The Road to Somewhere
- Thread starter xc62701
- Start date
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Thanks man!!!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Another year in the books and lots of good stuff on tap for 2024.
I signed up for the following races:
4/21 Rattling Creek
5/4 12 Hours of PJ
6/29 Michaux Marathon
7/27 Wilderness 101
Now it's time to do the hard work and get faster and lighter for the upcoming season. I'm still debating on a few races too to get my ass going early. The Stokesville 60/40 is March 3rd and the H2H Mayhem is 3/16 so I may throw those in the mix early to see how things are shaking out.
The knee is getting there but still has some popping which I mostly ignore, and then still regaining strength. I'd say I'm about 80 percent but it'll probably take another year to get back to 100% I've done this before so at least I'm aware of that. To help it, I'm going to do some workouts at home in the offseason to try and strengthen it further as I know it's not going to get any easier getting older. I'll try to help it out now while I can.
I'm scheming up a way to get a long weekend in Virginia to trail and get some long miles in too. That's my current debate. As long as the weather stays ok, I did a fun trip last January and it was a good time. I'd like to go again round two. Although I just started some online classes so lets see how demanding that gets...
I signed up for the following races:
4/21 Rattling Creek
5/4 12 Hours of PJ
6/29 Michaux Marathon
7/27 Wilderness 101
Now it's time to do the hard work and get faster and lighter for the upcoming season. I'm still debating on a few races too to get my ass going early. The Stokesville 60/40 is March 3rd and the H2H Mayhem is 3/16 so I may throw those in the mix early to see how things are shaking out.
The knee is getting there but still has some popping which I mostly ignore, and then still regaining strength. I'd say I'm about 80 percent but it'll probably take another year to get back to 100% I've done this before so at least I'm aware of that. To help it, I'm going to do some workouts at home in the offseason to try and strengthen it further as I know it's not going to get any easier getting older. I'll try to help it out now while I can.
I'm scheming up a way to get a long weekend in Virginia to trail and get some long miles in too. That's my current debate. As long as the weather stays ok, I did a fun trip last January and it was a good time. I'd like to go again round two. Although I just started some online classes so lets see how demanding that gets...
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Lol, just reading this previous post and nothing has gone to plan. Life has been too hectic, the March 3rd race got postponed and I can't make the new date. I did a fatbike race/TT on a golf course and felt like crap and got annihilated. So at least I got the first race out of the way. Rattling Creek I got a refund for since I'll be in Sedona that week. That's my main focus right now. I want to try and get in some kind of shape for that. April 20th I leave for AZ so I've got 3 weeks to curb things a bit and ride some more so I can enjoy all that goodness out there. 12 hours of PJ I'll be at but I won't be competitive since I'm a fat bastard. I'll probably still try to put in a good effort to reap any benefits of destroying myself for 12 hours. Michaux I got a refund as well since that's ending up being my family vacation week. So then there's the Wilderness. That's my A race for the year. July 27th is the date and I'm hoping to put together a decent showing, or at least not completely suffer the entire time. I'll probably try to hit some of the other local races this year, but I'm just hoping to get on a path back to more activity and better health since the knee surgery. It's been just under a year since surgery and I'm still working on gaining strength and confidence. It's taken a while but I find I'm making small gains here and there. I just don't want to f*ck it up again....that's for sure!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Hi all. Back from Sedona! The AZ trip was pretty damn awesome. I was there for a week and got 6 rides, 1 hike, and 1 kayak in. I went out with @Sven Migot and had a blast. Those trails are just so much fun and totally insane in spots. We found pretty quickly that we enjoyed the blue and black trails and the double black trails we mostly fun except for the actual double black diamond spots. I don't know how people ride that shit without an ambulance nearby. That's just not what I enjoy riding. Some of the favorites were Mescal, Canyon of Fools, Chuck Wagon, Outer Limits, Broken Arrow, Slim Shady, and Pyramid. The riding is just a completely different landscape and just fun and beautiful. The rental bike I had made it a blast as well. It was a longer travel(120/110) FS and has me shopping around after the fun ride I had. The rockiness out there can mimic some of the fun stuff we have here so it could be a worthwhile investment. Food was good, and the beer was just ok. That's probably best as we were cooked from the heat and riding most days.
We did a 6 mile hike in the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel trail. That was just amazing. My calves are just about back to normal after that. I did the math when I got finished. It's basically a super consistent 13.5% downhill and return for 3 miles each way. I am ok with hiking but that amount of vert...hurt. We capped off our last day with a ride and a kayak on the Verde river. Somehow Sven decided to sideswipe a boulder in the river, jam a piece of rock into the side of his kayak, snap off the rock and pop his now deflatable kayak. So the remaining 3/4 of the river trip was now a bit awkward for him, and great for me(as I was harassing him most of the time for popping the boat). All in all it was just a blast and we need to start planning our return trip.
