroughly enjoying the ride on 29" wheels; let's face it, nothing beats the feel of a full rigid SS through fast single track (IMHO). Shortly after rolling away from SAG #2, I hooked up with a group of familiar looking guys on gearies who were plugging along at a good fast pace. Both YaMon and I were easily able to hang with this group. In fact, at some point, the dude in front of me moved over to the right to let me by. My chest swelled-up with pride when he said, "Holy Sh*t, you're on a SS! What gear are you turning?" Well, as they say, pride is a sin. It wasn't too long after passing this rider (shortly before the lunch SAG) that I began to feel that slight twinge in my left hamstring. With 25 miles down and 25 miles remaining, it quickly became apparent that cramping was inevitable. WTF? How could this be? I had hydrated plenty before the ride, I had logged plenty of miles in the saddle, and I was consuming the proper amount of electrolytes. My best guess is the slightly different position on my 29er vs. my geared 26er.
In an effort to fight-off the cramping, I decided to make good use of the lunch SAG. I avoided the spicy Vegetarian Chili. I ate only natural food in small manageable amounts. Finally, I made it a point to stretch each leg before jumping back on the bike. For the final 25 miles, YaMon and I decided to tag along with Anthem 1 (Scott), FACTORe (Jonathon), and Dan - o (Dan). Anthem 1 only hung around for the first few miles; eventually he got bored with our sluggish pace and decided to drop it into high gear. Somewhere along the line he grabbed on to NI's wheel, and it was the last we would see of either of them for the remainder of the ride.
The rest of the ride was fairly non-climactic; no crashes, no bonks... no major acceleration. I was able to complete the ride without suffering from major cramps, and only had to get off the bike once to hike up a climb. All in all, I must say that I was happy with my performance, although it did take longer to complete the ride than I had originally hoped.
Here's a list of things I plan to do differently next year:
- Be a bit more assertive about passing slower riders.
- Spend less time at each SAG; perhaps skip the first SAG altogether.
- Plan a solo ride; riding in a group is fun, but it's time to start focusing on my own ride.
- Lose more weight / get lean.
To sum it all up, "I had a blast... can't wait until next year!"
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