Red Bug Challenge - April 11th - warmer weather and better prizes

This is a shout out to all MTB racers of the past, present and future. We're hosting the second annual Red Bug Challenge in Tallahassee on April 11. This is an awesome East Coast track with lots of fun and prizes. All the Tallahassee bike shops have stepped up to support the event. A portion of the funds will go to the Tallahassee Mountain Bike Association. So whether you have a 5-step rig or an old beater, break it out and come get you some.

Register or more info - http://redbugchallenge.com/

The Butcher

Santos trip

So why haven't we been going to Santos more often? Its a 2.5 hour drive, and an easy day trip. We left at 8:30 and got back at 6 with plenty of riding in between. Its not like a race where you have to sit around and wait on all the waves to start or wait on prizes. You just show up and ride. Anyway, me, BJS, BW, Pizza Steve and Bump go get some. We start riding in the cow bone area first. It is pretty fun and somewhat similar to riding in Georgia. It was technical enough that you had to pay attention, but nothing crazy at all. PS and Bump were jumping stuff and making the most of the trail, I was just kinda sitting in, and BW and BJS were trying to find their groove. Bump was looking stellar, dropping folks and basically being the complete opposite of the last ride at TB park. The trails were great, but you could only get about thirty minutes of this stuff running front and back. So, then we head to the Vortex. On the way there is alot of Munson Hills type stuff. We start to notice something. Bump is now looking like the original Bump we knew. He is suffering. He has no legs for the fast stuff. So we all make the most of that weakness and press on. Vortex is a great trail with some rocky sections that you better be paying attention on. There are parts of that trail that could hurt you. So, based on my previous performance there, I am completely freaked out and let everyone go in front of me - including BJS. PS and Bump take off and drop everybody. BJS is completely panic stricken from everything that I keep telling him. Around every other corner I keep warning him of the impending gnarly section. Finally, the time comes, and he doesn't heed my warning. He tumbles down a rocky section and lands back first (knees to chest, feet to head) on a rock the size of your gear bag. He claims to be okay, but insists that I go in front of him now. I did, cause I think we would still be down there arguing about it had I not. From that point its smooth sailing out of there. I rode some technical stuff, took some tougher lines and cleaned everything so I was cool with that. Chris threw in a couple stunts so he was grinning ear to ear feeling proud to be a man. He did a ramp-to-rock up and over that was pretty impressive - for us wimps anyway. We then went to some of the jumps and drops and watched PS and Bump play. I showed off my drop that I hucked last time - Chris was impressed, and so was I. I would never try that again. It was stupid to try it the first time. We cruise on and start some more Munson Hills type stuff. I decide to take off and put a hurtin' on PS. Chris digs deep and puts some serious hurtin' on Bump - he just can't do the easy stuff.. All in all, some good riding was had. We quickly load up, go seek out the crappiest hamburgers we can find, get some beer and head out. It was a good trip. What are y'all doing this weekend??

Mirror, Mirror

An article found on MSNBC.com states “Forget about opposites attracting. We like people who look like us, because they tend to have personalities similar to our own. And, a new study suggests, the longer we are with someone, the more similarities in appearance grow.”

Now I don’t know that I agree with this study, but I do know that if one more person mistakes me for the Red Dragon (a/k/a The Butcher) they may get a face full of my fist.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like me some Red Dragon, but other than the slimmest of resemblance we are nothing alike. For example:

-I ride my bike regularly = Seeing Red Dragon on a bike is like spotting Sasquatch in the Pacific NW;

-I like things neat and orderly = Red Dragon’s truck looks like a refuge dispenser;

-I’m quiet and reserved and don’t like to bring allot of attention to myself out in public = Red Dragon in a public place might be heard to say, in his most loud voice “do you remember that time I crapped my pants then threw my underwear at those nuns.”

So, the next time you see a guy riding his bike on the trail, his jersey neat and pressed, not making a sound……consider that maybe, just maybe, it is not the Red Dragon….It could be Sasquatch in disguise.

K90X

Sure, most of you have heard about P90X, but how many know about K90X? Hmmmm? 4. Thats how many. I know cause it was invented today and there were 4 of us there. It was another re-invention by Kent (aka the butcher, etc, etc). The Butcher has laid down the claim that he will get in 50 rides in the next 90 days ('til Bump). Can you take the challenge? For some, it would mean cutting back on their riding to only get 50 rides in 90 days. For others ( like myself ) it is not possible. Are any of you borderliners willing to take the 90 day challenge? The Butcher says that if you follow his plan you too will be cuttin' and dicin' fools by summertime. Rides have to be over an hour to count with only two of your weekly rides being an hour. In fact, a better way to say it would be that you need at least 6 hours a week to count as 4 rides.

On a side note, watch out for 007. He is doing intervals so hard that throws up during them (and during the voice mail that he leaves me describing how hard they were). He is pretty confident about serving it up to all of you (Ric excluded)