Ships Log: Fat Aircraft carrier war games

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
As a kid fun, as an adult, it's a problem.

The state of the art in slots is now computer controlled tracks with the ability to change lanes, and run computer controlled cars.
there is the ability to speed limit (hence saving the car) and have realistic fuel consumption - ie you can run out of gas if you don't pit.
there is a pit row, with speed limit. remotes are wireless. 6 controlled cars at once, two lanes + ghost and/or pace cars

if you want to try something totally different - https://anki.com/en-us/overdrive - slotless tracks, smart cars, with virtual abilities that are earned (like speed and agility boosts)
a smartphone is used as the controller.

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My son has the Anki Overdrive. Pretty fun.
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Been going crazy lately with Child, race prep, work, and keeping on this training stuff....but I do have a quick mustang update

the guys got everything finished up underneath. All the welding done, all of the seams sealed, then undercoated.
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the also sprayed the dash and steering column
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So now I shouldn't have to worry about and rust or drive the car down a dirt road if i want to bring it to a biking event some day
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Mooch Madness!

Finally, the day has arrived. The work, the planning...then the day goes by like a wedding...seems like its over in 2 seconds.

This year @Kirt made a made the final suggestion on the course and I think it turned out perfect...If there was someway we could have had the fun downhill in the course and still went down the new switchbacks...I would have loved that even more, but its not really possible. Other than that, I liked taking the old part of the original short track course out with the river crossing...While it makes the road climb out of the camp seem to go on forever, it removes that switchback and a couple of other short climbs....so I think with the addition of the new short track course, it balanced out nicely. We always talk about tweaking this course more, but I really think that is one of the better downhills I have raced on around here....its a great combination of speed, fun...little bit of tech here and there, few rocks to jump off of...nothing on it is particularly hard or dangerous I dont think anyway...I love it. I usually go up and leaf blow it a second time because it gets so little use all year the leaves are like a foot thick...so its hard to get everything in one shot.

Pre riding, I hit the downhill super hard a few times...partly to test out the new scalpel vs the old scalpel...partly bc since last year I have been absolutely mind blown at how fast Aaron was able to hit the segment from the top (schillings rock) to the pond...So I hit it really hard a few times...Like way harder than I would in a race when im trying to go fast, but also recover. Took me several attempts, and knowing every line, rock, etc...but i finally figured out how to beat Aarons time on it by a few seconds over 5min...mind you Aaron shows up sight unseen and just smashes it first try....during a race....

Oh ya so the race....Running around, talking, etc...I was way late getting ready...then I forgot my shorts so I had to borrow some from @Norm....I get in about 8 min of warming up and head to the line. Few regulars missing...my buddy@Rich W decided to sign up, but then go and race the fat tire race bc something to do with nats call up points...whatever...@Norm and I took his unused entry fee and made it rain on a topless dancing @pooriggy
That aside...Frank, Szymon, Aaron, Greg G, @Superfly100guy, John A, Chanbanov, Leo....I usually always look at this list and think...if im slightly off today I will come in last, no problem.

With Nick lando out due to lack of transportation from vermont...the start was downright peaceful and calm....Like ya I still want to vomit by the time we get to the single track, but im not 1min behind the leader after 58 sec of racing. As we motor up the road I sit in behind Frank for a while, Aaron as usual starts in the back for whatever the reason...About halfway up Aaron goes around frank and I like we are a couple of school girls. Though the first bits leading up to freaking middle I keep the leaders in range....as we all hit the first nasty downhill we run into an endurance guy right at that little uphill jog...This was great timing for me as it bottled everyone right back up, I managed to stay mounted, ride past leo and pull up behind Aaron....I stayed here for the next 5 min or so...I think in 4th place behind dan, greg and aaron....Man...olike 15-20min in and im still with these guys...This is a good day...BUT THEN. I clipped my foot on a rock and sent my heel flying back and under my chain as im pedaling with my other leg....and for the first time since I have been using 1x (5 years) I drop my chain in a race. So I hop off and make quick work of getting it back on the ring. In all I maybe lose 30 sec or so, 4 guys pass me.

Its never good to lose time in the pro class, but with daylight I am able to cleanly ride everything that the guys in front are getting bottled up on. By the big climb I catch back up to leo and vic and start heading up. Leo usually crushes me on climbs, but he wasnt yesterday for whatever the reason..I pass him at the top then catch up to vic for the decent....I passed him near the bottom and then put out a big effort in the short track section to catch back up to Szymon and Frank. I hit the new switchback and finally pulled back up behind them.....

