Pages

Friday, February 5

I'm no longer in the mood

I was gonna title this post "Today will suck balls"... but whatever.

As I sit here and stare out the window at the falling rain I have already realized that this entire day will get no better for me until 5:30pm. I clicked over to weather.com and the forecast calls for rain all day, and the temperature now (35°) is pretty much the temperature I'm gonna be seeing (actually feeling) all day. I'll be getting on my bike at 7:30am, and by the time I get to work everything except my core will be wet, and it will probably stay that way all day.

I'm not necessarily bitching. This is what I get paid to do on a Monday through Friday basis, and it's what I've been doing for the last thirteen or so years. This is also the reason that I will bail on the Pisgah 36 if I'm faced with similar weather on the weekend of February the 20th. I get PAID to go out in these conditions and expose myself to what will be at the end of the day a bit of a painful experience. I've got decent gear, but by the time I get home I will only be dry from my shoulders down to a place slightly below my waist, and perhaps dry down to an area between my elbows and my wrists. The novelty of trying to take of my shoes with throbbing, soaked fingers to expose my aching feet wore off over a decade ago, and spending the fifteen minutes after I walk back into my house after a wet day hanging my gear all over my bike room is an activity I have learned to do without thought or will. It is purely an intuitive act that has been placed under the jurisdiction of my autonomic nervous system, and it just happens as soon as the shoes come off my feet.

I will be a fair weather competitor of the Pisgah 36. I get to ride in the Pisgah National Forest whenever I want (and when The Pie issues a kitchen pass). I don't need to go slogging around at 4:00am in a freezing rain to get my kicks. Sure, I'll feel like a pussy if I bail, but I've quit races for much more pansy like reasons than freezing rain and less than fun trail conditions. I've got plenty to look forward to the rest of the year... lotsa early season stuff like the Six Hours of Warrior Creek, PMBAR, and the Trans Sylvania Epic Stage race, so I have no reason to start hating myself this early in the year. There will be plenty of self loathing in my future. I just need to be patient.

In suck-ass conclusion...

If anybody knows of any place within three hours of Charlotte where I can get some riding done this weekend please let me know. I'm gonna go nuts if I don't get outta the house, and I might even break out my *gasp* road bike. Please don't let it come to this. Save me Jeremiah Bisquick, and stop by my house on your way down interstate 77 en route to the promised land.

8 comments:

Metro said...

D@mn it man, I was eating breakfast and reading along until I saw the pic of JB. I just spent 5 minutes cleaning the coffee off my keyboard so I could type this comment. Mucho thanks for the laugh. Head up VA way and hit the annual Super Bowl ride on Sunday if you get the itch.

Peace,
Metro

dicky said...

Tell me more about this ride.
teamdicky at hotmail dot com

Gotta place to crash?? I might be able to get someone to watch my dawgs.

The Evil MGE! said...

Damn...46 degrees and sunny today and tomorrow. But that's Denver, Colorado and longer then even a 3 hour flight from Charlotte...once you add security checkpoints and all. And there actually is dry dirt and I will ride in it..today and tomorrow...well, until Saturday night then snow will supposedly fall again.

clay said...

I'm staring out my window watching the freezing rain fall on the snow and ice that is already everywhere thinking about how I really should be outside pushing my bike around to get ready for the p36. Your job is perfect for training! While I can understand how you can get burnt out on it I am truly jealous!

Jordy said...

rich,
come help me sand some floors in the south end this weekend. . . i heard powell peralta is a waiter in Hawaii in his free time, which is to say, i can pay you in beer.

seriously,

jordy

Billy Fehr said...

Even Moore seriously Jerdy,
Big burned fire safety tip #1...DO NOT LET THAT MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL ELECTRO 220 SUNBELT SANDER STOP PERPETUAL MOTION.
#2 tons of dust throughout the house hold material items may need to be preemptively covered to reduce the effect of partical invasion.
#3bad idea weekend for the amount of humidity in the air that needs to be absent to get good permanent seal of sealant on the freshly exposed, soft and easily damaged in that condition wood. in arid condtions you are looking at 24hrs dry time on 2-3 coats...when wet triple that...
LIG dude.
seriouslyness cannot be that serious...
billy

Emily said...

if you can stomach riding on the road, Terrapin Dave Hall's doing a Charleston Winter Bike League that's still going on. I keep thinking of going, and then not going, but the weather might be better on the coast.

Anonymous said...

Storm's mtn bike marathon is on. But you might get wet.