FT3 Giving Back!

For years April and I used to head down the hill on Thanksgiving morning to run in the Run to Feed the Hungry event. With a house full of kids and not enough time to even fill up the gas tank all the way, we are no longer heading down the hill anymore. Therefore, I am happy to announce, in full FT3 style, the first annual unauthorized Placerville Thanksgiving Run for Charity!

Who: Any FT3 family or interested party.
What: A half mile kids dash and a five mile run/walk/bike for fun and to build an appetite. We will be collecting a small donation for a local charity. There will be coffee, hot chocolate and donuts for all participants.
When: Thursday November 26th, 2009
Kids Race @ 8:00am
Main Event @ 8:30am
Where: All events will start and finish at the Missouri Flat Rd. parking lot of the El Dorado Trail. The parking lot is just south of WalMart on the east side of the road. This is a pretty small parking lot and fills quick, the business park just prior to the lot has lots of additional parking.
Why: Well, why not? There are lots of local deserving charities that could use a little holiday donation. Why do we need to drive an hour to run for a good cause.

Drop me an email if you think you might attend alone or with the family, please feel free to pass this info on to any one who might be interested.

Race Report:
All right enough of the shmaltzy charity sissy stuff, lets get to the good stuff. Sunday was the annual Folsom High School CX race put on by Bicycle Planet. Even without a proper call out, FT3 came out in force! Green Fro, Xteric, and Rock God all raced in the 35+ category, while Cap'n, B and I rolled the straight B class.
Men's B Race:
The young'uns and singles got the call to the line first for this event. Cap'n chose the most interesting starting position I have ever seen. I wasn't sure if he was there to race or go for a swim. B and I took our positions within the field. At the gun, Cap'n made good of his starting spot in the reeds and jumped with an early group. There were two riders off the front and Cap'n settled into a fierce fight for third. Refusing to let some mere lesser being claim the final podium spot, Cap'n fought his way to his rightful place on those magical three tiered steps. B was looking for the turn off to the Knot Hole! For his first CX race, on a single speed no less, B was a quick study and raced hard. I think his lung may still be at Folsom High School, we can go look tomorrow. I am happy to report that although I didn't win, only other XY riders were in front of me at the end of the race. That's right all you crazy double X chromosomed riders that keep lining up for the mens B race, read it and weep, you ain't getting by me!
Men B's 35/45
There was a great race for second in this event. Three or four other riders really battled for the second step. They had to fight it out for the first loser spot because Rock God soloed to a huge victory! After the first lap I think he had a 10 second lead and that was all she wrote. B is convinced he is doctoring his birth certificate, could be some EPO or CERA, maybe a combo of both. Or perhaps it is the years of racing and riding. Any way you cut it, it was an impressive smack down, well done, proper young man, PROPER! With Rock God way off the front, Green Fro and Xteric were left to battle for the table scraps. There was the threat of a chicking for Green Fro, but he made sure to drop the hammer on the last lap! Xteric won the friendly racer award by waving to his support crew on every lap! Honest Abe Ditman, of old email list fame, made a showing and was racing hard. Honest Abe also stated that he was game for the San Fran trip on the 29th.
Wrap-Up
In the end, it was a tough day in the saddle. The Folsom High course is loose, fast, and unforgiving! It took it all out of me. However a day racing cross is better than most other days!

See you on Tuesday...I hope.









Until we ride,
LOtB

VDFT3 Ride Report

Cap'n, NoCar, B, and C-man (shortened from Councilman, requires a quorum-level approval) met at the Mosquito lot at 5:30. We made some calls and found Rock was already en camp, livid over an accident with his CX rig. Turns out it was knocked over and kissed a rock on the way down. OK, it was a violent collision and left a rather large dent on the top tube. We tried to console him, but realized time was of the essence and departed for the lake.

Upon arrival, we found NoHandle setting up and Rock lamenting the fate of his sled. Soon the troops starting rolling in and by 6:30 we were 10 deep. Xterric, VD, Fro, NoHandle, NoCar, Rock, B, C-man, Cap'n and Ghost all readied themselves, popped a few pre-ride beverages, and by 7pm, we were trailworthy. Well, that is, we were kit'd, charged, and quaffed for our requisite rollout photo op (RRPO). B insisted on a slew of group photos, and by the time most of El Dorado Co was tucked into their nightly sitcoms, we hit the trail.

We commenced with a clockwise tour of the lake, and within minutes we had multiple flats. After some recon, Slim Jims (thanks Ghost!) and a regroup, we continued. Just after Hazel creek bridge, we had another flat, and again the group assembled while repairs were made. The details are sketchy, but somewhere on the east side of the lake, VD went OTB. It was a solid impact and he was left shaken for the next few miles. We completed the lake loop and from the 2nd dam we headed up M.E.T. for a sampling of B's latest find.

From the Forest Service road just 4 miles east of the lake we ventured south down some paved, chip-n-sealed, and eventually graded roads in a teardrop, or better yet, sperm-shaped route around Baltic Peak (see B's map for details). The roads were fast, the climbs were steady and somewhat steep, and the 'cross bikes had the advantage. The group was spread out, with no surprises off the front. Ghost, Cap'n, Rock, and a few others led the charge. B, in proper ride leader fashion, kept track of everyone, often sprinting between the front and rear of the pack.

