What's a guy supposed to do during the 8 month off season... This year I decided to turn my spring attention to mountain biking and try sharpening the bike driving skills when I can and use it to build some base miles. After the new year I bought a 29'er Trek Rig single speed (with option of adding gears); both the 29'er and SS concepts were new to me, but thought they sounded fun. I had no idea how true both would be!
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The handling of the G2 setup is not much off of riding a 26; it's pretty darn quick in the tight stuff and I don't feel like I am 'lugging' it around corners. The biggest thing is how freaking easy the 29er rolls over rough stuff and smooths it all out (I don't miss my Fuel full suspension at all). I have the 'bull in a china shop' riding style and the 29er now lets me get away with much more without punishment. .
The SS part of it a blast and that's mostly due to the fact that the midwest has no 'long' climbing and mostly short punchy stuff which is perfect for SS. I have a couple different cogs I toy with but so far I am a 32/18 kind of guy. My 'spin' has become way better and my power up climbs has always been one of my strengths so the combination is working.
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So on to racing: A couple weeks ago I entered my first '11 race at a local event (Warsaw Pain and Glory) on a super short course (13 miles at most). The field was not stacked so I took advantage of getting off the line first, hit the single track in front, and never saw anyone for the rest of the race. I ended up winning the overall by 8 or 9+ minutes. I felt really good and decently smooth, but was never pushed enought to get a real feel of my fitness. BTW - I'm a big fan of our 'lime' kits, but when it comes to mtb'ing I have to go with the black (it's my fav!).
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This past weekend was the Bone Bender 3/6hr race at Clinton Lake State Park outside of Lawrence, KS. While I do ride consistantly I don't have many LONG miles in my legs so opted for the 3hr SS. 9.3 ish mile loop which featured everything u would want on a course; technical, open flowy, tight... it was all there. I regulated my efforts according to my abilities and came away with the win in the SS class doing 4 laps in 3:43hrs and placing 9th fastest overall. I was pretty happy with my consistancy as I rode 55, 55, 56, and 56min for the laps and never felt outside my comfort level. Chris Locke and crew did a great job with this event; I'll be back next year for sure. .
Got a handful of mtb'ing races over the next couple of months before I turn my attention to crit racing and sharpening the speed before the 'turning of the leaves'. Hope eveyone is getting out there and enjoying the spring; later...
JJ
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