ToUr De GaInESviLLe AKa ThE GaiNesVILLe EnDuRO!

Top Five names this ride should have OTHER than Tour De Gainesville:

1. The Gainesville Enduro
2. Death match in Gainesville.
3. Gainesville Tech Town USA
4. De Enduro De Gainesville
5. The Gainesville Roubaix.

I hear the word Tour and I think, good moderate pace with sight seeing!
Roadie hears the word Tour and he is thinking, aw a race with Stages and Pelotons and sprints and king of the mountain competitions and jerseys of all colors to represent who the champion is or isn't.

Well this ride is more like the Roadie definition of the word tour accept its off road, its totally competitive and its completely Brutally FUN.

Its not a race in terms of prizes for a winner, its a race to stay in contact with someone who knows the route. Once you lose contact with a person of knowledge you are left stranded to your own devices and abilities. Yes there is a map and it tells you all the trails to take, but if you don't know the names your still stuck. The only strategy that a rider could take was to get in a good group or with a good person and stick to them by all means necessary.

The trip started on a Friday. The Bird and I wanted to make a weekend of it and I didn't want to have to get up at the break of dawn to be out in Gainesville and riding by 930am. So earlier in the week I had spoke to Robert B and he had extended an offer to crash at his place and I got with David R and he made a similar offer. David was only 1/4 mile away from the place so the choice was simple. We made it to Dave's late on Friday and got in bed and resting after a short little chat and some laughs.

That morning I got up early, hit the Publix for some food, grabbed a Latte and started preparing. I went into full on preparing for a race mode. Simple reason being that Last year I had lost the group and didn't even come close to finishing. I knew what the pace was like at the start and the possible pit falls I didn't want the same thing to happen to me again this year. So I ate right, drank some performance enhancing drugs (Latte) and got ready for battle. I decided to go with a hydration pack which was the right choice considering the amount of "unidentifiable water" we ended up splashing through. I would of hated to have grabbed a water bottle and drank some bacteria via surface contamination. The Hydration pack proved to be the right choice as it was wet, muddy and deep stream like crossings on the route.

Brett and David showed up, we gathered up the group, I made some last minute adjustments to my tire pressure and we rolled out. We got there quick and got immediately to chatting it up with the riders and shaking hands with people I knew. Some people had not seen the Fixed Black yet, so there was some pawing and grabbing and lifting going on. Not long after our Arrival the bike bells started going off and we lined up and rolled out.

As expected the first 3 minutes or so were Chaotic till we hit a little Rail trail and formed into a large peloton. I was ride in the group, when we hit the first slices of technical trail and what appeared to be some fresh cut. Once again right in the mix. The rest was pretty much a blur, some really good technical track and some really good riding, and I lost Dave and Brett, they were off the front and I eventually ended up riding with a Cat Named Tobin.

Tobin recognized me and we rode together for a couple of miles till we went under I 75 and headed into that trail system back there and I came across a rider on the side of the trail, Brett. I stopped, cause I knew if I left Brett he would not know the way. Tobin waited shortly for me, but then after Brett was done it had appeared that Brett and I were on our own. Our only option at that point was to ride as hard as we could and hope we could bridge the gap to a rider with knowledge of the route or a rider who had PINK on his bike.

So hammer we did, and it turns out that system was a loop so I was able to get us out of there, hit a service road and we catch up eventually to a group of riders containing Dave. So not only was I able to close the Gap to Brett, but we also closed the Gap to Dave. We were in a good group, riding strong for several miles, till before we knew it, a couple of quick tech sections later and we were without guides again. We managed to close the gap to a guy who was riding with one arm(he had a prosthesis for his other 3/4 of an arm) and followed him all the way till the Lunch spot. Right there was the original lead group I had lost and everyone else. We were not even 10 minutes behind them which was good, we were right were we needed to be.

