riding was jinxed this week :(
So riding hasn't worked out so well for me the past couple of days.
tuesday - i had organized a girls ride but the weather didn't cooperate. No one showed up but i went to the trail head anyway and it was way to soft to ride. turned around and went home.
wednesday tried to go out for a quickie road ride and 2(!) miles away from the office i pinch flatted my rear tire - so after i patched the tube i just went back to work - so i got a whopping 4 mile ride in.
The flat is my fault for several reasons:
1. i wasn't paying attention and didn't see the rock i ran over until it was too late (I'm just glad i didn't crash!)
2. my rear tire is super worn and soft- i'm taking a risk everytime i ride on it
3. i didn't pump up my tire and it was a little mushy.
Wednesday afternoon Dave and I went to Hall for practice on the rocks again. The conditions were tough as it was wet enough for the sand to stick to your tires and lose traction. I swear I couldn't climb over a pebble. I fell several times and got a new set of bruises. It's depressing my technical climbs skills on the rigid. ughh....i'm frustrated!!!
Thursday i tired to go out at lunch for another road ride but it was too windy - i walked out to the parking out in my bike clothes then turned around and walked back into the office. :(
Thursday afternoon i really wanted to ride but was supposed to meet Dave, Dana and Xanthe for dinner @ 6:30 before we went to the movie. So i thought i'd have time to do a loop @ betasso and an up/down on the connector trail. I took the FS because I wanted to see if i could clean the connector trail with gears (I can't on the SS) and also i want to see if i could break my new PR on the descent.
I start on the loop and some fast racer dude in a Sports Garage kit blasts past me - we chat for a minute and he takes off. I'm pushing it on the descent trying to keep up with him and my tire burps air in a corner, the bead unseats and i flat. F!CK!!! I was cussing - damn it this flat was totally gonna cost me my ride. :(
While i'm fixing my flat a couple of hikers come up
hikers: "oh there you are!"
me: ??
hikers: "your friend said you were right behind him"
me: "oh - well i was until i flatted"
me thinking (well that's cool that guy thought i was good enough to hang)
I throw in a tube and my tube has a hole it in and is leaking air. I only have 1 tube and I figured i'd just walk out instead of trying to patch it. then Sport Garage racer dude comes by
on his 2nd loop.
SGRD: "oh there you are - what happened"
me: "my tire burped air and I flatted but my spare tube has a hole in it"
me: "i'm just gonna walk out - it's not that far"
SGRD: "here take my spare tube - just remember if you need something go to SG"
me: "ok"
me - i'm all flustered and can't find my tire levers that i just had.
SGRD: "here use mine"
me: "i'm all flustered and i'm having a hard time"
SGRD: "yes - i see - just give me the tire and let me change it - i'm way faster"
me sheepishly agreeing "ok"
SGRD: "where's your accent from - I like it"
me (thinking - is he flirting w/me?) - "texas"
we chat a bit more and he brings up his wife so i'm relieved he's just being nice and not flirting even though he's *very* complimentary when I mention Ricky and tell him my age. He fixes my tire and sends me my way and I get a whopping 3.3 miles in before i zip back to town to meet the gang.
SGRD was a cool dude - i was lucky to have run into him. :)
friday - I get a 16mile road ride in at lunch with no mishaps
friday afternoon - i bust ass to Hall Ranch with the FS. I want to make sure i don't totally suck climbing and it's just my skills on the rigid. I definitely do better on the technical climbing with the FS - not as good as I have done in the past - but decent. I do the loop and some guy keeps passing me (I can tell he's totally maxing himself out to do it - i'm going hard but not super hard) and then he rests and I pass him back and a few minutes later he'll pass me again panting heavily. At one point i casually comment "dude you are working hard, eh?" he sheepishly smiles and says yes.
At the end of the loops i'm hauling ass and i don't know what i did but i came over a whoop and landed sideways and those lame Hutchinson tires i have slide out and i bite it hard. gravel rash all over my left leg and elbow. big time bummer!
