Two Wheeled Therapy...

The past two weekends have been stellar. Two weeks ago the Nashville Cyclocross Series kicked off and kicked my ass. Dan "the man" Weerle threw another great event at Two Rivers Park and the boys in black showed up and took names. Thad and Dan traded 1st and 2nd on day one and two with Neumyer taking a third for the team and me wrapping things up with a sorry 5th place finish. I usually do pretty well at cyclocross but it just wasn't my day to turn up the volume and I quickly fell from first to 3rd then sat up and just threw in the towel. The course was great the day was prefect and I think that was my problem. Cyclocross races should be muddy, cold and make you wonder why you are riding a bike with skinny tires in such horrid conditions. When it's 78 degrees and sunny as hell I just can't get into it, but oh well guess with Global Warming I will have to get use to it or move to Portland. There is always the Columbia Series that kicks off in January, let's all start praying for crappy weather now so I may have a chance.

Sunday was better though... A trip to Land between the Lakes in Kentucky with Dunn and Elliot on Saturday night was just what I needed and still with out the Sycip the Surly Cross Check was nominated to take the trip. There are very few material things in my life that I treasure as much as my green cross check. The bike is a lot like me, it does a lot of things pretty damn good but doesn't truly excel in much other than just being a cool bike. We camped drank a lot of beer and woke up slowly by the lake. Elliot made a killer breakfast and we were off to preride the course for the upcoming Race to the Canal. The cyclocross bike showed the boys that you don't need suspension to kick some ass in the rolly single track at LBL and on the road back to the car I even made the boys hurt a little.


I spent the week getting a few things together for my next adventure, a mini tour back to Land Between the Lakes. I left my house on Thursday heading North West with all my gear loaded onto the black Cross Check. Running three gears up front and one in the rear the bike was just what the Tennessee hills needed. I had my gears for up, flat, and down and once again realized most people just complicate things by taking on more crap than they need. Day one took me through Asheland City where I crossed the river and headed North West toward Erin TN. I figured I could make it to Lake Barkey by night fall but the weather had a different plan in mind. I know really bad storms were coming and I kept thinking I would find a bridge to tie a hammock underneath to ride out the storm overnight. As darkness fell I must have looked under 10 bridges to find a place to tie up with no luck. When I made it to the lake and looked up the sky was filled with the most amazing lighting storm I have seen in years. I stopped to turn on my phone and I had several messages from friends to let me know that tornadoes were touching down about 30 miles west so I backtracked it to Clarksville and found the cheapest hotel one can find and settled in and watched the storm blow through with 50 plus mph winds and found that the area I was hoping to stay was one of the hardest hit. I guess I do sometimes make the right call when presented with dangerous conditions. The next day greeted me with headwinds for the first 40 miles or so before turning North and heading in to the South entrance of LBL. I made it to the KY state line after an hours or so of riding by the light of the moon and an amazingly clear sky. Another 20 miles or so in to KY I found a fire road that took me the the North/South Trail where the point to point race is usually held. A mile or two of rough gravel lead me to some sweet single track which I rode for a mile or so to a hiking trail to the lake where I set up camp and got a fire going. The clear sky meant cold temps and I froze the night away in my hammock with everything warm I had and my sleeping bag pulled over my head and sealed tight.


The morning light came and I arose from the hammock made some oatmeal and hit the single track for a mile or so then a good twenty something miles on the road to meet up with the boys at the north end of the park. Jamie showed up followed by Thad, Greg, and Ivory. I was done for the day but the boys when out for a lap. I relaxed by the lake and enjoyed sitting still for a few hours. As the night approached the Brandon showed up and the beer flowed freely and thanks to Thad we ate all the pasta my stomach would hold. Just to make the race a little more interesting and more difficult we also added a liter and half of Makers Mark to the mix (when in KY right). The wax was broken and shots ensued. I figured we might put a dent in it but the boys threw down as always and by the end of the night only one shot remained for the fastest Yazoo rider to finish post race. Did you ever take that shot Thad? Well the night turned out to be a blur but the positive side was I have never slept so well on gravel. Morning came quick and I awoke to the sound of a lantern being lit and watched from my tent for a few minutes as Thad went to work in the dark making bagel, egg and cheese sandwiches for the prerace breakfast. Quite hungover with almost 200 miles of riding fully loaded with gear I had no idea how my body would react. My first thoughts were to just ride it and poach the race. I figured if I did that I might not even finish so I put my money down and decided to join in the pain and suffering and see what I was made of. The boys in black showed up at the line looking intimidating as always and proceeded take of at the word go. Jamie wasted no time and shot to the front as Thad and I hung in 4th and 5th place surprisingly I felt great after a mile or so into the trail. My hangover left and my legs felt light and just as I was thinking about how I was going to go for it my rear wheel decides to slip in the drop outs. Now I have about 3mm of clearance on both sides of the chain stay considering I am on a cross bike running a 1.9 29ers tire so any slippage and you're screwed. I pull over to fix it and watch the next group of 6 ss riders past me. Back on the bike and determined to close a gap I gun it for the next mile or so only to have the wheel slip again. Guess it was meant to be a fun ride so I throw in the towel and wait for Ivory and Brandon to catch up. Not long after I run across the natural set of doubles and decide to see what the cross check is really able to take on. I clear a run up to the jump and after a weak first attempt I clear the gap on the cross check. Did I mention that I love that bike? Well, the rest of the ride was beautiful and the weather was perfect all in all it was a weekend that I will never forget. The race went well for Thad with a fourth place finish and Jamie had the win in the bag until a wrong turn took him out of contention but watch out for that boy in upcoming races.

My head is clear and it feels like my soul has been recharged. If you like riding bikes do yourself a favor and take a bike tour. There is nothing like spending all day covering ground and knowing that your adventure is powered by you. I have been reminded of a very important lesson in life and that is "LIVE SIMPLE" so much of was has caused me grief, stress, and burnout has been due to making my life more complicated and thinking that if I can get more I can then get out. That's not how it works my friends. With more stuff comes more problems and working your ass off to live for the future doesn't add up. Live for today and embrace the moment. If you want to go do something don't wait for the perfect time or the perfect amount of coin in your bank account cause that time won't come. What's in the past is in the past and what lies ahead is just an extension of what you do today so go for it now and if it's meant to be it is meant to be. I lived for three days on a bike and realized that it is time to start letting go of the chains that bind me. A big house, high overhead, the material things that we think we "need" are all just things that can pull you away from the most important things in life. Riding single speeds have proved that by loosing all those gears you can focus more on the ride when are not concerned with more moving parts and wondering if your in the right gear and always shifting from one to another when all you need is one. Be one, one with your self, your surroundings, and know that we are all one in the big picture. Life is only as complicated as you make. Keep it simple and feel the natural flow of life. You will be glad you did.