Question- on those days you don't have it, would you rather quit, or finish it off no matter your result?
Opinion shop open for business- youll remember the times you beat yourself down to will yourself to just finish more then the other days. I'll remember Du Lac more than any of the previous 2011 series races/ results... Got nothing + don't quit = ricoh
I'd rather dig a hole then talk myself into throwing in the towel and walking away from it... Maybe it's the wrestler mentality or maybe it just being Ricoh, or both... Funny how some that decide to quit try talking others into it... I came across 2 guys talking each other into dnf'ing. And these guys had dropped me 15 minutes earlier... They tried luring me into it, but I just mumbled something and marched on...
Duluth trip highlights (mix of fun and fear)- Dawn/ kids and I with some epic cabin adventures... Lester Trails/ Split Rock/ Gooseberry/ Witness deer jump into car window (driver ok, deer not)/ Canal Park and ships and 4 wheeled bike/ Piedmont in the mud (section 8A)/ Witness car break in at Lester river (punk kids)/ Lake Superior swim and rock hunt (lake aint that cold QPet...)/ Explore French and Knife Rivers/ Du Lac preride- Mark taking a huge digger riding high speed into some rip-rap and walking away from it (POINT), DHer in the making?/ Momma no panic attack when walked up on with child in difficulty/
Last and least Du Lac- Climb off start went into woods top 10 then gave up 10 places real quick as vision spun but not wheels, race highlight- Rocket called out riding the mini DH jumps and 3 LCR do em while catfish and loon and silverwood go around (POINT), then Rocket calls ride the bench on side of trail got that too while in haze. Got caught by Mayella Ewell only to see said person skip trail, too funny. Atticus Finch got it right...
Thanks to my 3 amegos (Dawn/ Mark/ Madeline) for the support at Du Lac... Kids would rather hang at the big lake, but they were good soldiers helping me push on when the tank was empty/ see pic below of 6 year old WALK ALONG giving me pep talk for lap 5.
Race pace??? ha.
Bicycle built for 4...
Up next... More circles... Maybe farther West for a bit in Aug? Would like to test Pivot where it belongs.
TDF- Go Cuddles go... Wonder if Hushoff can ride singletrack? I heard/ read Schleck bros got no skill. Bet Contidor don't like weeds and bugs just like jimmmmay. Jim don't even know who Contdor is...
XTR 2x10 CRANKS 40-28T 175mm- brand new still for sale... I'm not good at selling stuff on interweb.
Riddlers Pit Part Do--- Same spot, got a few more to explore the attempt to dig out of a hole... I tell you whaat, there are more stories digging out of a sand pit then there are starting on the fast(er) line to the left... Now we just need to get the holdouts to move down and in to the trap...
Up next--- House chores... Maybe a firecracker or maybe back to the pit for a Sunday Buck. I've spent more money on less...
TDF month- More couch time then ride time? I want to see a cat fight mtb vs pure rodie... Cuddles vs Pistol Boi. Got to go with Cuddles, he at least was mtb world champ. Hedjsdal mtb champ- would beat all in hand to hand combat. Levi won leadville, that don't count.
Repeat- XTR CRANKSET FOR SALE. NEW. NEVER USED. 2x10. 175MM 40x28T. BEST OFFER. I can't afford to keep toting this gizmo around...
Random... Do you know either of these riddlers??? Or the location???
The guy with the load of sticks on his back... That's Team Ricoh.
Those in LCR just get it, those not, don't. It's all about the disadvantage, fighting your way out of a hole, being last makes you first, winning isn't everything, remember Underdog? Besides Popeye, that dude ruled Cartoon land circa 1978...
"Riddlers pit". The Buck starts are down low, LCR (besides Eddy) gravitates to the worst possible sand trap spot to tow the line= riddlers pit. Why? See above...
Last week start off riddlers pit, D-man led out, his Pops would have been proud to witness, but ARS don't start in riddlers pit with us these days... It was humorous start, no complications other than passing 30 people in 200 yards...
This week, was expecting the same. But didn't compute that riddlers pit was now DRY. Off start, spun out within 5 feet, second attempt futile, no mo to dig out of trap, run bike to hard ground, start was in bottom 5. Sweet. New game, time to fight out of almost dead last see where it shakes out. Worked my way up some, but then pushed off trail in first little singletrack, me blocker (yag on my part), jimmmmay helps me out.
Lap 1 picnic in the heat. Come up on a LCR sister in long sleeve and fancy pants, it's RZ. In heat infused high tone squeel "Zilla coming up!!!" RZ goes elbows wide, kids me to the weeds thinking me the enemy, ha, jack would be pleased, POINT. Somehow got weeds wedged into rim/ tire bead. Thwacking against fork, lasted for a lap. Challange- avoid mind riddle to stop and pull weeds, just ignor. Then on to rubbed elbows with D-rider, a little back and forth tellin me he ain't sandbagging- nice, he'd be LCR if pickles had no juice.
Lap 2- up some more to fast start Eddy and his new guy Steve... Get by on backwards climb only to get chain wedged between cranks and frame, can't ignor that. Off bike to decode. The handfull I just passed now have to redo effort. Burn another match. Sweet.
Lap 3- Get by Ragnorok Champ Brandon Mankse and fellow OG Ray Coyle. Good to see both these guys giving it.
Lap 4 brought in a handful more including gravel grinder Ted Loose, he did me in on sprint finish at Rag 2 years ago, Nice. He'd be a recruit, but Wookies have more sophisticated riddles to us lower on evolution chain.
In the end- burnt 7-8 extra matches/ stall out/ chain wedge/ weed eat in 4 laps was able to fight back for 12th.
It's not the final result you remember, but what it took to get that result...
The racer boi in me says go start to the left/ no riddlers pit sand trap next week. But my LCR sisters will call point if I avoid the disadvantage.
For 1 hour on a bike, too much to say, didn't stick around just went to hang with Honey...
To Friday-
Spent 3+ hours on new bike at Levis Trow yesterday. Heat infused singletrack bliss. Goat Dancer- wanted my fancy phone and the Goat. Sidewinder both ways (backwards easier). Toad road twice, had to redo the challenge spot, almost fell off rocks from heat, ha. Cliffhanger, no propedal required, pin it but dabbed on slick limestone rock line, "point" in my head. Porky Point, stopped and did ladder drop backwards (aka climb the drop) for my sisters. Went to cap off with Snodgrass for Stoener, but trail was closed- swamped. Jim- i thought of you getting the reverse teeter point on me when doing the stunt trail... Oh, new skinny in Dead Turkey- consequence is ankle deep mud... ha.
Hope you were able to get full 7 minutes of song. Bonham's drumming non compare, many copy.
"When the levee breaks momma you got to move..." Led Zep playing the blues