Lazy days of summer...

(Looks like an error never posted this last week....Boggs report to come...)

Well its about that time again....Coolest 24hrs at Boggs is this weekend. Unlike Cool, it looks like the temps will be somewhere around 80 degrees with NO RAIN...

I am doing the 24 solo, Marja the 8hr solo and Scott and Shelly are pulling off the 8hr as a two person team. Whats pretty cool about that, is while not racing, the other will be attending to Max.

The past few weeks have seen some big rides, I was fortunate enough to partake in one of them. Last Saturday Marja did her first road century with Shelly. She sold her road bike recently so I threw my road wheels on her cyclocross bike. I assured her that it would be easier than changing tires on the wheel sets as they were identical.

Here's where it gets funny...

About 2 years ago I was riding Mt. Diablo and was thinking about my gearing on my road bike. I always enjoyt riding Diablo, but when my leghs are beat I had no choice in gears, 39x23 was the smallest I could go. I decided I would throw and 12-25 on the rear wheel so I could spin a bit more on tired days. Fast forward to the first climb at the Sierra Century last week...

Marja starts climbing with shelly and goes to shift into another gear, one more appropriate for the day and she looks down as her bike won't shift... Seems although I had mentally made the decision to change that 23 to a 25 tooth cog, in reality, it never happened. Marja was flying up all the climbs in her 39x23. Cursing my name the entire time I am certain.

Although she had no problems with it, it was typical "Brad maneuver"....reason #37 why I stay away from gears.

That following Monday (a week ago) I headed out solo on the usual loop in Auburn as Scott had to work and decided to head up McKeon/Ponderosa to Foresthill. Once there, tired beyond belief, I decided to drop down the other side of the ridge to the North Fork of the American on Ponderosa (dirt road). Gorgeous day, a nice 6.4 mile detour with a 1000' and change extra in climbing added on to the normal loop. Once back to the divide loop I was pooped but kept the pace relatively high. See I was parked at the confluence instead of Russel so I told myself I would just call it a day at the confluence...well that didn't happen and I busted up stage coach as fast as I have in a very long time...hopefully good foreshadowing for this weekend at Boggs.

The next big ride was Scott and Linda, all I did last Monday, plus a trip up to Weimar, back down Yankee Jims to the N. Fork and on up to Foresthill to complete to loop. A BIT more mileage and FEW more feet of vertical. 73+ miles with 11,590+ vertical feet. A mere 9.5 hours later they were done. Marja was not sad she passed on that ride. :)

That happened on Saturday, on Sunday Marja and I dropped down Ruck-a-Chucky and in conversatiopn with a ranger he poked fun of us riding down there and he mentioned he "actually" saw two others the day before...what a shock 2 of the maybe 4 other people in the world weird enough to ride down there on a regular basis....and Marja and I know them all....it was Scott and Linda.

Marja and I made our way up passed the 10 vehicles driving down, a record for me. Marja was riding super strong... and her descending on the culvert trail later on was awesome. Now if she actually has time to train, she will clean up (not that she doesn't already, its just gonna get uglier for her competitors!!!).

Now the rest of my week will be spent prepping my bikes and organizing my food, clothes, lights, etc. for Boggs 24hr. Its a weird feeling, definitely a more anxious/excited feeling than Cool. Cool I was a nightmare thanks to the weather.

The kids will be racing Prairie City this week, looking forward to that!