Ouachita Challenge results
The OC guys posted the race results overnight. The unit and I somehow screwed up royally and came in middle of the pack.
We thought we had our strategy down to the pedal stroke. Eat a lot. Drink a lot. Walk dang near everything that even remotely resembles a climb. Stop for mechanicals - ours and everyone else's - even if it was just for the conversation. We stopped a bunch of times to take pictures. We chatted with the volunteers and race officials at the rest stops and check points.
I really thought we had a lock on the back of the pack. I guess it was not to be. Unit took 13th and I took 14th in the single speed category.
Next year - and you know there will have to be a next year - we'll get it right. More stopping. More chatting. More photos. I'm going to make Unit wear my CamelBak in addition to his own on the theory that the extra weight might throw off his balance and put a damper on his descending skills. Without the extra weight of my CamelBak full of food and other stuff I didn't need I will descend more slowly, thereby costing us a few extra seconds that could spell the crucial difference between nearly last and dead last.
Maybe I'll even invest in a heavier bike. There's got to be something out there heavier than my Karate Monkey. I'll have to schedule a trip to WalMart to see what they have.
In the mean time I'll keep training.
Wrong Wrong WRONG!!
OK, First of all, they listed me as 13th, but we all know that you finished much stronger than me....as I said, I optimized my training BETTER than you did, thus resulting in finishing feeling more "challenged"....next year you will have to train less and see what I mean. You will get it right one of these days...don't worry, I can help.
Secondly, having me carry your pack will only result in me weighing more...therefore I will descend faster....Sounds fine, except that it will put us even further apart on the climbs (go back to my first statement...you gotta train less man).
Finally, you can make that bike of yours heavier and more legit at the same time (no need to deal with WalMart....I can give you all the frustration you need). Put a suspension fork on it and ride with it locked out at all times. You will look like a regular guy, but you can secretly still be a weirdo who rides rigid. While you are at it, put on gears too, but never shift. Those little mods should put your bike well north of the 30 lb mark!
Ha Ha
Dont let him fool you, you couldn't handle the suspension up front. Only fully trained fork jedi's are suited to ride suspended. You could always fill your tires up with liquid led and see how that goes. Or just do what I did in one of the last races and totally untension all your spokes and ride with your wheels shifting side to side with every pedal stroke. Kinda like tacoed but just bad enough that you can still ride. That sucks! But sounds like you all had fun, I'm mos def game for next years adventures. As for me, more traing and two more weeks off till the next race. Result post: 2nd at last race due to endo on last two miles and KU racer catching me. Still not bad....