Podiums and Finishes

Wow, it appears it was a big weekend for FT3 worthy of the motto:

B and NoCar are still alive after the backwoods adventure put on by Global Biorhythm Events. No word on the event just yet other than survival. Although there are reports of distant banjo music to keep the riders at full throttle.

Xterric stood on the second step of the podium at the Tahoe Xterra. He was able to hold off the charging field as he battled through some leg cramps in the run. I may have to check out this Xterra thing sometime.

Cap'n and the Lieutenant completed the MS150 raising over $1000 for MS research and care (spot on). The Lieutenant completed her first century in style battling close to 70+ miles in a head to cross wind. (Apologies on the handle, seemed the appropriate name to go along with Cap'n)

Green Fro and NoHandle put in a long Sunday ride to lay the ground work for a rippin' cross season.

I did some heavy lifting to work on the beach muscles. We were able to get keys on Friday rather than Sunday and got a fair bit moved! Big thanks to NoHandle for helping out tons on Sunday to get the last of the really heavy stuff!!!! No worries for those of you willing to help on this coming Sunday there will still be plenty to move!?!?!?!

As for tonight's ride...boy do I need to get out on a bike. I would say at this point I am a 60% in and just need to see how the day plays out. That being said, if I ride I will be rolling to the Knot Lot from the new house just to check out the route. I am 100% in for Tacos!

A few weeks back I wrote about seeking a middle. I apologize for not recognizing it at the time. I am no longer seeking the middle, I am now just curious how to share the middle the FT3 has found with everyone else!

.6

Until we ride,
LOtB

DTI?

It was a night of firsts...first sighting of Green Fro for some time, first pure FT3 kit outing, first time on long dirt road to who-knows-where, and first rattle snake sighting.

As we have not yet determind the name for the ride I will put it at as the {FM8FM}3RSPKFT3. Beverage to anyone that can figure out the code.

That road will have to be figured out as it was getting better and better the further out we got.

Oh yeah, don't be trying to steal my name...no one, no one I say, no one can run into a dusty wall of dirt like me...

Not a first, but Councilman did require a first aid kit for the second time at the Knot????? Sympathy points?

Until we ride,
LOt(Peter)B

Dog Days

Still never understood that saying, what is a "dog day"? Well whatever they are, they are here. With the mercury pushing to record highs today, looks like a good day to go up country and ride some dusty dirt! Shoot, we may even pull RG away from Folsom. I mean, for real, what sounds better, a causal outing with some friends, followed by proper hydration and dinner, or an all out effort on an ugly section of abandoned road in 110 temps? I know where I would go...see you at the lot RG! As for the rest of us, there are just no questions for tonight, its time to ride. The trails and lake are calling. So get the dog out of the way, grab your bike and get out of lower elevation furnace.

Ride Report:
Yeah, we rode last week. It was good, and then we swam, felt nice to get the dust off, tacos were served. That about does it...been way too busy to remember anything else. Sorry NoHandle, indeed asleep at the wheel. But I am pulling in back from the brink and should be good to go.

Calling in all favors!
So the dream of an official FT3 club house has come true. The family and I are on the move to Pollywood. When the rest of you are passing the Camino exits I will already be asleep! Anyway, we would love some help getting all of our stuff up to the new abode. Sunday Sept 5th is going to be our big push day. Yes I know this is labor day weekend, but its is what we got. If you are around on the 5th and willing to put your truck in for one load, I would be extremely grateful. The plan as of now is to get done what we can leading up to the 5th and then gather as many trucks as possible during the later morning for everyone to take a load and then call it good. More info to follow.

ONE
Mosquito @ 5:45...Exit 54?

Until We Ride:
LOtB

Seeking the Middle

The old ad states that this isn't your father's Buick. Well this isn't your fathers economy either, which is not to say that there isn't room for dear ol' dad in this new economy, shoot, mines making fuel out of algae, just that it is not going to look like anything that has ever come before.

There has been an unofficial motto of FT3 that "we are doing a lot more than just riding bikes". Yeah, there is that whole beer swilling Iron John thing, but there may be a bit more than that as well. We are potentially helping to revitalize the dead or struggling economies of traditional ag or resource based communities.

