Moab - 3 days and counting

Finally, yesterday my knee started to feel good again. I actually had a day of very little discomfort and pain, so, I'm rethinking my options. I decided not to get a shot cuz I didn't want to mask the pain and cause more damage, which could make the cleanout more difficult and recovery time longer. Interestingly, driving the car hurts more than walking!

I have an appointment with the VA Ortho Clinic on October 21st and I'm hopeful to get on their schedule for surgery before the end of the year. Things move slowly up there so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and, I'm going to butter up and be real nice to the docs in hopes of getting near the front of the list:-)

As far as the race goes, I'm going to take it day-by-day and see how I feel when I get to Moab. The plan is to ride the smooth dirt road in front of the exchange tent later today and see how that feels, and progress from there. If I can get out of the pedals without pain, and hike uphill, I'm ging to give Saturday a try - one lap at a time.

Well, that's it and it's time to hit the road. Moab or Bust!

The Year of Injury

I can't believe it! The 24 Hours of Moab is coming this Saturday and I injured my knee, again. It must be because my training has been going real well the last month. I've been night riding several evenings and I've focused on this race more than in the past, and I want to give it a good shot this year and not just get through it. Ironicaly, I've been concerned the last month about getting injured and have had that in the back of my mind - that's not like me at all and I don't know why I harbored those thoughts.

What's the old saying; if you think about something long enough, it will become reality. Damnit, it's true. For the second time this year I've reinjured the meniscus I tore 3 years ago in my right knee. Only this time it locked up on me and it was painful straightening it out. Bummer! I wore a brace the last 2 days and that took some of the pain away, but moving side-to-side hurts.

So, I'm putting in a call to my VA doctor today in hopes of getting a Cortisone shot so I can ride on Saturday. I hear they hurt real bad so I'm not looking forward to that. I also think it's time to get my knee fixed and hope I can convince the doc to finally do what should have been done years ago. Seriously, when I initially hurt this they wouldn't operate on it because, and I quote "half the guys your age are walikng around with knee problems". What's that have to do with me? Ninety percent of the guys my age are over weight and don't exercise either, especially the ones that go to the VA for medical help. Warning to those of you reading this that want the government to take over the health care system, be careful what you wish for.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I'm able to get a shot in the next day or two. If not, I may be a spectator this weekend.

Night Ride on the Shoreline Trail

Clear sky, light breeze, 69 degrees, short sleeve jersey, no people, excellent trail. Why am I so lucky? Have I died and gone to Heaven? Life is good...

HiFi Pro, First Ride

My first ride was on the Shoreline Trail behind Research Park as the sun was setting last night, and I couldn't be more pleased.

The big tires on Stan's hoops with low pressure provides a very comfortable ride. I had no prior knowledge about the Rock Shox Monarch shock and am pleased to report it works very well. It has little bob in the open position and when locked out, it's bomber stiff. I bottomed it out a few times so I'll up the recommended pressure to address that issue. The Reba Team fork was smooth and stayed hooked up on the bumps. I love the handlebar mounted remote lockout and used it extensively. It is so much more convenient than taking my hands off the bars and reaching down to twist a knob, like in the past. I'll need to take it out in the daytime to get a real feel for the fork, but so-far-so-good. On the bottom end I had a few issues hitting a pedals on rocks, but that may have been because it was dark and not a low BB issue. Datime riding will answer that question.

Another thing I noticed was the stability going through small to medium size bumps. My Element was harsh and rocked back and forth, probably because I had it set up too stiff. With most of the Reba settings in the mid range, the HiFi just plows through the rough without trying to buck me off. Again, that may be because my speed was slow so I'll reassess this aspect when I get her up to speed. The longer wheel base and bigger tires may also play a role here.

So, I'm happy and can't wait to wringe her out more. This bike should be a good weapon on long rides and provide the comfort and stability (forgiveness) I've been looking for.

New Bike - Gary Fisher HiFi Pro

"That's a beautiful bike Grandpa. Thanks for sharing your pictures with me" - Love Ralfee.

This is my new Gary Fisher HiFi Pro 29'er. Isn't she pretty! She's a mixed breed with parts that are old and new, just like me. I can't wait to test her out at the 24 Hours of Moab in 3 weeks and see if I can pull faster times than last year.

Parts-wise I went with an XTR front derailleur, X-9 rear, grip shifters, compression cables, 100 mm Reba Team Fork and 100 mm Rock Shox shock, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Bontrager XXX carbon cranks and Stan's ZTR 355 rims with American Classic hubs. She weighed in at 25.9 pounds but that was with a tube in the rear tire and a heavy-ass SRAM cassette. I'm thinking closer to 25.5 when she goes on a diet.

I want to give a great big hug to Chris Holley for hooking me up with most of the parts for this bad ride. He's not a squishy bike dude so he sold me his Subarau/Gary Fisher team frame and fork, as well as other key parts that made this doable. He and KC have been my inspiration for going big, and I'm glad o have them as friends and advisors. Thanks also to MAD DOG CYCLES in Orem for their support with parts and advise. They're big on Gary Fisher, and I know why - he makes a great riding bike. Another big hug goes to Stan's NoTubes.com for the incredible wheelset they make. I raced 4 seasons on my 26 inch set and never had to true the front rim! And get aload of this, my new rear 29'er wheel is only 10 grams heavier than my Stan's Olympic setup on my old Element! WOW!!! And that's with a steel skewer instead of Ti - another diet component.

Lastly I want to thank Chris and Jared at BINGHAM'S CYCLERY on Foothill Drive in SLC. Those guys are the best mechanics in the valley and I was lucky enough to get them to put all the pieces in the right place for me. I'm not kidding, these guys can get any bike running and keep it going forever. I owe a lot of my success to them because they kept my Element in prime racing shape for years, and they'll do the same for this one too. And, they're not bike snobs.

Well, now I'm totally 29 and itching to shake her down.