Cooked/ Not Cheated

You know your cooked when off the start you try and ramp it up only to realize you could be hypnotized by staring at your front wheel in combo with a steady drop in heart rate instead. All I kept thinking was how could a 16 mile Mont Du Lac MN Series race seem way longer than a 100 miler? 

I don't like to cheat myself, therefore leading up to the race all I did was beat myself to a pulp. That beating incorporate the best trails of MN and WI, Chequamegon- Duluth. 

Wednesday, Cheq OO North on new Seeley Pass to Ojibwa and return, 4 hr tour. Outstanding! Thursday, Rock Lake- Hildebrandt both ways- Wilson- Patsy- Namekogon, 4 hr tour, best 4 hour loop there is around. Friday, rondayvo with some beloved Sisters for the new Spirit Mtn DH trails (worthy of your visit), and the best 7-8 miles of trail in MN, PIEDMONT. Saturday, Du Lac pre-ride plus the DH ride/ no race= sally's (odd the DH more groomed than XC), Hartley Park, and Lester...  

Reward for riding the gnar at Piedmont

Sunday rolled around we all mumbled about going back to Piedmont. Well we are all suckers for the racer boi thing, so we did played our rolls (mid and backpackers, wheel breakers, riddlers, and sandy baggers) instead. MN SERIES RESULTS

ho hum. Sandy Bags' guy

Note- The Mamasita held up well on the DH and the Piedmont gnar. No wheel taco's, all true. Thanks Random Bikes! 

Cuyuna Rusty RACE & spray tan

I'm not one to save it for race day. This week I tried it though and cheated myself out of a good story or three at Buck... But. Had a good ~100 mile day in the saddle at the 2nd annual Cuyuna Rusty Ride (RACE) benefitting MORC and mountain biking.

On paper. 100 mi for 1st.

THANKS MORC, CUYUNA MTB Club, all the volunteers, and some good competition.

I think this buckle would look good on the sheep's head manaquin in the Behind Bars front garage window... 'LCR rules?' ha.

Participation buckle. If I'd have DNF'd, would have handed it back in...

Cuyuna spray tan... people sit in booths and pay for this...

Next year bootie socks to lower the tan line. 

Ya I know... Since when should this Sauber taste any sort of 1st place... It was the friday night all you can eat fish fry at Ya Betcha Bar...

GOOD LUCK to those (Funkemaster and his Guys, & #1) heading to the MDH 100. Keep your head up and on a swivel... I still remember 13 years ago at the MDH, when Luke Nelson biked right into the middle of a herd of cattle, next thing you know stampeed. Didn't phase Luke. ha

Living the bike dream week this week, cept I got something keeping me off the bike. Riddle that...

WTR. MN Race in WI? Yap.

Hat off to the KORC guys of River Falls. The puzzle they've put together into an MTB trail is worthy. A mix of most anything you'll encounter on an mtb xc trail in MN/ WI. Trail is certainly worthy of a stop in prior to or after a trip farther east into enemy territory...

My sort of race warm up on the non race stuff...

1 for 1 on Tues, 1 for 12 today. Almost tore my RD off too... ha.

 Another gift of a good day to race. Conditions perfect off the start. Carnage up the funnel climb, to a dust bowl of epic proportions on the top (can I re-nig on my perfect conditions, bring on the rain I prayed). I've raced many a dust races but I've never had one where I started to convulse during a drink attempt. Laughed after the fact, all this bike dust inhalation, we are all going to have some sort of odd silicosis lung disease in 20 years... I can see it now, bunch of old coots with O2 tanks and wheel chairs durbying...

Anyhow, fast trail keeps you honest with nicely pinned trees on the lower edge of the trails. You want to widen the trail, you'll pay the price... Rode for the majority with Young Basco brother Kasey, lad has some bike skills... First time for bee sting to the hand while in death grip on an off camber. Had to take the bee abuse until I could remove hand from bar for fear of superman into the sticks. Yelled to MattHowie 'bee's are attacking'. Guy behind me commented 'you are biking in the woods Larry.' Ha.

Interested in the... RACE RESULTS

Shift gears back to Sat...
'Pseunami Slide'. Kid partay. Slide was more thrills than you'd think. Superman launch like a bullet into a 3' deep pool. Kept thinking this is almost worthy of the Squirl Clan winter bobsled course... Talking about renting it again as end of summer rally...

Air blower has to run continuous. Be ready for tripped circuit breakers.