creepyfriendly

Deflated.

Perhaps my previous post was misleading. Assumption brings nothing but bad Karma. Karma brings nothing but inevitability. Inevitability brings nothing but certitude which brings me back to assumption. Am I making any sense yet? Probably not since I'm still stuck on Karma.

With a $1700 pro purse on the line the midwest combined to form one of the strongest fields around the region. Regardless of the my front row call up I knew I'd have my hands full with the smoking fast leadout preem in position. Goooooooooooooo! I buried it up the 1/4 mile paved hill before settling into a top five position entering the single track. With the Trek boys rolling out the lead I saw potential for a gap so I motored it up into attack mode. The remainder of the lap was relentless with Doug putting in some hard efforts which appeared to be aimed towards me. I was so relaxed in the single track which allowed time to recover before the long flats where my 36:16 nearly spun out. With Cole off the front after his preem flyer we pedaled to a significant gap on the chasers by the end of lap one. Tristan, Doug, Matter, Mikey, and myself added Cole to the group as we entered the single track on lap two. Matter went to the front and kept it honest as Mikey looked to be playing the accordian. I was feeling pretty solid midway through the second lap as I trailed Matter with the rest in tow. Doug threw a mid race test in with a surge just before going under the bridge. I held his wheel knowing that I'd see at least two dismounts in the next two miles. As we approached the pine climb I hoofed it up the cheater section as a couple of followers rode the switchback resulting in a small gap. We stacked it up again as we raced up the equalizer with Doug and I cresting it together. Doug mimicked me around and I told him I wasn't feeling it yet so I tucked in while we dove into the quarry terrain. Entering the third lap I started to turn the screws as we dove into the single track. The course was to perfect. Smoking fast single track with the perfect amount of roots to divert even the smoothest riders. I slowly upped my pace and it appeared that Tristan was fading but you never know. I entered the creek crossing fairly smooth and came out with a pssssssssssssssst. Flat. "Sorry man," Doug murmurs. In denial I give it a hard couple of pedal strokes as if the deflation never happened. I throw my bike and yell, "you're lucky day." What a breaker. The big air does nothing for my dented rim and torn bead as begin the trot back to the feed zone with my head high. What happens in Shevegas stays in Shevegas.

The remainder of the race was spent in chamois sipping on high lifes, superfanning my heros as the race had some exciting position changes during the final lap. Matter looked to be the man as he cruised towards home with a 40 second lead before cramping on the equalizer. Doug was on fire as he ran Brian down in the closing mile for the $$$. Marko came on strong placing fourth behind the ever improving Tristan as James and Casey took down the top two spots in comp aboard their rigid single speed 29ers.

With the exception of the finale I couldn't ask for much more. WORS has been a staple in the midwest and I'm pretty stoked to be affiliated. The competition has been friendly and fierce at the same time while the sponsors couldn't have been more supportive. Thanks to all. With WORS over it's time to turn the focus towards the cross course as I warm up my custom Bob Brown and BKB skinsuit for a few epic battles!

$1700 flat.

I dream a trail.

©Newlow

Training grounds.

Tighten the screws. Braaap some burms. Spy on neighbors. The cold season is here as I'm warned with a relapse of this past weekend. Recovery came in a light spin at the "training grounds."

Bleed through your eyes:

>>>Cheq.

>>>LPX.

>>>BBBBCX07.

Tuesday commute (AM).

Project BBBB.

By weeks end it was apparent that fending off the shop virus would be a challenge. AOMIII, Marko, and now me. Mentally I was building myself up for the downfall but it came quietly and left loudly. Pumped with over the counter meds the T-da and I headed out in the early AM (FRI) to the ss capital of the world. After an uneventful ride we met Bob Brown at his shop for the unveiling of the BBBB BKB special! Bob's shop is a bit overwhelming as I entered the realm of unfamiliar tools and bikes but somehow it embraced me as I began the journey into my fresh lugs.

BB's decision to sponsor Marko and I came as an unexpected surprise early last month. Without hesitation we jumped at the opportunity to ride some of the most beautiful lugged steel crossers in the US if not the world. While Marko will have to wait a couple more days for his drop outs to arrive I'm on my way to cxss domination.

After my predicted build time of 1hr we scavenged to clean my mess up in anticipation for the shakedown. The beauty of this bike is not only custom geometry to my liking but also the ability to roll the big rubber. 2.1's to be exact and that leaves marginal clearance for mud and debris along with the occasional high life can. In spirit of the monster cross movement and hopes of Wirth I filled the steel stays with the stans crows.

With the build and lunch behind us we headed out to the Wirth trail system near downtown Minneapolis. These trails are always a favorite seeing as how it's within riding distance from all my favorite destinations. Bob rode his custom cross bike with stans wheels as T-da sported the newly revamped soulcraft. We hit the trails hard and found ourselves in CX form as the downed trees kept us on our toes. Two laps in we ran into some intermediate mtbers who commented on our nice "cross bikes" as we moved on to our third lap. It was a blast as we came out of the situation unscathed.

Next up we set out for the "coolest bike shop" ever, 1on1. As we approached the opened door of the shop I could see Gene from across the street. He was in form as he stood up and applauded our entrance. It appeared that a student journalist or a first timer was interviewing him for this or that as he dove into Gene-O mode. Just back form interbike and full of stories we got an earful. Radical! The shop looked better than ever with the taxidermy clad bike frames in full force. T-da was a kid in a candy store as he dug through the bins of parts in the basement only to come out with greasy hands and a cut on his knee.

FFFFF-forward to Sunday. The BB was ready to roll but was I? Did I mention the crank swap due to a bent White Industry chainring over the tracks? Damn. With a fresh xtr installed I fended off my flu like symptoms by adorning the BKB metal suit. My mental state was blurred by over the counters but I kept the focus. A sniffle here and a hack there we're off. WTF? I'm not moving. My rear tyre wasn't hooking up on the poor starting grounds and before I knew it the leaders were off. I boggled my way to the front group by lap two but it was to late the separation formed and then it was three minus the two. Brian and Tristan were on a mission as Marko, Kyle, and I chased hard. I wasn't quite in form as I hacked up the leftovers while bouncing my way through a dry course. The leaders kept the gap at 20sec by mid race as Marko took his pull. We were working well together as I gained my second wind thanks to the kitten factory handups as I went for it. The pull brought us within ten feet with three to go as Matter made the move. We juggled Tristan for five seconds to long as Brian made the jump. Riding steady we reeled him back in whether he knew it or not as we approached the last half lap. I thought we were going to catch him as I heard the gravel beside me. Marko went for it but got hung up as he filed in behind me. With Tristan dangling off behind us we raced to 2nd and 3rd behind Brian. It was a great starting point as I got the Bob dialed. This season is going to be relentless!