Holi-daze

Man I've missed you!! Not in the, "I cant get you out of my head, we'll be together forever, junior high love kinda way"...but more in the, "reuniting with an old friend on Facebook kinda way...glad to see them, but you could take 'em or leave 'em". The winter months have been somewhat kind...the weight only slightly increased while the workload stayed constant. Don't get me wrong, my diet sucked and the "internal training clock" was a little late flipping on, actually just two weeks ago, but all in all i say it was a success. Regardless of all that, i was able to get in some solid miles throughout the last few months of winter, I'd say average about 100-150 miles/week...give or take. Weekly shop rides as well as mtn biking a few times a week really helped maintain an otherwise lacking moral for training. If I may use another excuse...the weather did play a pretty huge role in the lack of "focused" training this winter. That being said, it did allow for some pretty fun little outings.

I've ridden in snow in years past, but one day last month me and the rest of the boys headed up to Dupont for a little mtb'ing. I can honestly say that I have not had this much fun riding a bike since proably the first time i ever rode solo for the first time...it was an absolute blast. It was like racing down a luge on a bike...every turn was banked perfectly. It was a riot!! The conditions were perfect...6+ inches a few days prior and temps that had warmed the top layer of snow just enough to freeze it solid, but soft enough to get a few treads in for all the turns. It gave me a chance to try out my new Ergon riding pack which i have to say works just as advertised, perfect. Ended up with a around three hours of riding in some pretty cool conditions, the crazy thing is that a week prior DZ and I were up there riding in shorts sweating our butts off...ah weather in the South. Fast forward a few weeks/storms and you'll see another "first" for me....Ice Climbing. I've seen it done but never had the opportunity to make it happen, finally i did. You may recall a few blogs ago about a road ride we did up Hwy 215 to the Blue Ridge Pkwy....same road, different sport. There is a section at around 4500 feet right before you hit the Pkwy that is perfect for some top-rope ice climbing. Granted it wasn't that tall, maybe 55' or so but the experience and technique was just the same. Luckily one of DZ's friends had all the ice gear and was more than hospitable for everyone to use it. Jeff P made the trip up mainly cause he wanted to get some rapelling practice in for some of his up coming adventure races, but in the end with the help of my boots he too was able to get a good session in.Although we didn't need them Tadd brought plenty of ice screws up just to practice setting, those are a pretty mean devices if you've never seen them in action. I was also able to bum a propane heater from Grumpy at work just to make sitting up on the 15 degree road side a little more bearable.Needless to say there were plenty of blog worthy moments the past few months, but due to the "holi-daze" that has befallen upon me i was lacking some serious motivation. Thanksgiving was a quick blur, basically a three day turnaround in Bham...Christmas was a first for us, no family just Doc and i here at the house with the dogs, different, but extremely relaxing. New Years was a blast at the Harris' house, as long with pretty much every Sunday for all the bowl games and NFL playoffs....thanks Jeff. Now it's time to get back to "focused" training while setting up racing schedules and for the next few months hitting the trainer pretty hard...the weather will change on you in an instant. 65 and Sunny last Thursday then 2+ inches of snow and ice Friday night....crazy. Needless to say the posts will regain some sort of regularity...now that "the season" is both behind and in front of me. Pedal on.

Nada

So this would be considered a "guilt-post", not a lot is going on at the moment to warrant any "good" blogs, so out of guilt for lacking follow through...I blog. For all those that are still waiting for pics from the Somoa trip, get in line. My travel partner, Matt, has yet to email me the two thousand pics we took during our journey, so you will just have to keep waiting, don't worry...patience builds character.

This is the time in the cycling world where those that enjoy cyclocross, keep racing...and those that enjoy time-off, do nothing. I report to the later locker room with all of my other off-season peeps. Pretty much this time of year for me consist of constant evaluation of how I came up short last season and thoughts of how to "Un-Clyde" myself, so far I've been doing a lot of both, but with minimal to no success. Don't get me wrong, I'm still putting in some solid miles, around 150-200 per week but there really isn't any motivation. No worries, this is the time for long slow miles with possible coffee shop stops mid ride...possibly why i find myself consistently singing, "Its the most wonderful time", during our rides. We've had a couple chances to get out and hike as of late, which is nice. You ride so often it's nice to hop off the bike and do a little exploring on foot, the cross-training aspect is a bonus as well.