Frank and Syzmon can always out climb me...and I was a little beat after spending alot of energy on lap 1 trying to catch back up....They both drilled the road section and put a beating on me. I just do my best to limit the damage and then try to hit freaking middle perfectly smooth. I keep on it, but as i hit the big climb again on lap 2...I cant see either of them....Good news is that I will have daylight on the decent this time and im fairly sure I can make time on at least szymon here who is on a hardtail. I hit it pretty hard, popped out at the bottom and finally had him in sight again. When we got to the switchbacks, he was right where he was the previous lap....but frank was considerably further on.

Szymon again put out a big effort on the road climb, but was able to hang on much better this time. I would say by the end of the road he put maybe 30sec on me....This time though freaking middle I left nothing on the table and did every climb standing....I saw him on the the little grunt hill in the middle with the right left switch over the rock....then he made a mistake in the following rock garden which allowed me to pull up behind him. So my thought was i would try to follow him up the climb then just drop the hammer at the top and hope to give myself enough gap to make it to the finish line....However as we started up he slowed to the point where I decided to pass him.....Then I stayed on it as hard as i could to the top...Once I hit the double track and saw that i had a gap...I knew I was good...

Finally...last shot on the downhill....I hit it hard hoping that maybe frank is out there somewhere asleep....but as I hit the bottom, I dont see him...Finally as i get near the end of the top portion of the ST I see him going the other way on the low side. Hes not crazy far ahead and in my mind, I always like to pretend that if I stay on it, i might catch him...So I do, but he ends up beating me by a minute or so. Which leaves me in 5th.

Good race...I think it probably ended up the way it would have in the end...Although I really would have loved to see what would have happened if I didnt lose my chain....Probably best case...I would have held off frank and szymon for the rest of lap 1, then they would have passed me on the road, smoked. So probably no difference in the end really.

As I got done, my back locked up on me again...This happens...usually I put some muscle rub stuff on it and it loosens up...But I forgot it at home...So for the next hour or two, im basically paralyzed in an upright position....Its incredibly painful....after sitting around a while, it was time to go tear the course down....I got myself on the bike, started pedaling and withing in 10min I was feeling much better....@kirt and i made it around the course, got the arrows and tape...came back to the lot and you were all gone....So we finished loading up the cars, then we plus iggy went to panera and ate some lunch on Norms dime. Usually I would just get water, but fuck it...Norms paying...Ill have a soda please.

Great day! I think everything with the race went well... @Delish and @SpartaBard did the morning course sweep...hang some tape and more arrows which allows me to be able to race....And as far as I know, not one person missed a turn, so success! Everyone seemed to enjoy the course...the scoring worked out great...OMG...moving the scoring off that hill...FUCK YES!

Bonus, thanks for the pics @1sh0t1b33r !
 

UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Waywayanda!

So back once again... 4th time racing open... Twice in cat 1, once in cat 2... So 7 times I have done race... Feels like yesterday

Usually I do a little more prep for this race as the course is one of the toughest in the h2h series, but with mooch last week I had no time to pre ride... Good news however is that Bill and the gang decided to leave the course the same. Some people complain about courses not changing... Im not one of these people... Its a great course so I say leave it.

The group in pro was actually a great one ... @Rich W Frank, monte, @Joe J, @Superfly100guy, Leo, Rob price, John a, and Nick...nobody that I felt who would just obliterate the group on paper anyway... Maybe a chance for some decent battles

At the start we all rolled nice and easy... Pretty much conversational until we hit the single track. Which is perfect for me....nice 2 min warm up before the first big punch that is the black Eagle climb.

Hit the hill behind Joe... Rich, Leo and Rob lead the way... I hang behind Joe until my secret prolouge passing spot... Which I actually showed Joe warming up, but he still left it open for me....I swear every year I pass someone here. So we make our way through the prolouge... Perfectly smooth... I know this section inside out so I use some of my knowledge of the lines to ease up on the gas pedal... We hit the double track clean, everybody clears the mud hole reroute without issue. Soon Joe jumps to the front ahead of rich and the pace starts picking up... After the plank bridge I power hard up the climb... My momentum plus the following downhill into the camp allows me to take over the lead.

