GRANNY IS BACK!
or so Laird Knight hopes
The history of GRANNY GEAR is told on GRANNYGEAR.com so I will not give you the recap of his contributions to the sport of mountainbiking, but I will tell you that these contributions have been grand. The 24 hour race format in mountainbiking did not exist before Laird presented it in Canaan Valley West Virgina in 1992. Lights were not then what they are now....people were racing on rigid bikes with AA powered handlebar mounted lights, SUICIDE by todays standards! Okay, that is more history than I wanted to present, but I could not contain myself.

This year Laird and his Granny Gear Crew are returning with the TOUR OF CANAAN on top of The 24 Hours of SNOWSHOE (once the 24 Hours of Canaan. This mountainbike stage race looks awesome! I do not think I am going to attend, but I already dread hearing others tell the tales of glory and of woe. Everyone hates to miss the party. Sadly I fear I am going to miss this one, but I am going to try to attend any and every other party that I can this race season. This weekend is the 12 Hours of Lodi Farms, as mentioned in previous BLOGS there is threat of rain....no one wants to race this thing in the rain. I raced it with Rob Leary and Eric Welp (both City Bikes team members) last year, we braved though the rain and mud and managed to take first in SPORT. This year I am joining up with two different City Bikes affiliates, Pooch and Mike, Pooch being the team captain and Mike being the shop manager in Chevy Chase. IT should be a hoot and a hollar! We had set up to wimp out if we were to be under heavy rain, but now that Mike ahs commited himself to bring a support van I think we are set to race RAIN OR SHINE!
I have asked for people to think fast and dry, but that never seems to work.
So I ask that you wish me luck....
Just as I raced several weeks ago and had to fight the off camber slick rocks and roots at Escape de Granogue. My main desire is to move around the course as quickly as I can without getting hurt. Hopefully I can race fast and hard and walk way feeling good about my performance and go home without breaking my body or my bike