Extra Gravity vs Me (classic man vs nature... nature wins)

My sweet wife gave me enough free time this weekend to get two rides in. Both rides were on my local trail, Harbison State Forest.



Yesterday's ride was a little over 13 miles with two new friends that were both riding SS 29ers. I went out with the intention of spinning 15 to 20 miles at a relaxed pace. Unfortunately, these guys lived up to the expectation of guys that have been riding forever and were very competitive. I blew up about 10-11 miles in and had to limp home. I tried to convince myself that was OK since one of the other guys dropped out 3-4 miles before that. Moral of the story: there's always someone faster.

Today's ride was on target for a more relaxed pace across just over 15 miles. For those familiar with Harbison, I left out clockwise, did Lost Creek counter-clockwise, rode the outer loop to Spider Woman, then back home via Bent Creek.



What I didn't plan for was the extra gravity that kept pulling to the ground. About 5 miles in I lost the front wheel on a mild downhill and managed to do what I call an around the bars... sort of like an over the bars without all of the glory. My foot decided the front wheel was a little heavy so it took the opportunity to remove two spokes. I enjoyed listening to the remaining spokes complain the rest of the ride. I was just waiting for them to organize a revolt, taco the wheel and take out their frustrations on my front teeth via a rock / root.

Here's a shot of the missing spokes... fortunately my hot rod new wheels are due here Friday of this week. Joy.



There's only one crash per ride, right? There's a rule. I'm sure I've read it somewhere. Not true... Spider Woman felt like I was getting a little cocky lately. Afterall, its been months since she cracked my helmet and left me goofy. Today's dry conditions resulted in a front wheel wash out and a modified elbow and hip. Just for reference, this is not the preferred line:



All in all it was a good ride. I was able to get in decent miles and feel good even though the humidity was somewhere in the range of 118%. Next up, birthday dinner with Jenny and the in-laws. BBQ chicken is on the menu so I can't wait!