Tomorrow starts the the UWBL, a winter series of progressively longer organized training rides with dedicated spring zones every Saturday during the off season. I've been told that George and Craig are regulars who like to "mix it up" with the mortals. Should be pretty fun. Tomorrows route takes us South to rolling hills in constant 30 degree temps for around 3.5hrs.....layer, layer, layer. Looks like i'll be helping lead the "B" group which will be around 65ish miles, should be a good time.

There has been the occasional mtn bike trip, but nothing like the summer ones. It's a little sketchy riding in Pisgah this time of year...the locals refer to it as "brown ice", in reference to the blanket of leaves over the already gnarly trails. I, for one, am not a big fan of riding by braille, not a good day. That being said every Monday, my day off, we have headed to either FATS, Charlotte or Spartanburg to ride a little more "organized" trail system with way less penalty for not seeing that rock.

Hopefully there will be more to come in the near future.

Sweet Green River

While most of you are waiting to see pics from the trip South, I must interject and fill you in on my weekend. Don't worry as soon as the pictures download and the ink dries from the tip of a boars husk I'll give you the skinny on the island trip. Friday night I was chatting up a life long pal, G-Slim, and of course the convo was based around our love for all things awesome....kayaking is always a baseline in that talk. We're fumbling around the intra-web looking at the latest and greatest new kayak swag when I find some whitewater kayak event that's being held close to mi casa up on the Green River...what the hey, Dr. J is working tomorrow, I'll be adventurous and go check it out. I was shocked at what i found.

Only sure of the start time of the event, but not sure of the actual location i headed out early confident I'd find my way....no worries. Head North towards the mtns and what do i see but the Dagger team car ahead of me in traffic, surely they are going to the race...after a quick pow wow with team Dagger at the gas station, i keep heading North. Zig, Zag and finally find this extremely remote trail, the parking is already two miles thick along the two lane country road..."Just head down the trail", one paddler says. 1.5 miles later, I'm still hiking, down...steeper and steeper until i hear the river...there must be some serious water ahead. I had no idea. I pop out in a deep granite gorge next to a waterfall that's feeding an already full river....SICK! To be so deep in the gorge and feeling the water course threw like blood threw an athletes veins, feeling every pulse...deafening. I had no idea there was this kinda water around here....my heart almost jumped out of my chest for the next three hours.

Evidently the Green River Narrows Race has been going on since the mid 90's and is basically a race against the clock down whats called the "Monster Mile"....a one mile stretch of river that is nothing but class IV,& V+ drops....if that means nothing to you, then please, please watch this video. Majority of all the spectators planted roots at "Gorilla", the nastiest of all the drops, due to the sheer volume of water, the moves needed to set up, as well as the narrowness of the chute you exit in...amazing. Paddlers from all over the world converge just South of Asheville, NC to race in what is deemed as the "...most dangerous kayak race in the world.". For the next three hours me and 1000 like minded spectators cheered for the 162 competitors who charged every fall as if it was the last one they would ever hit. I was blown away at the burliness of the river, and all just 30 miles North of my doormat.Evidently this is an international competition attracting the worlds best steep creek boaters, and they were all out in force on Saturday. The Green River gets a ton of attention from paddlers all over the world for one reason....water. It's a dam released river, which is awesome, but the fact that it runs 300+ days/yr at full flow down IV & V moves it what is the real attraction. Ya, these were the best in the world and made most every drop look insanely easy and while several had to be rescued from some pretty nasty situations....i still must do this race, or at least run this section at some point during my stay on this big rock. To witness a boater slip their boat though granite boulders in the midst of a raging river that is doing all it can to wreck them, it's a beautiful thing. Dr. J will of course have nothing of this, but...forgiveness is easier than permission...right? Enjoy the photos, one day soon they will be of me in that fall.