As for life back at home, I'm trying to use the miles we did in AZ to help regain some fitness and drop some of the surgery/winter weight. That battle has not been easy, but this fat bastard will be at the 12 hours of Port Jervis this weekend. 😵 I'm totally not in shape/ready for that but whatever. My goal is to just get some more miles and hours in to help progress back to being more confident/fit/happy on the bike. I've already come a long way but this is my prep for 2025 😉 I have to remind myself that this time last year I was still 5 weeks away from being able to put weight on my knee, nevermind riding or racing. So progress is coming along.
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xc62701
Well-Known Member
After being inspired out west to try a longer travel bike, it didn't take long to satisfy my N+1. @Steve Vai helped me locate and source a few epics and this one came home with me yesterday. I took it out for a spin on my local trails and I already had a couple of Oh Shit! and holy shit moments on this bike. I look forward to putting many miles and rocks underneath this thing! Definitely christened the cranks a bit with some rock love on the rollers by me. Such a fun ride! Still trying to figure out what it can't do. So far so good!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
It's too new. Don't want to wreck it or myself yet. I could take a different bike out and see what happens...
huffster
Well-Known Member
That color is sweet!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Thanks! It is pretty 🔥. The adjustable suspension is awesome. I put a lot of miles on it yesterday in the 12 Hours of Port Jervis and it's quite the ride. I do need a different bar/grip setup as my hands and arm are BEAT!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
12 Hours of Port Jervis was something! Since I'm in no shape to be racing, let alone endurance racing, I said F it and went Saturday to do some laps and log some miles. I figured what's the worst that could happen? After the 1/4 mile gravel run in bike shoes 🙄 the race actually started and I was comfortably in the back. I did what I could to pedal and pass where I could, but I was feeling alright. I knew I wasn't going to be putting anywhere near the effort I did 2 years ago when I did really well. So slow and consistent was the key. I was planning on riding a few laps and stopping to eat an chill. Then decide what happens next. I did just that. 3 laps in a row and then I chilled. I sat down for a few and had a PB&J and then went for #4. #4 was done and I sat down longer and had some more food and a beer. My hands were killing me. I usually run with the flat ergon grips but I just went with the stock round ones and it was killing my hands and wrists. At this point I was ~35 miles in and not sure I wanted to do more. Unfortunately there was way too many hours left.
I talked myself into doing one more lap with the cheeseburger queen @Stef. I wanted a buddy to chat with to help forget the pain, but she made it more painful. She was moving. I did the best I could to hold her wheel and cruised through lap #5. I was happy to have company, but happy to be done with 5 laps. Stef kept going and I stopped and contemplated life again. More food, some chatting, one more beer, and I convinced myself to do one more lap. I was definitely feeling cooked on that lap. I finished up ok and had time for one more lap but said nope. I'm good. I turned in my timing chip, happy to have completed 6 laps and 53 miles. 6700 feet of climbing on the day. I knew if I went out for one more lap, I could have finished it but I was happy with what I'd done, and happy to go home and put my kids to bed. They were having a rough day, and were super happy to see daddy before bed. So it was a win all around. To be honest, I was thinking of skipping this event as I'm so out of shape but it was a great day on the trails and good to see some folks I haven't seen in a while. Being less than a year since getting back on my feet from ACL reconstruction I'm happy to put 7 hours on the mtb. That's definitely my longest mtb since surgery. I hope to keep that going since my next race is the Wilderness 101 in July.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Not much has been happening since my last update in May. Well I should say not much cycling-wise, but a lot family wise. I've been riding more casually to fit in what I can here or there but life has been hectic as usual. The summer came and went and had some good rides. I took a nice 2 day overnight ride into Easton PA and back. I did 175 miles of gravel and paved roads. That was the biggest ride of the summer. It was great but the end of day 1 was pretty terrible after a food stop killed my legs. The 13 mile climb after that didn't help. Day two was uneventful but the legs felt much better, so it was a pretty good adventure. That's one I'd like to try again another day and maybe try it in one day if the fitness really comes back.
Next up is another outing at Ironcross in PA 3 weeks from today. I know it will be a rough day but it's just a great event and a fun/painful course. It's 62 miles and 6900 feet of vert so it'll be challenging but I'm not trying to set any PR's out there. I'll be looking to get in a long ride and enjoy the weekend. If I can do well that would be a bonus, but given my current fitness I'm not worried about that. I'm once again trying to shed some unnecessary pounds and not suffer as much. I did have a realization this summer that my drinking habits were wreaking havoc on my weight. I stepped on the scale at the beginning of September and was motivated to give up the beer for a bit. So far it's been 26 days of no beer and I'm feeling better, dropped a few pounds, better focus, and sleep is more consistent. I'm hoping to shed a few more pounds before the event and see how that helps out. My new rule is to enjoy beer at events, and not make it a daily habit. Over the summer I was way too comfy with multiple beers every day and that was just not healthy for me. Here's a previous file from IC which is the same course for this year. I definitely will not be completing it this fast.
