The Big Wheel

Bike all packed up

Well, the movers just packed up all the stuff I am taking to Turkey with me....including my bike.  It was painful to watch them wrap it up and cram it into a shipping container.  I just know that the wheels will need to be trued when I get there.  I hope that is all that needs work when I set it back up.  If there is any damage I will post pics.   Let's hope it doesn't come to that. 

  So now I only have my SS road bike to ride between now and 7 May when I leave.  I'm bringing the road bike with me in a travel case so I have transportation when I arrive. 

Leesburg Bakers Dozen

Just a short blurb about the race I did yesterday.  Tammy posted some pictures....see below for those.

I had never entered a race like the Bakers Dozen so I wasn't sure what to expect. My best lap was 35 minutes - a full seven minutes faster than any of my pre-race practice laps. I was "honored" to pull the first lap of the race.  What a nightmare that was.  It was like a bicycle conga line for the first 3 miles.   Our team pulled one rotation of double-laps and I thought my 2-lap time would really suck but I still averaged 41 minute laps. Last night was also my first-ever night ride. I managed to get in two night laps. The trail certainly changes when it's dark. Even so, I still turned in sub-45 minute laps in the dark.

Not sure where we finished in the overall standings...they haven't posted the results yet.  Out of 48 teams in our category, I think we placed about 35th.  WE'RE NOT LAST!!!!

My bike performed flawlessly.  Some might consider a 4.5" travel bike overkill for a course like that but I thought it was perfect.  The Nine RIP9 is great for cross country riding....very efficient pedaling.  There were lots of log piles and rocks along the trail that made me thankful I had suspension....especially when I got tired and my riding turned a little sloppy.  I didn't have a single mechanical problem at all...no flats, no mis-shift, not even brake squeal. 

Some of the things I learned:
1. Bring clear lenses for my sunglasses.  The bugs were horrible when the sun went down.
2. Bring more real food.  Trail food is fine while you are on the trail but it all tastes like mulch when you're sitting at the campsite.
3. Night riding is FUN! 
4. Chamois cream is a must!

More cowbell!

This is Vecsus' wife...He is still recouperating from the race and is too weak to get up. (just kidding)
Some of the pictures that I took of the Leesburg Bakers Dozen Race.
Leesburg Bakers Dozen Race

Entering the Leesburg Bakers Dozen

Instead of bemoaning yet another season of riding lost due to military committments, I've decided to take full advantage of the time I have left before shipping out in May.  I decided to enter the Leesburg Bakers Dozen race that takes place 19 April.  I briefly considered entering solo but decided it would be better and more fun to enter the 3-person team category.  So I posted a "Will someone please ride with me" post on the MORE Forum and within 30 minutes had two partners - Mike and Matt. 

  Two of us are on 29ers (both Niner RIP9s) and one is on a 26er.  We decided to call our team "Two and a half Bikes".  We're not looking for a podium finish...just a good time.  This Sunday is a pre-ride day so we'll meet up and take a few laps on the course to get an idea what we're in for.  The race is held on private property and can only be ridden on designated days.  This will be one of only two or three shots at riding the course before the race. 

The laps are only about 7.5 miles so we should be able to turn in 1-hour lap times all day....if not faster. I''m hoping for at least 15 laps.  Last years winning 3-person team turned in 20 laps.  With three of us there will be plenty of rest time between laps.  Although I am a little concerned that we might have too much down-time.  I'd hate for my legs to go dead in the two hours between laps. 

On a related note, since part of the race will be in the dark (it ends at midnight) I will need lights.  So last night I picked up two sets of lights at REI.  I got a Niterider Solmate for the helmet and a set of Niterider x2 Dual for my handlebar.  That gives me three beams of light to illuminate the trail.  I should have some decent depth perception with that setup.  I need to get in a couple night rides so I can get used to riding in the dark....something I have never really done before, at least not on singletrack. 

Awesome Weekend!!

What an awesome weekend this was.  On Saturday morning I went for a ride on the Quantico trails with three other people.  The temp was in the mid 40s and I managed to pick the exact right clothing combination – not too cold, not too warm.  We rode for about two hours.  I also picked up my new Niner RIP9 frame from Scud at the ride. 

   And then on Monday, President’s Day, a bunch of us met up right outside Quantico and carpooled down to Poor Farm…a trail outside of Richmond.  The weather forecast for the day predicted it would be in the mid-60s and mostly cloudy.  Once again, the weather guessers were wrong.  It was 74 and partly cloudy.  The trail was in great shape and my energy level was high.  In fact, when we got back to the parking lot I felt like I still had extra energy left in my legs so I suggested we go out for another small loop.   In total, we rode for about 3 hours.  I cleaned a few tricky climbs I didn’t think I would be able to make.  Of course I also took a header on a relatively simple log pile when my front tire crossed up on me.  That’s what happens when you get cocky. 

   After the ride went to a BBQ place called Smokey Pig.  Right as we finished up my wife called to tell me that a box from Speedgoat had arrived.  MY NEW FORK!  The UPS tracker said it would not be here til the 20^th.   Kinda cool to have it arrive two days early.  The new fork is for the RIP9 frame that I am building up.  I will post some build picks in a couple days.  Unfortunately, building the RIP means I am stripping down my Waltworks.  Since I am leaving for Turkey in about two months, it doesn’t make sense trying to keep them both kitted out.  I’m taking the RIP to Turkey so I need to build it out now to make sure I have everything dialed in before I go.  The Walt will hibernate in the closet while I am gone.  Makes me sad to set it aside another year. 

