This is a coaster for a shot glass

Nice week, I did a little running and very little riding. I spent Saturday at the Ridge with Thomas and Eric, all of us on gears. We had a great ride spending the first hour and a half without riding along the lake any. It was an interior tour like none other. Saturday night was an engagement party for Terry Jeffers with a lot of Knoxvillian’s I would have never met otherwise.

Sunday was back to the ridge with Eric, Thomas the bithday boy, plus DJ and Jeff, this time all on SS. As always Thomas got a bunch of cool pictures and I’m ripping him off. Maybe Santa will help out with a camera that will fit in a pocket.


I borrowed Eric‘s Blur LT, and rode it around my neighborhood Sunday and I.C.King Monday. That is a fantastic bike. I’m almost certain the ElCapitan is on its way out. As a long time 29’er freak, I have to say big wheels don’t make as much sense as suspension is added into the eqution. The last two 26” bikes I have ridden have been significantly more fun than their 29” counterparts and I’m all about the “fun factor”.

I did a little running this week. One week left before the 18 week program begins.

Fez ?!?!?!?


Ride log
17th – Haw Ridge 2:30 One of the best ridge loops ever.
18th – Haw Ridge hangover ride 2:00 = 2:00 of hang’n in the parking lot
19th - I.C.King on the Blur 1:00

Jog Log
12th – 3 miles
13th – 2.5 miles
15th – 3 miles
16th – 2.5 miles

Farlow free weekend

I opted out of the SWANK65 this year. I was in no mode or condition to pay $70 to push my bike up to Farlow gap. I hope Mr. Magnusson and the ZOO crew had a good day at it.
Sunday was a trip to Raccoon Mountain. We had a fun group of Thomas Gains, Eric Nelson, Ben Ramsbottom and I. I have been a little sick this week and definitely dragged the back of the group most of the day but still we did very little waiting around and moved together very well everyone in sight of each other all the time but never crowded. I am continuously amazed by Raccoon Mountain. It may be the most fun trail system in the south. I road several trails this time I had never seen before with rock and technical features that would challenge most anyone (I know I walked a few spots). We rode the outside loop clockwise whereas I had always ridden counterclockwise previously. Both directions are allot fun but clockwise gives you more long flowy downhills and tougher climbs. I’d say counterclockwise is a better SS direction although I’m not sure I want to take the SS to the Coon again the FS bike is too much fun in the tech sections. Check out Harvest the Ride for more pictures from the day.

Thomas weaving through some boulders (My ElCapitain's wheelbase made it extra challanging to make these moves):

Thomas on another roller:


I did my first bike commute this week since day light savings ended. It dark most of the way home luckily I have good lights and reflective clothing. I tried a new route home this week that used more greenway but the road sections had a ton more traffic and I don’t think I will go that way again, its fun to have options though.
Noah had a doctor’s visit this week, 27 ¼” and 17.5lbs. of growing boy. He doesn’t go back to the doctor for a year which seems like kind of a milestone. He is eating allot of solid food now, not 50% but getting close. He seems really fascinated with several things of late that have us on our toes he does everything possible to get into; plants, Levi’s water bowl, the staircase, and anything with buttons (Computers, remote controls, stereo etc…


Ride log (Pretty pathetic this week):
9th- commute to work 2:00
10th -Neighborhood cruzing 1:30
11th -Raccoon Mountain 3:30
Jog log:
6th -2.5 mile
7th -5 mile

Fall back

Last week before DST ends, I got a few after work rides in. I rode the Queen for the first time in a while, Its sort of fun but I was reminded why I never ride there. Friday I got to ride with Chris Young, Chris is an old paddling friend (his wife set Tara and I up on our first date) that has taken up mountain biking and is getting pretty serious about it. I had a crappy ride, I trashed both wheels on the Blacksheep and took a good fall, but it was fun nonetheless. Saturday Tara, Noah and I went to the UT football game. It was a company outing (thanks BMa) with a shrimp boil/tailgate party before the game. We all had a hoot even if we didn’t watch much of the game.

I went to Pisgah Sunday for a Hatchery tour. We had a divers group, Jay and Jen Smelser, Mark Webb, Terry Jeffers, Brian Hann, Ben Ramsbottom and I, we also hooked up mid ride with some friends of Jay’s. We road Caney, Daniel Ridge, Butter Gap, and Cat Gap with a bunch of fire road in-between. It was a beautiful day and a great time. The descent down Butter was one of my favorite ever, keeping Terry and Ben in sight isn’t easy when the trail points down.

Group:

Jay:

Jen:

Mark, enjoying those gravel road climbs:

Terry:

Brian:

Ben was so fast his image could not be captured.


Noah is doing great he is likely to be walking any second. I spent hours trying to figure out how to rotate this video and never could so those of you with laptops, rotate you machine, those with desktops tilt you head:


I have a new winter training plan up my sleeve that’s going to occupy my interest until March 30th.


Ride log:
30th IC King 1:30
1st Haw Ridge – 2:00
2nd Haw Ridge – 2:00
4th Pisgah – 4:30