September 29, 2009
She's an Ironman!

My girlfriend Sarah just raced her first 1/2 Ironman distance triathlon this weekend in Augusta, GA. A 1/2 Ironman is comprised of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile road bike, and 13.1 mile run. She did this race in honor of Baby John Delano -- a friend's baby who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder that inhibits the body's ability to process copper. She raised about $8500 for the Menke's Foundation to help them educate doctors and other medical professionals about this relatively new diseases.

I'm very proud of Sarah for this accomplishment and am glad that I got to be a part. Much of our time together the last few months has been on bike rides and runs so now I don't know what we're gonna do to hang out! HA!! Just kidding.

Baby John and his parent's, Brian and Allison, were able to make it to the race in time to see Sarah halfway through the run. Brian flew into Atlanta that morning from a work trip and then they drove to Augusta to see Sarah and be there to support her. It was great to hang out with them and with Sarah's friends from North Atlanta Multisport Club -- it gave me the chance to think that maybe, just maybe tri-geeks aren't ALL that bad!

Well, without further ado, here's a slideshow with pictures from the day. I really cannot say enough about how proud of her I am for this awesome accomplishment! I love you Sarah -- you're a rock star!

You can help Sarah and The Menke's Foundation with a tax deductible donation by going to http://www.firstgiving.com/babyjohn.

(ok, well, I can't figure out how to get the slideshow to run here but in the meantime, here's the link to the pictures on Flickr.com).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49552511@N00/sets/72157622355333819/

August 28, 2009
There’s been a lot going on lately with Atlanta Outfitters and with my life in general. I’ve made several changes to the Atlanta Outfitters website and am talking with a couple of folks about a new service line for AO to offer race logistics for small events (fewer than 500 participants).

Speaking of racing, I did my first for the year two weeks ago at the Fools Gold race in Dahlonega, GA. While I’ve not been training for racing this year, I still opted to make a go of the 100 miler. For the first 25 miles, I felt really good. Miles 26-32….I didn’t feel strong at all. However, I did recover after making a stop at SAG #3. Somewhere about mile 42 I completely just lost all energy. I felt fine – I had simply exhausted the engine. I was also having some issues with my drive train and was getting annoyed at the thumping sound that my fork was making (ha..little did I know until last week’s re-build project with Tucker that I had less than 10cc’s of oil in the fork). Anyway, these other matters were merely excuses to supplement my lack of energy so I finished the 50 mile lap and called my race right there. I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling in my camp chair in the shade with some guys from Tampa as we waited our friends to suffer through their second lap.

Today after work I am leaving for Charlotte, NC where I’ll make go at the Rivers Edge Marathon, a 50 mile mountain bike race being held tomorrow at the US National Whitewater Center (aka the Catawba trails). I love this trail system and have been really looking forward to this race since late June. It’s been raining here in Atlanta and in Charlotte and even though the course drains well, I know it’s still going to be muddy and slick. Thus, I’m not really sure my race plan at this point. My main race bike, a Salsa Dos Niner, has Kenda Small Block 8 tires on it which are great for fast hardpack courses but not so great in the mud. My Walt Works bike is built as a rigid singlespeed (SS) and has my back country/ mud tires on it. I’m tempted to do the first lap on my Salsa and see how the course is then maybe swap to the Walt Works if it’s sloppy and not worry about shifting issues in the mud.

More race news:

Through Atlanta Outfitters I am sponsoring a 4-man team for the 12 Hours of Dauset on September 19 in Jackson, GA. I ordered AO jerseys and they will arrive just in time to outfit the team for this race. I’m very pleased with the jersey and am happy to finally settle on a great looking design with a top quality manufacturer. Verge Sports is making the jerseys and I’m taking orders for jerseys, shorts, bibs, and winter gear. The jersey proof can be found at the AO Gear tab on www.atlantaoutfitters.com and I’ll get pricing for the other items up on the page within the coming week.

Let’s see…what else? Oh yea, I’m looking for riders to ride / race for Atlanta Outfitters in 2010. If you are interested, go to www.atlantaoutfitters.com and send me your race resume and information through the Contact Us page. No prior race experience is required so if you’re new to racing or have never been on a team and wanted to be, now’s your time!