I wave to everyone at the start finish then on the following up hill I fall back into 4th... Frank, rich and Leo are now driving and the fun is over.

I remember how much fun the sitting bear section was in cat 1 and 2... People would make mistakes and all you had to do was ride clean and you would probably have a good result.... Now everyone rides perfectly clean with the pedal on the floor.....

I start falling off the leaders somewhere in sitting bear about 30 min in... Its hot and I know I can only do death pace for so long before meltdown occurs.... Somewhere in South I smack my foot, back spin my pedal and again knock my chain off... More on this later... I fix it quickly but rob gets by me. I start getting that overheating feeling like I did at Mayhem, so I ease up on the timber climb and use RPM over grinding. Had I been at mayhem I might have cracked here, but once I get out of Timber I can ease up a little...You still pedal hard though hemlock, but not that full throttle stuff you would do at the medford course.

Now in 5th I just settle into a pace and work on recovering. Hemlock has a spot in the middle that is basically just a mud hole, I lose the line and end up off to the right in the trees... I can see Joe J is gaining on me so I work hard for the next 5 min to open the gap up again... Near the end of this section is a reroute for a down tree or something...I didnt see it and ended up stopped in the woods looks around in circles wondering wtf just happened. Not sure how much time I lost but I saw that my screw up erased that gap I had just busted my ass to put back on Joe. Holy fuck was that annoying. So now I know that 4th place has sailed, I need to turn it up to make sure I dont let anyone else catch up. I open it up on the fire roads and the following red dot climb/descent.

Starting lap 2, I dont see anyone behind me, but the screwing around really made me burn alot of matches and now im deep in the pain cave. The snap has left my legs and im riding sitting bear on fumes...I know I have about 30min to go but im really just trying to keep it clean and keep moving forward. The good news is that im catching and passing the cat 2 field.....I enjoy this part quite a bit....Every person I see I pretend they are in my class and its helping me work through the misery. @Dominique @MissJR @Sacaro @1sh0t1b33r, Grant...Cant remember if I really said much, but it was sure nice to see some familiar faces.

I make it out of timber, down the fireroad and over to Hemlock....My left leg is now cramping up and the on/off in this section is not helping....Somewhere in the middle I get a stick through my derail. and it jumps my chain off the cassette....I said something to the effect of "you #$%^&*()" which got one of the cat 2 guys near me laughing....Luckily i back spun my cranks and got it out without having to stop. Near the end there is a rock bridge that has several line, I took the wrong one and ended out in the mud...This was bad...I got myself out and back rolling to see that monte was no more than 5 sec behind me now. By now im thinking about how I should be home right now watching 5th 6th and 7th rounds of the NFL draft instead of doing this shit.

Make it out to the road after hemlock and i know I have about 15min left now....I really turn it up and try to keep the speed high on the fire road sections. I keep expecting Mike to shoot by me on one of the climbs but I make it to red dot still ahead. In my head, im thinking if i can clean the steep part of red dot, ill be all good to the finish line. There were a couple of cat 2 guys walking it, which is good for me...NO WAY im dismounting in front of spectators :) Spun my tire and almost stalled, but i powered out...looked back, did not see mike and knew I was home free with a couple more short bursts to the finish line.

Finish up...I see Frank, Rob, and Rich....but no Leo....Minute or so later he rolls in after having gone off course somewhere....So attrition gets me 4th place.

My time is 1:46....Oddly enough...3 year in a row now the course has been the same...all 3 years 1:46
2015: super hard start with Lando and Andrew leading us out...minute faster in the prolouge (~14min), but my hub gave me issues and I ended up have to coast the last mile or so...would have been ~1:44 or so
2016: 36 deg and raining....very easy start (1 min slow that 2015) with 5 of us in the class freezing our nuts off. No issues, never got too tired that i can recall
2017: 80+ degrees....somewhat easy start, like 45 sec slower, but then I blew myself up somewhat and had to limp home.

Funny how different years and conditions can yield the same results......I struggled this year with how I felt, but unlike the last two years I have not rested at all lately. Usually I do 3 weeks on, then rest...This year because of the compacted schedule, mooch/wayway being a week away, then my vacation this week...i just kept going for 6 straight weeks....So im not shocked i was a little off on sunday when you throw in some heat and the fact that im sitting up there with the leaders. Its really hard to just let go when you are right on the leaders after say 20-30min....5 min...you know you have no chance...but 30...you start thinking: "hey maybe I can pull this off?" Then it can just smack you in the face like a baseball bat. But overall good day, ill take my 4th place and be happy about it.