While trying to catch my breath this weekend, I was once again hit in the gut by shot of reality delivered by the mighty welterweight NPR. Delivering the, often abused (only during pledge week), but always loved "driveway moment", NPR hit me with their new program State of the Re:Union. This show examines the burning question of, "where we go from here"? The answer may be as simple as we go Mt. Biking. During this weekends listening, enjoyed in my driveway, I learned of the drama being played out in the small hamlet of Oakridge OR. Oakridge is/was a dying logging town that is undergoing a revolution at the hands of those that normally grip handlebars! The old guard plays the tune of "locals only" while the purely selfish riders take on all trails as if they were only built for them. However, there is a group, a group settled somewhere in the middle, a group that loves its town, and sees the potential of new and vital growth. This transformation of a town has flushed out those that will either buy a chainsaw to make new trails or a Mt. Bike to ride where the once logged. Cafes, bars, and other new businesses have popped up to cater to this new economy and move the city from the ICU to that of stable condition. The whole time I was listening I didn't hear Oakridge, I heard Pollock Pines, I heard Colfax, I heard Ketchikan, I heard Home.

Now Mt. Biking is no new trend, its been around for a while and is tested and proven. This thing we do every Tuesday has grown from cult to mainstream, from build your own to how much can you spend. Which I guess isn't all that bad. If folks get out there and see the beauty of a place by bike, what can be all that bad about it? I guess the question is, how many folks do you want in your back yard? I am sure the first guys to step over a bike atop a rocky dirt trail had no idea that Mt. Biking may later be the key to saving local economies.

I guess in the end, the fun part is getting out there and seeing if you have a trail system vast enough to accommodate a group of yahoo's wanting some adventure. Who knows, but I am willing to do the research.

Anyone got a helmet cam?

Mosquito @ 5:45...Exit 54?

Until we ride,

LOtB

Clock is ticking

There is one thing totally unassociated with school that the start of each year reminds me of. Namely that Cross season is right around the corner. If students show up on campus, that must mean that barriers and caution tape are getting pulled out of storage somewhere else. Last weeks "freestyle" Tuesday demonstrated that FT3 is ready to roll cross at the drop of a hat.

As for this week. The showing is bound to be light, but the tradition continues! I am out due to some start of the year events, and the camping crew is, well...camping. I do believe I heard some scuttlebutt regarding a satellite Tahoe based FT3 ride...reports will follow.

Mosquito 5:45, Exit 54?

Until We Ride,
LOtB

Two Days Until Things Get Serious

Tuesdays CX/SSFT3 was a dose of good medicine for me. As we gear up for another school year, getting out on the CX bike and beating myself up pretty good made for me appreciate the desk chair a bit more. After some tooling around on some short newer trails, we headed up to Park Creek and out to MET. There we crossed MET and took Cappy's Cash to Bonnetti and MET. From there we came down Rufus' Rage and back to the Knot Hole post swim.

Cap'n and Safety First made it up just in time for Taco's. Although I had to bail early, seems like a very successful El Dorado outing for FT3.

Who is in for Sunday Ride? Folsom Lake Loop?

Until We Ride

LOtB

National Bike Night Out

I don't know what the hype about some block party is...fool is CXSSFT3...it's a freestyle roll session.

Ride Reports:
Never did get a good ride report in last week. In the end, Ghost calculated us at 26ish miles with 8000+ feet of climbing, not bad. Although I am the first to admit not swim was a disappointment and the super late FT3 outing was killing me on Wed.

Sunday's ride was a breakaway special with Ghost and I doing the 193 - Georgetown - Cool - 49 loop. Great ride even though we got a bit caught up in the rafting traffic coming up 49.

Call Out:
Tonight is indeed National Night Out, which may impact participation a bit, because we are such a civic minded group. However too much of the pro family stuff will have us ending up like these guys -

Man that hits a little close to home...oh well, I will "roll hard" on the CX tonight and avoid the lawn for a while.

Mosquito 5:45 - Exit 54?

Until we Ride
LOtB