my new job is going to be building and one day designing trails. multi-use and mountain bike trails. im gonna need a bike to test the trails. sad really. i hate shopping.

yes im totally stoked.

Are they going to be here in the Metro area?

:dunno

You know, someone out there (shop owner, company rep, etc.) might let you 'test' a new bike on your 'test' runs.

:deal

its all over the SE. GA, NC, AL, SC, TN, KY, etc. it should be an interesting gig.

That's freaking awesome, Charlie. You're going to be in terrific shape pretty quickly, I bet. I don't envy you working outdoors in the southern sun, but man, you're going to see some awfully beautiful country and ride some pretty nice trails. :thumb

Yes, I should say so! Keep me posted.

:lurk

A buddy of mine raced at SSWC. He was on a soulcraft 29er with a lefty fork....blue/red soulcraft kit and a matching el nino mask.

I'm really really excited about it. at some point ill go through a certification course of some kind. im going to be a sweaty, stinky, tired bastard pretty soon. but ill be outside and enjoying nature. time for new batteries in the cameras.

Fuck yeah.

20+ on the mtn. bike today.

Legs are whooped from hoofing that thing up and down the hills. Mostly road work, but it was abotut 95F when I got home. Oy. :knary

I've been a pedalin' fuck all week this week. 22 miles a day, all uphill on the way home.

And I did leg work at the gym yesterday.

I'm taking tomorrow off.

I STILL haven't ridden my new Fetish. :nono Was gonna today, but managed to sleep till 1430 instead. Went to the bike shop for a bit, worked on a few bikes, now I'm watchin TV. Guess iffen I had a lite that worked, I could go for a spin, but I needta rewire em first.

Picked up a 6600 series cassette tonite, now I have a cassette for my 'aero' wheels too! :thumb (not that I go that fast, but they make me LOOK that fast! :nod :D)

M

I'll trade you a dozen Brisvegas cabbies for that hill. Nearly bought the farm twice, and that's just on the ride home. Apparently, it's ok for cabbies to turn left from the rightmost lane. Go figure. Don't get me started on the bus drivers and the Australian moron who thought it was a good idea for bike and bus lanes to be shared in parts of the city.

I'm in the middle of nowhere and the drivers still don't pay any attention to bicyclists.

I can't imagine what it's like in the city.

I lived in Shanghai for a number of months well before the current modernization (early 80s). Millions of bikes but very very few cars. Cars had absolute right of way and would just suddenly turn into the mobs of bikes, it was the bikes responsibility to avoid the cars. All I could think was if they did that in Boston the riders would pull the driver out of the car and slaughter them. Bikes would be coliding with one another in avoiding the cars. I never had seen anything like it.

So now I have to figure out, "What next?".

Frankly, I've achieved the level of mediocrity I aspire to in XC MTB racing. That is, I got into it because it was something that kind of scared me a little bit. I wasn't quite sure if I could even finish all these long 20+ mile races.

Well, turns out that wasn't really a problem. Not only did I have no problems completing even the longest (47 miles), I've managed to run with some fast people from time to time. I'm still a long way back from the podium spots, but I'm well out of the ranks of the people who are just trying to finish.

And I know what I need to do to start chasing those podium spots, but I just seem to lack the motivation to do so. I'm not a very competitive person, so winning doesn't mean a whole lot to me. I do take my mediocrity quite seriously though and will work however hard it takes to stay out of the ranks of "epic failure".

So barring my transition to one of those Type A folks who's gotta win-win-win, I need to look for a few new epic challenges to keep myself busy.

I think going single speed next year might keep my interest up for another year, but I'm starting to look ahead a few years. Things like the Great Divide Race keep catching my eye....

:dunno I use racing to see how hard I can push ME as opposed to beating you. If I happen to do well, great. If not, and I went as well as I could go, that's fine too. Don't get me wrong, I'm upset when I don't do well, but ya gotta pick yer dissappointments.

So, have you gotten to the point where yer happy with how hard you've pushed you? Can you do better? :ear

The ultra stuff is a whole nuther realm of doing things. For example: I have a buddy who does 50mi running races. His wife'll drop him off 20-40mi from home and he runs back. She works in LA, he lives and 'works' in Borrego Springs. Runs down some mtn or another on the PCT to the desert. Dood also does 6-8hr mtn nite rides. :nod Do you have that kind of drive? That kind of LSD in you that you can train 8-12hrs?

Have another buddy that runs 50-milers. She can't run more'n about an 8min mile at the best of times, but she can go all farging day. I just don't have the endurance. :nono

:dunno if that helps, but them's my thoughts.

M