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Sunday,
February 24, 2008
ALL
PHOTOS
Friday,
February 22, 2008
My
new Gloves! From My Love Jill for Valentines Day! They were great
at Santos! PRYME
DEM BONES. I'm pretty sure she ordered them from Dan's Comp.
Thursday,
February 21, 2008
Santos
12 Hour Report, Better Late than Never! Took Friday Off of work
and set out for Ocala, Florida Via Mike B.'s House in Macon, Georgia.
We made good time and arrived in the Vortex approx 2:00. We did
loose some time waiting for the Popeye's Chicken to open. The
Biscuits were worth the wait later that evening. Monte was there
and had already picked out a Prime Spot along the two way trail
near the Start Finish.
I
set up my camp/pit area. My pit was in a prime location. I could
get right on and off the trail with plenty of room. My tent and
all my gear was right behind my Pit Table, the perfect set up.
After
setting up camp we suited up for a Pre-Ride. I did not have time
to switch over my new rear tire so I just rode with the 2.5. It
was Mike B. on a Rigid Fixie, Monte on a Carbon Cannondale, Mike
from Jax on his FS Cannondale. These guys started off in my XC
race pace. I new I wasn't about to kill myself on the Pre Ride
so I just let them go right of the bat. The course was Rough and
Rugged near the Start and end of each lap. Drops, steep tech climbs,
Skinney ladders, single track along cliff drop offs. it was exciting.
Some of the Trail looked to be freshly cut in and I noticed some
vines with huge thorns. I made a mental note to stay on the trail
there. I do not need to get off the trail and pick one of those
up. The back side of the course was flat flowy trail with berms
you could carry a tremendous amount of speed through. This was
the tough part for me. I knew I would need to just sit back and
spin through this section every lap.
I
made my way the rest of the way around the 9 mile course feeling
strong. I was sweating a lot I noticed, It was HOT! I made sure
to drink plenty of water once I got back. As I was hydrating
I noticed my front tire was going slack. Sure enough I had picked
up one of those huge thorns. I decided to go ahead and put on
my new rear race tire wile I was at it.
I
didn't stay up to late as I needed my rest. I covered most of
my stuff up as to not get soaked by the heavy Central Florida
Dew. I got up with the birds Saturday Mornin. Boiled some water
for my coffee and oatmeal.
| |
| The
Start of Santos 12 Hour! |
About
15 minutes before the start I decided to go ahead and anchor a
good spot on the start line. I had a good time chit chatting with
the racers. Some whom I only know through Forums or Blogs. I wanted
to get out near the front so I could get some good photos. I started
out at a good steady pace and did not let anyone make me "chase"
them. I was on MY time, and MY time Alone. I had a wonderful Time
navigating the technical parts of the course. I would push hard
through these sections and Sit back and cruize through the flat
twisty parts.
I
was drinking Hour Bottles of Hammer Perpetum
and eating Power
Gel packs and
a PowerBar
protein bar. I also had 2 liters of water in my camel bak
that I was sipping from constantly.
At
the half way mark (6 hours) I stopped and took a long break. I
showered using gallon milk jugs, right next to the course. Fresh
set of clothes, Chicken and pasta, stretched and even laid down
for a few minutes. I totally felt revitalized! I was ready to
go. Out again I went for one more lap before I have to put on
lights. For lights I had one Energizer
HeadLamp LED Tied around the head tube of my bike and one
on my head. That was plenty of light for me. The cut off time
to go out on your last lap was 9:45pm. I started my 7th lap at
approx. 9:00. I was feeling tired in my upper body. My shoulders
were cramping some. I had not kept up the perpetuem and gels these
past couple laps and I could feel it. By the time I was into the
fast, flowy, twisty, section I was broken down like alka seltzer.
Both Mentally and physically exhausted. Going over personal things
in my life in my head, having conversations with grandparents
that have long ago made the eternal journey. Just Picture the
dude from the Movie Hidalgo when he's deep in the desert chanting
for help, except with a bike.
To
sum it up, I believe this is going to end up being the Trip/Race
of the Year! I had such a good time I'm not sure if there is an
event planned this year that will top it.
Other
Write Ups of the Race worth reading:
Harvey
Minton
Naked
Indian
Speed
Pacer
Sunday,
February 17, 2008
12
Hours Of Santos
ALL
PHOTOS
| |
| Lemans
Start of the Santos 12 Hour |
Full
Race RESULTS
Tuesday,
February 05, 2008
Placed
an order with Maxxis online last week. Purchased a Larsen
TT 26x2.35 tire. Price with standard shipping was $50. The
tire arrived the next day!
Maxxis
description of the Larsen TT: "FREE RIDE, The TT works
on a vast number of terrains and conditions, which is why it is
the favored tread of many of our pro dual riders. The TT hooks
up well because each small, square lug in the tread pattern is
ramped to roll easily, yet tightly spaced so more knobs are making
contact with the ground. Thus, the contact patch is effective
on a wide variety of surfaces. Ramped square knob design, front
or rear, direction-specific. Hardpack, loose-over-hardpack, medium
soil."
Currently
grinding away on the long Sidewalk/Backroad rides is a Maxxis
Minion Down Hill 2.5. It is a great way to train with a little
extra weight on the rear wheel. The Larsen TT weighs 1.2 pounds
less than the Minion. The TT is scheduled to be installed prior
to leaving for SANTOS next week. It will only be used on Pre-Rides
and Race Days.
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| My
new Larsen TT 2.35 (left) |
Saturday,
February 02, 2008
| |
| Arrowhead
Trail - Lake Tobosofkee - Macon, Georgia |
Odometer:
209.6 Miles
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