Dude, are you alright? Part 2

In response to two recent occasions in which friends made full use of their helmets, I thought I'd elaborate on the nature of head injuries. This is a continuation of Dude, are you alright? Luckily, as serious as brain injuries are, the response to them is easy in a backcountry setting. The only variant is how fast you need to get someone to medical help. Of course it is only easy because you only have a few options to choose from, but actually dealing with a head trauma is a different story. I'm lucky to say I never have myself!

Head Bonk:
A head bonk without concussion will cause any number of non-alarming symptoms from headache, ringing in the ears, blurred vision and mental cloudiness. Pupils will remain responsive to light. Remember to ride slow as you will be fuzzy for a few minutes.
Concussion:
This is a brain rattle severe enough to piss off the lining of the brain. The brain itself cannot sense pain, but those fragile linings do in a big way! The signs of a concussion include the above symptoms in addition to nausea, disorientation and dilated pupils. I usually check anyone's pupils in a crash. Under direct flashlight, or direct sunlight normal pupils should constrict to about 1-3mm in diameter. Dilated pupils in a head injury will stay dilated to a size greater than 4mm. The degree of a concussion needs to be assessed by a doctor as there are some risks associated.

Subdural Hematoma:
This is the next up in severe head injuries, and involves a slow bleed in the outer lining of the brain. This blood pools into a ball ("hemat" = blood, "oma"=tumor/mass) and progressively puts pressure on the brain. This is a medical emergency, and can be assessed by the follwing symptoms. People with these injuries will become very disoriented, irritable, nauseous and clumsy in their walking and talking. If severe enough, the eyes in addition to pupillary dilation can become deviated.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:
In most cases you REALLY have to knock your head hard to get one of these. But consider this! A person had a recent surgery, or something requiring them to be on blood thinners (Heparin, warfarin/coumadin or high dose aspirin, ibuprofen.) Now their blood clotting mechanism is compromised, and they don't require much impact to cause intracranial bleeding. So don't think this can't happen out on the trails!! This is characterized by a headache that is almost intollerable. Blood is a major irritant in the body when outside of the vessels, so when it contacts the linings of the brain it causes excruciating pain. I don't even think you need to know much more since if you see someone like this, you'll know it ain't good. But, they will be very disoriented, clumsy or numb in their extremities and nauseous, and may even vomit repeatedly. Check for pupils being reactive to light equally on both sides. If not, problem confirmed. Diagram of unequal pupils

Remember this with regard to head injuries: It may very well be bad enough to happen. So if your riding partner shows any of the signs of something serious, time for you to take it serious!

Now let's have a little chat about helmets!! I'll save you all the specifics save for just 3.
1. They NEED to cover your forehead. Otherwise, a helmet is more or less useless.

2. They are single impact only. Meaning one good bonk warrents replacing that helmet!

3. Bike helmets are not DOT approved. Deptartment of Transportation (DOT) approval recognizes a helmet as strong enough to handle highway and concrete impacts. Since a lot of riders now ride at near highway speeds on hear concrete hardness ground this is a consideration. This also includes full face downhill helmets unless there is a DOT or SNELL approaval in the inside.

Ride safe!

The case for one speed: Why derail a good thing?

We live in a world of options. Salad with cranberries or goat cheese? Coffee or vanilla non-fat flat latte? We usually have a choice on just about everything we desire. But how many times have you stared down a menu trying to decide between a florentine omelette, ollalieberry pancakes or an organic Mediterranean scramble. Choices can be amazing. Choices can be maddening! I believe we have surrounded ourselves with so many options we are now going bananas trying to decide between them all. However if you just closed your eyes and ordered any one of those breakfasts at random, or just asked for a basic two-egg breakfast, chances are you would sit, eat, enjoy and leave satisfied.

The presence of choice constantly creates the possibility for derailing your focus. All too often we allow ourselves to be derailed and to pursue another option prematurely or before realizing what we have left behind. How many relationships have been torn apart by the allure of another, only to have the guilty party realize they were chasing after an illusion?

