Today's my birthday! Woohoo! I don't really make a big deal about my birthday... it's not exactly like I was actively involved in the process. In actuality, I turned around and tried to head back in. But I do like free stuff, and my favorite acquisition this year so far has been a 2001 Specialized Hardrock... even though that wasn't a birthday present.
I'm not a real big fan of Specialized as a company. It's the punk rocker in me that rebels against the norm. Plus, "innovate or die" is a stupid slogan. But, I've been looking for a mountain bike for a while and I didn't have to exchange any cash for this. I love a good trade.
Basically, I like road riding, but road racing irritates me. It hurts. Traditionally, I'm not fast, and I just get frustrated. I enjoyed the USA Crits Speedweeks. Not racing it, but traveling to watch the pro races-- standing on the side of the road and screaming at TMK in South Carolina's smallest towns, driving 3:30 to Athens to stand in the rain ALL DAY was a lot of fun! But actually participating in these races was less than exciting.
On the flip side of this, I LOVE RACING CYCLO-CROSS. I love training for 'cross, I love being in the dirt and the grass, I love driving my bike a lot more than pedaling it, I love the cold, I love how much it hurts. Most importantly, I love how fun it is even when you suck. Getting dropped in a road race is depressing, but since the field blows up so much in a 'cross race there isn't really any "getting dropped". I'm looking for a spring time competition that can be as fun and motivating as 'cross is in the winter.
I'd rather spend 3 hours in the woods on my 'cross bike any day over riding 3:30 to Lake Murray on my road bike. The 'cross bike isn't the best equipped bike for the trails though. I'd like to try other trails around here and I'd like to be able to hammer them a little bit harder. I'd also like to be able to ride with other people and go to other trails (FATS, Pisgah, Dupont) and not feel under equipped. This is where the mountain bike comes into play.
For awhile I resisted the urge to take up mountain biking. I thought road racing was more beautiful, classical and I enjoyed the persona of a roadie much more. After racing a season on the road, I'm looking for something a little bit different.
So now that I've got a mountain bike, I'm looking at mountain bike races in which I can participate. Winter short track in Charlotte is the obvious choice. NC Cyclo-Cross wraps up on January 23, and there are short track races every Sunday after that until February 13 (and then there's more 'cross racing in Knoxville on February 20 and 21!!!!). Short track is an obvious transition from 'cross. It's short, fast and hard! I'm pretty much committed already! After this is gets a little bit hazy.
Last year I stopped racing at the beginning of May. Took May off and started training the second week in June. This meant I got May to rest, relax and enjoy time as a normal person. Plus I have a girlfriend that likes to spend the occasional weekend with me. Next year's training is even more important to me. I want to start racing 'cross in September next year and then go to collegiate nationals in January (2012). So getting some solid training in before this seems like a pretty good idea.
However, we have a Southern Regional Series for mountain bike racing (http://www.southernclassicmtb.org/). It runs March-August. The races are pretty spread out. So it may be possible. Plus, one of those races is a 10 minute bike ride from my house... DUH! It's tempting to keep racing through the summer. You know, like most normal bike racers. But I'm not a normal bike racer. I'm a CROSS racer, so I should probably use some of that time to be training, not just racing. Who knows.
There's also no reason to QUIT road racing. I just don't think I'm going to put as much emphasis on it as I did previously. There's no reason I have to choose one over the other, is there?
So my new challenge is to try to figure out how to transition from 'cross into winter mountain biking in February, then to cross-country racing in the spring (maybe with the occasional crit and spectating at Speedweeks), and then how to fit in training for the 2011-2012 'cross season. I'm not very good at making decisions.
I imagine this reads like I have no idea what I was trying to say. I don't really. This should be funny to read in the morning.
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