out of character... it is wednesday and I am already planning for the weekend

it is true it is a little out of character...

it is wednesday and I am already starting to prepare for the weekend
saturday is three days away.... whasss the hurry?

this weekend is granny gear's 24 hours of big bear
I am racing on a four man vet team
I have raced the 24 Hours of Big Bear over the past several years on a vet team and had a most excellent time
I suspect that this year will be more of the same
tonight I stepped out of character
not every paper was written the night before
not every test was taken without studying
tonight I packed some gear and started toying with my lights

after the kids go to bed I will dabble with the bike although the surly karate monkey is a back up because I am borrowing the Specialized Test Bike from City Bikes in Chevy Chase
BONUS! SCORE!
thanks friends at City Bikes
thanks City Bikes for being such an amazing sponsor to DCMTB

tonight I put away gear for five laps
even though I only expect to race four
the weather is unknown to me... maybe I will log onto weather dot com
either way I need to pack more than just five pairs of shorts and five jerseys
there are a few different cooler evening combinations such as arm warmers, skull cap, knickers-leg warmers-and full length tights
the socks have not been gathered but I think I got four pairs of gloves
the lights are hanging by the window burning a bit before I put them on for a final charge

back.... the kids are in bed
I just drank a few beers with my feet up

crazy night with all that rain

lots of running around bailing out drains and clearing out gutters

volumes of rain

the creek must be running high


my preparation is not exactly a science
normally my final decision is to bring too much stuff and to forget something vital
which has me anxious
while also has me wondering about the structure of the mind of the solo racers

the top solo racers... how do they approach a race weekend like this?
when do they start to rest before a big event? when does the hydration start? then how much gear do they bring? or is it just one pair of shorts and the same jersey?
multiple fuels in various hydration packs?

ever since John Stamstad signed up and raced the 24 Hours of Canaan as a four person team comprised of himself four times over the solo class has been the most exciting class to follow at the ultra endurance events
there is some sort of John Henry-ness to it all
we admire them
we marvel at them
this year at the 24 Hours of big bear there will be some serious excitement surrounding the solo class
steve schwarz will be having some fun going elbow to elbow with the solo goat and tinker juraez
those people are amazing
the discipline they most certainly have
their routine of having stuff organized and approaching with the right diet and the right amount of rest calculating how much riding they should or should not be doing leading into the race
so much goes into getting ready for one of these events
I could not imagine what the solo racer goes through

there must also be a bit of measure of the weather a glance for rain would dictated gear options or at least a rain jacket for a lap
what do I know?
jason berry and the people at gripped films documented the energy, the effort, and the input that solo mountain bike racing demands in his film 24solo
man that was a long sentence

let the links carry the tangent
http://steadysteve.blogspot.com/
and disco stew does not advertise

http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/

http://sologoat.blogspot.com/

john stamstad on the wiki page
and john stamstad now...
http://www.singletrackranch.com