So all day yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about how Kevin suggested I create my own thread. I decided if it's something that's gonna consume me like that, it really means I should do it. I've thought about the positives and negatives. About how some people may take things away from how I live my life. About how people would conceive me.
I do think I have something to offer in that I haven't really seen beginners create a consistent blog for themselves. So maybe I'll bring a different perspective to this whole nutrition & training thing. And maybe offer people some insight into how much it takes to do well in Cat 3. Frankly, it doesn't take a lot. You just have to motivate yourself to get out there as much as possible and push yourself hard few times a week. And you HAVE TO RIDE IN THE WINTER. If you do this, you will be contending in Cat 3 within 1 year. For some people that may be a lot, but when I'm out there riding, I'm having fun and feeling good about myself, so it turns out to be not so much effort.
To me, there is a kind of arrogance that comes with creating your own thread. Maybe it's that you think of yourself as being so good and wonderful and fast. Maybe you just like to hear yourself talk. Hopefully, I'm not doing it for these reasons so much and hope to give back to the mtbNJ community in a positive way. In the end it comes down to the fact that I can't help myself. So here it is.
I would say there were 2 major events in my short mtb "career" that led me to where I am today. I've already written about them in length so I will just point you there:
http://mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16786#8
http://mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17127#1
Today, I'm going to try make it down to the Allaire Beginner Ride. Not sure if I'm gonna join the train or not. After Tymor, I feel like I could use some relaxed riding. Want to make it out to Ringwood Beinnger Ride as well. May try to push it more on some other rides this week. Allaire may turn out to be that if I don't join the train.
Allaire is far from me, esp during rush hour. But there is some additional motivation for going down today. I couldn't stay for the medal ceremony after Tymor, so Eric picked up the medal and my schwag for me. I picked the Pro-logo saddle. It looks really nice. I really wanna try it.
Walter is also giving me his 29er Nevegals. I've had good luck with getting hand-me-down stuff. Joe gave me his Rampages. I haven't mounted them yet, but I will when I build up my suspension 29er. I guess I'll race the Rampages and use the Nevegals for playing around in the rocky stuff. The Nanoraptors that came with the bike are light, but don't have much traction and whenever I hit a rock, I'm afraid the side is gonna explode. I guess I'll race them for LM and KVSP. If I'm lucky, I'll also be getting some other hand-me-downs from Al.
Sh*t, now I feel like a douche-bag because I told Tim I'd sell him my Monocog Fork for $15. I should just give it to him for free. I asked Mike for $20, but I think he's already gone in a different direction.
Picture of the day. Picked up this bike (or remnants of one) yesterday:
It's a pre-war Elgin. Plan is to make it into a trail cruising machine. I emailed it to Al and he asked me if I had seen Klunkerz. I had to look up what that was. So I guess this is my Klunker.
I do think I have something to offer in that I haven't really seen beginners create a consistent blog for themselves. So maybe I'll bring a different perspective to this whole nutrition & training thing. And maybe offer people some insight into how much it takes to do well in Cat 3. Frankly, it doesn't take a lot. You just have to motivate yourself to get out there as much as possible and push yourself hard few times a week. And you HAVE TO RIDE IN THE WINTER. If you do this, you will be contending in Cat 3 within 1 year. For some people that may be a lot, but when I'm out there riding, I'm having fun and feeling good about myself, so it turns out to be not so much effort.
To me, there is a kind of arrogance that comes with creating your own thread. Maybe it's that you think of yourself as being so good and wonderful and fast. Maybe you just like to hear yourself talk. Hopefully, I'm not doing it for these reasons so much and hope to give back to the mtbNJ community in a positive way. In the end it comes down to the fact that I can't help myself. So here it is.
I would say there were 2 major events in my short mtb "career" that led me to where I am today. I've already written about them in length so I will just point you there:
http://mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16786#8
http://mtbnj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17127#1
Today, I'm going to try make it down to the Allaire Beginner Ride. Not sure if I'm gonna join the train or not. After Tymor, I feel like I could use some relaxed riding. Want to make it out to Ringwood Beinnger Ride as well. May try to push it more on some other rides this week. Allaire may turn out to be that if I don't join the train.
Allaire is far from me, esp during rush hour. But there is some additional motivation for going down today. I couldn't stay for the medal ceremony after Tymor, so Eric picked up the medal and my schwag for me. I picked the Pro-logo saddle. It looks really nice. I really wanna try it.
Walter is also giving me his 29er Nevegals. I've had good luck with getting hand-me-down stuff. Joe gave me his Rampages. I haven't mounted them yet, but I will when I build up my suspension 29er. I guess I'll race the Rampages and use the Nevegals for playing around in the rocky stuff. The Nanoraptors that came with the bike are light, but don't have much traction and whenever I hit a rock, I'm afraid the side is gonna explode. I guess I'll race them for LM and KVSP. If I'm lucky, I'll also be getting some other hand-me-downs from Al.
Sh*t, now I feel like a douche-bag because I told Tim I'd sell him my Monocog Fork for $15. I should just give it to him for free. I asked Mike for $20, but I think he's already gone in a different direction.
Picture of the day. Picked up this bike (or remnants of one) yesterday:
It's a pre-war Elgin. Plan is to make it into a trail cruising machine. I emailed it to Al and he asked me if I had seen Klunkerz. I had to look up what that was. So I guess this is my Klunker.
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