He's going the distance

The Darkhorse 40 would be my next test as an elite mtb'er. Since I hadn't been able to train like I would have liked to, I thought a good, long rail trail ride would condition my legs for the distance.

The only time I had to get such a long ride in was my day off, and I said rain or shine, I am going to do it. I selected the Lehigh River Scenic Gorge trail as my destination, which is a solid 4 hour round trip by car. When I arrived at the trail head in Jim Thorpe, PA, some ominous looking clouds were looming overhead. Maybe they're going away from me? No such luck. Five minutes into my ride, a few rogue rain drops fell. Thunder in the distance eluded to a potentially frightening situation. There was no cover and I didn't know if lightning likes titanium or not.

Fortunately, a thunderstorm never happened. What did happen was it began to rain harder and harder until I became saturated from head to toe. The cinder rail trail didn't absorb a drop and I was plodding through a river. Rain seemed to be coming at me from both above and below. I was pretty pissed off, but had to laugh. I passed other riders who were heading south back to Jim Thorpe, their rides almost complete. I had 45 miles to go! Eventually the rain stopped, the sun came out, and I dried off save for my shoes and socks. It turned out to be a pretty nice day after all and I enjoyed it for everything that it had to offer.

This was the first live rattlesnake I have ever seen and he was thoroughly pissed off!

Luckily, I brought a towel and chain lube. The cinders had stuck to my bike and my drivetrain was making the most horrible sounds before I was able to clean it.

I don't remember how the results went for the DH40, but I don't think I came in last. I do remember stopping at the beer tent twice, the huge gathering of all my cycling friends, and the incredible BBQ that was to be had afterwards. Thanks to Maddawg Mike and the people from Darkhorse for putting on another great event!