There is a lure about the simple life. I remember one morning driving into Superior, AZ after driving all night for a climbing competition and stopping at a diner with Zach for breakfast. After sitting down I opened the menu to read the following:

Breakfast: $5.95
Lunch: $6.95
Dinner $9.95

I remember thinking, "Wow, this is easy!" No hesitation, I ordered breakfast and had my hunger satiated. Onwards and sideways!

Yes, I can tie this easily into bicycles. The word derail should lend a hint as to how I might get there. The amazing devise that allowed for the evolution of mountain bikes to multi-geared machines, also allowed for the use of quick release wheels that sat in convenient vertically oriented drop-outs. This stationary position of the wheel eventually allowed for the ease of transitioning bicycles to the use of disc brakes. Derailleurs also served to constantly tension the chain so as a chain stretches there isn't any need to loosen the wheel and adjust the tension. As technology got more advanced and chains got narrower bikes began to carry many gears! Now-a-days there are about 27 gears at a rider's disposal. Amazing, right? But what shadow does this technology cast? Well, a few for sure! Weight is of course and issue. More cogs, longer chains and cables and shifter mechanisms all contribute to a heavier ride, though most riders are willing to tote the extra grams for the ability to shift gears. Complication is a dark side of geared bikes, and has lead to its own pathology set. "Chain suck", rattles, poor adjustment are just a few on top of the general idea that more parts equals more parts to break.

However, what happens when you finally ordered that Mediterranean scramble? Perhaps it comes and you spend breakfast wondering what the florentine omelette might have tasted like. You've lost focus on breakfast. What happens in a race when you constantly have a thumb on the shifter contemplating a better gear? Perhaps you've lost focus on your race. The amazing technology that clanks and clatters along behind you in every ride could be a force derailing your whole riding experience. I know that personally I've paid a lot of attention to the noise coming from the derailleurs on my bikes. To me a rattle gives me the sense that my bike isn't quite as together as it should be.

As for me, at this point in time. I've decided to sit down and order the two-egg breakfast. Perhaps it is just because I just can't afford the ollalieberry pancakes, or maybe I'm curious if I can just sit and really enjoy those two eggs. My bike now has one short chain, and two cogs (10 less than it used to!). In a box in my yard is hundreds of grams of equipment that apparently I never really needed. I can say for sure, in the middle of this meal I have really come to appreciate what eggs taste like, and how well they go with a piece of toast. Not once have my thumbs gone for a gear when I come to a hill. Sure, it is a lot of work getting up the steeper hills, a lot of work. But, that's just riding, right? Plus the pleasure of a silent ride downhill is doubly worth that effort, and the knowledge that I won't go out of adjustment, have a stick come up and snap off the derailleur of have the chain come popping off the rings makes me relax and enjoy the ride ahead. I think once people are stripped of all the options they could have they find the ones they do have are plenty, and sometimes the preferred! Maybe everyone will soon begin to live more simple fulfilling...rides. =)

Management of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction without medication

Cycling is amongst the most provocative athletic activities to people suffering from asthma. However, people who do not actually have asthma may experience asthma like symptoms during exercise. This can be a disastrous thing to have to deal with during competition. The question is how to manage the disorder to keep the symptoms from coming back.

Bronchoconstriction in asthma is simply one inflammatory process involved with a number of triggers. Bronchoconstriction in exercise, according to some may not have the same level of inflammation as true asthma, but has similar triggers involved as well as a number of other factors specific to exercise. Truth is, though exercised induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) may not be the exact process as an asthmatic bronchoconstriction, it responds to the same medications used in asthma attacks and presents almost identically. This shows it's similarity in physiology. Short acting beta-2 agonists, such as Albuterol act similar to epinepherine to dilate airways. Though this gives a clue to the physiology, it masks the opportunity to remedy the situation systemically and thus eliminating it all together. Most people who do not have asthma do not have the same level of reactivity in their airways, meaning they don't have asthmatic symptoms outside of the exercise arena. This population, and even asthmatics can have that reactivity drastically reduced by changing diet, eliminating allergens and use of alternative therapies.

