If you haven’t noticed, there is a banner across the top of the site for the Ruts and Guts weekend, the 2nd weekend of November. I’ve done the races the last couple years and it is a great weekend of races with a super healthy pricelist. The banner is clickable, so if you think you might have the ability to make it, check it out.

I’m heading to the Berryman Epic this morning. I’m really in no real form to race, but I have to restart, again, somewhere. Nothing like a 56 mile, rocky singletrack MTB race for starters. I love the seclusion of riding in the woods for such long periods without seeing a soul. It is refreshing and helps me sort through lost thoughts. There are about 350 riders doing it, so there will definitely be a party afterwards.

The St. Louis UCI cross races are also Saturday and Sunday. If I have any extra energy, I might go there on Sunday, probably to just watch, but will probably throw my cross bike into the van just in case. I am still sore from the cross clinic I did last Sunday in Dallas. I can’t imagine how wasted I’m going to be after Saturday.

I had an all day affair yesterday with my MTB bike. It was pretty much the worst case scenario for everything. My tires sealed up good, but after that, it went downhill. I put on a new chain and my cassette skipped. So I put on a new cassette and that fixed it. My front was rigid for Chequamegon, so I had to put back on a shock fork. My XTR brakes are side mount and I need post mounts. I have a XO brake that is post mount, but when I put in new pads, I can’t get it to work. I’m not a big fan of Avid/Sram disc brakes. I finally just stole the Shimano SLX brake off her new BMC MTB bike. It worked great.

I went riding late in the afternoon and when I put pressure on my cranks, my chain skipped on the big ring. I didn’t realize it was so wasted. I didn’t have a new ring, so I had to change the whole crankset and bottom bracket. So, I did exact what I tell everyone else not to do before a race, change your components. I changed just about all mine. I’m going to ride a hour or so on the course this afternoon, so it should be enough to sort out any potential issues.

There are 2 places on the course where I can get extra tubes, air, etc. I’ve flatted as many as 4 times in this race before. The last two years I haven’t flatted once, knock on wood. Once you put in a tube, you are destined to keep putting in more tubes. The rocks are too sharp and the speed is too high not to keep pitching. I’ve got a lot of sealant in my tires and pretty sturdy tires too, so I hope to make it through the race without incident.

Okay, better go pack up the van. I’m picking up my team-mate, Brian Jensen, in Lawrence on the way. Brian was 12th in Leadville, but this ain’t no Leadville. He needs to get the experience of riding on rocky singletrack. No better way than doing it in competion.

I have a lot of tube and quickfils ready.

Plus a couple more on my bike already. I’ll probably carry another in my pocket.
Like I said, I’ve had a lot of problems with flatting at this event.

I raced this season less than anytime during the last 30 years. It doesn’t seem that strange since I’ve been injured so much of the season. And, I’ve had little patience with the injuries, which just prolonged the healing process. So, today, I felt pretty unfamiliar with the pre-race jitters I felt as I drove up to the Bass Resort, to pre-ride a little of the course of the Berryman Trail Epic race tomorrow. I hadn’t done a system check in such a long time, nearly a month, that it felt strange.

I don’t mind the self-imposed nervousness and constant checks the day before, or morning of the races. I think it is a good thing, especially when you’ve gone over all the aspects of the race and feel you’ve done everything possible to make the outcome positive. I can’t say that about this specific race, but it is what it is.

Brian and I got out for about 15 miles of the course late yesterday last night. Last year, nearly the whole 56 miles were covered with at least 4 inches of leaves. This year, it is a late fall, so the trail is perfect. Well, perfect leaf-wise, but a little dusty and loose to be super perfect.

I did all the system checks and still have a big question mark. I’m not as pitiful as I was the day before last year, and I won, so that is a good thing. But, I definitely didn’t feel perky at all. I have close to 4 1/2 hours to ride into it tomorrow, so it isn’t like the first 30 minutes decided the race.

The race starts a little early for my liking, 8:30 am. Yesterday it was 28 degrees at that time, but today it is warmer, in the mid 30’s. The race starts on a gravel climb, pretty much from the start, so you aren’t too cold for very long. It is supposed to be nearly 60 for a high, but that will be way after the race is over for the leaders.

Scott and Jacob, the race promoters, have been camped out for the last week, walking the trail and marking 56 miles of trail. I was talking to Brian on the way over, saying I can’t imagine how long it would take to mark that much non-repeating singletrack. I have my answer. It is quite impressive. There are 350 riders entered today, so all the hard work is obviously appreciated.

Okay, by the time many of you read this, I’ll be riding through the Mark Twain National Forest. Hopefully pretty fast. If not, it’s fine, I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning.

Brian and I, all stiff from driving, heading out to ride some singletrack.

You don’t often go to registration and have the room lined with deer trophies.

This is a first, a hoodie with my name on it…..twice. Lots of gifts at registration, pretty cool.

It always amazes me there are places in the United States where you can still smoke in restaurants. It is the Ozarks.