Odds & Ends

Man, I just looked at my last post date, I can't freakin believe that it's been so long between posts. Then again, when I think about it, I guess "time in the saddle has been a bit slow" as well. I had great plans to spend ample time on the bike the weekend after Ididaride. That Saturday, I loaded my SS in the back of my dad's beater, old-school, Nissan pick up truck and headed for the trails at Alafia. The plan was to ride solo and to ride fast; especially since I arrived at the park at 4:00 p.m., only to be informed at the gate that the park would be closing at 5:30 p.m.

So I jumped on the trails and rolled through everything (except Gatorback) without stopping. Things felt great at first, but later in ride I experienced what I can only explain as... discomfort. There was no pain involved, I just didn't feel... right. After just over an hour of shreddin-it-up, I threw my bike back in the truck and headed home to prepare for the next day's self-planned self-supported 50.

6:00 a.m. seemed to arrive way to soon on Sunday morning. Nevertheless, I dragged my ass out of bed and get my act together. Kevin and Ryan arrived at 8:30 a.m., and the three of us hit the road (literally) at approximately 9:00 a.m. I had planned what proved to be a 33 mile route along back roads, from my place in Palmetto, to the Boyette trail head in Lithia. zfirst thing I noticed, almost immediately upon starting the ride, was that my legs felt like concrete. The other thing I noticed was that I couldn't quite seem to get the boyz comfortably situated on the saddle. Again, no pain involved... just discomfort.

We arrived at the Boyette trail head, hooked up with another fellow rider, refilled the camel backs, and hit the trail; the goal was to accumulate another 17 miles of dirt. So, we set out to ride the usual along with a healthy dose of the new Canyon and Ridgeline trails. Surprisingly, my legs seemed to "loosen up" as I hit SST; the discomfort disappeared and I was back to feeling like my old self again. The rest of the day at Boyette was fast and fun. The actual mileage count at the end of the ride was just over 46 miles, and I'm pleased to report that, for me, the day was incident, and best of all, cramp free. Pleased with my ride performance and results, I headed home to refuel with some good food and good company.

It was later that evening that the discomfort I experienced while riding would return; only this time with pain. I won't go into detail as to the exact location of my "issue", but let's just say that any male reading this post would cringe to know the coordinates of the exact location. Man, was I worried; especially when the pain continued well into the week. Later in the week I decided that the best thing to do was to take an entire weekend off the bike, and to try rehabbing with some good old-fashioned rest.

The following Saturday I had the privilege of helping out our local racing guru, Harvey Minton, as part of his pit crew for the 12 Hours of Santos race. For those of you that don't already know, Harvey rides for Independent Fab., as does his teammate, Harlan Price, a very cool guy and also the overall winner of the 12 Hours of Santos Race. Unfortunately, Harvey ended up pulling-the-plug on the race just before dark set in... things just weren't adding up for him; however, his lap-times were fast and consistent. In the end Harvey earned an 8th place overall finish. The entire race experience was a blast and also a real eye opener. I got to see first-hand just how hard a 12 hour solo racer has to push if he or she is to earn a spot amongst the top 10; not to mention dealing with any potential mechanical and barring a crash issue. Congratulations to Harlan Price for his overall win, and to Harvey Minton for his 8th place overall finish.

Now, to go make preparations for the upcoming.... shh, its a secret!