Doug and I Headed out to the Tape at 1:00. This was Doug's first trip to the worm. What a BEAUTIFUL day. I really wish we didn't have to have so many rainy days to get the few precious days of sun but oh well.
The trails were in amazingly dry conditions and Super nice. We rode Mr. DNA 1 and 2. Nice and Fast super tacky!. We then Rode down through the Jumps. There are some nice Dirt Jumps there and some nice
drops as well as some big Gaps. Back up the Hill to Tapeworm and The fun begins. I forgot what a great time this trail was and Doug seemed to be having a Blast! We sessioned the Teeter totter and continued on.
The rest of Tape worm was in Great Shape and Doug led the rest of the way. Next we were looking for the BIG Log but wound up on Parasite. We rode two and half laps in both directions. I think I like this trail the
best out of all of the trails at TOP. We finally Found the BIG Log and it was BIG. I have heard everyone talk about this and really wanted to try it. It was really dry and so it was a go. First try, no go. Got about half
way down and came off. Second attempt all the way down but came off the side right at the end. Third try Cleaned it and Wheelie Dropped the Logs at the end. I should have stopped there. Fourth attempt I get all
the way down to the end and my bike comes out from underneath me and a I Go Flying off the bike and log and crash to the ground. Thank god for Pads though. Get back on the bike and Clean the Log on the next
Try. We head back to the car and Finish the Ride. What a great time and Thanks Doug for coming out and riding with me. Ride Time 2 Hours and about 8 or Nice Miles.

When Doug dropped me off I went in the house and tried to relax. No Go. I saw the sun through the windows and I had my riding gear on still so I got back on the Bike for a tour of Issaquah. Rode down Newport
way to 900 and Out to Front street trying to find anything to Jump off of or ride on. Found a few things that were fun but earlier in the day Doug had told me about a small skate park by the High school so I went to check
that out. Nice banks with some nice Hits. The Look on the Kids faces there when I rolled in on my Nomad was priceless. After that I found the old high school trail and remembered the Ride reports from the Thrilla south.
Climbed up to the Power lines and Down the trail to the Highpoint way parking lot. Turned around and headed back down. It was great decent. SOooo FaST! Got a flat though but it was a slow leak and I didn't have to change
the Tube. Traveled back through Issaquah and finished on the Hill to the Zoo and my House. Great Ride, Great Weather, and Great Times. God I love the Stuff!!!


ERic

There was a small Time Trial with the BBTC Riders on Saturday at Tolt. Had A Really Good time and Finshed in 6th place out of twenty riders. I raced on my specialized and after riding the Nomad for so long I was not used to it anymore. It's much lighter and doesnt track as well. It climbs better on extended climbs but not on short tech climbs. Just two different bikes. After a little warm up we were about to start. Some how I went out second. When I went to get a place card all of the places were taken execpt for the first two. Oh well, I liked the pressure but I thought it was funny how people called there places out so quickly. We started out in 2 min intervals and I was underway. Felt pretty good and about 10 mins in hit my pace and felt real good. The course was nice but some spots were hard to find and I had to slow down thinking I had missed the turn. I never got off course but still would have loved to roll the course prior to the race. I think this would have helped quite a bit. Most of the races I have been seeing lately all have pre race course rides and most of the riders seemed to be doing that. Anyway, about halfway through I crashed on a log and Slammed my knee so HARD! I got up and The pain was immence. I pushed through the rest of the course and my knee felt better but still I was in Pain. After the race we rolled the course again. It was a really nice course but still I thought It need to marked a bit better. On the second time on the course we Missed a turn and lost some time. Still a nice Roll Though. Got back from a great ride and Headed to work.

Well, After Crashing pretty hard at the time trial at Tolt on Saturday and My Knee was quite swollen Sunday morning. I decided to Not race but go and take pictures.
Got to the race about 2:00 and was able to get some images of Nando, Bill, Casey, Ross, and Doug C. Quite a turn out. I really missed racing but had a good
Time taking pictures.


The weather was beautiful and after I got some snaps of the BBTC people my GF and headed out to Ebey for some camping and some low impact riding.

The trails on Ebey were in perfect condition. My knee felt better so I was able to at least ride and enjoyed myself for a nice three hour tour of Ebey. I really like this place.
After the Ride I prepared my Usual campfire cuisine. Tonight it was Muscovy Duck Breast with Haricot Verts (French Long Beans), Fire Roasted Fingerling Potatoes,
Caramelized Shallots, and a Nice Stone Ground Mustard Sauce.
The Second Dish was Chipotle Smoked Baby Back Ribs with Carmel Honey BBQ Sauce and Camp Made
Pico De Gallo. We dined and Drank and Had a great time.

Got some really good Sleep and awoke to blue skies and a nice two hour ride. I really Love the Bluff trail first thing in the morning.
It makes you LOVE Washington! Headed back Via Deception Pass and Stopped to see the Guys at Bicycle Center in Everett. Nice Shop.
If any of you at the Race want the full size images drop me an Email. I got Pics of other Racers so if you Email me your Race number I can see If I have some Images.
Fabien, I think I have some of you too...