As we descended (and ascended) deeper into the forest, we found the scene reminiscent of pre-battle encampments outside Mordor (Lord of the Rings). Following modern forest management practices, there were small fires strewn as far as the naked eye could see. Upon closer inspection, most were stumps or small piles of brush. Eerie, really, but perfectly sensible when considering the aura surrounding the night's events. After several regroups, food breaks, and more photo ops, we decided against bagging the Baltic Peak. We were pushing the dinner time arrival past 10, and all soldiers were hungry.

As if on queue, C-man threw a chain at the "highest point in the loop", and repairs were warranted. Peter nearly made an appearance at this point, with the assembled members chiding each other and relishing the taste of real food. Calls were made to both the Knott and Denise. Well done, Rock, for keeping her cell # on speed-dial. Once the 4th (or 5th) mechanical was sorted out, the return to the lake was speedy. By 10:30ish, we rolled into the Knott. A weary lot, for sure, but happy to have sampled new trails and anxious to sample the tacos.

The taco portion was eventful, if for no other reason, because FT3 was allowed to mount a sizable tab. That's right, the group had no time to return to camp for our wallets, so we were on the hook for our orders. B started it off with an 8-2-1, Fro went deep for a full dozen tacos, and the Rye flowed like the Nile. C-man came up double Aces on his first 2 PBR's, and Rock was stealing tacos from NoCar. Tableside discussions ranged from NoHandle's chipper to Ceagles (B again provided audible samples of the rare bird's call), and preparations for the 3rd leg of the event were made. These preparations included post-taco doggy bags, I think a first for FT3?! Lila was off-shift but in-house to greet our tired crew. I believe references to shaving were made, and some examples provided, but I can't go into detail.

Once back to Camp VDFT3, the group dispersed, a fire was started and callouts were made for the Pino roundtrip. In the end, the heartiest among us mounted up and rolled to the Loge. B, Cap'n and NoCar all braved the chilly temps and drunken locals en route to downtown PP. In their absence we managed to console ourselves over additional beverages, lofty storytelling, and recounting of the Baltic loop. By 2:30, our mighty trio returned, and regaled us with details of their adventure. The "babysitter" was on duty at the Loge, and even opened back up to serve them. Proper, gents, proper.

Suffice it to say, the rest of the early morning's events were colored by multiple violations, bottles of this and that, and a solid showing for the fireside chat. We lost VD somewhere in the mix, and were questioning whether he had an unauthorized "guest" in his truck. Things wound down by 4:30ish, and with the early light all were sound asleep. This author slept a few hours and awoke to find VD scrambling to break camp. Ghost was the only other camper awake, and we parted ways in near silence.

What else can one say after such a long and eventful night? Can't wait for the 2nd Annual VDFT3!!!

If only these rocks could talk!

Having had to bail on last nights Veterans Day Wonder Ride, I awoke feeling a need to reconnect with the best riding group on the face of the earth. Armed with my loyal companion, Dory, and some good running shoes, I headed around the lake on foot to try and kill as many birds with my "single stone" outing. I thought, "I can get in a good run, I can get the dog some exercise, and I can probably meet up with the morning crew after the camping session". What I didn't realize was that as I was waking up and heading out to the lake, the crew was just turning in for the night. Regardless of what I would later find, I felt like a Sioux warrior reading the trails. Finding tell tale signs of tire tracks I thought I was starting to put some of the ride together. As I came into the camp grounds, I was scanning the sites for the possible conglomeration of FT3 vehicles. Upon finding the group, I was worried by the relative quiet that appeared to be coming from the camp site. I did however find one lone rider awake and kind of alert. Rock God, unable to sleep in, was seated at a picnic table trying to shake off the cob webs. Our conversation roused several others who all presented the face of a long night with very little sleep! Being informed that NoHandle took particular attention to one rock around the campfire, I determined that if only that rock could talk, I would have a chance of getting to the bottom of the story. Feeling much too chipper for this group, I headed out to finish the run, feeling happy to have made the stop and worried what the taco handle might be having failed to make this event. Understandably there is no ride report yet, as I feel that sleep may be a larger priority at this point. Although, earning the spot on award again, B did get a picture album posted. Can't wait to hear the stories.

So, why, you ask, did I not show? I have no good excuse nor any poor one...in the end the gods were not on my side and I didn't make it...if you need more info see the attached cartoon.

A Sure Sign That All Is Right In The Universe:
A good diet of Velonews.com keeps me mostly abreast of all the events in the greater cycling world. A recent look reminded my of the upcoming SSCXWC to be held in Portland, OR. Gaining so much pleasure by viewing the youtube clips of the bubble wall, I was eager to see what this years Thunderdome theme had in store. Well, again thanks to video, we were not let down. In fact, more big words from the guy more absent than present, I think a Seattle trip in 2010 needs to be added to the calendar!!! The combo of the rain, mud and Borat outfits makes for, what appears to be, a truly one of a kind bike race. I love the short clip of US CX Champ Ryan Trebon running his dog around the course. However, when 200+ crazies line up for a few laps of fun, and everyone appreciates the impact of two wheels and some pedals, you know that things are all still ok!

I am eagerly awaiting a complete breakdown of the events of 11/10! Until then, I will try to keep the rubber side down and relocate my Tuesday groove!

Until we ride,
LOtB