GETTING PROFICIENT WITH THE FUEL EX

I went out for another ride today at Alafia River Park. I have been trying to get more proficient with the new bike, since I want to feel 100% confident on it by the time I take my trip. Saturday I rode at Boyette, and that was a really nice ride. Boyette is about 15-20 minutes closer than Alafia, and isn't too crowded. There were some awesome trails there- although many of them are VERY SHORT! Too short, in fact.
I rode on quite an awesome trail- a black diamond run called "The Abyss". There is a north section and a south section; I rode both, but couldn't finish the last leg and had to take a bailout to the main path. I was WIPED OUT. I have to say that this trail alone made the trip to Boyette worth it- and then some. Much like a roller coaster ride, the Abyss has some serious downhill and tough uphills. As soon as you clear one hill, get ready for the next drop! Simply incredible!
I feel a lot better on this bike, and the ride at the Abyss definitely made me feel more confident. This bike is definitely a trail bike. It grips in the turns and handles like a sports car in the curves and switchbacks. I have to dial in the rear suspension a bit more (make it a bit firmer), but for the most part it feels real good.
I tackled "Roller Coaster" at Alafia today, which is a single black diamond run. Had to chicken out on a couple drops because of the loose headset, since I didn't want to endo due to equipment failure..lol. But for the most part, Roller Coaster was easy- compared to the Abyss. I think my ability is improving on the trails, and I am feeling a lot more confident tackling harder trails now. My next outing will be back at Boyette to ride the Abyss all the way through, and then over to Alafia to try my hand at Gatorback and some other double black diamond runs.
I had an issue with a loose headset today, but nothing a few turns of an allen wrench couldn't cure.

DAYTONA MOTOSURF 09

Well, just got back home from Daytona Beach and the Daytona Beach 09 Motosurf/Freeride. This is an annual event held in Ormond Beach, Florida. Hundreds of jetskiier from all over the states (and some even from other countries) have attended this get together to make it the largest freestyle jet ski extravaganza in North America. There are famous riders out there like Michael Ratti, Ross Champion, and Pancake Pete Scheidt. This year was no different; but it was COLD!! When I arrived Saturday, the air temp was easily 52 or 53, with a very gusty wind that easily brought the temps into the 40's with the wind chill. I decided to brave it, as did about 30 others, and I suited up with neoprene. The water temp was hovering around 72 or 74, so it was actually warner in the water than out. After about an hour, I had enough. The winds made the surf blown out and choppy, making for quite a difficult ride- for young and old alike! If you have ever been in the ocean during a storm and tried to ski in same, you know what a workout this is. I pulled off a couple jumps and nose stabs, and rode back in to warm up. Getting out of the gear was agonizing since it was so damn cold.
Sunday was a lot nicer. The temp was 68 by the time I started riding, and about 70 by the time I packed it up. Got in a good amount of riding, tried to pull a barrel roll, but only succeeded in pulling off an inverted nose stab (pretty cool actually, but I almost ate the handlepole!).
There were a lot of outstanding riders as usual, and I snapped off a ton of pics of some guys pulling off some sick moves. The Canon worked great!
So all in all, it was a succesful weekend. No injuries, no jetski failure, and some decent waves.

New Youtube video

Be sure to click on the YOUTUBE link I have on the right side top of my blog. I posted up a new video I created using the GoPro Helmet Cam while on a recent ride at Alafia. I am trying to get the camera dialed in before my trip back west. So far, it seems to be working quite well. I plan on using the camera on some of the more scenic routes; not on all of them. Hopefully I will have a good combination of stills with my Canon and the video to put together quite a nice montage when I get back.
Unfortunately, Youtube limits video length to no more than 10 minutes, so I had to speed up the video. It's mainly a trail run vid, not much in the way of scenery, so people unfamiliar with the Alafia Park area get an idea of what a nice intermediate trail is like there.
This weekend I am heading off to the Daytona Beach Motosurf/Freeride. I hope to have some really nice pics from the event, and look for those to be posted soon. The weather report has it a little chilly that weekend, so who knows how much riding I may be willing to do!
Farewell for this week!

Goodbye 2008...here we go, 2009

Well, let's see how this year treats me. 2008 was quite a variety of pleasures and pains for me. I was told to move out of the home my wife and I shared for 15 years, after learning she had been lying to me. I lived with my parents for a brief time, moved into a very nice rental home with a roommate I barely know, took up mountain biking and fell in love with that sport, and scratched and clawed my way through the holidays- sometimes with my two girls, sometimes without. All in all, if I had to sum it up, this year was quite a growing experience for me. I can't say it was all bad; but it certainly wasn't all good.
2009 will still carry over some of the pain from 2008, as my divorce is not yet final. But I feel that once it is, I can begin to heal and get back into the swing of what I call life. I am kind of checked out for now; feeling only alive on my days off. Biking has been giving me some sanity, and since it's winter here, jetskiing has taken a backseat. I plan on hitting the Daytona Beach Motosurf/Freeride event in another week or so, and that will fulfill my yearning to ride for the time being.
Happy belated New Year to all my friends who still stick by me and offer me reassurance that "everything will work out in the end". I know it will. Just where "the end" is exactly, I don't know, but I sure hope it will give me a hint of its arrival this year.

New TREK FUEL EX6

After riding two days straight at Alafia River, I realized something...my ass cannot take the abuse it's been going through any longer! (Somehow that didn't sound too good...hmmm). Two days, a total of about 15 miles ridden on some pretty harsh terrain consisting of mainly roots and rocks, and I can say my body is pretty much toast. I also learned something...my hardtail Trek 4300 is holding me back. I wanted to take some turns harder, and the front end was washing out. I wanted to go down some steeper hills, but the wheel hop was very nerve wracking. I decided to bite the bullet and purchase an 07 Trek Fuel EX6. I got an outstanding deal on it since it was the only 07 left in the store, and they wanted it GONE. Well, now it has a new home, and will be my primary ride when I take my trip.
I started off today by adding an extra inch to the head tube riser, since I felt a little too leaned over while riding it. I also replaced the Shimano clipless pedals with the old Mosh pedals I had on my 4300....at least until I get some money to buy the clips and the shoes. I also swapped the grips for my old OURY grips off the 4300. I slapped the original pedals back on the 4300, and I just need to buy some new OURY's for it to make it a fully functional hardtail for road riding and off-season training.
So here it is! My new toy. I plan on taking it out to Alafia and Santos next weekend to start learning how to ride and properly balance it. I have a new Kenda Nevegal Stick E tire and an extra Panaracer Fire XC Pro tire that I can swap out for the stock Bontragers (which I know are not sufficient). But I want to see how they handle first- who knows, right?