October brings us fall foliage tours, camp fires and s’mores, awesome biking and hiking, and we start shaking the dust off our fleece outer wear. In anticipation of this, I’ve put together a trip to Tallulah Gorge in northeast Georgia where we’ll spend the weekend hiking into the Gorge, mountain biking (for those interested) and sitting by the camp fire wishing we didn’t have to go back to reality! This will be the first Atlanta Outfitters City Escape Weekend. For more information and registration on this trip, go to www.atlantaoutfitters.com.

Ok, well, that’s about all I have for now. Stay tuned for pictures and race report from tomorrow. Sarah is going with me so for once, I’ll actually get some pictures of the race!

August 10, 2009
Sope Creek trail system update
Trail Ettiquette and Rules



Rules of the Trail
1. Never ride or run on wet trails or within 24 hours of a rain event.
2. Always wear a helmet
3. Ride on open trails only. At Sope Creek, this means cyclists are allowed on the doubletrack and not on the singletrack trails. (see map to the right)
4. Control your bicycle -- watch your speed when other trail users present!
5. Yield to others; pedestrians and climbers ALWAYS have the right of way
6. Never scare animals
7. Plan ahead
8. All dogs / pets are to be on a leash no more than (6) feet long
9. Cyclists are not allowed in Johnson Ferry, Vickery Creek, Hyde Farm, Gold Branch, Palisades (except for the Bob Callan paved trail) or other units of the CRNRA unless clearly posted that bikes are allowed. For more information on where cycling is allowed in the CRNRA, please consult with the CRNRA leadership at 678.538.1244
10. The park is closed from sunset to sunrise.


Trail Etiquette
1. Always yield to pedestrians, slow down and verbally notify that you are approaching and which side you are passing.
2. Climbing cyclists and pedestrians have the right of way.
3. Always be courteous to other trail users

THE NEXT BIG THING:
We're working on fall multi-sport festival including trail running, hybrid / road / mountain bike demos, trail work, free basic bike maintenance, and guided bike trips for kids.


There will be work parties in September and October so please stay tuned here.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the IMBA National Mountain Bike Patrol at Sope Creek, please contact me. We need patrollers to assist and educate trail users as ambassodors for the sport of mountain biking but also for the park. You will also help us inform the CRNRA leadership of visitor concerns, trail work needed, etc.

For information on how to help make the Sope Creek Trails better for ALL users, please go to (copy & paste this URL) http://go.imba.com/site/TR/Volunteerfundraiser/TeamIMBA?team_id=1330&pg=team&fr_id=1210

3-24-09
New trails at Sope Creek & a new business

Here's a preview of the trail realignments that are happening at the Sope Creek trails, located at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.



I've been helping the National Park Service with a trail rehabilitation project at Sope Creek and after waiting 10+ years for new trails, we got 'em! Since I stopped traveling so much last year, I volunteered to take the lead on this effort as a trail coordinator for SORBA and thanks to money coming in from Coca Cola, NPS was able to contract the rough cut work out to Long Cane Trails, a group of professional trail builders and mountain bikers who know how to build some sweet singletrack!

We have a great weekend coming up with the IMBA Trail Care Crew on April 17-18 at Sope and will have a party at Cavern pub in Virginia Highlands in Atlanta on Friday the 17th, and multiple work parties running on the 18th as we execute the finish work on the trails. Details on this and other work parties are at www.sorbaatlanta.org.

If you can help in any way, let me know by dropping me an email at clmyrickjr@gmail.com.

While we have momentum on this, the work being executed at this time is only phase 1 of 2. We cannot execute phase 2 until NPS gets more funding. We'll need about $50,000 in order to make that happen so start saving your pennies! I'm setting up an online donation site through IMBA where you'll be able to make tax-deductible donations for this effort via credit card.

