beginner

Me and my friend Grant headed up to Lory State Park yesterday to check out the jump park/pump track they got going up there, and here's a report if you haven't been!

So first things first - if you go, BRING SPARE TUBES! The ground is still pretty littered with goatheads, and it can make for a long day if you don't bring tubes. We talked to some people that said they Slimed their tubes just for riding here. Grant and I both caught flats, and had to wander over to Road 34 to pick up spares. Thanks to Matt who was manning the counter at Road 34 for getting us what we need! We rocked the thorn-resistant variety and that seemed to work very well! I'd be willing to bet that the more the park gets used the goathead problem will eventually go away as more people pick up the nasty little buggers with their tires and take them out of the park.

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After my first summer of weekly mountain biking, I decided I was ready for my first race. The guys that started me out suggested that I do it the previous year, but I definitely did not feel ready.

I signed up and felt a bit nervous. I did not know what to expect. I went around the course (which is local) with a guy who had done the Squeezer race before. They change the course a bit every year, though, and do not reveal the course until the day before.

The race was timed electronically, with transponders on our ankles. This race was timed in waves of 125 riders. The race had 894 people completing it, although over 1000 had signed up. I was placed in the fifth wave, plates 501 to 625.

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