cheater bike!

my cheater bike and myself made it out to pontiac lake last night for my first ride in a week. i haven't been on the bike since we did maybury last tuesday. way to "train" for the stoney race, huh? anyway, i saw a bunch of people i knew out there including my old teammates! unfortunately, they already finished their lap so i rode alone which was fine too. i had every intention of doing two moderate paced laps and finish around 8:45 and not need lights. after the first 2 miles, i was hurting pretty good and didn't think i wanted to suffer through a second lap. again, i know, MAMA! it took me FOREVER to feel warmed up. maybe about 35 minutes in which i was almost done with the frickin' trail! i couldn't believe how S-L-O-W i felt on the climbs. i was also having all kinds of issues w/ my chain skipping around on my cassette. yeah, i know, lose the gears but WHATEVER! after i finally warmed up, i hammered out the last two miles and finished the lap at 44:33...my fastest lap of the year! i honestly couldn't believe it. i think with a little more riding...like 3 times per week and a drivetrain that was working, i could shave another minute off that time. i'm tell ya, it's the bike. i was in WAY better shape when i was riding on the fango and couldn't even come close to 45 min. and now i'm under that. so, from now on the EMD will be know as the cheater bike.

other than the ride last night, life has been fairly uneventful for the last week. still waiting on the scope friday afternoon and hopefully, i'll be good to go after that.

oh yeah, my back is killing me right now! it's been hurting like this a day or two after my rides lately. i'm not sure if it's a fit issue or if it's the added shock my back is taking by riding a hardtail again. i think i need a slightly longer stem. i'm running a 90mm right now because that's what i had laying around but i think i'll pick up a 100mm and try that. i would like a bit more weight under the front wheel because it's been hard to keep the front tire on the ground during "steep" climbs. i think i'd also be a little more comfortable in a slightly more stretched out position. i'm hoping that will solve my back problems because i don't want to get a squishy 29er right now for obvious reasons.