Dirtyspokes 9 hour Mountain Bike Race Coming Soon!

Going back to school is tough.  I've always read about people being 'broke college students' and never had any idea.  I like a challenge, and I think ultimately, mountain biking has brought me to this place in my life.  I'm enjoying all of it except for the 'broke' part.  I've resorted to riding my CX bike to my girlfriends house sometimes to save gas money.  (If the weather is good etc)  I live in Duluth Ga, She lives in Midtown, near Atlanta.  Commute is about 20 miles each way according to Google maps but I prefer a safer route, so it's more like 28.  This should help my training a bit.

For nearly two months I've ridden trail on an old steel Trek Mountain Track 850, while waiting for my 2011 Niner EMD 9 to come in.  The Trek is good for training since it is heavy, slow, and brakes like a train.  However, this bike is not comfortable, since the frame is slightly smaller than my Niner was.  I also beefed it up (weight-wise) by adding a water bottle full of pennies to the bike, and running Maxxis Holy Roller 2.4s.   My calves are burning just thinking about it ;)  

I Just got the brand spankin EMD frame from Addictive Cylces on Wednesday, and have already put about 60 miles on it.   Here are some during-assembly pictures of the new 2011 Moondust EMD 9.   It looks identical to the 2010 except the chainstays are bent a bit differently, to reduce heat fatigue and lower the risk of cracking.  I'm all for that!  Thanks Niner, for getting the new frame to me!  LOVE this bike!

2011 Niner EMD 9 29er frame, top tube detail

2011 Niner EMD 9 head tube, and head badge detail

Crankbrothers Egg Beater 3's,  see more info here:

Niner's great packaging.  Love the message on the flap....

Next Saturday, May 7th, at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder Georgia I will be riding in the 9 hour Solo Sport Class.  Also, I will be doing this on my new EMD which is set up as a single-speed.  For most local trails, I like to use a 32 tooth front ring, and an 18 or 19 tooth rear cog.  However, when riding long distances I've found it's good to bump the rear up a tooth or two.   This makes the bike a bit more 'spinny', meaning that you will pedal more often, and more easily.  For this race I will use a 32x20 gear combination.  If you wish to sign up for the race, you can do so here: http://www.dirtyspokes.com/mtb_races.php?mtbraceid=1

Emergen-C will be attending!  I still have many packs from Emergen-C left over from the Conyers 9/6 hour (read about it here: click here!), and will be bringing them along for your sampling pleasure! When these are finished, I will re-order and get some more for the next race in a few months at Tribble Mill Park, in Grayson Georgia. For a trail map of Tribble Mill, look here: http://www.sorbagatr.org/trails/trail-tribble

About the Event
Tim Schroer of DirtySpokes Productions will be on-site running the show.  Tim is a great guy, who also is a Tennis Coach at Mill Creek High School.  This is Race #3 in a 6 race series, in which the other 5 races are put on by ChainBusterRacing.  Fort Yargo's trails are fast, smooth, and extremely fun.  The race loop is usually around 11.7 miles, but there have been a couple of re-routes added to the trail this year, so it could be just over 12 miles a lap now.  I'm hoping for 6 laps or better,  last year I finished 8 laps in 11 hours and 17 minutes. Worked out to 93.6 miles.  .  Here is a trail map for Fort Yargo State Park's Mountain Bike Trail (current as of April 25th 2011): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81295355    or  here: http://yaba.homestead.com/