Let's see....what else...oh, I'm getting the guide service off the ground. The business venture is called Atlanta Outfitters and I'll be providing guide services for hiking, biking (both road and mountain), camping, and paddling trips. I'll have a full range of options for fully catered to not and for family and church groups or ultra-light packing outdoorsmen. Stay tuned for a new website which will include more details.

Racing? Um....not sure I'll be able to get much done this spring. I'm hoping to do a 1/2 ironman triathlon over Memorial Day weekend the local 12 hour mountain bike series. Training time is minimal this year with the efforts above combined with work and work travel. I was in Mexico last week for week and will be spending about (3) weeks in total in Dallas, TX between now and the first 12 hour race in the Dirty Spokes series on May 2.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. I hope you're doing well and will check back for updates on Atlanta Outfitters and the trail work at Sope Creek.

29JAN09
Wow! What a month it's been! The day after my last post I had another crash in Pisgah and since then just been kicking through life. Two weeks ago had another wreck while doing a trail survey with the volunteer coordinator for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) which is across the street from where I live (yes, I planned that). In that wreck I severely sprained my left wrist and torqued the left shoulder more so I've not been riding at all, just getting in some runs for workouts.

Let's see...other stuff that's happened...I got back into choir at Mt. Paran Church of God after a little break, my girlfriend and I broke up and I lost my job. The breakup wasn't a big ugly mess, which somehow I don't have -- thankfully! Sarah's an awesome girl and breakups suck, no matter how drama-free they are. The job situation, well, I knew it was coming and had been looking for new employment. I was actually releaved when it happened and I knew that God would provide and take care of me. That was last Tuesday. On Friday, I had an interview, an offer Monday and I'll start my new employ this coming Monday with BVM Engineering in Atlanta. They do design and construction oversight on LEED projects (projects accredited by the US Green Building Council) and also do building commissioning. These are things I've been wanting to get into but the firms I was working with before didn't do them so this is a great opportunity that I am very excited about.

In my time off, I've been catching up on housework that's been neglected, setting up a home office, and catching up with friends. I've also been making some headway on my new business venture -- an outdoor guide service for hiking, biking, camping, etc. Once I get it set up with the State of GA, I'll reveal the name and details so please stay tuned.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with a reporter from the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) about the trail project we're doing here at CRNRA. Oh, which reminds me of another thing that's happened this month -- I took a course and got certified as a Trail Building Crew Leader AND we had a work party at CRNRA on Saturday the 17th, and had 20 people brave the 14 degree temps to help with trail maintenance. I was very excited that so many folks showed up for the first of our monthly trail work parties at the park. The trail system there is known to mountain bikes as Sope Creek and is very technical and much like riding in the backcountry but it's literally just outside the city limits of Atlanta on the shores of the Chattahoochee River. It's been neglected for many years and I've hated to see nothing happen so I decided last year when I realized I was actually going to be in one place for awhile that I'd jump in and try to stir the pot a little. Thankfully, about the same time, a grant was coming down to put into place some trail re-alignments.

Well, gotta go get ready for a doctor's appointment on the shoulder and wrist. I hope that 2009 has started as well for you as it has for me. Sure, it's had it's bumps but God is in control and He provides what we need. For more day to day updates and pictures, you can find me Facebook pretty easily and I host my pictures on Flickr.com. Please stay tuned for the updates on the new business!

12-27-08
Pisgah riding

Day 1: 18 miles, 2:30, avg 6.8, max 38.5, avg HR 156. Route: Fish Hatchery up FS road to Farlow Gap, down Farlow Gap trail to Daniel Ridge Loop back to Fish Hatchery. Crashed coming down Farlow Gap and landed with my thigh slamming onto a major root so it hurts and is swollen a bit but otherwise a okay. Nothing a little stretching and riding won't hurt.

I think tomorrow we're heading to Dupont. More details and pics later.

Sorry for the lack of activity in awhile. Look for more! Thanks for stopping by.

