CLeRmOnT PrEp RiDe TWO: Rob The HAMMER!

For those that love NUMBERS!!! First prep ride vs. The Rob the Hammer ride. 4 minutes faster, .4mph higher avg speed. Thats cool... Sure seemed like I should of done better LMAO, its a tough little ride, go try it!

So, under Rainy skies, I made my way out to Clermont. Rob Roberts said he would join me for the ride. I stopped by my friends shop in Clermont Epic Cycles, to check it out. Wow beautiful shop. I was really impressed. We talked CFiTT, mainly cause I am a promotion machine, and he gave me a bunch of stuff to read about Hammer nutrition as well as some samples; Thanks JUDE!

Here is something interesting, before I get into the story, I dont wear deoderant, nor anti prespirant. Why? Well they both contain Aluminum, and the one thing that they have found in common in all the dissected brains of Alzheimer's sufferers is that metal. Do I stink? Tell me if I do, I will promptly go wash up. I also dont use traditional toothpaste for the same reason, nor soap, nor shampoo. I use equivalent products made from plant extracts without the precious metals. I like riding aluminum not consuming it.

Anyways, So under the threat of Doppler radar green/orange/yellow madness, Rob and I rolled out. Me on my trusty steel 23lb psychocross bike, Rob on his Specialized Aluminum road bike. Now the entire ride, I am either riding behind, way behind Rob (no drafting, I refuse to draft as I prepare for the CFiTT) Next to Rob, OR trying to Run from Rob.

See I have a Modus Operandi, or M.O. to the friends that know me. And that is no matter where we go, no matter where we ride, I will without you knowing that we are racing, attack you mercilessly. I will attack, till I cant go no more, sit up, rest, then attack again. LOL, its fun to me. In my head, I got this imaginary race going on, its how I enjoy my cycling. Sue me if you dont like it. I have gotten away in some cases, in others ended up shot out the back and had to either work my way to the group or ride home alone.. LMAO... Either way I have fun.

This day was no exception. I would attack Rob every chance I got, and every time, I would look back and he was soft pedaling and easily catching up to me.

One time I attacked him, I looked back and as he passed me he was using his full qwerty keyboard on his phone to update his "not to be named social networking site Page" as he caught and passed me effortlessly.

Another time, I attacked him, he passed me, worked my ass of to try and catch him, only to find him up the road, with his bike parked by a broken down car, he had apparently just fixed the ladies carburator or something while I was doing my "best" to "close the gap".

Rob was just on fire, He climbed Sugarloaf twice before I could even climb it once. Not only that, but Rob did not underestimate me like my team mates would and on my favorite mostly downhill run back to the ride start threw grassy lakes, Rob kept the gap close, and Managed to finish in front of me right before his house.

Ya, I got ALOT of work to do to get FIT for the CFiTT. How will I do it? Well, I will do it by doing what every smart business type man would do. I hired Rob as my Coach. His fee's are modest, he said I could pay him with a handful of meatballs ala wedding singer style.

I dont know how the heck I am going to beat him at the CFiTT. There are a couple of dark horses in there as well, that I am not going to under estimate. All this thinking and planning and prepping has me wonderinng how I will handle the ride.

Will I just shoot out the gate ala Matt Lee style and just leave everyone in my dust, hoping I can make the Challenging road across Billy Bay wilderness before everyone else. I am fast in the single track, and fast in crappy trail conditions, so, and the race starts in single track. So, I know Rob will easily hang with me, I dont know about the others. And I know Rob can handle the Crappy section. So that means Rob and I will most likely be able to gain about 60 min on everyone else in the first 15 miles. Then what? Do I eat at Silver Glenn? Do I ride the dirt roads this time Like I rode them last time or push just a little more. The first 102 miles has over 4000 feet of climbing, 14 miles of single track, 20 miles of road the rest, is Up and down fire road climbing. Last time I rode it with MK and Rob, I didnt ride as fast as they did, but I also felt pretty strong at the end of it.. I am also the only competitor to have ridden these particular sections half a dozen times. So what to do what to do???

Then, where to stop and eat? Where to refuel once I get near Santos? Do I stop and sleep, will I be completely exhausted and have to sleep? Will I be able to just push on? Cause If I can push on threw the Epic Omba trail without stopping to sleep, that could easily mean another 2 hour gain on the rest of the crew, and if I keep my initial 60 min gain, that would put me with enough of a lead that I could finish the ride close to Rob or with Rob assuming he does not crumble. By the looks of our last Clermont ride, I doubt he will.

So much to consider.....

Laters,

The NaKeD InDiaN