Old People Problems

My back was sore Saturday night, prolly from pushing a stupid 32X18 up Pisgah climbs I had no business trying.  Heating pad while watching the tube to make me molar betterer.

Wake up Sunday, store, go see mom, mow the lawn, bend the blade on a stump, bend it back to semi-serviceable with a vise, finish... mower shaking from being unbalanced.  Even more sore now then before.

The Pie and Nia are going for a two hour run in preparation for a ten miler coming up in a couple weeks.  Nothing better to do with myself, so I grab the DickStickel and head to the BYT.

Yes, ride rigid 32X18 in Pisgah, ride 150mm of suspension with a 32X20 in Charlotte.  Because... burrito.

Speaking of the Backyard Trails, Faster Mustache is once again putting on The Backyard Experience, a race like none other (for the most part).  An excellent time riding/racing the most technical, feature-strewn trails in Charlotte, for the very best price, with food, beer and all manner of good times.

Registration is open.  A better description of what it's about is on the BikeReg site, so click the link for more info.

Back to my ride....

Feel pretty good, despite the fact that my Pop Tarts burned off hours ago.  Jump the cannon jumps that I've been afraid of ever since they modified them from jumps to flat to jumps with transitions... and gaps.  Hit the tech loop.

Things are going smoothly.  Clean a log ride, make the tight climb outta the rock pile, crush the switchback, the steep carpet climb out, get over the rootball.

I start thinking about Kürdt's almost clean ride on the tech loop last time I was out here.  Almost... he got through the crux of the entire ride only to wash out in a loose corner.  Foot down.   Bragging rights on the day lost.  I was going to make it... unless I did something stupid.

Hop on the low log ride (1.) with some speed.  Seeing that it's rotten, I wheelie drop to the right, noticing that my rear tire is landing on some rotten wood.  I look back under my left arm to see if it's pressure treated, possibly with nails/screws hanging out.

Head turned the wrong way, run into the large, dead log (2.) head-on.  The bike stops and I do not.  In the air, then on the ground, wondering what just kept my bike from coming with me.  Review and assess.  I'm sore in that "my bike stopped and I didn't" kinda way.  No clean run this time and taken down two pegs in the process.

Continue on.  Come to the huge gap/gap step-down/ride-around option.  I always take the ride-around.  Sore, shaken and hungry.  I decide to take a closer look.  Maybe eight feet or so out, three feet down, a hole in between.  Screw it.

I go back and hit it.  Then again.  Then one more time.  Another BYT demon defeated.  Finish the Farmbrook Loop in its entirety, backtrack to the gap jump and hit it a few more times.  Try to photo document the moment with the new camera, but realize had I carried my iPhone, I coulda used the remote control/interval feature to get it 100%.  Instead...

Whatever.

I kept thinking about Bill Nye and I's conversation from the day before about learning new skills, pushing things a little bit, and my reluctance to just do it.

So I did it.  I might do it some more.  We'll see.  Right now I'm "old people sore" all over.