9-12-09
Right then, I know it’s been awhile since I posted and for that I have no real excuses. I could yammer on about how I spent the summer trying to balance work overload, training, a new girlfriend, etc but hey, I know everyone has the same stuff to deal with so I’ll spare (even myself) that boredom. Since my last post, I have done a couple of different races:

24 Hours of Conyers by Granny Gear (www.grannygear.com)
Dog Days Crit at Grant Park sponsored by Aarons’ Cycling (http://www.aaronscycling.com/)

I’ve spent a great deal of time this summer getting back into SORBA (www.sorba.org) and trying to get some things launched with the Atlanta chapter, which has all but fallen off the map over the last several years. It’s sad really when you think about SORBA having found it’s start with a small group of mountain bikers in the city who wanted more places to ride because land owners were quickly shutting out bikers. Now that SORBA has grown to (23) chapters in (6) states, the place where it all began finds itself in dire need of help. There are things that we’re working on – 10 miles of singletrack INSIDE the perimeter just (2) miles from GA Tech – for one example but it’s all long range stuff. The low hanging fruit gets missed so for once, I’m trying to focus on short term stuff instead of long term. I’m trying to get us connected with local neighborhood organizations and Boy Scout troops and build relationships with intown residents who look at cyclists as a bunch of suburban white folk with too much time and money on their hands. There are ways to get our message out to the masses without even talking about dirt trails – bike rodeos, basic maintenance, bike safety, traffic safety, etc – are all things that kids who ride their bikes on overworked city streets need to learn. There are local state parks that offer mountain biking opportunities that I’ve just learned about, actually through another cycling organization. It’s a shame that we’ve missed out on leading efforts at these locations.

Let’s see….this weekend Sarah and I (that’s the girl’s name) are heading out to do the Cox MS 150 Challenge or whatever shameless self promoting thing Cox is wanting it called this year. Bottom line remains, it’s a great fundraiser for awareness and finding a cure for MS (multiple sclerosis). Details are at http://www.ms150atlantachallenge.org/about_tour.html. If you want to donate to the cause, please go to http://bikegaa.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=1893492&pg=personal&fr_id=8885. Donations can be made online through that link and are tax deductible. Oh, I should mention that I’m riding for Team Shepherd / HDS Vans. From the website (www.shepherd.org):

“Shepherd Center specializes in the medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and other neurological conditions.”

Other upcoming events that I’m planning are the Dirty Spokes 12 hours of Conyers in October and possibly the Swank 65 in November. I’d like to get some at least one other 12 hour in but we’ll see.

As part of SORBA Atlanta, I’ve started a weekly ride called the Turtle River Rumble. This ride is every Thursday night at Sope Creek. The intent is to start getting riders together and working together instead of all of us keeping a low profile by not banding together. There is more low hanging fruit for us to latch onto at this park (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area) and we’re missing it. I love riding and running and otherwise playing in this park and now that I’m in a position where I’m not traveling, I wanted to jump headlong into getting some stuff happening out there. For more info on this ride, stay tuned to www. Sorba.org/forum under the Rides section.

Oh, the last big bit of riding news is that I’ve been asked by SORBA to lead a team as part of the Team IMBA program. This program is basically set up as a fund raiser for local trail efforts. We’re looking to partner with a local race director for the Dirty Spokes series for 2009 and have at least one multi-person team and a solo rider or two involved at these races. If you are interested in being a part of this team for 2009 or want more information, please email me at cmyrickjr@mindspring.com. More information including benefits of being on the team (jersey, training plans from Boulder Peak Performance, etc) can be found at http://go.imba.com/site/PageServer?pagename=TeamIMBA_homepage. If you would like to donate to trail efforts in the metro Atlanta area, please go to http://go.imba.com/site/TR/Volunteerfundraiser/TeamIMBA?team_id=1090&pg=team&fr_id=1050. Again, these donations are tax deductible and do NOT go to me or any member of the team but are handled through IMBA and SORBA.

Since this is getting long (that’s what I get for not posting in awhile right?) I’ll start wrapping up. Earlier in the summer / late May I met a young lady named Sarah who is a cat. 3 roadie and concentrates on crits. She races for Sorella Cycling (ww.sorella.com) which is a team / club focused on promoting cycling for women. They are a great group of gals that ride road, dirt and all disciplines of each. I’ve really been blessed to have her in my life and we are very much enjoying the time we spend with each other, whether it’s riding, paddling a quiet lake, or hanging with family.

