DSG09 and miscl stuff

This year at DSG I was a little bummed at the start. My back was not yet up to the task of long mtb endurance events and even though it was raining at the start, I had flashes of heinous mud last year which gradually transitioned to pristine tacky race conditions. The difference between this year and last however is that prior to the race it's been raining in the south for about 3 weeks straight. I'll let the photos and a few captions tell the rest.

Phil is especially good at attracting married ladies to his friends' tailgates and all he needs is a little spandex and a banana.

This was the radar coverage for the start of the race. I took the liberty of putting a red dot over this guys cross hairs to show how screwed we were for rain from the start.

E started strong and was quite clean in this first mile of trail.

Damn that helmet looks good.

Pburg ripping it on his first and last lap.


Even the 29er crew poster children were no match for what was in store for them shortly.

As the weather cleared I soon realized that no amount of sunshine short of being on the Sun was going to dry the course to anything rideable. This was painfully clear when people stopped riding by in the water and started looking like this.....

Tally wacked. Pushing was now the primary mode of transit around the course.


MWeb pushing team meth lab into first place.

Interesting enough when everyone has to walk it's actually the pro who start dropping out first. As rec riders who poured their hearts souls and wallets into coming unsupported started to drop with these pros as well I knew this was coming for most of the riders....

A prime example of the carnage the course had to offer.
More here.

Before.



After...Props to my lover on 2 wheels for coming off the course to get her composure then going back out where she left and finishing one lap. Not an easy feat for the day, especially with a 50-60 lb bike carry.


Riders began to drown their sorrows on the course as they passed the pits and some faded from the course from this point never to return. The gods must have been feeling bad for all the rain because the halls of Valhalla back in the DSG tent city were filled to the brim with free beer for the masses. Thanks to all the breweries out there who helped people forget their pain within hours of pushing.

Some people felt they needed to express their displeasure about the course and this pretty much sums it up in one word.

Water bottle quickly were exchanged for urban hydration vessels.

Guess which one of these 3 men never got a chance to go on the course because of heinous conditions, watched his teammates suffer from the comfort of a bale of hay, drank beer as they passed pushing with all their might, and to boot won a beer naming competition allowing him a chance to stand on the podium without ever getting his bike dirty?

In all it was a bad day to ride, but a great day to enjoy the friendship and often not seen in other racing circles. While everyone may not be back next year as a result, I will be present once again whether riding or not enjoying libations and conversation among those who truly enjoy fat tire lifestyle.

In no particular order some other things that have been going on....

"Watering" the dogs at home on a hike in the woods.

Finally finished that damn shelving in the kitchen.

Added new storage area next to shed and roofing over chicken coop as well.

All the water from the new additions plus other water from the shed roof run into a new rain catchment system. Three barrels for now, I plan on expanding to 5 or 6 by summer's end.

Pretty decent flow rate for very little drop means the 10 foot drop to the front yard should create some good pressure.

Chris and Dad installing a purple martin imperial insect death cruiser at my parent's house.

Finally got around to stripping down the old cross/commuter and treating her with some weigels frame saver, which stinks by the way so make sure you do it on a nice day outside.

Very little rust on the inside of the tubes a little in bottom bracket area, but not unexpected after a wet end to cross season.

Abby went to Ireland and saw lots of neat stuff. Here are my two selections from her album.
Sheep

And a Castle.
Maybe she'll start her own blog and tell people about her stuff.

Boogy enjoyed Easter egg hunts.

Especially when the twins were happy to show him what was inside their egg baskets.

Neighborhood dogwoods in white...

And Pink.

Boogy is expanding his skill set to include official Chandler exterminator dog.
(bumble bee specialist)

Allan stopped by and visited en route with a pilot he was training in this plane.


This is a "basic" trainer but it doesn't look that "basic" to me at first glance.