How to fix it:
1. Get in shape!
The more in shape you are, the less stress put on your lungs to perform. Intense stress on those airway can cause small scale edema leading to narrowing airways.

2. Reduce your body's propensity toward inflammation:
There are a number of ways to go about this. Supplements and diet are key. Dietically speaking, avoiding a diet that steers towards high glycemic index is important. This keeps your glucose/insulin regulation normal. Sugar is a damaging substance to have in the blood in high concentrations for too long. Decrease the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in your diet. Main sources of these are safflower, sunflower and corn oil. These are pro-inflammatory. Fish oils are amazing reducers of inflammation. There are basically no side effects at moderately high doses. Remember to buy high quality oils containing the omega-3 fatty acids Eiconopentanoic Acid and Dicosohexanoic Acid (EPA/DHA). Here is an article on them.

3. Know they allergies and allergens
This is the pandora's box of the situation. Allergies are tough. A lot of times we know what they are, but we know very little about what to do about it. The main allergies I am thinking of are the airborn varieties: mold, dust, etc. Food allergies are important considerations as well, and these often include milk, eggs, gluten and peanuts. Avoidance of these around race day will be at least a step towards eliminating bronchoconstriction.
Interesting side note. Many of the allergies responsible for triggering airway narrowing are IgE mediated. In the 1950-60's a researcher discovered that this immunoglobulin blocks beta-2 receptors. When these receptors are blocked, the agonists that normally agonize them and stimulate airway dilation cannot do their work. Know they allergies and allergens.

Ride on!

Jesse's Top 20 as Howell Mountain Approaches

Well, it's will a pretty heavy sign that I watch the end of this season approaching. The Howell Mountain Challenge marks the end of summer racing for the Miracle crew. Sure the autumn is dotted with occasional events here and there, but the momentum will not be the same until the turn of 2009. Personally I like a fairly visible line of demarcation surrounding our season. It is sacred time and requires an obvious beginning and end to be truly celebrated. So, for me, Howell Mt. marks that date.

For the remainder of the year one question remains for all of us. How to stay in training without the motivation of a constant line-up of races. Last year I slipped happily into the lap of lassitude after finishing rather strong at the Howell race. For me it was the first move up to the sport class and I finished one spot away from the podium. I pulled up to the line wearing the same old windstopper shirt I had ridden in for years prior, gear dirty and used up. This year I will pull up to that line with a whole different look in my eyes, because as I look back many of the bigger events were marked with defeat for me. Not to say there weren't successes. Making finals at the Sea Otter Dual Slalom was the season highlight for me. But for the Sea Otter XC, the Downieville XC and a number of local races I remember only suffering, battling with sickness from poor nutrition and outright exhaustion. I'm sad to say I am able to look back at so many poor memories from the season, but like most people respond to many a learning experience, I doubt I would trade it off all to readily. Finding my limits has been one harsh lesson, and one clearly best served cold. It is one thing to glimpse what your limits are and it is another to surpass them and have to look back. From that I will know how to move forward with racing, and with racing as an adjunct to my profession. So, without further or due, I share some of my fondest moments, the ones that made me laugh, smile, hurt, groan and generally love racing bikes.