So with that, ill be spending the next week in Siesta Key with Bob, my wife and my mom....going to be doing a whole lot of nothing, but I decided to borrow @Santapez s swiss army bike for the trip. While Florida is still the worst place I have ever ridden a road bike, I figure for a rest week, it will due.

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Holy shit the sand on this beach...you could ride with 23cs on this beach with no problem
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UtahJoe

Team Workhorse
Team MTBNJ Halter's
SSAP 2017....the year

So as I sit here with my left arm in a cast and my right eye swollen closed...I supposed I could be depressed and upset...I have no idea how long it will be until I can ride again and in 8 years of riding I have never injured myself bad enough that I need more than a few days off. This is uncharted territory for me since my MX days. But its all good...Shit happens...when something like this happens, its good to stop and say...Something positive will come from it...Who knows what, but something...Since my father died, I have tried to live my life with this philosophy.

So lets take a ride and figure out what the hell went wrong.

The last two weeks I have been completely tuned out of biking. On may 1st I received an offer from another company and I decided to take it....This is a major event in my life after ten years at my company...Ill post more about that another time, but I have really been out of it lately focus wise. However, I got the new scalpel set up SS and it was working great. The dual lockout while annoying with gears...on an SS it was money.

So yesterday I head out to do my pre race ride and of course this POS lock out lever breaks...THankfully it broke with the suspension open...But I decided to give my buddy Yukon at martys a call to see if he could rebleed it and get it working again..He calls me ayt 4pm to say it was broken and the shocks we now totally locked...Lot of stress and fucking with it later, he got it to unlock again. This lever set up, like most things rockshox makes is trash, so im not surprised. The nanosecond fox starts shipping its metric shocks, im ditching this thing

Lettuce get to the race. Good news, same course as last year...I generally liked it minus Buchanan hill, but whatever, its over quick...The first 30min is stupid fast and alot of pain. No adam craig this year, nut his buddy carl decker signed up, so I figured he would be the man to beat - on us

Met Iggy and DnD and we drive up..Looking around...um no Carl Decker, no monte, no leo...Hmm ok...Of course Matt Green, Ross, Will crissman, Rob Price are all beasts so I know this day is still going to be tough. But unlike when Adam shows up...im thinking...hey this might work out today.

We roll out, usual party down the fire road until schofield where I turn in 3rd behind Will and Ross...Will sets a nice pace and unlike in years past, we come out on the other side with a few more people still in tow than last year. We coast down the flat road to the next big hill...chit chatting and making jokes... Then we hit the road climb...I turn it up just enough to hold the lead up the climb then roll back to 4th for bucanan...I try to not go nuts here...I like to save the big efforts for the fast single track where I can use my knowledge of the park to my advantage. However, this climb is 6 min where im almost entirely out of the saddle....This year it was dry enough to climb and we all made it....I watched my HR climb to 179 as I mashed my way to the top...It was a brutal effort. Man this section blows.

We get out of that and im still in good shape, I stick in 4th until weed road where we regroup a bit...its not Matt, me, Ross, Will, Rob price and another dude in a b2c2 kit. Rob asks me "has anyone gotten away?" I said nope...were on the rev limiter, theres no where to go.

Major mike is where this ends and you can really start making time on people. Mattm Ross me as we grind up the hill, hit the top, I say hi to @gtluke then get ready for the downhill. I know Matt is a very good downhiller and in short order he is gapping Ross...Near the bottom maybe its 10-15sec...I said to ross, follow me through camp...I WILL run him down. We hit the bottom, ross lets me by and I turn pace to 10, 11, 12, 873....Like matt, you are NOT getting away, no chance was going though my head. There is a rise in camp about 45 sec in, steep drop on the back side...Followed byt a hard right hander. Usually I loft the bike down the hill and land near the bottom of the downside than flip the bike though the turn, its like one motion, all of it. I have done it countless time in the past 8 years....HOWEVER

I hit going really fast, as im in the air I realized that I am going to overshoot the landing....Im preparing to land nose down on the downside of the jump....But now im landing nose down on the flat...I SLAMMED down really hard...hard enough to rip my feet off my pedals and slam my body into the bike...I stayed with it and just went for the brake with the right hander coming...I knew I could not make the turn and the EJECT EJECT EJECT warning sounded in my brain. I saw this big tree coming up and I tried to lean to my right to miss it....thats the last I remember...Usually I remember the impact, but I dont this time.

