There is a 6 hour race at Warda this weekend that I plan on competing in. It will be the 2nd race I’ve attempted since recovering (mostly) from the accident March 16. It will be the first endurance event I’ve attempted since then. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even done anything over about 3 hours. This relentless Texas summer promises to make this one a scorcher. It will start at 6pm and last til midnight. I bet at midnight, the temp will still be around 85 degrees, hot enough for bike parks in Canada to issue heat advisories. Ha! 85 is pleasant to a tried and true Texan this time of year. My heat tolerance is about the only thing I have going for me since I’ve been working a lot on my rental without any AC. I have been riding more, but not really enough to be competitive.
My last two experiences at Warda have been less than satisfactory. The strange withdrawal at the 12 hour, and the 4th place finish at the XC race a few weeks later. This time will be different though, because I have no expectations, other than to get some ride time in and have some fun. If for some reason I accomplish neither of these, then at that point I might be a little upset. Otherwise, I aim to keep it chill and attempt to finish.
About the bike pics. This is Long Tall Sally 2.0. If you recall, YBS Bikes agreed to build me a custom steel 29er for way cheap as a prize for winning the 2010 24 Hours of Rocky Hill. The frame they built was cool, but they left off a few details, so I sent it back to get tweaked and this time they got it right. Excellent customer service! I do really enjoy single speed riding, but I also enjoy what gears can bring to the table! With a derailleur hanger and some cable stops, the frame is now ready to accept gears! I threw on my trusty 2×9 middleburn DUO setup and also added a brand spanking new FOX F29 fork (which YBS also gave me a great deal on) and I look forward to trying out this setup at Warda this weekend. As it stands, Colleen will be out of the country for work and I haven’t found anyone to man the caveman pit, but I’m ok going unsupported for this one. Sometimes its more fun this way.