1. Favorite moment:
The post Yosemite swim in the Merced river.
2. Funniest Moment:
I couldn't quite tell you the exact time, but in my slumber I remember the chill damp morning air outside my tent pierced by the wailing cry... "COOOVVEEEEYYYY!!!!!!!"
3. Scariest Moment:
Slumping down on the trailside 10 miles from Downieville unable to walk more than a couple hundred feet and vomiting for the 10th time, now beginning to worry whether or not I'd actually make it back to town.
4. Weirdest moment:
Did we get a count on exactly how many pinch flats that was on one tube at Northstar, Zach?
5. Best moment of spontaneity:
Dusty and Jesse's evening shuttle session on the SX-Trail!
6. Most awesome moment:
This moment happened when I first hit top speed on my 11pm shift at the 24 hours of Adrenalin. This was my first ride under headlamp, and the fog made the whole course seem like some weird dreamland.
7. Least awesome moment:
Frantically stopping on the fast fire road section of the Downieville Downhill, mere miles from the finish to repair a chain that had fallen off and wrapped three time solid around my cranks... Not cool.
8. Best moment behind the wrenches:
Transforming Ol' Yeller into a single speed out of old used parts and hardware store materials!
9. When I laughed the hardest:
Not exactly a "race moment" but I don't think I laughed as hard all year as I did when Zach met Coco in the early morning hours in Yosemite.
10. Favorite Race Day:
Day 2 of Downieville stands as the most vivid day of racing I have ever had. I have never raced such a demanding course and had to maintain such intense focus.
11. Favorite Race Course:
Sea Otter XC. There's really no way around it, the course is amazing. Beach and all!
12. Favorite Post Race Meal:
Stacy and Jesse's delirious mission for Round Table Pizza, running red lights and getting lost in Monterey after the finish of the 24-hours.
13. Most inspirational moment:
Watching Dusty prepare to take his 5th and final lap for the CyclePathic Tendencies team at 24 hours of Adrenalin. He stood arms crossed and eyes fixed on the far end of the course for a glimpse of Covey unwilling to speak to anyone. By far the most determination I've seen all year.
14. Least Inspirational Moment:
The moment I rounded a corner 2 miles into the Downieville XC ascent, totally winded, only to look up at the switchbacks climbing literally thousands of feet straight up the mountainside ahead of me. I'll never forget that sight, that horrid sight.
15. The race figure you love:
Joe Pessano. Thanks for all the constant encouragement!
16. The race figure you love to hate:
Two riders take the cake on this one, and I'm not going to name names. All I'll say is one of them makes quite a scene on the podium at his local races, and the other owns a Marin and a loud voice!
17. The season winning "DOH!":
This goes without competition to Stacy's heartfelt and no less thorough cleaning of Leon before the Napa Dirt Classic. You think you got tough-to-beat grease? Watch what this girl can do with some grease remover and a brush. She'll have your bike running like a never-oiled machine!
18. Best Buy:
Zach's Yeti 575
19. Worst Buy:
Possibly Stacy's pink bar ends, or the handle of gin for 24 Hours.
20. Best WTF moment:
Zach stays up all night drinking wine, gets few hours of sleep, wakes up and eats two cans of cold canned soup, and a couple red bull and beats me at the Napa Dirt Classic on a singlespeed... WTF?

Thank you all for a great season! Let's enjoy the autumn rides, the attempts to stay in shape and be ready for top spots next season!!

Bear with me...

Another string of messages came through today, another ride I had to miss. I knew which of you went, and I can imagine how fun the ride was. But, as I woke up tired this morning, as I have all summer, I got to thinking about riding and the team and realized how far removed I am right now. I thought I would write about it.

