Mount that thing!

Ok, so I realize I missed more than a decade of racing after 1997. When I left the sport, Camelbaks were not only the height of mtb fashion, but were deemed downright necessary, especially in hot climates.
I used to line up at an expert race and everyone had some type of hydration system on their backs. Now when I line up I am the ONLY one as far as I can see. When exactly did this change? And what for? The only thing I can figure is that people like to emulate the pros. And pros have pit crews handing up bottles and sponsors that don't want their precious names on the jersey covered up.
With the camelbak I can drink on any part of the course I want to. Some courses, like the Knob, offer very few good places to pull out a bottle.
And I even go against all good decorum and use mine road riding sometimes too. A moral and ethical blunder I'm sure. But keeping in the good graces of the roadies has never been on my agenda, on the contrary.
So if you can think a good reason I should'nt wear a camelbak, please let me know. Otherwise I will just keep on looking like a dufus on my own.

Wave your hands in the air like you just don't care

Ok Lance fans, you ain't gonna like this post so just look away now. Not that this should surprise you coming from me though.
So Lance goes to Colorado and wins the Mtb State Championship, which I'm sure was a tough race. But seriously, WTF dude!? You are beating up on some guys that probably work 40 hours a week and have kids at home to take care of.
There is this little thing called UCI World Cup racing that you might want to check out first before stripping a title from a hard working blue collar worker out there. Have some F#$%^&g class man!

(Send your hate mail now, I love it).






Mommy, I am this big!


















On a lighter note: I went down to the Mohican State Forest today and the trail was PERFECT! You know that 2-3" deluge we got here last night? Well it must not have rained at all in Loudonville so if you are looking for good trails then head on down.
The GT was railin' the turns and I was drifting the tires on several occasions. I can always tell when I have a good ride by the amount of debris kicked up by the front tire and stuck to my shins at the end. The only problem there now is that mile 16-20 is closed weekdays for some logging. This was quite a dissapointment because 'Ze legs had goot zenzations today' (Say this in your best Jens Voigt accent). I dearly wanted to set my best time there and was on pace for 2 hours until I came to that picnic area and saw the 'TRAIL CLOSED' sign. Crikey mate!
Oh well, I probably would have blown up anyway by mile 20. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Dinner is served

I decided to try to eat a Vegan diet for a week to try and drop a few pounds. So I stop down at the local farmers market looking for fresh veggies and come a across this Amish made peach pie. So I bought it along with three lbs. of yellow beans.

























The crust was perfect and it was then that I realized it was probably made from lard. So much for the vegan effort. The beans are still in the fridge.









Note to self:If your'e buying a pie from a 250 lb woman, that should be warning enough by itself.
I wonder if elderberries will be in season soon?

Place your bets

Leadville 100 coming up soon. Hopefully the finish will look like this again. Go Dave! Anyone think Lance can topple the Man this year?

Oh yeah, I forgot Floyd will be there too. I wonder if he will be back racing in sweatpants.