I finally got some dirt miles in. FINALLY.

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Place: Versailles Indiana
Loops: 4
Number of turtles on the trail: 6
Crashes: 5
Miles: 52

After almost 6 weeks off the trails, the rain stayed away long enough for a few trails to open up. Versailles State Park is about an hour away, so I met Kevin, a guy from my LBS, at the crack of dawn yesterday morning, and we were riding trails by 7:30am. He only had a couple hours to ride so we rode a 13 mile loop together, and then he took off for work. I continued to ride alone for the rest of the day, enjoying the forest around me. I rode and rode and rode.

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Lar would have rode that. Not me.

I crashed a few times, skidding out on muddy sections. I had to put a foot down in several spots, especially the fucking switchbacks with rock gardens full of water and mud.

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Mud and blood.

My back is adjusting to the new bike. After a series of frantic texts to Dirty Biker, Lar, Gnome and 40 Hands on Tuesday, a phone call from Dirty, Dominic made some adjustments and the back pain is gone. The bike is feeling good. I am slow as shit, but who cares.

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I fucking love this bike.

I woke up this morning feeling like I got the shit kicked out of me. Two of my fingers on my left hand are still numb. So I went for an hour and a half recovery spin, wearing my new Evil Cycling jersey in honor of Friday the 13th.

I feel like I cheated on DC
I feel like I cheated on DC

Speaking of new jerseys, I received this awesome kit in the mail from DC reader Bob S. Thanks BOB! You are a sweetheart!

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With that, I’ll leave you this video I put together of Dominic’s flatland session last week. He’s getting pretty smooth but I suck at editing video. The music didn’t upload either.

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About Judi

Bicycles are my salvation. They are my way of life. If you don't like it, then you can go straight to hell. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

28 Replies to “I finally got some dirt miles in. FINALLY.”

  1. Carbo Rocket is the most awesome stuff ever. When my kids got the flu it was all they could drink. Plus it it rules for a long ride drink. Puts all other sports drinks to shame.

  2. Thanks Judi, perfect way for me to end my Fri13th, that was a sweet riding video, now onto chicken wings and bad movies. Good night.

  3. “I am slow as shit, but who cares.”

    Exactly. Or as I am constantly pointing out:

    1-You’re in the woods.

    2-You’re on a bike.

    3-The faster you go, the sooner you’ll be OUT of the woods and OFF your bike. SOWHATSYOURFREAKINHURRY?

    You get it. I get it. for the life of me I don’t see why more folks don’t get it.

    kthxbai

  4. @ joe

    The faster you go the more trails you can ride in the same amount of time, which is my typical limiting factor.

    just sayin’

    ROCK ON JUDI

  5. Ain’t that kindasorta like being with your old lady and bragging about always finishing first?

  6. I helped build that! Kinda cool to see that photo pop up on here. Are you going to do any of the DINO series this summer?

  7. Sounds like a great day out. That’s what I need. Now to just get my fat ass motivated.

  8. “I love my wife. I love my bike. Which do I love more? YOU HONEY! (But I sure do like that bike”. Dominic cracks me up. Love that guy.

    More rain last night… Rain all day today. Its ugly out there.

  9. @jclasen – YES, im trying to get a 4 woman team for the 24 hour. you helped build those beautiful trails? thank you, thank you, thank you!

  10. I brought my Evil jersey to the ride yesterday, but thought the better of it as it was the 13th and wore a TwinSix instead…my friend DID wear his Evil jersey, and crashed hard. You wore yours and crashed. Wow. Glad I dodged THAT bullet. :)

  11. Stay muddy girl. Mohican is right around the corner!! Sloppy as shit last year.

  12. I live about 50 miles from the Mohican region. I have not ridden there lately, but travel the region frequently. Like Judi & Low Brow have experienced in the Cincinnati region, the ground here, err, mud, is saturated.

    Good luck to those racing there in 3 weeks. It will be a mudpit of EPIC proportions.

    It is T-storming here again. About 2″ fell in the last hour, with more on the way, and rain is forecast almost every day for the next 14.

  13. @onegeargood, we will, i was waiting to make sure the bike fit was ok. @bigsfalldown, you totally just notched my confidence level down about 50%. i fear a DNF.

  14. Judi, do not fret. It is wise to have the full picture when in the final preperation/decision making for a large goal, which was my intent in my note. It is better to have your expectations adjusted/reset now, as painful as it is, than 1 or 2 days before the race.

    Over the next 3 weeks, continue to ride/train/rest/prepare equipment as if you are still doing the race. However, you are now mentally prepared for a few *realistic* possibilities:

    1) the course may be so fragile, that the organisers & park people may decide that they do not want that many bikes on the course and cancel the event. I doubt it will happen & certainly hope it doesn’t, but be mentally prepared for that possibilty. This is a truly unusual & record setting Winter/Spring for weather.

    2) They may keep the race, but we now *know* that it will be epicly difficult (lots of muddy & slippery climbing/roots/rocks). With those conditions, injuries are a possibility (you are job hunting, right?), as well as only very few will finish this time, in my opinion. Keep_reasonable_expectations_for_the_conditions.

    If you ponder these things now, and find yourself at the start line on June 4th, then by all means, rip it up & send us the report!

    Keep training smartly and good fortune on the job search.

    – sent with best intentions for your happiness and health…

  15. @gnome, no DNS unless they actually cancel the race.

    @bigsfalldown – i just signed a job offer and am to start work the 23rd. i have the race weekend scheduled off and we plan to get up there friday afternoon and camp that night. its been raining all day and i just did about 5K feet of climbing in 26 miles so im still training. i plan to give it shot. that’s all i can do. thanks for giving your perspective. i appreciate it – xxoo.

  16. just got this email from the race director, ryan odell:

    “The trails are dry, in great condition, and drain very well. Only rains of biblical proportions, like last year, could pose any diffficulty.”

  17. You are welcome, Judi. From the reply you got from the race director, things sound promising. I did not realize those trails drain so well. There certainly has been constant water in the region.
    Rock on! With 5k of ascent within 26 rainy miles today, you are on the way.

  18. last time i rode Versailles i was attacked by billions of Hoosier mosquitoes…..and i swear they were all singing Pink Houses by Indiana native John Cougar. Love ur Bokor and it’ll love you back!

  19. goddamn evil jerseys! i’m so pissed at myself for not only forgetting to order the DC jersey before they sold out but then that fucking evil one too! i’m an idiot

  20. weather is looking promising for more dirt miles this weekend. i plan on going back for a lot more. i am loving my bokor, very much.

  21. Nice!

    I gotta do that more often.

    I once did a mellow pace 48 mile ride at Annadele State Park in Santa Rosa, CA (Great riding area, BTW!!) that took me 7 or 8 hours at a leisurely pace. IIRC, it was around 6000 feet of climbing. The worst part was planning the route around finding the one outhouse in the park to take a constitutional halfway through. Also, packing enough food and water to sustain me. There is water at the trailhead, but none in the park, and going back to the trailhead meant you need to drop down out of the park, then climb back in up into the park.

    I had a full 100oz camelbak, three 20oz bottles of sugar water, a bottle of Belgium’s finest (stashed in bush for later mid-ride retrieval)two bananas, 3 cliff bars, and two PB&Js on wheat in the pack…. and I still ran out of everything.

    And this is from a guy who isn’t really in shape.

    OMG… I was beat like Rodney King afterwards, but best ride evar.

    Long live long rides.