It does happen

Phone picture credit: Stabby the Walking Dude

For my first real ride back on the rigid fork I headed up to Wilkesboro with Stabby, Eric Van Driver, and Bubba to try and hit all three trail systems up there. Big Worm was supposed to be along for the ride, but he got caught out in the space/time variance that is Daylight Savings swappage.

First on the menu was the Warrior Creek trail system. Since I'll be doing the Six Hours of Warrior Creek in one month I was anxious to see the course as I hadn't been on it since it was still being built. It was still a bit early in the morning when we started, so we got worked over by the soft trail, but the evidence of all the recent machine built handiwork was evident. To do well over the course of six hours you best get your pump track practice in soon. Every single turn that could be faster with a bank was built with speed in mind.

About half way around I stopped and waited for the rest of the crew to catch up. After waiting too long Bubba finally rolled up and said Stabby's wheel was toast. I turned around and went looking for the scene of the repair stopping every once and awhile and calling out to Stabby and Eric. If you've been riding with friends long enough you know the scene... the uncertainty of whether or not your friends turned back or left the trail all together, leaving one person behind (or ahead depending on how you look at it) while searching for some one else, the realization that you have the only map and are really the only one familiar with the area, figuring out a better plan after you've already initiated an ill advised rescue attempt, standing in the woods alone wondering if you're gonna spend the rest of the day looking for your friends rather than riding....

I found Stabby and Eric plotting an escape route back to the car VIA the service roads. I handed them my map and headed back out looking for Bubba. Upon finding him we managed to sorta stay on track and finish the trail out passing some of the BMCC trail workers on the way out. I thanked them for the awesome work, and told them I'd be back for more in less than a month. The work they do up there is just outta hand stellar. I have never seen trails like the ones in the Kerr Scott Reservoir area. Period.

We decided to make the most of the situation at hand and just head over to the Burn 24 Hour race course so Bubba could see it for the first time. He is one of the Members making up our crack team of single speed enthusiasts that are combining our efforts to be The Return of Captain Dick and the Throbbing Members. Bubba's first lap, Eric's umpteenth, and my sixty or seventy'th time around the course was taken with a few stops to point out the important stuff to Member Bubba, with an occasional phone photo op courtesy of the now on foot Stabby who was running hilly nilly through the woods to kill time.

Oh well, 17'ish miles when we were looking for 34'ish. Shit happened.

P.S. I love my rigid fork.