Berryman

About a week ago Chris and I headed out to Mark Twain National Forest to ride Berryman. Seeing as this would be the first time I ever threw myself and my bike down this trail I was pretty stoked. However despite the sunny morning we were greeted with our ride became rather overcast. The clouds lead to rain but no worries a little water never hurt anyone. Then I sliced a side wall. Oh well a new tube and we'll be rolling again. That morning while grabbing gear i mistook a 26inch tube for a 29inch. Good thing rubber stretches (Insert birth control/condom joke here). So now I am back to the came of "Was that Chris's jersey?" as the rain begins to come down a little harder. As the trail does it best impression of Hollyfield vs. Tyson fight on my bike I realize exactly how much fitness that I have lost with my new diet of whatever i want washed down with Monster. It was about this time that I noticed a wobble on my non drive side crank arm. I thought it was the pedal stripping its self of the constrains but then the entire crank arm came of with one massive push from my Kankle of death. Talk about bad luck I had lost the tension bolt somewhere behind me and and had to "tighten the hell out of it" as Chris gently put it. Back to riding and I got the run down of what was left in our ride "Then one more bad ass hill...its all down hill from there except where is goes up hill." Some how i did find comfort in those words and before I knew it we were back at the car.

Back at the shop I stripped the Pheonix down and took inventory of what was needed: 20tooth freewheel and a new FSA tension bolt. Not bad lets just hope my luck gets a little better I'm getting tired of mechanicals!


PS- Rumor has it that I am buying a cyclocross bike something like this

"I can't believe the news today. Just close my eyes and make it go away." What is wrong with a sport that causes its governing leaders to attack the athletes rather then help them. I understand that doping is unfair and isn't allowed but at the same time it seems like these guys sneeze wrong during the off season and the next thing you know they are being banned or smeared. For Christmas all I want is a 2008 tour that doesn't have a criminal it just has some hard nosed heros who ride really fast in tight pants. Check the link!!

So last nigh I was riding out at the ranch and took my routine place of trying to catch back up to the pack. This is harder to do when you take a wrong turn and wander around on fire roads for bit. At one point I stopped to figure out if I should turn around or keep moving forward when I noticed a small armored nocturnal animal on the side of the trail. This was the first time I have ever seen and armadillo up close. The little guy seemed to be pretty tame and walked right up to me. However, he didn't help me out much with the problem at hand and just wasted more time so I took off again. I ended up finding LB's park and from there my way back to the house. Happy ending.
To change topics slightly I am sure we have all noticed the changing colors in nature and now the changing colors of my blogs layout. There is also one other thing that has changed color and that is my jersey. I was finally picked up by a race team. Not just any team though, it is the team that holds mountain biking in Missouri in a sleeper hold. A little team known simply as DRJ. So now its just a matter of me getting better and deserving of these colors.
So I started out talking about an insignificant animal and ended with a tear jerking (at least for me) story of fall and me receiving some of the biggest news I've gotten all season. I think it is only fitting that I end this post with this.... I WON WINGHAEVON!!!

pix

Levi at the Branson TT

C. Ploch @ Cape
Matt G. of team Seagal snapping wrists at chubb
Dan Schmatz at the Chubb TTHalf of my ugly mugTank and Scott at Cape




Dan Schmatz technical skill @chubb and yes I know its sideways deal with it (tilt you head)

Chubb TT

What a mind blowing face melting experience. After rolling out of bed at the time I was supposed to be there I grabbed my wet cycling clothes out of the washer and headed out. I got the the hi-tech registration 20 late (similar to Floyd Landis at the 2006 TDF prolog) and was given my number (6). after scouting out competitors one through 5 I realized I has out of my league. This dude from Mesa Cycles and his girlfriend (both looked menacing), Eddie Kline (uber fast single speed icon), Chris Ploch (If you don't know who he is flip your dictionary to fast), and lastly some roadie from ballwin name Dan Schmatz. I ended up going fifth after the roadie threw a fit (something about the favorite goes last). So Eddie started, then Mesa dude fallowed by his girlfriend, Chris, myself, and lastly Mr.Schmatz. As I bombed down he first hill I ran up on some 2 ton trail destroying shit machines and their dark hearted masters and proceeded to piss them off for Dan to enjoy. I caught and passes Chris who had kindly stopped to the pre-production glue. However, he kept me in sight and we crossed the second set of track together just as a train (which had stopped everyone except Eddie) finished passing. I was then passes up the hill to the staircase by Chris then Mesa Dude. Schmatz flew passes me, in a whirlwind of spinning legs, before we reached the gravel pit s-turn climb. I was still fifth since i had passed Mesa Dude's GF at the tracks so I settled in and kept riding hoping i was going faster then everyone but knowing I wasn't. right before getting to the picnic table on the return trip I came upon Eddie who had run across the only thing that could stop him, the flat tire of death. Since he is an Icon he needed no help so I passed him to move into forth. I blasted back down the downhill, over the staircase, two sets of tracks with a rock garden in between down the never ending fire road and up the last climb of the day to lay down a at skid and finish with an unofficial time of about 1hr 15min.
Chris ended up with the win which is sweet for him and Eddie still had a pretty fast time with the flat. All in all it was an extremely baller event that more people should have attended. Major Thanks to Team Seagal!!!!!1111

After the event we had a pretty sweet group ride with the entire Seagal Team and Dan Schmatz. This ended up being the longest group ride ever due in large part to 2 flats and a couple mechanicals. All in all a good Sunday.