I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know the Dusacks – Chris, Bridgette, and Norah – over the summer. Hopefully we can get together for Fall weekend of camping and riding. Oh yea, thankfully Sarah can ride a mountain bike pretty well and doesn’t mind it either!

Well, I figure that’s about enough to digest in one sitting but should bring you pretty much up to speed. I’m sure we’ll have some good pictures from the MS ride to post up so I’ll get them up Monday.

5-4-08
Ft Yargo Aftermath (seems to be the new word for race wrap up)

Two 100-mile mtn bike races in two weeks. Not a bad way to start off the riding season! Yesterday's race was held at Ft Yargo State Park in Winder, GA just south of Athens (for all you Dawg fans). The weather report was 60% chance of thunderstorms but I had been praying all that God would hold back the rain or divert it or something, mostly because I don't have the money laying about to rebuild the drivetrain a second time in two weeks! Rainy mtn bike races wreak havoc on bike parts.

Anyway, all was going well -- got to the arena fine and found our pit area. Oh, I should mention that I was pitting with Xray_Ed, PedalHard, and Nikki. Duckman was nextdoor and was quite the friend by saving our spot for us when he got out there on Friday. The girls from Sorella Cycling were on the other side of Duck and it seemed that there were 30 people over there and I don't think they stopped bringing stuff from their cars until the race was over - it was an endless supply chain! On our other side was Carebear, Shane, and Scott. All in all, surrounded by good folks.

Race start was 10am and so far not a drop of rain. During the first hour and half, however, there were some very light showers on the east side of the lake which simply knocked the dust down and packed the trail in a bit better. Otherwise, the Lord heard the prayers of this sinner and diverted the rain to the south of the race! Not that I was the only one praying He would hold off the rain, mind you. Anywho...I was well hydrated and fueled and had a basic nutrition plan lined out for the day.

My goal was 100 miles then see how I felt and how much time was left. The format for Yargo varied from the Cohutta race in that this was a 12 mile lap and the goal was to complete as many laps before the time cut off as you could. I made short stops after each lap for food and bike adjustments. Some breaks were a bit longer than others but I was okay with it.

Halfway in, at the 50 mile mark for me, I made a nutrition error that you don't hear much about -- I ate too much. Most folks eat too little at these things. Well, I now had to deal with the fact that I was asking my bodt to digest this extra food while still producing the same power it had been. Nothin' doin! Miles 51 to about 65 sucked as I struggled about the course. Finally, I came to the realization that I was completely overthinking this issue and I needed to just ride my bike and have fun! After all, the I'm not honoring anyone represented on my jersey by feeling sorry for myself here. Once I got past that, I did start enjoying the ride again. Unfortunately, my average speed had dropped almost 1 mph which I had to work hard to make up. (I never did).

In summary, I got schooled by the legendary Norma Rainwater who, although we were leap frogging each other on course, finished a lap up on me. I also got schooled by Xray_Ed and Duckman who are both further along in years than I, but my consolation is that neither had done the 100 miler at Cohutta ;)

Final Stats:
Avg speed: 9.9 mph
Avg HR: 152
Total distance: 99.63 (close enough to 100 for it to count)
Mechanical issues: Zero
Crashes: Zero
Near misses with trees: several!

Pictures below:
1. Thanks to Duckman, pre-race -- No I didn't pose for this, he caught me doing a mental check on my gear
2. The mass start
3. A nice jump to have made had I known there'd be a photographer there and what the landing zone looked like. Well, that and self preservation since this was taken on lap 2.