I catch up to guys that kept passing my on the climb the bench for the descent down - he takes off - I stop to let some air out of my tires and catch up to him a short time later. He pulls over and says "you should go i don't want to slow you up" I did toe dab a couple of times but other then that i was riding well. man - that crash put a little damper on my ride tho! ouchy!
saturday - did a road ride toward Ward - i'm feeling weak and out of shape! my power is down from this time last year. :(
tuesday - i had organized a girls ride but the weather didn't cooperate. No one showed up but i went to the trail head anyway and it was way to soft to ride. turned around and went home.
wednesday tried to go out for a quickie road ride and 2(!) miles away from the office i pinch flatted my rear tire - so after i patched the tube i just went back to work - so i got a whopping 4 mile ride in.
The flat is my fault for several reasons:
1. i wasn't paying attention and didn't see the rock i ran over until it was too late (I'm just glad i didn't crash!)
2. my rear tire is super worn and soft- i'm taking a risk everytime i ride on it
3. i didn't pump up my tire and it was a little mushy.
Wednesday afternoon Dave and I went to Hall for practice on the rocks again. The conditions were tough as it was wet enough for the sand to stick to your tires and lose traction. I swear I couldn't climb over a pebble. I fell several times and got a new set of bruises. It's depressing my technical climbs skills on the rigid. ughh....i'm frustrated!!!
Thursday i tired to go out at lunch for another road ride but it was too windy - i walked out to the parking out in my bike clothes then turned around and walked back into the office. :(
Thursday afternoon i really wanted to ride but was supposed to meet Dave, Dana and Xanthe for dinner @ 6:30 before we went to the movie. So i thought i'd have time to do a loop @ betasso and an up/down on the connector trail. I took the FS because I wanted to see if i could clean the connector trail with gears (I can't on the SS) and also i want to see if i could break my new PR on the descent.
I start on the loop and some fast racer dude in a Sports Garage kit blasts past me - we chat for a minute and he takes off. I'm pushing it on the descent trying to keep up with him and my tire burps air in a corner, the bead unseats and i flat. F!CK!!! I was cussing - damn it this flat was totally gonna cost me my ride. :(
While i'm fixing my flat a couple of hikers come up
hikers: "oh there you are!"
me: ??
hikers: "your friend said you were right behind him"
me: "oh - well i was until i flatted"
me thinking (well that's cool that guy thought i was good enough to hang)
I throw in a tube and my tube has a hole it in and is leaking air. I only have 1 tube and I figured i'd just walk out instead of trying to patch it. then Sport Garage racer dude comes by
on his 2nd loop.
SGRD: "oh there you are - what happened"
me: "my tire burped air and I flatted but my spare tube has a hole in it"
me: "i'm just gonna walk out - it's not that far"
SGRD: "here take my spare tube - just remember if you need something go to SG"
me: "ok"
me - i'm all flustered and can't find my tire levers that i just had.
SGRD: "here use mine"
me: "i'm all flustered and i'm having a hard time"
SGRD: "yes - i see - just give me the tire and let me change it - i'm way faster"
me sheepishly agreeing "ok"
SGRD: "where's your accent from - I like it"
me (thinking - is he flirting w/me?) - "texas"
we chat a bit more and he brings up his wife so i'm relieved he's just being nice and not flirting even though he's *very* complimentary when I mention Ricky and tell him my age. He fixes my tire and sends me my way and I get a whopping 3.3 miles in before i zip back to town to meet the gang.
SGRD was a cool dude - i was lucky to have run into him. :)
friday - I get a 16mile road ride in at lunch with no mishaps
friday afternoon - i bust ass to Hall Ranch with the FS. I want to make sure i don't totally suck climbing and it's just my skills on the rigid. I definitely do better on the technical climbing with the FS - not as good as I have done in the past - but decent. I do the loop and some guy keeps passing me (I can tell he's totally maxing himself out to do it - i'm going hard but not super hard) and then he rests and I pass him back and a few minutes later he'll pass me again panting heavily. At one point i casually comment "dude you are working hard, eh?" he sheepishly smiles and says yes.
At the end of the loops i'm hauling ass and i don't know what i did but i came over a whoop and landed sideways and those lame Hutchinson tires i have slide out and i bite it hard. gravel rash all over my left leg and elbow. big time bummer!
I catch up to guys that kept passing my on the climb the bench for the descent down - he takes off - I stop to let some air out of my tires and catch up to him a short time later. He pulls over and says "you should go i don't want to slow you up" I did toe dab a couple of times but other then that i was riding well. man - that crash put a little damper on my ride tho! ouchy!
saturday - did a road ride toward Ward - i'm feeling weak and out of shape! my power is down from this time last year. :(
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