Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

   gads.

It seems like ever since I got back from Breck Epic, licked all the wrong door knobs, and got Covid, all plans are being laid to waste.  Without revisiting a lick of them here, I'm now staring down a weekend that has three possibilities being reduced down to none possibilities.  Kinda.  Mebbe.

I was gonna do the Pisgah 55.5k, but I'm still not feeling 100% on the bike... although it's been so long since I have felt 100%, I wonder if I'd know what it even felt like.  Thusly, I'd decided to skip the 55.5k for fear of being two or three hours in and miles away from the finish line when my body says "no mas."

So... toss my hat in the ring for the King and Queen of the Watershed for the opportunity to play with Watts on bikes all over Greensboro for the third time because why not?**

And now there's a depression coming (tropical, not mine own... but will probably coincide with each other) that's coming to dampen spirits as well as trails and it looks like who knows what will happen.  I'm still waiting to hear what anyone's gonna do about cancelations, postponements, and whatnot.

And then there's the Greenway Games in Charlotte which is gonna go past my house (me thinks).  I'd be almost willing to put out minimal effort to attend an event in the rain so close to home.  Better than nothing, emmaright?

Of course, Pisgah 55.5k will (more than incredibly likely) go off rain or shine*, but driving up there Friday night in the rain, setting up my cot in the back of the Honda Fit of Rage (also in the rain), to just relax in my car all night (still in the rain), to get up and get ready for the race (you guessed it, also still in the rain), and then race s-l-o-w-l-y (or not) around all the mountains (yeth, rain) sounds trbl.

So lack of fitness and boredom and giving up on the dream/plan of riding nothing but my Vertigo Meatplow V.7 from mid-June till mid-October and building up my Epic EVO into a single speed while also buying bleep bloop shifters to convert it back over into happy fun time winter bike and start mebbe just thinking about next year has been "prioritized" above the now.

Mostly for lack of anything better to do.  Believe there's a future, and its likelihood improves ten fold.

Maxxis Aspen 2.4.  I'm smitten.  I've been trying to get my hands on another pair since January.  They worked out incredibly well at Shenandoah Mountain 100 last year, and as a back tire at Trans-Sylvania Epic and Breck Epic... and now as a front tire on the SS Epic EVO for some flat lander NC racing and fart abouts.  

Bleep bloop.  Originally, I told myself this would be for fast swaps between SS and gears on the Epic EVO, but now?  I'm thinking I'll just run the gears until March or April, but then to get back into the single frame of mind, just keep it as a one speed during the "season."  Shit. I might even race it some more.  Mock me all you want, but being that I used to be the guy who thought single speeders should ride rigid, I'm slowly getting with the times.  It was more than ten years ago when every single speeder at the Trans-Sylvania Epic was on a rigid bike (guess who won), and then by 2021, I was all alone.

Life is short, especially for a 53 year old, so why not do whatever I want whenever I want.  The Epic EVO rides sooooooooooo well as a single speed.  So fast.  I'll still ride my other bikes plenty, but this is going to have to get in the mix in 2023.

Speaking of embracing new stuff, I'm going down the four pot road.  Clinging to and keeping my old two pots running is cool and all, but eventually they gotta fail, right?  Isn't that how it works?  Used but new-to-me because I'm not worthy of XTR doll hairs anymore... not that I used to be either.  

Anyways, I'm tinkering and hoping that Fisher Fest doesn't get a storm of its own in two weeks and then Fonta Flora Barnburner the next weekend and then time to dick off until next year.  We'll see what this weekend holds for me soon enough.

poop.

* JUST IN  

Hey Everybody! The Pisgah 111/555 has been postponed to October 22 due to Hurricane Ian.

Thank you for your understanding.

Eric.

** ALSO JUST IN

Hey folks, it looks like the hurricane is still tracking this way. We will make a final call on Thursday, but we have schedule the make-up date to be Sunday, October 9