suspended

First, I would like to give late props to Joe and the entire Fixed, not broken 24 team that raced the 24hrs of Big Bear mtn bike race. Joe clocked the 2nd fastest lap in the singlespeed/rigid category which is no small feat but one little fact that makes it an even bigger accomplishment, is the fact that their entire team rode the race on fixed gear bicycles. Check out Joe's race write up on the SSO site. The race took place in West "by god" VIrginia which is known for it's technical trails. Good job guys!

Maybe I will do firecracker on a fixed gear? Well, maybe next year for that one. We did head up high Saturday and rode the course in brek which was really fun. The course is interesting and offered a little bit of everything. Fire road, high alpine riding, fun twisty singletrack, and loose technical descents are all on the menu. Looking at the winning times from last year and some of the big names coming this year, I am just hoping to avoid crashing and finishing 2 laps. The level of competition will be high but for us, the level of fun and gasping for air will be higher! I am excited that we will be staying to watch the fireworks after the race and not driving home that night. Should be fun and hopefully our place has a hot tub because we will need it. Jessica will be doing only her second event ever on an SS and I am really impressed an excited that she chose this one to do. This course is strenuous and the last 1/2 has some tech sections that you need to be on your game for. The mtns then give you the middle finger and laugh as you start the whole thing over again for a second lap.



This shot is a few miles into the first climb. The ski trails of Breckenridge in the background.



Not enough oxygen for trees to grow but enough to race bikes apparently. We will be riding close to treeline for a bit which is between 11,600-12,000 ft elevation in Colorado.



Loving the high country.



How many of you will be walking through walls of snow this 4th of July? Brek locals actually shoveled the trail in spots to make this course passable.



I should have taken a pic of the sheet metal under the rock on this longer than it looks section. In several spots, metal is sticking straight out of the rocks from the old mining days. It seems to serve the purpose of keeping this part of the trail from sliding down the hill.



Fun section. I know I know, I will start utilizing the flicker account



As the title of this post implies, I finally put some suspension on the 29er. I have been riding a rigid fork for a solid few seasons+ and wanted to try out a fork on the IF. I am happy so far with the way the Fox fork rode and even though I will only have a little bit of time to dial it in and get used to the handling differences, it will be good to be riding it this weekend. I will say that I already miss the rigid a bit even though the Fox locks out easily. I need to scrounge up an extra 29er frame somehow so as to keep a rigid setup going full time as well. I have been collecting some spare parts over the spring to make it happen and when the old geared 26in IF sells, I will have a little more breathing room in here and can think of a future project. For now, its a beer and a burrito.

Ciao