Next I remember Ross and Will are helping me...and what seemed like moments later @Chris26er and @David Taylor were there also. I was super dizzy, the damage to my face did not occur to me until other ride started coming by going "HOLY FUCKING FUCK UTAH". After what felt like a few minutes, the emt on the quad was there to drag me out..Then we met up with race in the woods where I hopped into his truck. and he took me out to the amberlamps waiting on weed road.

I got in and asked the nice medics if the could drive me to Morristown...they laughed...@missjr was nice enough to fetch my phone out of my car for me and someone got in touch with my wife. On the way I call my wife...I tell her im totally fine, few lacs that need stiches, but nothing to worry about...stay home, take car of bob and ill have one of my friends take me home. My wife then talks to the medic in some medical jargon...the medic tells her im lying and that I might have fractured my orbit...they are taking me to the trama unit. So with that, my wife is now coming with bob...Joy. the medic took this pic of me to send to my wife... I told him to send it to my coach @Norm ...Norms last words to me this morning were: win, or just dont both coming home.
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So they wheel me in through the front doors...the patients sitting there look as if they just saw the human centipede..Mother puts a blanket over her daughters head so she cant see me lol... Into the trama unit and like 7 people are poking me etc....xrays, cat scans, the whole 9. I beg them not too but they cut off my favorite kit with Schillings logo on my shoulder..Good news is that my brain is ok...no skull fractures...BUT non displaced distal radial fracture....so my radius is cracked, not badly but cracked. This was disappointing.

Next the doc goes to work on my cuts, 5 of them need stitches, worse on was from my riding glasses slicing into cheek. Holy crap, I have had stitches everywhere but not my face...that stung. As the doc is knitting, in comes my wife with Bob in tow. Bob gets one look at my face and nearly shits himself and starts crying...I assure him that im fine...I used to love the comfort my father gave me as a child that no matter what...He was impervious to pain...Burns, cuts, whatever...you ok Dad....Of course im ok...your father is constructed of stainless steel, nothing can hurt me! But watching him be upset and cry was the worst part of this day. I eventually got through to him and said "dont I look like a pirate" this chilled him out.
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So after my stitches and alot of waiting we head home.

I have to say the outpouring on concern for me has been wonderful, I really apericate it. I also wanted to again thank Ross, Will, Chris and DT for stopping and helping me out...You know we work very hard training for these races...Its months of hard work in my case anyway...to have opportunity to win this race, but then toss it to help an injured rider...It says alot about the kind of people who are in this sport and makes me glad to be a part of it.

Ok thats all I got tonight...
 

Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Wow! Some story! All I can think to say is time to rest and heal up, right now that's what's important.
Like you said "Something positive will come from it...Who knows what"
 

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Sorry to see you banged up like that. Fortunately the parts u broke will heal and this will be just a memory.

Go with the flow and use the time to do other stuff, family, job, 500 tons of soil removal in front yard...

Let us know if you need anything. Ill come up with the boys to cut your grass this week:)
 

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
That image of you leaning against the tree was, just awful. I'm glad your eyes are ok. The lenses shattering and cutting your face is scary.

Im glad you're remaining positive though. Hopefully every thing works out with the new job. At least you start with a memorable story.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Mrs. G showed me the photos last night.

Glad you're going to be OK, and wishing you speedy healing my friend.
 

Dave Taylor

Rex kwan Do
Mrs. G showed me the photos last night.

Glad you're going to be OK, and wishing you speedy healing my friend.
the glasses are scary, i never wear them in the woods but couldn't imagine it shattering.

at least you cant get any uglier than you already were

<3
The glasses didn't shatter. They just pushed into his face. They are still sitting at the base of that tree all covered in blood.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
That's pretty crazy, glad it wasn't worse. You guys were all gone by the time I limped across the finish line and got changed, but @pinkshirtphotos told me you crashed and left in the ambulance. Then I saw @gtluke's update in the SSaP thread that you were okay.

I'm like ten minutes away if you need anything. The longer you're off the bike, the less bored you'll be riding Wildcat with me when you can ride again :p
 
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