The Bird was there waiting for me. I made a big bowl of food and started loading up on some Calories. After 36 miles I had ate a handful of Almond clusters and had already started feeling the early onset of Cramps for not keeping up with my hydration. At this point it had been so much like a race, and it had been so insane, I was impressed by the efforts out there. There were some steep climbs that I was out the saddle working hard for and climbing. There were chases and staying in groups and pace lining, it was WILD.

But at Lunch, as I scanned the faces of all the riders you could see the challenges of the course were affecting everyone equally. No one looked fresh, everyone, you could tell, from their mud covered bikes and bodies that they were all feeling a little beat. Lunch seemed to go on forever..

Eventually, Rob B called for a meeting and we rolled out. A group of about 20 riders got together and we started making our way on the PM route. Good group to be in and I felt comfortable with the pace. I was feeling warmed up and feeling the calories pouring through my body. Good so far. Then my chain comes off. I stop to fix it, get rolling and hear my tire rubbing. I stop and get it fixed, I guess, and take off again. Brett had returned to watch for me and once again the Chase was on. Brett spotted a trail off to the far right, we took it and rode it and bam caught up to a lady rider on the side of the trail adjusting her seat. I knew from earlier that she was in a big group of guys wearing all the same kit (its funny how cycling is like being a gang member all wearing the same colors and stuff) and we both knew that following her would eventually net us a bigger group to ride with and right as rain it did.

We got into the group and started doing our thing. Next thing I know the Girl rider is way off the back, I'm kinda of looking to see what she is doing and the rest of the group gets way in front and the next thing I know, I'm off the back, Isolated, not knowing where they went. I kind of rode my ride, then I got a call from Brett, I was 1 mile off course, I backtracked and caught up to them and after doing all that work to get back with them (they waited, thanks guys) they took off again this time through the center of the University of Florida Campus. I followed best I could but lost sight of them after the Computer Science Building.

So I backtracked and waited by the computer science building for what seemed like an hour, when two riders came along. YES, I am in the game again, and bam, there must of been some quick turn in that place cause I lost them again. Went back up the hill and this time I managed to get a hold of a group that I could wrangle and control a bit.

I didn't get the other guys name but the one guy I ended up finishing the ride with was named Pat. At the start there were five of us. Eventually, it was only Pat and I as we rode through even more technically demanding trails we lost the other riders. Pat's pace was a little slower then I would have liked at that point, I was ready to get off the course, BUT, I had no choice, Pat was my human version of GPS and I needed Pat. So I sat back and enjoyed the pace. After 50 plus miles of Fixed gear of Fury I was tired. Even more considering the 2 week break, I was pretty smoked, but still had fire in the legs. Once we finished all the trails and got to the end, Pat told me to make a Left on 14th ave and I was GONE. I hammered all the way to the finish, zipped up and looking pretty when I crossed the line, 65 miles later.

After, we had some drinks and food, then went downtown and watched some Jazz band, and then went ate more food. We made a weekend of it and although the plans called to leave that night we decided to stay one more evening in G ville.

I met lots of cool people and spoke to lots of people and made some new friends and greeted some old friends. The people who make up that G ville crew are a great bunch of people. Not one person gave me an ill vibe and they were all extremely hospitable. It helps as well that they can all ride strong and well, so you know your in good company with strong riders when your out that way.

If you can get in the loop and get in the mix of the Tour De G ville, you should make it. Just remember, its more of a race then a tour, more tour de France then tour de forest, and this year for me more Paris roubaix then Paris in spring. Beautiful day, beautiful ride, awesome people and KICK ASS TRAILS.

HUGE thanks, to Paloma aka the Warrior Princess, without your wisdom and guidance I don't know what I would do. Enormous thanks to Dave the HAMMER for letting us camp out at his place for two days. And thanks so much to Bobo the Chimp and the whole G ville crew, Tobin, Pat, Robert and all the other people who's name I forgot, you guys are the best!

Finally, to all my sponsors for supporting the Naked Indians Crazy adventures. Let's Keep the shred alive, off road Fixed Gear of Fury, my Salsa Mamasita Fixie is the best!!! O and the T shirt and Pint glass I got were awesome!!! Best out of all the rides this year!!


Laters,


LOS