Rainy Days Chattaboogie Style

Work:
The last few days have been full-on balls out around the shop. We have a new part-time co-conspirator in the office and he has brought a wealth of organizational efforts to the place. A strange system of project tasks and logs and due dates and completion dates...I will be the first to admit that during the past year, I have completely lost my sense of organization. I think that it is still there but I really don't care about using it. I am feeling that the new "system" is going to be great, even I can appreciate change.

A couple of new bikes came back from paint this week. I was really stoked about this one. R420 with House of Kolor Kameleon Flames on Pearl White with brushed stays...I have my eye on one of these. This would certainly grow my appetite for the road miles I need to put in. A fancy road bike with super sweet parts is always a blast. You feel so much better about hauling some serious ass. You know the bike was built for it, so you give it hell. The hardest decision for me would be how to paint it...need something totally unique, but not gross and too pretentious since I am not a roadie by any sense of the imagination. Now taking suggestions...bowling ball Impalas is the first thing that comes to mind, a little love to the ATL.

Ride:
My ride time this week has been quite limited by the multi-day rain festival going on here. Mostly sucky roller time, but we did get to skirt the weather long enough to get out on Tuesday night. Me, Titsworth, Bishop and Jason rolled out a little late because I drove off from work and left my bike at the shop. I realized what I had done after I was nearly home and the traffic heading East is horrible at 5:30pm. So I called my boy Dave Cash and he was on his way out the door, but he went back in the shop, grabbed my bike and met me at the base of Lookout Mtn for the drop. My thanks to you Dave Cash, with a name like that you've got to be money.

We had a killer first half of the ride...skipped Stringer's and went straight to Lookout. Tempo was high all the way to the base. I think that everyone was ready to go and I took forever, so they were making me pay. Following 3 guys with gears through town and down fire roads on a single speed kinda sucks. I have realized the limitations on certain sections of terrain, but you have to find areas to make it up. But to maintain a gear that you can climb well in and for a long time is rarely the same gear you want for motoring down double track and gravel. The geared fellas have the upper hand here. You can only spin so hard before your can is bouncing off the saddle. I will figure this out.

While we participating in the fore mentioned fire road decent, Jason and Bishop were pushing each harder and harder down the trail at full speed. Then Jason hit a leaf covered mini boulder and it sent his wheel to the left and he over corrected and went airborne at 25+. He found himself wrapped around a tree with his bike way off the trail. We helped him out and he insisted on walking down the trail for a little while to shake it off. He wound up with a mild concussion, broke his helmet and is all jacked up today. Hope he heals up well and is ready to ride on Saturday.

We are having a going away ride for Bishop on Saturday at the Tanasi, we think. It will depend on the weather. Bishop is moving up to Black Mountain, NC to race at Warren Wilson College for his last few years of school. He will be missed, but it seems all my killer training partners are moving to Western NC. My only concern is introducing Jut Rut and Bishop. Together, they could form some anti-jamie racing coalition based out of Asheville.