On the other side I've been doing some more non-cycling activities which have been great. I've been getting on different lakes to fish on my boat, and got out golfing which I need to do more. My kids are getting more into the activities so it's been fun to take them out and try and catch some fish or hit some balls at the driving range. I've always been focused on cycling so much that it takes away from my ability to do other things which I enjoy. Fishing has been great as I've been on a few lakes/reservoirs that I've never been on and had some limited success. I'm up to 5 different bodies of water this year and caught fish on all but 1. I need to get back there and see if I can fix that. I've been trailering my boat all over to try these different spots and that's been half of the fun. I've got a few more spots that I need to check out like Lake Aeroflex by Kittatinny. That's been on my list. Hopefully I'll try and get there soon or that will have to wait til next season.
It's all good. I'm just trying build some fitness and keep active doing whatever I can fit in. Oh yea, and working on Grad classes to improve my knowledge and pay has been a concentration as well. It's been challenging to balance everything but I'm making it work.
Next up is another outing at Ironcross in PA 3 weeks from today. I know it will be a rough day but it's just a great event and a fun/painful course. It's 62 miles and 6900 feet of vert so it'll be challenging but I'm not trying to set any PR's out there. I'll be looking to get in a long ride and enjoy the weekend. If I can do well that would be a bonus, but given my current fitness I'm not worried about that. I'm once again trying to shed some unnecessary pounds and not suffer as much. I did have a realization this summer that my drinking habits were wreaking havoc on my weight. I stepped on the scale at the beginning of September and was motivated to give up the beer for a bit. So far it's been 26 days of no beer and I'm feeling better, dropped a few pounds, better focus, and sleep is more consistent. I'm hoping to shed a few more pounds before the event and see how that helps out. My new rule is to enjoy beer at events, and not make it a daily habit. Over the summer I was way too comfy with multiple beers every day and that was just not healthy for me. Here's a previous file from IC which is the same course for this year. I definitely will not be completing it this fast.
On the other side I've been doing some more non-cycling activities which have been great. I've been getting on different lakes to fish on my boat, and got out golfing which I need to do more. My kids are getting more into the activities so it's been fun to take them out and try and catch some fish or hit some balls at the driving range. I've always been focused on cycling so much that it takes away from my ability to do other things which I enjoy. Fishing has been great as I've been on a few lakes/reservoirs that I've never been on and had some limited success. I'm up to 5 different bodies of water this year and caught fish on all but 1. I need to get back there and see if I can fix that. I've been trailering my boat all over to try these different spots and that's been half of the fun. I've got a few more spots that I need to check out like Lake Aeroflex by Kittatinny. That's been on my list. Hopefully I'll try and get there soon or that will have to wait til next season.
It's all good. I'm just trying build some fitness and keep active doing whatever I can fit in. Oh yea, and working on Grad classes to improve my knowledge and pay has been a concentration as well. It's been challenging to balance everything but I'm making it work.
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Good luck Ryan!
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
I hear ya man! I'm still hookedon cycling but I don't prioritize it over family too much anymore. I still ride 10ish hours a week but typically when they are sleeping or preoccupied. With this crazy week I am taking a month or two off completely and would like toes back ion with more core and weightlifting. Been rollerblading and lipsticking with the kids which still counts I guess but watching them play baseball and soccer is really fun. Some people decided not to have families and some did. We can still do me things but family should never be on the back burner(guilty to a lesser degree).
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I’m trying to do more with the kids now so they’ll want to do more with me later. I hope it pays off but who knows. I’m trying to get 6-8 hours in a week through the winter to establish a more normal routine. Trying anyway,..
ekuhn
Well-Known Member
Its the game we call life, but keep killing it with the kids!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Thinking about the early commute tomorrow. First hurdle of the off season commute - it's gonna be CHILLY tomorrow morning. Mid to upper 30's expected. Guess I should break out the winter stuff and start figuring out what works and what I should look into getting. I don't mind the cold once I'm out in it but the clothing strategy game is always an interesting one. I don't want to overheat too badly and want something comfortable to ride home in once it warms up after work. Top layers aren't usually an issue, it's more of the bottom layers for me. And WINTER SHOES!
10 more days until Iron Cross. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and having some beer again! I've had 3 beers since September 3rd. Trying to get some last minute fitness and drop some extra tonnage before all the hills!
10 more days until Iron Cross. I'm looking forward to a fun weekend and having some beer again! I've had 3 beers since September 3rd. Trying to get some last minute fitness and drop some extra tonnage before all the hills!
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Holy balls it was cold this morning! Forecast said 38 so that's what I was prepared for. The whole middle of the ride it was 28-29 degrees. YIKES! I had my winter shoes and winter tights on but up top I could have used one more warmer layer. I was actually happy to ride some of the hills harder to stay warm. It was a slower than usual commute overall since it took me a bit to get going. Since it was so dark out I covered my lights to try to see the aurora as well but no luck. I'm looking forward to upper 60's when I ride home!
