Fat Boy Deluxe

Two weeks, two rides…three races.  Sometimes it’s like that (what) and thats the way it is.  A couple weeks ago I raced W@W #2 (DFL), then my next time on the bike I did a Monday night ride with Steve and Gary out at Colt’s Neck.  The trails looked good, the dirt was dry, and all of us were out of shape.  Then I raced W@W #3 (just eeked out in front of somebody in the last couple of minutes).  The course was shorter and backwards this race, but it felt harder, like there was more uphill.  I think it was simply that the course is almost always run the other way, so the little nuances of the trail are smoothed in, whereas when reversed everything is a little more bumpy and maybe theres just a little more of the slight uphills instead of slight downhills…who knows.  Shift to last weekend and I rode again with Steve and Gary, but this time we headed out to Rosaryville to check out the loop.  It’s fast, flowy, and if you ride fast enough in 100 degree heat it WILL put a hurting on you.  It was a nice day to ride and a great trail.  I managed to get a flat on the second half of the trail, but a little patch and we we’re off.  Got the bike nice and dusty for Sunday’s EX2 Cranky Monkey race.  Decided to race Sport since it was earlier in the day, so less hot and more time to go see Pirates 2.

Cranky Monkey course at Wakefield was pretty bomber.  It utilized the whole park, from the bowl, to salamander, to creek trail, to new stuff, to gravel roads.  All together it came out to about a 6 mile lap.  I averaged 9 mph and finished in just under 2 hours for a 67th out of 96.  Too bad I’ll be missing the next two Cranky races while I’m on vacation. Mmm…vacation…Ocean City, Maine, and Boston…the east coast extravaganza - have wife, dog, bike and beer…will travel.  Things I’m looking forward to: crabs with Old Bay, lobster rolls (the real kind, no mayo, just butter and maybe a little paprika in a New England style bun), any fried seafood from Huets, and Shipyard Brewing.

And I’m out!

DT