Hard week for me

Well the ongoing saga with my bike may finally get resolved this coming week but that means I had to do my first two races on borrowed steeds. So, this past Thursday, not having been on the dirt at all yet, borrowed a bike from Cory that I'd never ridden, and headed down to Buck Hill. Seemed like a good idea. Actually the bike fit fairly well. Thing is it was a single speed. Now don't get me wrong the two other times I've ridden a single speed I liked it, but they take a little different skill set to develop. This one was fully ridgid too, another user preference to adjust for. I actually had quite a bit of fun and learned a bit grinding up the hills past my geared brethern who decided to grab a fist full of gears. Very good training tool and I definetly going to pick one up...after I get the one I'm waiting for. I finished, but definetly not where I want to be. Came in like 18th I think. Definetly need to be getting in the top 10 at Buck.

Anyway, the thing I didn't realize with a fully rigid SS is that I'm not suppossed to hang on so tight. Ya, my right forearm informed me of this the next morning. I ended up with some sort of overuse type injury from squezing the life out of the bars down the hills and grindin' up them. The muscles on the top inside are about 3xs the size of my left arm.

Sooo...I iced it all the way to Cable on Friday afternoon to get ready for the Cable Classic.

This was after I picked up Cory's other bike to borrow for the race since he was going to use the SS. It is a 29er Slingshot with rigid front fork.

Slingshot is a company that makes frame that replace the downtube with a cable and spring. Very funky. Looks like it will break but is actually worked well.

Here again the first time I rode the bike was a 10 minute warm up pre race. Good thing we are about the same size.

That race was a suffer fest for me. I was burnt from Buck, my arm hurt like crazy, and it was like 30-40 degrees and muddy. I was wiped out afterward. Finished 30th at 1hr 36mins so it could have been worse.

The weekend plan was to also race the MNSCS opener today but I was just too burnt out and my arm is huge.

Pretty bummed about not doing the opener. I figured it was better than suffering for several laps and then crashing cause I can't control my borrowed bike with a bum arm.

At least my cold is finally breaking and I can cough junk out. Dang I sound like a winer.

I'm torked off enough about my start to this season that I plan on bringing my game up a notch to Afton.