evan sucks cause he lead the ride...

today was an epic mtb day before work. the ride was fast and SUPER technical. the bad part is i am not the most skilled rider (log rides, log hops, 2 ft cement walls...) and the 2nd half of the ride (at belmont) kicked my ass so bad. thats not a big deal, i left with my pride (and bike) intact. however, there was so much poison ivy, and i got so scratched and fell so much that i know im gonna have poison ivy soon. im real itchy and i know ill get it, its just a matter of time- im afraid to pet my doggy. anyway, this tough ride is getting me in shape for my next race on june 21st (im gonna step it up to the next category for this one).

training

ive been riding my zaskar almost every day of the week thus far and im getting in even better shape and my skill (and or confidence) has greatly increased recently. the bike is amazing and it is so effortless to ride up big technical hills.

bummer man...

i was going to be able to take off part of today to be in the bike race at french creek state park, the problem is it was canceled. there has been so much rain (my basement flooded because the ground is so wet and the pump just wont work) that they dont want a repeat of last weeks muddy trail-destroying fiasco. so many more races though, i cant wait.

oh yeah...

i got fined last weekend for riding my bike in philly's fairmount park system without being registered (22 dollar registration fee). ive been riding this park (valley green) since i was a lil' boy and ive never seen any rangers before. nobody at my shop and nobody ive ever ridden with has been registered. i sent in my letter and im fighting this in a hearing- i love meeting all the philly judges because thats gonna be me some day. anyway, a 25 dollar fine for riding a bike just pisses me off. and to make matters worse, my family and i belong to the organization which maintains the trails (because the city doesnt do it) and we volunteer a few times a year. uh, i knew something was makin me mad and keeping me from sleep. well, ive been up since 5 am and i had a great muddy day and i need some sleep.

escape from granogue

i just got back from a mid atlantic super series race in deleware (i was surprised at how big some of these deleware hills were)... it was called escape from granogue and i barely made it out. by the afternoon the mud was more like gorilla glue. i probably walked about 6 miles total today, during the bike race. the mud in some areas got so stuck onto the tires that when i tried to carry my bike i couldnt because it just weighed too much; i had problems shifting, braking, steering, seeing etc etc. i finished on the podium and got some really cool cuts and bruises. my bike kinda squeals a bit now, but its nothing i (or a day of dry riding) cant fix. all in all it was a good day and i did much better than i did in my last race. i should be getting my photos up soon, but my memory card is stuck under a seat in my dads car, i kinda need to search for it tomorrow.


oh, i saw this sweet old 90's Ti zaskar frame in my size which i really wanna buy, its the bike which made me first love GT's. its either that or some road wheels...

not enough time

now that schools over i have become a slave to the bike shop again- i kinda like it though. when im not working 11 hour shifts ive been out riding my zaskar. ive done maybe 60 miles this week and i have another race on sunday (i totally forgot to write about my last one, but it was just this short-track thing and i was the only guy in spandex). im nervous for sunday because i think the race is pretty tough, and i havent done much since becoming an adult (aka non junior)- i hate being the youngest guy in my category, its like being a freshman in high school all over again.