Far, Far East

I'm leaving the country. Tomorrow I board a plane bound for Dallas, TX, then Honolulu, Hi, then the final destination Pago Pago, American Samoa....I challenge you to find that on a map. A good friend of mine works for a recently established non-profit Christian organization(TWCD-That's What Christians Do) that does International disaster recovery work....and he needs a hand. The plan is to develop contacts within the Red-Cross so that in the future when disasters occur we can rally a team and head to ground-zero at a moments notice, wherever that may be. There's plenty of work to be done on the island of American Samoa...if you remember they had a HUGE tsunami hit their island about a month ago, a thousand plus dead and millions of property damaged or loss. Matt and I aren't really sure what we're getting into once we land there, or who to even talk with...we're basically winging it and praying for some things to fall into place. Luckily I'm able to leave the tent at home, Matt just yesterday found us a place to stay in AS...fingers crossed it has a/c!! The pictures I'm sure don't do the beauty justice, or even the devastation...hopefully we can make a difference.
I'll spare you the details of the remoteness of the island as well as how small it is to everything we know here in the States...you can Google it and find out for yourself. I'm fortunate that my job situation, or lack there of, allows me to take part in such a beautiful endeavor, helping mankind, as well as traveling to the other side of the world to explore a strange new place....I've no doubt that it will be an adventure, in every sense of the word. Needless to say i won't be blogging for a bit, sorry, you'll have to get your "fix" from somewhere else...might I suggest coming up with ways to ditch work for a few days and come help us on the next disaster??? The organization is called TWCD-That's What Christians Do, and it absolutely should be, however regardless of your "religious" views, it's what we should ALL do. Start small, help an old lady across the street or something....it's the "Theory of Momentum", once you get started, it's hard to stop. I'll see you in a few weeks, with plenty of stories I'm sure. Filemu Tofa.

Update

Thea finally made it home last week. After 5 days in the hospital and one Xena, "Warrior Princess" style back brace she was able to make her way down the elevator then onto "Recovery Road".
I had the opportunity to go visit her Friday night and thankfully see a completely different look in her eye...though still in crazy pain, she was coherent and joking....a stark contrast to a few days prior. As of right now no surgery is scheduled but she is going to have to travel back in a week for a check-up to determine if surgery is needed. She's one tough gal. Unfortunately she is going to have one GIGANTIC bill at the end of this so the shop we work at is setting up several benefit rides on her behalf. The man himself, George Hincapie, has agreed to do a "Win a ride with George" raffle on November 15th...what an awesome thing to do George...thanks.

Things have been rather slow here..not much going on. The "NO-RIDE" bug continues to bite, leaving me completely unmotivated to train or even race. This past weekend was the last event in the Dirty Spokes 12Hr series, so "Doctor J" and I packed the Element and headed over to meet up with our friends, Kevin and Ashley. Neither Kevin and I were completely stoked about the race...the course was two days deep in rain with a 60% chance for race day....not fun news to start a 12hr race. The abridged version of the race as follows: Start off unmotivated...race a lap hoping to "get in the mood", nothing...race another three laps, still not in the mood, legs weak, no power...race a fourth lap...wreck, tweak wrist....good excuse to pull out. Kevin ended up knocking out two more laps then saw all the fun we were having in transition and called it quits as well...no worries, Oktoberfest was happening just a few miles away in downtown Helen...off we went.



















We spotted this little gem on the way out...I know the Element is versatile but this thing is ridiculous!!!
















Sunday we did a little sight seeing, well as much as possible with rain clouds looming overhead. We drove up to Brasstown Bald, highest point in Georgia, just to check out how disgusting the climb was that the Tour de Georgia riders had to do....i was gonna take a pic, but there was just no way to get perspective on just how steep this road was....absolutely brutal. Snapped a few pics of the leaves in full "change" mode then said our goodbyes and headed our separate ways. Obviously the race didn't go according to plan, but at least we got to hang with good friends. Kevin and I both decided that next season the 6hr series sounds much more appealing.

Like I said, pretty boring around here now that the race season is coming to an end. I'm still ironing out details for the winter training schedule....as for now though it's just long slow rides with local Upstate riders. See you on the road...