Amazing all the intention I had surrounding this season, and how quickly that was muffled by the work I have at school. For the first time in my 4 years at Five Branches, I'm realizing the responsibility and demand of having a full patient load. Years ago when I was working I remember thinking how long the weeks were, then I started grad school and thought, "wow, this is so much harder!" Now, amazingly I look back at a simple class load and again think, "wow, this is way harder still." But, I'm not sure you all actually know what I do there, or why I seem to never show up to rides anymore. Dusty has an idea, and Maia surly can relate. I see about 21 patients per week (5-6/day), and they have varied so much in the recent weeks in ways I never imagined. Finally this past week confirmed my role as a primary care provider, which means for a lot of people that I may be the only medical attention they see...ever, and which for me requires an amazing amount of attention. Two days ago I saw a 2 month old baby, and all at once felt as scared and inexperienced as I did the first day I started there 4 years ago. The day before that my first patient, an elderly woman, admitted that the night before she had felt short of breath and some pain in her chest. I took her blood pressure only to find her just 10mmHg from hypertensive crisis. I sent her to the emergency room immediately and after working through the paperwork and other patients for hours I slumped down and sighed, finally able to reflect on the day. I am lucky if I get to eat dinner by 9pm, and even more lucky if I can finish the homework for my 2 other classes. Between patients, and during lunch breaks I dream of riding. I run through the LiveWire in my head and visualize virtual pivot point suspension, single speed hubs and carbon fiber frames. I scheme plans for races I would only hope to attend with each and every member of Miracle Racing, just to find myself around a campfire or at a trailhead with my best of friends, ready as always to enjoy every moment as fully as the last. When I get home I see a fleeting glimpse of energy to go ride, but rarely have the daylight to follow through. Downieville marked, for me, what happens when you try to push too much and too hard. I started getting hints about this as far back as the Sea Otter, but failed to listen. Luckily I got through that day without seriously hurting myself. I'm not sure if I actually thanked Zach well enough for what he did for me out there. Without him, well, It might not have been good. I have a very fuzzy image in my head of the team as I greeted you all after I finally crossed the line. You were all seated on a curb, and your faces were covered in dirt. I felt amazing comfort in seeing you all then. Thank you.For the next six months, I'm afraid this trend must continue. My commitment to my patients grows as they become my regular patients, and I will soon be in the throws of studying for board exams. I have 5 national board exams before the years is out and the big California boards in mid February. That will be the capstone of all the work I have done thus far. My last day of classes will be on December 19th, and my graduation likely the next day. At that point you will watch me emerge, and I will join you all on the trails more regularly again. Thanks for bearing with me! I can't wait to hit the trails at Northstar this weekend!!

Saturday Ride: Jesse and Stacy's Adventure.

6:45am: Lu Lu's. Slapping my camelbak down on the counter and pulling money out of a plastic bag the barista slides the jet black americano across the counter. Stacy pulls up and after a few sideways glances we cruise coffee in hand to the Santa Cruz metro station.

7:15am: Running to the bus, we grab the last two bike racks and plop into the seats for the ride to Aptos. The guy behind us seems nervous and stares out the front of the bus while making a throat clearing noise. Across the isle a Mexican woman scribes a crusifix in front of her as the bus departs with her right hand, in her left is a plastic bag with two cans: a Tecate and a Natural Ice. To my left two young girls obviously departing an all night party sleep leaning against each other. I love public transit Dropped off near the train tracks in the morning fog we strap on the helmets and depart.

8:00am: I'm standing up and cranking up the fire road of Nisene Marks State Park, roughly 3 miles in to the ride. Ol' Yeller and his one aged gear are in top shape (relatively) and my legs feel outstanding. Unfortunately single speeds are an antisocial ride machine. I simply HAVE to crank ahead and maintain speed or I am stuck. Stacy pulls up shortly at the pull out I've chosen for a stretch.

9:10am: 9.2 miles of constant sandy uphill has me stopped at Sand Point Lookout. I chat with a few guys as they get ready to descend and they ask what I'm riding. I tell them "Braille. We're headed for the Demo." The long haired blonde guy sporting a Mark Weir mustache eyes my one rear cog and flimsy tensioner and says as he lets 10 lbs. of pressure out of his tires, "Oh man, on that?" Yes my friend... on this. If you could only cast a glance at my yard, Leon in parts and then my bank account, you'd have a clear idea why. Stacy pulls up not long behind smiling huge and stoked! Stacy never seems to lose her positive swing on anything! She's just as happy about this ride as she was 9.2 miles before. The fog obstructs what would be a clear view down to the ocean, but adds a cool temperate feel to the ride. The ride up from Aptos to Sand Point seemed at this point, well, kinda easy. Ok, at least it went by faster than I thought...

