Breck Epic '21: Stage Zero

I can't remember the last time I got into town a day early for the Breck Epic... well mebbe.

There was that time when Peter and I got to stay in the Moots penthouse, but I can only remember that I locked us out on the 4th of July and Peter got trapped in a scalding shower and I had a hard time walking up three flights of stairs and...

Good times.

I got out there on Friday and headed to the Air BnB AKA (mostly) SS Headquarters AKA Yinzer House.  Caught up with familiar faces and met some new.  Built my bike...

Opted outta the bunk bed room with the kids and settled into the second living room at the back of the house.

Anything is a dresser if you shove clothes in it.

Cinderbloch was atypically tired from his drive all the way from Pittsburgh.

I let everyone talk me into a ride the day before the race started.  Admittedly, I'd ridden a mountain bike mebbe 20 miles since I'd eaten shit one month ago and messed up my ribs and shoulder.  Parts of me have not physically recovered, and I have no idea where my mental game is.  On top of that, I'm aware that every ride on a single speed above 9,500 feet will take a toll.

Less than fifteen miles, over 1,600 feet of climbing, and I only almost wrecked once when I tagged a tree with what was a new ESI grip.

And then on to some mechanical discovery that needed worked out.

Six apple solution for a four apple tall mechanic.

Racer meeting...

Literally putting what would be my best foot forward.

A few beers and in bed at a time that sounds early, but the older I get, losing that two hours by time traveling across the country takes a bigger toll every year.  At least a 6:00AM wake up call is really an 8:00AM wake up call.

Also, Day Zero is the first day of the household El Jefe Margarita Challenge that I've been involuntarily entered in as Cocktail Sausage (later to be named Dr Cocktail Sausage and later still, Dr Fat Foot).  A game with a complicated positive and negative points system created mostly by Montucky Miller that basically rewards participants for doing things that will negatively affect their actual bike race... although hot tub time is rewarded and also long hair. 

So there's that.