4-30-08
Recovery and race prep

Let me just say that last week was a definite learning experience for my cycling career. I felt great after the C100 – did a 12 mile recovery ride on the road Sunday, took off on Monday, easy MTB ride Tuesday, then hit it hard Wednesday with a 1300m swim and 5k run. Then came Thursday. Thursday I met up with Tucker to ride at Blankets Creek in Canton. It’s not a technically challenging trail and is a nice place to go get some easy mileage and have fun with the ride. The first lap was a bit faster than I would have liked for a warm up, but I felt fine. I kept tabs on my heart rate (HR) though, and was a little concerned. Instead of riding South Loop, which has a bit more climbing and higher technical difficulty than Dwelling Loop, I asked Tucker to do another lap on Dwelling. I kept noticing that my HR on certain efforts was about 30-40 bpm lower than it typically is, so I really got concerned. I bowed out after that lap and decided to not workout at all over the weekend so that my body could fully recover.

So after taking the weekend off (except to cut grass at my parent’s house), I did a 10k trail run Monday then rode Blankets again last night. The legs are a bit tight which I’m not happy about but it’s manageable. I’ve been stretching (thanks to the constant reminders running through my head from Sarah getting onto me!) and I think I’ll just do some good stretching tonight instead of a swim, since I won’t get to workout until about 9:30 pm.

This coming weekend is a 12 hour MTB race at Ft Yargo State Park in Winder, GA. I was given a free entry from one of the sponsors so I want to do well. I hate that I’ll be missing Pedalpalooza with SORBA Woodstock and the Bike Fellowship gang. The goal this week is another 100 miles. I’ve heard the course is ~15 miles so if I can knock out (7) laps I’ll be happy with that effort. This course is drastically different than the C100 course in that there’s only about 100 ft of elevation gain per lap. Good you say? Well, what that means is there’s no recovery like a long downhill to let the legs rest. You’re constantly on the gas at Yargo. Looks like I’m pitting with Duckman, Xray_Ed, and Pedalpusher so it should be fun at least. I don’t know Pedalpusher, but I think I may be the youngest in this crowd so I have to make sure not to let the old guys take advantage of me! Duckman is strong and rides more in a week than I get to in a month so don’t let age fool ya! It’ll be a good day for racing!

Keep the names coming – I got (3) last week of soldiers KIA overseas. I’ve started a list for them on the left sleeve of the jersey. I do plan to wear it for Ft Yargo this weekend.

One last thing, I have emailed the race director (RD) for the Cohutta 100 about a rule violation that I committed. By accepting food from my support outside of a designated aid station, I broke the rules. I knew it was a violation but I was not really concerned with it at the time. It did not cross my mind at the finish and none of the other racers I was racing with said anything about it. It is grounds for my disqualification but I’ve not heard from the RD. I doubt anyone really cares since I came in 120th but rules are rules. If she does write me back, I’ll let you know.

Now, get back to work slackers!

4-20-08
Cohutta Wrap Up

Here's the summary with pictures.

Total race time: 11 hours 48 minutes
Total time off bike: 1 hour 19 minutes
Avg speed: 9.6 mph
Avg HR: 148
Max speed: 43 mph

Targets were:
10 hours plus breaks
Avg speed: 10 mph
Avg HR: 150

Conditions:
The weather straight up sucked for the start of an all day epic. It was raining and cold (about 50 degrees) for the first three hours. Course conditions were mush. There's nothing like slogging up a 10 mile climb at 6 mph knowing that ~50% of your energy is getting sucked out of each pedal stroke because of the mud. Once the rain stopped, it was actually pretty nice. On the east side of the Cohutta Wilderness the sun had been out and it was about 75 degrees. It was a bit cooler at the finish but who cared at that point, right?!

The brief:
The first bit of the race flowed very well on the Brush Creek trails. The downhill back to the Ocoee Whitewater Center was a lot of fun and I was able to push past some folks who were being overly cautious on the rock gardens -- something I'm not. I use those spots to make up time and work my way through the field, which worked very well yesterday. Once back at the Whitewater Center, we crossed the foot bridge and as I set up to make the left turn onto the Bear Paw trail, my front wheel went sliding on the wet pavement and I took my token digger (I always crash once at the Tanasi trails), messing up my left knee and left shoulder. All those folks I passed on the downhill and rock gardens caught and passed me right there ---GRRRRR! On the same mile, a bit further up trail, I had my only mechanical for the day -- a broken chain, which was quickly repaired because somehow the Lord only let one link come out so I didn't need a tool or anything. I just grabbed my SRAM quick link, slapped it in, and got back in the race.