Thanks for the Great time and the race. Hope some of you people can join me on my campouts this summer. I love Cooking for a group!! I think you might like it too!

This is a post in responce to a friends Fourm Post on Mtbr.com:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=1618135#poststop

Nice write brother...I am the Nomad Man...Funny, I didn't really think twice about the old ride that you had, just that it was your trail builder ride. I more respected you for riding it. I thought it was great. I really agree that a lot of us get caught up in the upgrade hoopla.

When I was 13 years old, I got hit by a car riding my BMX bike Across the Street. A Lady hit me going 50 mph in huge Cadillac. I flew 40 or so feet across an intersection. She hit me so hard she knocked me out of my shoes. I remember a police man picking me up and walking me by the Cadillac and the front end looked like she hit a light pole. I had some knee bruises and was in a wheel chair for a bit, had a lot of scrapes and cuts, but was lucky not to be killed . The point of this is, because my bmx bike was tacoed, and we didn't sue the lady, she bought me a bike of my choice. She was very poor, so she didn't have a lot of money. I chose the Schwinn High Sierra. This was my first foray into Mountain Biking. A few months later my mother passed away. This was I really hard time of my life and I needed an outlet. I rode the piss out of my mtn bike. I Loved it. These were the days of Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher and the such. I rode all the way until I was 16 or so.

After that, while I was working at a bike shop, I got a road bike(Schwinn Tempo) and a better full rigid(specialized stump jumper) and continued to ride. I mainly rode the road bike and raced quite a bit. But I always loved my time on the Mountain Bike. My Friend Mike Stahilie (* My adopted Big Brother*)and I rode with a group of guys out of camp Whittle in Big bear, CA By the name of Team Mania. Tom Spiegel was the head of this group of crazies and they showed us some really nice trails. As High school life consumed my everyday being, I lost interest in biking. I was burned Out.

Now the years pass, and Last March, Some 13 years Later, I stumble into a bike shop to "Check things Out". On a quick side note, I lived in Big Bear, CA for about five years before a I moved to Seattle six years ago. So I saw all of the NORBA races come through town but I was more into snowboarding so the summer was a nuisance more than anything and didn't pay any attention to the mountain bike tech. Anyway, so I went to a local bike shop Last year and saw what was available. I was completely BLOWN away. I was on a real exercise quest and had been running a lot so I needed another outlet to get my exercise fix. This would be perfect. So I set my Limit on x amount of dollars. Boy these Bikes were nice. So much suspension. Front and Back, WOW! Drops, Jumps, and the Such. I was FLOORED! Now I saw another bike for X amount More. Test Rode it and OH MY GOD! What a Difference. I scrounged up the Cash and did my research and got the more expensive bike. Okay, now I have this freakin great bike. All New and "the Latest Greatest" I find BBTC. I ride My first ride at south Sea Tac and I am Captivated! Biking becomes my life once again, Just like when I was in high school.

Okay, Fast forward 11 months. Now I am a bike freak! I have Three Bikes, Including the coveted Santa Cruz NOMAD. I couldn't be happier. I still think back every time I get on my "NEW" Bikes. What it use to be. When things were way simpler. When there was no Carbon Fiber, No Suspension(on either side), and things were way more "Pure". There still were riders who had to have the best! Even back then. The "Upgradeitis" was in Full effect. I guess it is never-ending. The most important thing is to have Fun. Who gives and "F" what your "On" or what your "riding" as long as you are having a good time. Thanks J for the look back on things and sorry if I was long winded!

More Rain...Didn't make it to my ride this morning. It was pouring when my Alarm went off. The Last couple of nights I have been running and riding my trainer so no big Deal. I Also installed a DHX 5.0 Coil Shock on my Nomad and now understand the Word PLUSH! What a difference from my DHX 5.0 Air. It is really nice! Especially on Square edge bumps! The ProPedal is nice also. Climbs just as good as the Air but is really nice on Bumps! Preloading the Shock also proves to be way more responsive! Just Like a Motorcycle. Sucks up major bumps and really rides nice. I removed and installed the shocks myself and learned a lot about the shock system in the process. I also installed a Waterbottle cage and FOX water bottle for the Specialized 120 for the race season. No More Backpack at Race Time. I also got some Knickers and a Tighter Jersey for more aero-Dynamic Flow!(LOL).

It a separate note. I bagged the Sun Valley, Idaho trip that I was going to take in June with the BBTC Group that I usually ride with. I love riding with the BBTC guys but I recently purchased a Whistler Season Pass for 2006 and would Rather spend my all so precious vacation time in Whistler. I plan on Riding Epic Cross-Country Rides this summer as I have Sundays off withy the BBTC, but also Plan and Spending a lot of time in Whistler. It is so close and the Mtn. Biking is the greatest!!!! I love Cross Country but the Freeride-Downhill side of things is my future! I still run(jogging), ride Long Road rides(road Bike), Cross-Country Races, but Downhlill-Freeride is my favorite. I just want to do it All!!!