It's been a long two weeks

Bike free for day number 11. One more day in the van and it's back to the routine I prefer: wake, eat, kiss wife, ride bike, eat, play music, clean kitchen, eat again, kiss wife, sleep, repeat. In spite of the lack of wheels, it's been a good trip. We spent four nights in Stonington, CT and on our way into town I noticed a trailhead. It was definitely one of those eureka moments. 1.5 miles from the house we were staying in was this super cool two-loop trail in the new england woods. It was maybe 2 miles at most, but there were downed trees, boulders, creek crossings, and all kinds of side trails. Every morning I ran the 1.5 miles of road, then bounded through the woods imagining I was on my bike (Imagination Land). Definitely better than pounding asphalt. Usually I spend an entire tour on a treadmill or plodding along on unfamiliar pavement but the Stonington Trail and the river trail I found in Sellersville both broke up the monotony. Once I stopped doing 3-5 beers a night after the first week, I actually started to firm up again, might even come off the road fitter than I went on it (could it be true?)

To make up for all this running nonsense, I've planned a nice little weekend of riding. My amazing, beautiful, supportive, wonderful wife's headed down to SXSW (South By Southwest) on Wednesday so I've got a free pass. The band's in SC and NC this weekend and I've tracked down a little local race in Winston-Salem (got to race the one's you can when you only get 8 weekends off a year) so Thursday I'm headed out for some riding, camping, work (what I do for $$ is not work, but I call it that because it's slightly ironic and also because if I didn't call it work than I would have nothing to call work, and thus would be "out of work" and I don't want that) and driving. Thursday I'll ride at Panther Creek, a little gem I accidentally discovered hiking with my wife. That night I'll camp at Watauga Lake assuming the campground is open (if not, I'll go find a dirty, cheap, run-down motel). Friday a little pre-ride and some BBQ at Little Richard's BBQ in Winston-Salem (my wife's from Winston-Salem so she gave me the lowdown on this lowdown, dirty BBQ joint) followed by an Infamous Stringdusters show down in Spartanburg. The next morning we only have to drive an hour and a half to the next gig at the Visulite in Charlotte so I'm heading to Cane Creek for a few miles of easy spinning. After the show I'll try to get as much sleep as possible in preparation for my season debut in Winston. 4 days of riding, hope the weather holds. Expect some fresh photos from this little solo excursion.

Not really sure if I've got the legs for racing. My quads definitely look more like runner's quads than SS quads, lots of slow twitch muscle fibers in there, but there's only one way to fix it. I'll just stay out of the saddle. The power may not be there but the lungs are definitely ready for whatever. If anyone reading this has any advice regarding my intended riding locations (Panther Creek and Cane Creek specifically) and can recommend another better ride nearby, please let me know. I'm basically just following my instincts on this one and they've occasionally let me down.