10:00am: Intersection of Aptos Creek Trail and Ridge Trail, 12.2 miles into the ride. Stacy swings by as I'm stretching out on a tractor left behind from the recent fire. "Ok, we had to earn those last 3.5 miles." Stacy replies, "No KIDDING!" The climb, which has yet to relent once immediately went steep after Sand Point. My calves already sore from the work out two days before were screaming. Not the scream of a fresh muscle being stressed, but of a tired muscle giving that stinging stale ache that begs, "What are you DOING to me?" The 3.5 miles to the top of the Ridge Trail were brutal, broken only by two brief downhill relief sections. I feel strong, but a fair bit less interested in climbing anymore.

10:15am: Stacy leads us down Ridge at an impressive clip. I enjoyed watching her navigate that trail with skill that she has learned in such a short period of time! Ridge soon leads to Braille and after negotiating the dips and drops of that awesome trail, we are spit out onto Hihn's Mill Rd. Realization sets in. We're roughly 15 miles into the day, just under 13 of which were straight f-ing uphill. From where we sit I estimate we're roughly 33 miles from my house, and NOT as the crow flies! If a crow ever flew the route we had to take to get home, I'd slap its silly face.

10:45am: I always hated that climb out of the demo. Least of all after climbing up from Santa Cruz, made worse still without the luxury of a granny gear. 18.2 miles into the ride, I chill with Stace in the only slim patch of shade in that god-forsaken parking lot, where on a normal day rides begin and end and where today I would NOT be loading up my bike for the drive home. No, we needed to saddle up and climb back to the top of Ridge. Halfway up, in the now shinning sun I can see the damage of the summit fire and just how close it came to our riding paradise. Halfway up I begin to feel my right knee ache every time it raises up the upstroke. Halfway up Stacy exclaims, "I'm hosed..." After a brief discussion on the medial collateral ligament and a brilliant insight on the knee when pedaling by Stace we're off again. This time were offering less excited encouragement..."We're almost there..." "Not much longer..."

11:15am: Top of Ridge Trail, 25 miles into the ride. "Ouch" says the legs. I'm guessing that at this point our total elevation gain has to be in around 3000', but i really have no idea... I feel daunted by the 12.2 miles left to Aptos, and the 10 miles left to get to my house. A nice loud POP! relieves the pressure in my knee, and the ache in the MCL abates. We relent to the trail almost in resignation. Our legs are TIRED, dusty and shaky. Luckily we have a LOT of downhill left, but that goes fast and was ever so relaxing! It reminded me of being a kid when Zach and I would take the old mountain bikes up Centerville Rd. to the rim of the canyon I grew up in, then turn around at a look out on that dusty gravel road and ride MILES back down. Fast gravel downhill turns are scary but aways remind me of that.

Sometime in the afternoon: Aptos. I've lost track of time, and Stace seems to as well despite the time keeping machine strapped to her handlebars. The ride is done, but the getting home has yet to happen. It seems twice as daunting as the initial ride up did earlier that morning. These 10 miles not only include hills, wind, etc., but cars... We wait forever to get going, and I exclaim, "You realize we're subconsciously waiting for a bus or a friend to happen by..." With a chuckle we head off... The ride through town was agony. As we turned through a stop sign to climb out of Capitola Village a Mexican dude on a bike too small for him pulls up next to me and grins a huge grin as he says, "Wanna Race?" I must have looked an easy target at that point... I won... barely. A brief swing by Family and we are able to dribble tri-flow on our ridiculously dry dusty chains. This adds a relief from the noise and drag, but does nothing to take away the remaining 7 miles...or whatever...who cares...

