Tag Archive for lumberjack100

No Lumberjack for me.

After some thought and consideration, I’ve decided to sell my entry for the Lumberjack 100 this year. I realized that I had already started to stress myself over it. Anytime I thought about riding, I was concerned that I got a good “training ride” in, with lots of miles and hours, because LJ is right around the corner. Same whenever I thought about doing work around the house/yard instead of riding. The need to train for it was starting to sap the fun out of any riding I was doing. When it comes down to having to choose between training rides and fun rides/house stuff, I decided I didn’t want to keep making that decision. So, I’ve made it for the season.

I think it was the right thing to do, because after I decided, I headed out to Stony to just bounce around with some friends. Not having to think about getting miles in was a great weight off my shoulders, and I had the first really fun ride of the season. I think I made the right decision.

30 Days and Counting

30 days before the Lumberjack100, and I really am not ready for this race yet.

I’m finally getting out and getting some miles onto my legs, and I’ve mad a commitment to try to ride as much as I can over the next month, even it’s just out the front door and putting 20+ miles on the local paths.  The biggest thing I can work on is just putting as many miles onto my legs as I can.

I think I’m also going to put the nose to the grindstone and really work on dropping some weight.  I’m heavier then I’d like to be this spring, but I think that if I really push it, I can drop 20# in the next month.  It won’t put me where I’d like to be, but it will put me into a pretty good place anyways.

The course isn’t that difficult, and I’ve heard that the backwards direction is an easier ride then the direction that the race was run the two years I’ve made an attempt.  I recently had a professional fit on my Racer-X, so I’m very comfortable on the bike, and the new position make me feel stronger then I was feeling.

I think one big thing is going to be concentrating on FINISHING the race, and not on RACING the race.  The race can be finished with a < 10 MPH average speed.  If I don’t go out and try to kill myself by being fast, I think I’ll have a good chance of finishing.  Slow and steady wins the race.  I’m not racing anybody else this year, I’m only racing myself.