Lordy Lordy!

Look who's forty! Happy B-day to the funniest guy I have ever met!

Fat Tire Frenzy -Brief/Long Summary

Cruising down 460 with Ron G.

Brief Summary- OUUUUUUUCH (seven u's) This race hurt!























Longer Summary- OUUUUUUUUUUUCH! (eleven u's) This race hurt!

2008 Southside Scramble

Place- Danville, VA.

Weather conditions- perfect for racing!



This was my first race on a singlespeed, and I found out quickly that this was going to be a super fast race. It wasn't long before we were passing some of the Expert class. I witnessed two hammering riders in my class go down within the first mile and a half.


The riders in front were already getting separation on the flat fire road section.


Early on in the race my hands were soaked with sweat which made it extremely difficult on hold the handlebars. It felt like there was Crisco on my handlebars. It took everything I had to keep my hands on the bars, so I had to slow down a little bit. I guess I'll wear gloves next time.


I hit one section of roots and somehow my entire body was thrown forward. My midsection ended up on my handlebars. My face was about two inches from my front tire. I was lucky not to wipe out at this point.



I settled in and was fairly consistent for the first 11 miles. I felt pretty good. I was hitting the turns well and making it up the short climbs without too much trouble. Then it happened. Cramps! Both quads and my right hamstring said, "Goodbye! We're done!" My back was hurting like it never has before. I was history. I wasn't sure I was going to finish. For the last three miles I had to walk most of the steep sections and gently pedal the flats.


Overall, I loved the race- Great course with no laps! There is nothing like pushing yourself to the limit! What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger!



Here's a short video of the Singlespeeders on the first section of singletrack. Warren S. leads out the pack!

Jen's first race in the Sport Class! She walked away with some bling! Excellent job!

Chris C. on the first singletrack section (above). Warren at the finish!

Frank and Jannie checking for ticks and looking for ladybugs! Also, congrats to Paula and Adam for placing! Ron G- How many laps did you do?

Go Fly A Kite!

There were some amazing kites at this year's kite festival. One gigantic kite had over 240 panels! If you think flying a kite may be a little boring or that it does not appeal to your competitive nature, then you would love the fighter kites! They really do make these things. I'm not lying. These masterpieces are equipped with razor sharp blades to "fight" other kites. I'm not sure I'm ready for one of these yet, considering how my kite always nosedives into crowds!

Smile! Well, Maybe Not!

A couple of months ago I purchased a compact digital camera, the Canon SD 750, to carry w/me on rides. A cool sunset, wildlife, Ron G.'s face plant into a mud bog- you never know what you're going to see on any given ride, so I wanted to be ready at all times. It's now one more thing on the mental checklist before each ride. Bike-check, helmet- check, shoes-check, jersey/shorts- check, hammer gel- check, a charged MP3 player -check, CAMERA- check. I have been carrying the camera on every ride.

I was climbing the fire road at the cove this A.M and saw a three black bears. It looked to be a mother with her two cubs. Mom was at the top a very tall tree, and the cubs were just below her. My heart was pumping. I was pretty excited that I could get a picture. I reached for the camera. Where was it? Of course, it was in the truck!

How Could That Be?

I have been using these Ritchey pedals regularly since December 1996. I can't believe they are still working!

Puppy Love

Last night was the SPCA's annual fundraiser at the Hotel Roanoke- The Puppy Love Ball. It consisted of nice dinner (which included a big thick piece of steak!- We're animals lovers, right?), band, and a silent auction. Since October Jannie has been collecting donations from various businesses for the silent auction and attending meetings to help plan for this event. We were up late Friday evening putting the final touches on the displays and spent most all of Saturday setting these up. We also managed to have a garage sale on Saturday, but that's a different story. Here is one of the 231 displays!

Many businesses and individuals contributed to this event! Cardinal Bicycles donated this bike for the silent auction! Mail It Plus also helped by supporting this event!