Well the last update was in October. I think I talked up a pretty big game back then what with engine pictures, throwing around my sufferlandrian flag, and laying out my race season and all these things in some form or another to make it look like i'm VERY SERIOUS THIS TIME.... Over the winter I think I've learned a few things... and kinda mellowed out..... a lot.
1. Its not really about buying new bikes and hoping to get faster, its about enjoying the ones you have. I rode the Highball a bit this summer, and it seems to work well for me but its just not something I enjoyed, I keep wishing its more like my SS and less like what it is *though don't get me wrong, having gears is really nice on some days*... so I spent all winter trying to figure it out... only to come and realize that all things considered, my SS is easily the bike I like to ride most and get the most out of. The best upgrade I can buy right now is a set of cleats that will allow me to run up hills I can't get up on the SS, and not blister me up.
I think half my issue is wanting to look good to really hide most of my short comings.... which were fitness and skill related. Enter the expensive rims, carbon bike, XT group set, etc etc, and a fairly empty wallet. This worked all the way till the races started, only to have me looking like I was dual wielding credit cards and not much else. I think over the winter I realized that I shouldn't care as much as I do about how come across to other riders by visual reference, but rather by how I ride. Getting surprisingly quick for a big guy has a much bigger impact on others perception then flying the bling around.
Is this to say I don't want another bike? No. I truely do want a longer travel bike for more rougher terrain, but I can't justify it to myself at the moment. I have other things I want to enjoy, and currently I like the bikes I have right now.
2. Its not about impressing people. Seriously, I think when I rode with some people I would really try to ride outside my limits on areas where I'd THINK I'd get better times by doing stupid shit like trying to bunny hop a massive ditch, or riding a bit too fast into a corner trying to hold on, only to find out its loose soil and you're running hardpack tires as a result of number 1. The best way to get better times is to get faster during your chug sessions and hills. This way you can relax during your descents rather then push the envelope, overall this gives you a much better time overall and you're riding much more within your means rather then pushing it when the hills go down because its the only way you're going fast. At least for me anyway, some people can absolutely rock a downhill, I can, but its fairly close to riding way outside my limits and its not exactly easy to throw around 240lbs on a bike... one bad front tire grab and its game over. So really the best way to get faster, is get faster in areas where you're grinding out the km, this way you can complete your laps in one piece, and with a faster time.
3. It really is about putting time in the saddle. Seriously it is. Sit on your bike, turn crank for long periods of time. You get faster. The end. Yes you may want to throw in a sufferfest once or twice a week to get into a good pain train scenerio, but last year I did them exclusively, did well at P2A, and the Spring 8, then burned the shit out almost immediately aftewards. Of which I think lead to my complete collapse at the Summer 8. There's no real way to sugar coat that. If you want to ride and enjoy, you need to put time into it. Its the difference between enjoying the sport, and doing the sport.
I think the above really opened my eyes to riding and the sport in general. I'm no pro, so I need to stop acting like I am, or whatever I think I was acting like. I just need to ride and have fun. So lets look at my race season differently here.
Steaming Nostrils - Gonna go out and ride hard and have fun. There's no podium chance for me, so I'm going to focus on my tires and how the feel as well as have a good time. I'll spin out the legs, charge the hills and see how long I can hold a really solid P2A pace. It'll be a fun wake me up.
P2A... Round 3 - I'm not going to lie, if I have a bad showing this year I'll be somewhat upset. What am I looking for? I'd like to be top 10 clyde. Was I fighting for a podium last year? If we look at it objectively. No, I wasn't close. Maybe top 10. Can I podium, donno. It depends on who shows up in my category, depends if I have a clean ride, depends on a lot of things. My goal is to beat my time from last year, with the extra 10km added. I'm going to try to find fast groups to ride with, even if its a bit outside my comfort level, but I'll try to close gaps when I can instead of letting people get away, and if people are riding my wheel I'll just up and tell them to take a pull. I'm going to stop telling people I have a chance at the podium. I could but it really depends on so many things that are outside of my control. So if I have a strong race, we'll see where the cards end up.
Spring 8 - LoL Barry / Rob smackdown. I got goaded into doing it SS solo. Hence the cleats :) I'm going to have fun and nothing else. I'm looking to put in a bunch of KM, and still finish dead last. But hey, the beer at the end and having my family at my first race is going to be awesome, so I'm really looking forward to enjoying and soaking in the entire race.
Solstice 24H - Last year I went in thinking way too hard about things. This year, I'm just going in to have a good time, put in my 5 laps, enjoy the camping, and try for a double lap at night, since I really enjoy night riding and never get enough of it in.
Those races are probably the ones I'll take "seriously" this year. Note the quotations...
Anyway, I'll post some before and after pictures the week prior to P2A so you can see the changes over the winter to body comp. I don't see much but maybe some side by sides may change that perspective. I donno.
Anyway, have a good lap.
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