Some other time in the afternoon: Seabright Brewery. We got some odd looks as we plopped down at our outside table. We must have looked haggered, but all we could think of was food. We toast to an amazing ride and devour our food. Once we gather ourselves, we complete the remaining miles home. After parting ways and noting the total milage: 48 miles. We proudly hug and head to respective homes to crash. I have since fallen asleep three times in 30 minutes. The Demo rules, and there is no better way to appreciate it than getting yourself up there on your own power! Downieville, here I come!!

Good luck to Dusty and any of the other Miracle racers competing in the Central Coast Cross-Country tomorrow!

Just me and Ol' Yeller

Oddly the height of my training comes just past the halfway point in the season, but clearly it makes sense as the course work and testing has ended temporarily and I find myself with far more spare time that I had just weeks ago. Slipping back into a relaxed rhythm is not necesarily easy and not the least bit automatic. I found in the first few days I was just as busy as I had been during finals, but I appeared to be busying myself with the task of relaxing. Almost defiantly I just sat on the couch and-- almost rushed to sit on the couch-- and just do nothing. Luckily thought, once the pace of relaxing and recharging set in, effort toward training soon followed.

Leon

Leon, the Chameleon is up on the rack for an undisclosed period of time for some long overdue replacements and repairs. By the time the Downieville Classic comes around in exactly one month I anticipate that Leon will shinning and ready. This begs the question, will Jesse be ready? By luck I managed to eeek into the lottery for the highly coveted All-Mountain division, which includes a 30-mile point to point cross-country race on Saturday, and a 17 mile downhill race Sunday. If that weren't enough, I assure you the devil is surely in the details here. The race saturday begins with an 8 mile climb, averaging slightly above 10% grades at elevation and with a gain of 3000-4000'! The second half of the course descends the grueling Downieville Downhill, chalk full of rocks, hills, cliffs and speed. This will of course be the same course I must race Sunday. The trick of this event will be that riders are unable to change any aspect of their bikes, causing them to choose a machine that will be suitable at best for each event--a gruely XC and one of the most exhausting and challenging downhills. Leon is undergoing the proper preparation. Is Jesse?

Well, beginning here is the story of Jesse and Ol' Yeller, the old, reliable and steadfast bicycle. Not long ago, I took the old machine, a 1998 Specialized M2 Stumpjumper built on a 2000 M2 frame and removed the entire drive train, shifters, derailleurs, etc. I spaced out the XTR hub and put on a tensioner. With the help of 5 lock rings I cranked tight the bolts holding the 10 year old 32 tooth chainwheel onto the 10 year old stock specialized cranks and alas now call it a single speed. Side note: I'm not real big on this new "single speed movement". People talk about these bikes and the people who ride them as this odd subset of riders. Really, until the mid to late 80's there were no such things as gears, derailleurs, etc. ALL off road bikes were single speed, and we didn't call them single speeds we just called them "bikes". What you find when you return to riding with just one gear and a freewheel is that it feels just like riding bikes used to feel like: quiet, simple, efficient. It comes equipped with gear that was top of the line 10 years ago including XTR V-brakes, XTR Hubs, answer allumilite bars and a Rock Shox SID 100. Having this bike around has changed the way I look at my every day rides, and suddelny when I no longer have the luxury of a granny gear, I now ENJOY long uphills. I even look forward to them.

So, this new inspiration from an old worn out machine, jury-rigged together as a mix of both top of the line bicycle components and hardware purchased for cents at the local hardware store, has me up and training hard and often. I divide my time between long uphills, and steep short sprints. I like to get equal parts sitting in the saddle and standing up cranking. I have visions in my mind's eye of Sierra trails, rocks and cedars that keep me focused, and a constant flow of affirmations keeping that focus ahead of me, rather than behind. Thanks to Stacy guiding my strength training I wake up two or three times a week with screaming sore muscles. The featured muscle this morning: the gastrocnemius, otherwise know as, my calves.

July 11th is the beginning of the event. Until then, rest assured you'll be able to find me and my old yellow machine somewhere up in the hills around Santa Cruz making the most of my time off.