The Rockiest Trail in the World

Not only did I meet the third member of my Hi-Tec team, but I also rode the hardest trail ever. Our whole team met at the park where the race is going to take place. I heard the trail was rocky. I heard it was the hardest mountain biking leg of all the Hi-Tec races. I had no idea what "rocky" really meant. That "hardest" title did scare me quite a bit, but I figured, how bad could it really be? Bad. That's how bad.

There isn't an extensive trail system at this park, but what there is is hard. Not only are there the usual hills and trees, but there are endless amounts of rocks. These aren't little rocks either. These are the kinds of rocks that jolt your handlebars to one side or the other if you don't hit them right. They shake you to death as you go over them. You're bouncing all over the place while trying to steer through the mess, and then there's a little mud pit, dip, or fallen tree thrown in here and there for variety. There are sections that aren't so bad, more like what I'm used to riding in the practically rock-free park, but the bad parts make up for those. I walked. I walked a lot.

I know I'm a pathetic excuse for a mountain biker right now. I felt even worse for not only holding B up, but holding Brian up too. He now knows just how bad I really am, and he's the best one of us. I feel like a big, fat letdown loserhead, but he didn't renege. He's a man of his word, but I do feel like I'm disappointing him. He's great on a bike and very fit, and I think he probably expected a little more from me. I could have been more had I really stuck with training earlier in the year, but I didn't. Now I'm paying in guilt. It sucks worse than riding over the crazy mess of rocks and dirt that place calls a trail.

I decided I'm getting on that bike every single day except my rest days, so I can be a little better by the time the race finally arrives. I have only three weeks to go. Three weeks, man! It's not enough time to even reach the intermediate level of mountain biking, but it's enough time to get better. I know I can run. I figure the kayaking leg is mostly luck when it comes to dealing with those horrible inflatable boats. I need to work on biking. That's all there is to it. That's my weak point, so that's where I need to focus hard.

I'll be on that bike six days a week from here on out, and I'm going back up to that hellish park each weekend. Hopefully I can get to a point where I'm not huffing, puffing, and pushing up every damn hill. I could have done a little better had I been able to get into the granny gear. My bike wasn't cooperating on the downshift, which was resolved by Brian about 2/3 into the ride. By that time, I was already exhausted, so even the granny gear didn't help too much. Maybe with a combination of being able to shift down properly and getting my lungs and legs into better shape, I'll get up the first hill of the race.