Quick stop at Check Point 1 (CP1), then it was onto fighting fireroads for the next ~60 miles. I caught Jono at CP2, grabbed (4) chocolate chip cookies, some chain lube then we were off. Andrew was supposed to meet me at CP2 but we missed each other somehow so I was elated when he came rolling up behind me about 5 miles later on top of the ridge. I grabbed a sandwich, some BURN energy drink, e-caps, changed gloves into some dry ones, and since I was shaking from the cold, I had to get moving again. CP3 took a little longer for me so I could get some ointment on my knee and clean off the drivetrain since the weather was breaking and the course conditions weren't so bad. Grabbed an orange, some cookies, another BURN, maybe an Ensure and a Snickers Marathon bar and was off to Potato Patch. From CP3 along the south side of the Cohutta Wilderness, I know the road so it was nice to be on familiar grounds.

Potato Patch is just past halfway for the day which meant the worst of the climbing was done. Basically, from about mile 28 to 52 it's all climbing. Sure there are a couple little descents but they just tease you and feed you into yet another climb. From Potato Patch to Lake Conasauga is rolling and not bad. From the Lake, it's mostly downhill to where CP4 was (I don't have a clue where on the map it was but it was sunny, warm, and at the bottom of a long downhill)!

From CP4 (about 68 miles into the day) to 5 was about 10 miles. This piece was mostly flat and allowed me to stretch the legs of my Salsa Dos Niner and see what she could really do. Let me say, it was good to have big wheels!! I felt great rolling out of CP4 and managed to catch and pass several riders who were on traditional 26" wheeled bikes. The Dos Niner has 29" wheels which, once you get 'em rolling, it's much easier to keep pace. I caught these two guys who were teammates and using a roadie thing known as drafting -- basically just working together to conserve energy. As I passed them, they tried to catch onto my wheel and draft off me but I shifted up and was going to make them work for it. The next time I saw them was CP5. There was a nasty bit of a climb after the flats but that led to a nice descent into CP5.

At CP5, I took some time to grab some food because I was not planning to stop at CP6. So after yet another BURN, Ensure, beef jerky, gel, e-caps, etc, it was off to fight the last bit of fireroad.

CP 6 was at the start of the last bit of singletrack to the finish, 10 miles to go! The last section of trail is a 2 mile descent called the Thunder Rock Express, but in order to get there, we had to pay for it by doing a 2.5 mile climb from CP6....ARGH!! At the top of this climb, I got hungry but refused to stop and eat -- a mistake which caused me to suffer a bit and go slower on the singletrack than I should have. But I was pushing to make the top of Thunder Rock, knowing it was an easy fast downhill to the finish.

When I finally made the top of Thunder Rock, I grabbed an oatmeal creme pie (number 4 or 5 for the day) and took off for the final descent. I caught a couple other riders, including my friend Jono, which gave me a boost. We rolled out onto the pavement together and made the final push for the finish line.

All in all a good race and a good day. I am pleased with the results and how good I felt for most of the day. Riding in honor of Those Who Serve was a huge encouragement as well. When I started feeling down or wondering what I was doing, I looked at jersey and was quickly reminded that I was riding to honor those who are represented there.

A big thanks to Andrew for driving the course to meet me with food and encouragement and for the pictures which you will enjoy here. A big thanks to all who said a prayer or called or emailed with words of encouragement -- it truly helped get me though.

On a side note, Andrew is starting up his own photography business so if you are in the north Georgia / Atlanta area and need pictures for your youth sports team, family portraits, engagement, sporting activites, church event, whatever, drop me a line and I'll get you hooked up with him. He does a great job as you see below.

To Jono: it was a pleasure doing battle with you this day, my friend!

Pictures:
1. Starting line
2. Here we go!
3. Just an idea of how the roads looked
4. CP3, Peter (Solo Slow Guy) in the blue helmet.
5. Lubing the chain
6. Pushing through Potato Patch
7. Downhill to CP4
8. Victory!
9. Jono finishing