I can wear heels now...

...was one of the first things she said when the doctor told her she had crushed her T8 vertebra and that she would be over a 1/2 inch shorter.

A good friend of mine and I went mtn biking yesterday at the US Whitewater Center up in Charlotte...you know the trails...I've blogged on them before. Ten minutes into the ride she wrecked, bad. Thea is the girl i spoke of in earlier blogs who just won the Cat1 SC State Road Race a few weeks ago...she's also raced in 24 Hours of Moab....so she's no stranger to riding. Today was just one of those days.

We hit the trail like normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Took a right onto the black diamond trail, across the bridges, up the climbs....chilling. I roll into an 8ft drop in not even thinking about it...pause and wait for Thea to hit it. She stops at the top, questions it, then rolls in.

That was it, the moment when the day took a very surreal turn.

I can only assume that as she gripped the bars she didn't feather the brakes at all, cause when she rolled in...she was hot...hit the small two foot bump at the bottom which sent her rear wheel over the front. If you're a mtn biker then you know how scary and helpless this feeling can be. I equate it to learning to do a front flip off a diving board as a kid...your feet just weren't meant to travel over your head. Standing a few feet away I witness as her body is horizontal in the air and see it crash head first into a root the size of your forearm....causing her body to immediately go limp, only for a second before it seizes. Rushing over i can see her eyes roll back and body tense up, luckily this only last for 5-6 seconds. I immediately grab her neck to keep her from moving or even trying to stand, she's stubborn. At this point she cant speak for lack of breath, think wind knocked out of you x10. I lay her back against the embankment stabilizing her neck, her breath is shallow and now she's beginning to put words together. Luckily I have experience in wilderness/back country medicine....thank goodness...just enough knowledge to keep her stable till the real medics arrive. I do pray that I never have to see the look that was in her eyes again...on anyone...absolute 100% sheer panic. Not sure how to breath or let alone move your toes....that was the worst part for me, looking in her eyes.
Pictures of this helmet are proof that you should always were one. There are ten more cracks that you can't see...imagine.

Taking my gloves off i run my hands around checking for any blood, none. Next was arms and legs...quick prayer...luckily she was able to move her toes, feet, etc...as well as arms...and she still had one hell of a grip. So far no nerve damage. Certain her collar bone was broke i unzip her jersey, to my surprise it's not. Still no blood. During this little exchange she is gasping and trying to tell me that she can't breath. Ya, i got that one Thea, thanks. Pulse was strong, circulation was good...no immediate danger...I called 911. There was just barely enough cell service to get a call out and to let them know our rough location...all the while I'm fighting with Thea to not pass out and to keep breathing.

Luckily 15 minutes after the incident another biker came by....I told him to head back to the start and let a staff member know exactly where we were so the paramedics could find us. Hard part is that in terms of civilization we weren't very far out, but from any form of a road we were a good 300+ yards away. There was a long thirty minute period of keeping her calm and trying to keep her awake before the paramedics show up. At this point Thea is still gasping for air but has been able to muster some courage to at least calm down a little. After they check her out we slide her on a back board and start the hike out...she moans the whole way.

After finally getting into a room at the ER they begin testing and hooking up some xrays. Looks like you might have broken a rib and fractured your scapula....but we have to do a CT to be certain. These were some very painful test...unfortunately they have to manipulate your body to the desired position to snap the pic....she almost passed out several times. It took a couple of hours before the CT results came back....she'd really done a number on her back. 6 broken ribs, 6 transverse process'(the little nub between each rib on your spine), crushed her T8 vertebra and had a slight puncture in her lung. Thank god no spinal cord damage. It's pretty evident now why she was having trouble breathing...each breath causing your lungs to expand and pushing out on all those breaks.....BRUTAL!!!

As of right now she's still in the hospital in Charlotte with doctors trying to decide if she needs surgery or not...hopefully not. This was definitely not the day that I thought I was gonna have, but then again that's when accidents strike. You ride like we ride long enough and sooner or later Betty, the cycling goddess, will strike. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Thea during your recovery...may it be full and swift.