Mountain Bike Race

[rollingrev]

On Sunday, June 6th, I will compete in a race that I have trained all year for. I know, I know, mountain biking is for people who are afraid of a contact sport. But if you aren't doing anything on that day, it might be fun to come out and watch the pros. I am guessing that there will be some there who will be competing in the olympics in London.

The race is at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham. If you want to check it out, wear some running shoes in order to take a hike up to "blood rock", bring insect repellent, and keep an eye out for rattle snakes (I ushered one into the next life yesterday--yes they have have a quick sharp jab, but their skin is a little overly sensitive to numorous large rocks arriving at high vilocity). Anyway, just ask around the crowd how to get to "blood rock." It will be neat to see the pros fly off the rock ledges.

The pros are scheduled to start at 9:30 which should put them down blood rock by about 10am. My sport class is scheduled to start at 10am which should put me going down blood rock close to 11am.

[badfish]

i'm familiar with that track. it's alot of fun. there is like a 4.5 mile downhill, or uphill depending on which way you go, with these concrete dranage ditches that cross the trail which is a gravel road. you get some major air off them. i had a nasty wreck on that downhill. crash going that fast and you roll a long way. there is one section with a lot of switch backs that is so much fun. "blood rock" is very accurately named. how anyone could get through this section on a bike is beyond me. i always just walked my bike down. good luck on the race.

[rollingrev]

Well, guys, I finished, but I was disappointed with the results. I was 9th out of 13th. I had a flat; I crashed on a bridge (Thank you Mr. knee and elbow pad); and I hit a major fatique wall at mile 17 and just prayed that I would finish the next 3 miles. I don't know what happened with that because I trained so hard. I am guessing God knew I needed to revisit the lesson on humility.

One casuality on blood rock: A guy went over the bars and lost his bottom four teeth. I was told by several different people the teeth went through his bottom lip, and an on looker got them out of the dirt and gave them to EMTs. He was taken to UAB. I heard the sirens about 10 minutes after I road down blood rock. I thought to myself,"This can't be good." (I still think I would rather take that than I would a Tai kick to the mouth from street cop--Hey, how about neither!)

Why is it that the sports that we are attracted to, carry with them some potentially nasty consequences? Can anyone answer that?

[badfish]

it wouldn't be any fun otherwise.