No Race - Clarks TT Instead

I spent all of last week at my department's team building exercise '08 in S.D. CA. Unfortunately, I didn't get a sexy t-shirt, and didn't get to use my business socks for their intended purpose. The hour or so I spent outside was nice. The rest of the time was spent inside doing work stuff. The closest I came to riding a bike while I was gone was when I put this beauty together:



We built a bunch of these bikes and gave them to some kids in the S.D. Boys and Girls Club. It was fun to see the little tike's eyes light up when she first saw her new bike, and she was especially happy to see that she that she got a single-speed.

I bailed out on the I-Cup race today. There is no way I was getting upper management's approval to race 7 weekends in a row. I really like the next four I-Cup races (Stan Crane Draper, Sundance, Deer Valley and Solitude), so I figured I'd trade this one in, and with luck I'll get the next four in return. Instead of heading up to Soldier Hollow, I headed to Hog Hollow, rode to the saddle, and dropped down Ghost Falls. With all the buzz over the Clark's TT, I decided to give it a go. Doesn't it sometimes seem like when you are pushing the hardest is when you feel like you are going the slowest? Anyway, that's how I felt during the climb up Clark's. I was afraid I would see 16 minutes or so when I got to the sign at the top, because it felt like 30, but the clock stopped at 12 minutes flat. I was on my Rocky Mountain today, so I'm interested to see how my time will be when I try it on my Paragon, being that it's about 4-5 pounds lighter, and is a more efficient without the rear suspension. I think I can drop at least 30 (and hopefully 45) seconds off of my time by the end of the year. If you are anything like me, you have a tough time putting in a race-pace effort when you aren't actually racing. Well, promise yourself that you'll publish your time for the world to see, and then go do the Clark's TT. It's good motivation to push your limits. After I got to the top of Clark's, I did the race loop, which is by and large the same as last year. Then, I dropped back down Hog Hollow. 2 hours 10 minutes Shammy Time.

I'm signing up for the American Mountain Classic this week. It's about time I fully commit. After all, I'd better show up for my own birthday party.