Black Monday

Last Saturday I headed out to watch my Double Dare/ PMBAR partner Toby run the Shut In Trail Race. The 18 mile race follows the spine of the Blue Ridge from Bent Creek up to Mt. Pisgah and sounds like too much fun so I was excited about seeing a little of the action. The race was very laid back and other than the absence of beer is very much something I hope to do.
Here is Toby coming down off Stony Bald:

Finishing:


Sunday morning I woke up to another unbelievable fall day in the mountains and I decided I had better get out on the road bike for quick spin. I headed up to Jump Off Rock where I gazed out at Pisgah and the day that lay ahead.



From there it was on up to Mt. Pisgah where I was meeting Terri for a little shuttle action on the Mountains to Sea. We did the six mile stretch from 276 to the Pisgah Inn. I've always liked the way it looks on the map and was eager to explore the many coves.









Saturday's meeting with Toby led to a certain item making its way into my possession. Due to the nature of this item I decided I had to go out and back on Black Mtn. to see how it did. I felt good on the climb but had to get off to push a few times and by the time I got to Turkey Pen it had already been over an hour so I wasn't setting any speed records. I was sure that it was broken due to all the squishing so I stopped to look for broken tubes and spewing oil but found nothing. I don't know what to think but I've never felt so dirty.



A blurry picture is only fitting for such a shameful picture. It isn't even yellow. The pack hanging on the opposite side is yellow and performed perfectly. It should make the cut for this weekend's big ride. The unspeakable item? I'm not sure, more testing is required, can it handle the WNDC?