New Road Bike

Tammy and I went up into Maryland today for a huge annual bike swap.  The goal was to find myself a road bike that I could take with me to Turkey.  I need something to get to/from work.  I had a few key criteria for the bike.  It had to be steel, it had to be cheap (under $400), it had to fit, and it couldn't look like a complete piece of trash.  Mission accomplished.  I found exactly what I was looking for.  It's a 1987 Trek 400 Elance.  Made in the US from 531 Steel.  It has semi-horizontal dropouts if I ever want to go SS with it.  It has rack/fender eyelets as well.  There are a few tweaks I need to make, like a new handlebar and some cross brake levers so I can slow down without being in the drops.  I'm also going to put some 30 or 32 tires on it to help smooth out the rough roads I am bound to encounter in Izmir.  Other than that, the bike is in great shape.  A few nicks here and there but it rolls smooth and silent.  Here are some pics.

 

Screwed Again!

Last week I was informed that I have been reassigned to Izmir, Turkey with a report date of 10 May 2008.  Yes, that's right....another season of mountain biking in the States stolen right out from under me.  On the upside, there is some great mountain biking in the area.  I've been in contact with a guy that is living there right now and he has been feeding me some great info about the assignment and the local riding scene.   Check out his blog for some info....it's not updated often (but then again, neither is mine) but has some good pics and even google earth maps of the local trails.  Here's a sample of what's on his site.  This pic below was taken on one of the trails in the mountains that overlook the city.    

In addition to the trails in the immediate area, there are hundreds of miles of trails out in the Cappadocian Mountain.  I'm shipping my truck over with me so I will be able to get out and see the country and ride some of the more remote trails. 

It is my intent to chronicle my riding adventures on this blog.  So instead of a few lame posts about rides that everyone has done a million times, I should be able to show some scenery that you might not otherwise see. 

TRICARE SUCKS!!!

Nothing bike related here, I just want to add one more page to the google results whenever someone enters "TRICARE SUCKS" as a search.  Thousands of hits out there. 

I have been having severe back pain for the past four nights.  I feel the ache during the day but at night it's like someone is stabbing me with a red-hot poker.  I can't sleep for more than a few hours at a time without waking up because of the pain.  Getting back to sleep is very difficult.  I toss and turn so much that my wife isn't getting the sleep she needs either. 

  I have no idea how or why this pain started.  I wasn't in any accidents, didn't lift anything heavy, didn't change mattresses...nothing out of the ordinary to cause this.  It hurts so bad that I get short of breath. In fact, it hurts even more when I fully exhale so I end up taking a lot of short, shallow breaths - almost to the point of hyperventilation.  Although I'm sure my frustration is also to blame for that. 

So this morning I called to make an appointment to see a Doc in the Pentagon Tricare clinic.  The next available appointment is 11 Feb!  They want me to wait two friggin weeks just to see someone to talk about the problem.  The way military healthcare works, that first visit will be 45 minutes behind schedule and last all of 10 minutes.  The doc will give me some motrin and tell me to avoid heavy lifting.

  The only other option I have is to call them at 0600 in the morning and hope they have a same-day appointment available.  I wonder where those same-day slots come from.....probably cancellations by people that either sought outside care or died while waiting on their appointment. 

  I know Tricare is cheaper than other health insurance.  But this is certainly a case of "you get what you pay for."

Short Write-Up for Short Rides

Been on a few short rides over the past few days.  Nothing difficult but enough of a workout to keep my legs from complete atrophy.  I also wanted to post an image of a really cool wooden bike Tammy and I saw on the cruise ship last week. 

The Joys of Being Home

I would like to say that I've been busy with all sorts of exciting stuff since I got back from Iraq.   But I haven't.  I've mostly been sitting around doing nothing.  That might make me sound lazy but after six months of non-stop 12-hour days - doing nothing is pure bliss.  I've been sleeping in, vegging out, drinking beer, eating unhealthy food, and generally being a bum.  And I don't regret a moment of it.

  Tomorrow I I am driving up to Princeton, New Jersey to meet with some folks about a part-time consulting job I managed to stumble into.  Long story made short:  I've been hired to be a consultant on a new software application.  I'm not a programmer but that is not what they need me for.  They want a users perspective on their product and, based on some work I did with them in the past, they hired me as a SME (subject matter expert).  I won't mention the name of the company or the application to avoid any endorsement or conflict of interest with my Air Force job.  The money I am going to make off this job is kinda crazy - at least for someone that's been collecting enlisted military pay for the past 18 years.  With the money I'll make on this job I'll be getting a second mountain bike (had to bring the topic back to bikes to keep this post on-topic).

  Anyway, once I start getting paid for this new job, I will start the painful process of trying to figure out what new bike to get.  I've got a good line on slightly used Niner RIP 9 frame.  The money I save on the frame will let me put together a very nice build kit.  Stay tuned for updates.