Notable training post

Cottage weekend came and gone. Brought both bikes up to get some ride time in between putting in the steps, platform and section of dock. Managed to "hydrate" along the way as well. Found some pretty sweet trail that can provide legitimate loops for weekend training. It was super hot....so hot, I couldn't trust my high pressure rad cap readings....pulled the pin earlier just to ensure I wasn't overheating but all seemed good in the end.

My 70 year old father got about 45 minutes of riding some perfect grass track with some elevation and a little dive into some dirt double track. The gas in the 144 is definitely not getting burned fast enough...may have to drain it and start fresh.

Here's the interesting piece. I hopped on the 144 for novelty to take a lap. FIrst....holy SHIT it's LOUD and second...I can't believe how much I have to turn the throttle in comparison to the TX. Looking forward to getting the 144 on a moto track to really rrrrring it out!

Local area, Free Flow XC and moto cancelled/rescheduled this weekend's event so...looks like I'll load the bikes up and bring them to the cottage once again. Coordinated a ride with a local there who owns a significant amt of land with a pretty decent XC loop. Plan is to get the POPs all tired out with a few loops and then meet up with this guy. Should be a good one. No more events until middle of next month?!?!?!?!?!? Looking foward to Parry Sound XC. Heard it has a little bit of everything!!

RJ's XC race Vet B 4th place!!!

Time to recap first of 7 XC events for 2017. Other than the "little letdown" of seeing the scoring tent record me at 3rd place when in actual fact....I came in 4th.....pretty fair day on the bike!

Headed up to Barrie the night before to minimize the drive fatigue associated with trying to get there the morning of. Stayed in the NO FRILLS Super 8 with my support guy a.k.a Pops and kept it low key. Morning of, got to RJ's facility around 7:30 to ensure I had LOADS of time to just get ready for the event. Registered and walked the first portion of the track right up to the entrance of the single track. My strategy after watching pretty much ALL you tube clips from the 2016 event was to get a good start to ensure I got in the woods in front of as many of these cats as I could. Start was successful...hit first corner in third place and thought I held this position right until the end?!?!?! Apparently there was another rider who had not been enterred into the system who bumped all of us one place. Bit of a let down at the end thinking I was stepping on the platform but....let's recap and not harp on the unfixable.

Right of the getgo, I followed a guy in the WRONG line and got a faceful of Mud blocking my left vision on my goggle....luckily the heat and dust over time seemed to rectify it. The race was pretty uneventful....I told myself NO CRASHES and did take my sweet time in the tight and twisty and behaved on the moto track.

This TX......don't know what else to say but this is magical. Suspension was dialed. Power then when needed and man on man does it chug. I did stall it on one of the steepest decents but meh....push the button and go time again.

I was pretty happy to see the checkers and did have some moments where I believe it was unsafe for me to still be on the bike on the last 1/4 of final lap. Mentally losing focus and was getting sloppy but all in all a great start to the first of 7 events for this season. NExt one in Parry SOund. Oh...just a 4.5 hr drive to get there but...it will be worth it to battle it out with a few faces and names I now know who I need to ensure I keep in front of ;) Another COors light is beckoning......

UPDATE.....Bryan Kwalchuk is a strong and proven Podium finisher in the Vet B class and he happened to have his GoPro on(i forgot mine) and appears he was right on MY ASS for most of the first lap!!!!!!!! He captured some GREAT footage until he passed me at minute 22 of this footage. THis is where the scoring gets odd...I saw 3rd place EVERY time I crossed the start finish. Bryan apparently crashed on the final lap and I ended up 4th even though the board kept telling me 3rd right up until the end. Sounds like I'll need to get the POPS to keep tabs at the line next event. Regarless......This confirms the competition will be fierce and looking forward to EACH AND EVERY MOMENT!!!!!!

Flick of the switch and NOT looking back!!!

A week away from RJ's XC and was getting anxious around getting 100% comfortable on the bike and lacking necessary seat time to prep for the first legitamate XC race of the season and then it happend....

Kyle sent a msg and a few texts later we were loading up and heading out to Limerick Forest in style. Arrived shortly after 8:30 on a GLORIOUS Saturday morning and met up with a new dude named Hans on his Husky 501. So, two big bore 4 bangers and a big bore 2 stroke out to conqueur every trail that was available and we DID! Hans showing some skills with 4th gear wheelies that were done every time I had to go pro OFF. Introduced to some new trail that I never knew existed on the NOrth side and look forward to hitting those links again in the near.

How's the TX feeling now? LIke a second appendage!!!!!! I finally switched two things today.....ONe, now mixing proper 60:1 vs the 50:1 since it's birth and the most important switch was this.......MAP 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A flick of the switch and it's like swictching into "M" mode on a BMW M3!!!!! The exhaust note sounds crisper and the bike will loft the front at the simple THOUGHT!! I'm now officially in love with this bike and getting giddy to giddy up at RJ's this Sunday!

Hans had to part ways after about 30 k of single track riding and then Kyle had an idea..He's done some exploring out around the RIck and wanted to show me a sand pit. We fueled up and then 60 k later of mud bogging, Sand ripping, rail bed hammering and borderline dehydration.....we were back at the truck and loading up after an EPIC day on the trails.

Super pumped and thankful for riding partnah's like Kyle who push my comfort zones with mud and water crossings. Also thankful for new riding partners like the Hans' of the world to enrichen a ride and learn a few things along the way. SUmmer is off to a bang now. Some bike maintenance is in order for prep. meeeee OUT!!!