October is for Endurance Racing!

From the looks of recent mountain bike cyber chatter, October is going to be an awesome month of endurance racing options!  If you are looking for a reason to get out in the heat and start your training now, you should have no lack of motivation when you see all the great races available in just 3 months.  Here are just a few that I have on my radar that I would like to share:

• October 5th, Monkey Chunker 6 Hr, ECVelo, Greenville, NC
• October 12th, Brunswick Brawl 1/3/6Hr, Cape Fear SORBA, Wilmington, NC
• October 12th, 12 Hours of Dauset, Jackson, GA
• October 11-13th, Tsali Fall Festival, Nantahala Area SORBA
• October 19th, Battle for Oak Mountain, Chain Buster, Pelham, AL
• October 19th, Baker’s Dozen, CSRA-SORBA, North Augusta, GA
• October 26th, Wilkes 100K, Kerr Scott Trails, Wilkesboro, NC

I am sure there are many more, but this will at least get your endurance juices flowing!!!!!

Tombo Tours Tours and Transport

A friend of mine, Rod Cartier, is founder of Tombo Tours, which offers a great service for the mountain biker looking to shorten their bucket list.  Rod is probably one of the nicest guys I have ever met and he loves to serve others through biking tours and field trips.  My local bike club, Cape Fear SORBA, has partnered with him on many trips and no one has ever finished a trip with negative feedback!

Here is a snippet from his site to give you a taste of his offering:

Over time we realized that the solution was a single, purpose-built vehicle, capable of carrying ten riders (5 couples), a crew of two (guide, cook, driver, mechanic), fourteen bikes (gotta have spares), and enough gear to be self-sufficient wherever we planned to ride. And so we set about to acquire and outfit a 12 passenger Mercedes Benz Sprinter and a 14 foot tandem trailer. The resulting vehicle has been flexible, comfortable and relatively economical. Riders enjoy camaraderie along the way with hot coffee in the morning, cold beer in the evenings and arrive relaxed and rested.

Tombo Tours has several bike trips planned that you might be interested in so I encourage you to visit his website and consider joining him in “Riding the carpe out of the diem” as Rod would put it!

• Blue Ridge Parkway, September 19-29, 2013
• Uwharrie, November 23, 2013
• Tombo Tours Club Field Trip to Warrior Creek, Dark Mountain, Overmountain Victory Tr., & Rocky Knob, August 30-September 1, 2013

First Dirt-Date with Warrior Creek

I have always listened in envy to my biking buds talk about riding some legend trail named Warrior Creek.  Even more amazing was the recent 38 minute sell out for the 6Hours of Warrior Creek Endurance Race.  I kept studying my friend’s Warrior Creek Strava feeds dreaming of what my own first dirt-date would be like.

Much to my excitement, while visiting family in the Triad, I was invited to an Warrior Creek early morning post-Thanksgiving ride by Eric Phillips at Skinny Wheels Bike Shop in Mocksville, NC.

Eric was a very patience bike tour guide as not only was I limited to a riding a Single Speed (geared bike down), but I was often caught stopped and drooling at the breathtaking scenery of the Kerr Scott Reservoir.

Much to my riding pleasure, Warrior Creek has recently cut some new trail on their main loop and it seems to have added several miles now totaling to 14 miles of flowy single-track.

Some have bragged that these trails are the one of the best in North Carolina, and although I am still growing in my single-track exploration, I agree.

My hope is that WC will be open to more dirt-dates in the future and hopefully this is only the beginning of long lasting relationship.  Oh yeah, hoping that maybe I made such an impression with WC, that she will introduce me soon to her close friends- Overmountain Victory & Dark Mountain.

Ride For Someone Besides Yourself

I have really grown to love riding endurance races, time trials, cross country races, etc. that benefit a good cause besides myself.  Yes, I began biking for my own exercise, health, and well-being, but over the last years, I have realized that nothing can replace the feeling of riding in hopes of raising awareness or helping grow the cash pot for a good cause.

Today, I have the privilege of riding in the 3rd race of the Fall Time Trial Series where all proceeds are going to assist Bradley Clark and his family while recovering from a serious biking accident.  I have been greatly encouraged by Brad’s family during these last few months.

During the 6 mile ride, I will be keeping Brad fresh on my mind in prayer and thoughts.  And I will cherish the fact that I have the health to pedal each stroke while Brad is improving fast.

Looking forward to pedal again one day with Brad and his boys!