Outside Riding & Thinking

Today was good. Worked at the shop in the morning and then in the afternoon headed out to Branched Oak to spend some time playing in the dirt.

Met up with Ryan, Justin and Jason and we hit the trail around 2:15. We took the first lap at a reasonable pace and got used to the trail conditions. The trail was a mix of dry dirt, soft mud and slick greasy mud. Of course the slick greasy mud was on the turns. For the most par though the trail was in perfect shape and it felt great to be back outside. After our first lap we headed right out for another. After that we chatted for a bit and then headed out in the opposite direction for our third lap. It always surprises me how different a course is when you ride it in a different direction than your used to. It's like a whole new course.

After the third lap Millhouse and Jason had to take off and Ryan and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather while it's here and went out for another lap. The last lap went well but I was starting to get hungary. I had taken in a gel but it wasn't enough. I also drained both my bottles and was getting pretty thirsty by the end. I'm really glad we decided to get that last lap in.

While we were out riding today we started talking a bit about next season. One of the guys asked me if I was going to move up to Expert (or now Cat 1) or stay in Sport (Cat 2) for another season. My original plan was to race in Cat 2 but now I'm thinking that maybe I should move up and really push myself. I don't know how I would do up in the next Cat but I've always been the kind of guy that would rather finish in the mid pack with the best than to win in the lower categories. On the other hand another season in the a lower category would really let me get my skills honed before I move up. I don't know. Let me know what you guys think. I need some help with this one.

Know I need to get some work done. Last week of classes and I had a big project due late last week that I need to get graded.

Harp