i hear the squishing of water filled boots

I guess its time time to let the cat out of its pajamas.

My bike used to look like this:

From 2009 Racing Season

Now it looks like this:

From 2009 Racing Season

I've been riding around with a squishy thing on the front of my cycle.

And I likes it.

I've been riding and racing rigid for almost exactly one year. And because that one year was my first year of serious (i use that term loosely) riding, I really have not known anything else. So I have learned everything I know about mountain biking on a rigid SS. I've learned to keep traction out of the saddle, pick good lines, float over rocks, and stay loose. If I failed to do any of those things, my bike would kick my ass.

Now that I'm able to translate those skills to a bike with suspension, I have gained a hogshead of speed. And I don't even know what form of measurement a hogshead is.

I used to be terrible at riding downhill. But the other day, on a ride after work I was bombing down a rock strew slope at over 30mph. I passed a guy on a full suspension. That would have never, ever, ever happened with my old steel cromoto grande up front.

I rode the race course at Apollo, PA today in 50 minutes, without breaking a sweat. That was stop and start riding to boot, because I had to constantly wait for my velocially challenged riding partner. My best time on the rigid was 46 minutes.

Suspension is so much faster and more enjoyable than rigid was. I can't wait to see how it works in a race. And I won't have to wait long.

WV state champs are on Sunday. Hopefully I'll be able to get out on Saturday and pre-ride the course. It looks like every picture from last year was taken in a field, but I'm going to assume that the rest of the course is a little more technical than a bumpy meadow.

Lastly and most sadly, it seems I'm so fast that I've burned a hole through my shorts.

From 2009 Racing Season

ow.