Another week has wrapped up, and my exploration of mountain biking in the deep south is in full swing. I logged over 80 miles on the bike this week and continue to gain confidence as I get rid of any rust from the winter.

Monday
I took Monday off to rest up from the long weekend of riding, which was much needed after logging three laps at The Beast on Sunday afternoon. I can't emphasize enough how rough, tough, and generally gnarly that trail system is...makes everything else I've ridden seem easy!

Tuesday
Tuesday was supposed to be another rest day for me, but after getting off work and seeing sunny skies and temps in the mid-60's I knew I wasn't going to stay inside all night. I decided to look up the closest disc golf course, load up my backpack, and take off on the Raleigh to throw some D! It was about 8 miles of riding to get to the park, mostly on paved shoulders with cars zipping by at 50mph to keep things exciting. I got to the park, played the first hole and met a random older gentleman (probably in his mid to high-60's) who offered to give me a guided tour of the course. So off we went, slinging D's all over that park...good times! We finished up the 18 hole course just as the sun was going down so I rigged up my lights and rolled out.

I decided to take a different route home and ride the Mississippi River levee trail back to my hotel. Now, I had previously ridden this levee trail from downtown to my hotel and it was paved asphalt the whole way, so I assumed it was going to be paved a good distance beyond my hotel as well. Unfortunately, we all know what happens when you assume things...you have to ride a semi-loose gravel, cow pie covered levee for about 10 miles with a dead cell phone and no spare tubes. A couple miles into this journey along the levee I realized that I left the charger for my lights at home...I also looked up at the sky and saw a very bright moon shining. I decided to save my battery, shut my lights off and enjoy this ride through rural Louisiana by moonlight, which was a great decision as it made for a peaceful, enjoyable ride home. I finally arrived at the hotel at 9pm, dropped my bike off and headed over to Walk-Ons for a couple tasty Abita Ambers (delicious locally brewed beer) and some dinner before resting up. I was going to need it as I was heading to The Beast for a group ride the next day after work.
Strava

Wednesday
Wednesday was a good day. A group of 6 riders made the short trek north to St. Francisville to take on The Beast. The first lap around the trails was a good time as we took our time, regrouping every so often to make sure everyone was making it through safely. This resulted in me feeling fresh throughout the entire loop for a change...its amazing how different it is when you take a break from time to time! Towards the end of the lap I realized that it was getting fairly late and it would be getting somewhat dark by the end of the second lap. I told Ben Allen, who I had been riding with throughout the first lap, that we needed to hightail it back and get going on another lap if we wanted to finish before dark...so we took off, sprinting ahead of the other riders.

I reached the trailhead at the end of the first lap before Ben, and made the mistake of hopping back into the trails to ride the last little bit with the other riders. Ben didn't realize this, so he took off on the second lap about a half mile ahead of me. He thought I was in front of him so he was pushing hard, and I knew he was ahead of me so I was pushing the limit around every turn, downhill, and climb. Turns out that is a really good way to simulate a race pace because I was feeling it big time by the time I finished the loop. I'm talking to the point where my legs felt like noodles, I could barely stand up, and thought I was going to vomit for a little while...cue Wayne Campbell, "Excellent"...now THAT is a good training ride! After loading up we headed to the Wing It Grill for some good eats, more Abita Amber, and some bench racing about the local trails, bikes, and even the trails in Iowa/Illinois!
Strava

Thursday
Thursday was a rest day...nothin' to see here folks!

Friday
I decided to head out to Comite to spin some laps after work on Friday. I was still feeling it in my legs from The Beast on Wednesday, so I took it easy on my first lap and took the opportunity to check out some new lines and pop a few kickers! Come time for the second and third laps, I was ready to go and was pedaling away better than normal. It is amazing how much easier it is to pedal on smooth flat ground after riding steep, rough terrain a couple times in a row! The trails were really starting to shape up as well; the dirt was drying up to the point that it was rolling extremely fast, but the corners still offered plenty of traction resulting in a very fun ride! By this point, I am really starting to learn the ins and outs of the trails at Comite and know what to expect around every corner, how to set up for it, and how my bike is going to react. Again...good stuff!
Strava