It all begins on the morrow

The sixth annual (I just counted them on my fingers) 6 Hours of Warrior Creek is tomorrow.  I've been there every year.   A brief synopsis of my former experiences, at least what I remember.

2009:  I won the SS class, coming in 3rd overall.  First real ride on the MOOTS.  First place single speed wins a set of Gore Tex shifter cables.... irony.

2010: I stopped to help and injured rider and shortcut back to the finish for help.  I rejoined the race with little hope of making back the time.  I wallowed in self pity, lost track of everything, chased back to second, blew my wad thinking it was the last lap (I was wrong), went out for one more but quit, ended up in third.

Hey look, there's Eric Hagerty in second place...

2011:  Least memorable.  Tim Finkel from Michigan won.  Some other fast people beat me, and I ended just off the podium in fourth.

2012:  The bad year.  Violent diarrhea from a meal in Mexico (Epcot's version) the week before the race that somehow came back the day before left me depleted.  I squeaked out two laps, did not shit my pants, and called it a day.

2013:  Coed duo with Layla, AKA Last Minute Death Machine AKA 2012 6 Hour Duo Coed World Champs.  I sabotaged our efforts with a late night of "sushi" which is code for way too many beers followed by shaky drinks and getting to bed around 1:00AM.  We still had a shot at the podium, and I blew it with a "how slow can I go" last lap.

No solo effort again for me this year... mostly because I knew I'd never be in Carey Lowery shape so early in 2014.

That's her.

This is me:

Not where I wanted to be but sorta where I expected.  I wanted to be ahead of the game for the "spring classics" (PMBAR and the 111/55.5) and the Giro (TSE), but at least I'm within reach at this point.

So this year, something differenter than previous attempts.  I'm teaming up with Eric Hagerty (see image above) to do the Duo Men 80+ category.

Coincidentally, that's me and my Honda Fit of Rage in the background.

Eric is a great yin to my yang.  Where I'm easily annoyed by first lap traffic and waste loads of energy getting frustrated, Eric is patient.   Where I blow my load early in the day, Eric is a diesel.  He rides a single speed too, and I wouldn't want to partner with some geared rider... because gears are just weakness leaving your body.  He'll also be bringing his wife Shelley, who is no stranger to playing the support role in these types of races.  Information can sometimes be key (like last year when I had no idea how close we were to the podium when I went out for my last "how slow can I go" lap... sorry, Layla).

So, first ride on the dirt with the new VerDickgo Meatplow V.7.  Notice that not only do I weigh more than Carey, my ti bike weighs more than hers

.

.66lbs more... my lucky number.  Not sure how she pulled that off with the squishy fork.  Probably running some kinda girlie tires.  Dunno.

No matter.  My (relatively) fat ass is planning on riding my (relatively) heavy bike as fast as I can for at least half of six hours.  Together Eric and I have mucho experience with this "so many hours of..." race format that I remain hopeful.  Combine that with my absolute refusal to go out with Bill Nye and company for sushi... we have at least a shot at a podium.