EFTA #8 The Pinnacle

This one will go down in the books as a 2h 40ish minute visit to the pain cave.

Two big climbs each lap, that were 100% NOT taylor made for a single speed. I was fighting back cramps starting at about 3/4 through the first lap. After that I just put my head down and suffered through the rest. Thanks to some huge storms that rolled through central NH saturday night all the rocks and roots were real slick. Luckily I didnt have any serious bails although I had plenty of hail mary's that could have ended horribly.

After summiting Coit Mountain there was some very steep descending that I loved. The kind of steep where you are completely behind your saddle, brakes locked and you are still flying. That is the kind of terrain that I can ride better than a lot of other racers, even with a rigid. I passed a few people on that section on each lap and rode it cleanly both times. Then it dumped out onto a less steep rocky/rooty technical descent that shook the crap out of me and most of the people i passed on the steeps passed me back on their full suspension rides.

I passed a lot of bonked souls on my last lap, this race ruined a lot of people. I came in around where I usually do, about 10 minutes out from the rest of the single speed 'pack'. got 6th (AKA last). First and Second in the standings both finished in front of me and I think the way things stand after this race is probably where they will stay. I'll have to decide whether or not I want to drive all the way to Georgetown Maine for the last race in mid-Sept. It's quite a haul and I have third locked with little to no chance of moving up.

So my MTB race season might be over. Huge improvement over last year, and when I add my fork for next year and watch even more MacGyver this off season, I'm gonna take New England by storm (AKA last)

Blue Cross (Blue Shield)

Figured out a name finally. Its like the HMO but not. The Chopper has been put to sleep for now...i know it was just reborn and I made a big deal about it but this frame was cheap and new and I can consolidate parts from two bikes and keep this one and give the PUCH to Ashlee so she can cruise Tewks. Circle of Life.

Thanks to the lovely people at the United States Postal Service there is a slight ding in the head tube, but I was still able to press in the headset cups and cosmetically its barely noticeable so i dont think its gonna be worth the trouble trying to make an insurance claim.

Done...kinda. I'm waiting on some new brakes, but everything else is set. Cables are in place and just need to be attached to the brakes when they get here. I think I will eventually add some racks and maybe fenders and try some light touring trips or maybe some of the extended cross rides coming up next month.

EFTA #7 Fort Rock Revenge

To sum this race up i think ill go with...."I'm getting suspension for next season."

This was probably the most consistently technical course of the season, but it was the kind of technical that is still really fast, and without suspension that roughly equates to feeling like you just got beat up in the parking lot after a push up contest when you get finished with 18 miles.

This was the first time i really felt like riding ironman was holding me back, my legs and heart felt great and i really wanted to let loose but i was going as fast as the pain in my hands and arm joints would allow and as fast as i could manage without crashing. I would have liked to have come in about 10 minutes faster and I think I probably could have even with the terrain but I checked out of this race mentally around mile 14 of 18 and it turned into survival after that. (for a split second on my last lap quitting even crossed my mind, and for anyone who knows me that never happens. luckily my masochistic side immediately starting making fun of me and that was that)

So yeah i'll finish off the season ironman, add that to my bragging rights, and then go buy a fork for next year. Ended up coming in 5th out of 6 finishers (10-12 people started). I am currently in 3rd in the overall standings and i believe I have that spot secured...i.e. even if the guy in 4th wins the next two races and I don't show up I will still have more points than him. There is a chance I could move up but it would require the other two guys to either DNF or no-show.

Now I can start to focus some of my attention on some fun races (pinnacle challenge) and maybe a century ride.

EFTA #6 Bradbury Mountain Enduro

Didn't actually go to this race, but i figured that when i did my next race recap my thousands of readers would notice that i went from EFTA #5 to EFTA #7 and there would be mass pandemonium.

I skipped it for various reasons. A week's vacation in maine with no bike riding to speak of isnt the best prep for the longest race of the season (30 miles). it was an early start with a long drive to get there meaning i would have had to be up and on the road by 6am. not an incredible feat i just wasnt feeling it.

in addition this race draws out a lot of very fast SS racers and i busted my ass at this race last year and only came in 13th scoring no points towards the series final. So i decided to get back on the bike after vacation, get some solid miles in and save my energy for this weekend's race.

Turns out it was a good strategy because i am rested, have gotten some good rides in, and i heard that someone who usually beats me by about 5 mins came in 11th so i probably wouldnt have scored any points again, AND i heard the heat and humidity that day was brutal.