Starting off with a bang and then a bit of a bust

In the morning on New Years Eve I got an email from Darren asking if I wanted to join him at Rosie for a New Years day single speed ride. Hell yeah I did! After no rides since probably the 14th and missing Tuesday's night ride due to my condition from Monday I couldn't think of a better way to spend my morning. Made the proper arrangements for gear and logistics and planned my first ride for the new year.


Darren at the 2008 Leesburg Baker's Dozen

Later in the day I got an email from Darren mentioning that it looked like Joel and two others from the DCMTB squad would be joining us. Very cool, though at the same time OH SHIT! While it'd be cool to ride with these guys I knew they're all, at least in my eyes the definition of "local hammer". I told Darren I'd "sweep".


Joel at DCMTB's DCCX cyclocross race in 2008

New Year's morning came and the start time was pushed back a bit due to the prior evenings new years imbibing, which was good for us all (aside from maybe Aimee who just couldn't get rid of me soon enough ;)

Turned out to be just Darren, Joel and myself all on our rigid single speeds assessing the cold temperatures in the parking lot. Joel and Darren rolled out and I followed onto the frozen solid trails that are Rosaryville on a sub-freezing morning. We stayed steady through the entire first lap, myself occassionally falling a bit off the back but overall managing to hang in with the others. I was amused at both Joel and Darren's ability to talk for the whole lap. I tend to ride quitely, not because I don't want to talk or others to, but more likely just because I am too focused on trying to ride clean lines or I'm simply working too hard to really think.


Me at the 2007 DCCX - I'm sensing a trend here

At the end of the first lap I told Joel and Darren to go ahead without me but they insisted I join them for a second. They let me set the pace into the woods and though I told them I'd be riding slow, I probably went out harder and didn't want to look too weak. After a bit we switched up the lead and still I hung in on the easy riding.

We hit the inner loop this time around and Darren played around a bit on the big beams while Joel and I conquered the kiddie logs. Riding the inner loop during the day time was a whole new experience. Knowing what's coming can be very helpful in technical, speedy and fun terrain. At about this point I really started to struggle with the small ups of the park and began to lag more and more behind the guys. Finally at the top of the one "steep" and "long" climb in Rosaryville I told them to go ahead and that I'd just be rolling slowly in. They bombed it down the hill and from the sounds of it had a pretty fast and furious finish into the lot.

Those last 3 or 4 miles for me were terrible, riding in completely bonked with no food and then no water left to provide any kind of boost. I limped in to the parking lot to see Joel and Darren hanging around chatting, fully changed into their daily life disguises. I mumbled some things at Darren about being a bit tired, changed quickly into dry clothes and wen tscrounging for some fuel in the truck. All I had was an expired single serving apple sauce and a hammer gel, both of which I consumed post-haste.

Joel and I chatted a bit and then I rushed off to the local gas station for some additional sustenance. Somehow I decided in my head that the best thing to fuel my body was bugles and some yogurt covered raisens. The raisens were excellent though the bugles I could have gone without. Home to a meal of pasta and a nap before the big game (I'm a life long USC fan).

The never learned or always forgotten lesson of proper nutrition strikes again.

All in all a great ride with some cool guys. I have a lot of respect (and a bit of awe) for the DCMTB guys. A good group of people and a very solid group of riders.

Thanks Darren and Joel for helping to bring in the new year right!