SNOT CYCLE... I missed it... yet I am not sure if I missed anything...

PLUM GROVE CYCLERY
http://plumgrovecyclery.com/
the hosts of Snot Cycle... Baker's Dozen... and a slew of other events down on the farm

these posts are always hard to write
the feeling that I missed something even if it was something as painful as running with your bike in the snow yet I plot forward and further writing about an event I did not attend

this Saturday Past was the Plum Grove Cyclery's winter off road mountain bike race known as SNOT CYCLE...

the Snot Cycle race was on my radar... in fact... there was tentative talk with Cargo Mike about heading out to Leesburg for the 1PM Single Speed start
double in fact... Cargo Mike came over and helped me finish up the build of my Jamis Exile 29er warranty frame
which had me ready to race
but no... the afternoon when I was helping Cargo Mike move from his Georgetown apartment to his new Columbia Heights apartment I was told by Fireman Kurt that Snot Cycle was sold out

SOLD OUT? go figure who would have thunk it

it sort of sucked... I had been on the BIKEREG page and put off registration
I accepted that I would miss this early season opportunity for some racing

then... a few weeks later there was a little known eBAY auction from MORE: The Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts
it was a full year package of all the PLUM GROVE RACES
in fact... there was not just one package to bid on
but one of four
four opportunities to win

eBay is not really my thing
honestly... I have avoided eBay
for fear that I will get caught up in it
everyone loves a deal

well... this SNOT CYCLE looked like it was going to be a deal
I watched the numbers... I bid a few times... then stepped away and watched the numbers
the numbers stayed low
I was all excited to get on the computer in the early am and get in the bidding war during the final minutes
but no... snow and knowledge of a TWO HOUR DELAY that became a SNOW DAY had me hugging the pillow when I should have been at the computer

I was again let down...
had I bid and lost would have been different than basically spacing on the whole eBay option
and aparently.... I could have set things up to "auto bid"
ah... to be a neophyte

so... Saturday came along
Snot Cycle was on the schedule and I was not scheduled to attend
which was fine... I would have had to juggle my whole day around
I had not asked my wife to sign my permission slip
I had not yet given any consideration to how I would be able to sneak out to race my bike when i was already committed to watching the boys while Lisa goes to Yoga
then to take the boys to their cousin's birthday party after they got home from Karate

all that before a birthday gathering at my dad's in Bethesda before leaving the boys with a sitter so that Lisa and I could attend an adult only dinner party... oh la la

so... SNOT CYCLE was never really in the cards for me
which was fine... as much as I would have loved to have stepped up to the challenge of racing in the snow
it was completely fine that I was not going to be racing my bike in that much snow

honestly... running that much with a bike is absurd
sure... it I had already been signed up and committed
but once knowing it was going to be a slog through deep snow
well... that is not what I would want to sign up for

instead... I went for a quick road ride
after picking my boys up from a pizza party with the cousins I went home
moping around a bit I figured I had to fight the malaise and get some exercise
I tried to get someone to join me in the woods for a ski but had to settle for a road ride

knowing that the roads of Rock Creek Park had been cleared I dressed in my winter best and got on my newly acquired Trek 2.3 road bike
it was really crisp out
the setting of the snow covered rocks in the creek was nothing shy of photo worthy
but... there are times when I have to leave the camera behind
in fact... I need to really start leaving the camera behind

it is hard to focus on riding when I am trying to focus the camera

went out for about two hours
arriving at my dad's house not feeling I had missed a thing
adults were gathered having adult conversation in the kitchen while the kids ran around mixing wildness with Wii


a few blog posts worth taking a glance at
Jason Berry gives his account of Snot Cycle 2011
http://gfkracing.blogspot.com
here are some words by FATMARC on the day
http://fatmarc.blogspot.com

2011 Snot Cycle photos by Gary Ryan
www.pbase.com

www.flickr.com

maybe a few laps by a snow mobile would have made a wide flat track
still technical
but not as much effort to push through
I hate slogging around on foot with my bike
the reason that the races on this farm are so fun is because they are 100 Percent rid-able
unless this happens