I've done a few rides since the 24 Hour race just to get my legs moving. My shoulder is still sore but seems to be getting better every day which is a good sign. I went for a wicked MTB ride yesterday for about 3 hours. A ride into my parents place and hit up the singletrack following the Don River. It was in fantastic shape and I had a ton of fun riding which is the whole point, right? I managed to clean the lower half which doesn't happen very often, but when I hit the upper half it was a different story. This area is very steep and quite technical. I can handle moderate technical trail but this particular area was super steep up and down with several bridges which always make me nervous. I ended up walking a few sections just to be safe, but overall I had a blast. It really reminded me how fun MTBing is, considering how much time I have spent on the road bike this year.

Just to give you an idea of the split in mileage between the two up to the end of August:
MTB - 568km
Road - 7773km

Quite a difference huh! I need to ride my MTB more....to increase my technical skills and learn how to ride faster on singletrack. I'm not a super fast guy, just usually a consistent one. Guys I can drop on the road where it is all fitness kill me in the single track. I really have try riding once or twice per week to work on these areas.


My friend Dave just sent me his race report from the 24 hour. He did a good job and came third in the race (he was in 1st until a "bike issue"). The most important thing I took from that report is having a solid crew and listening to them no matter what. Case in point, Dave crashed with 3.5 hours to go in the race. He was in first place. He thought he bent his fork. He ends the race. Turns out the fork isn't bent. Now any seasoned 24 hour rider knows one is not thinking straight after 20 hours of riding. Your mind and eyes are playing tricks on you. Which is why you need to listen to your crew. (Dave, this isn't directed toward you!) I know I have trouble doing it....particularly when they are telling me to go out for another lap when I don't want to. So unless you are badly injured or have a catastrophic mechanical you just need to do as your told!! Hopefully I take my own advice next year. :-)

Steve