Dakota Five-O

(Hawaii Five-O drum roll....dah dah dah) I'm still researching the details, but it looks like the Taylor's are heading for the Black Hills for the Labor Day weekend...for some dirt Laboring. The Dakota Five-O is a 50 mile Mountain Bike race(ride) which takes place in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Sounds like hard working fun, huh?

50 miles in the dirt! When I said, "cool, I'll just bring my road bike and wait for you at the finish line", Mike said, "No sweetie, it's a ride, not a race...you can do it too!" Pleased with his confidence in his wimpy wife, I went and checked out the website. ( http://www.blackhills.com/ridgeriders/ ) Last year there was only one woman in the over 40 category and it took her 6:27 to finish the event. The fastest guy in Mike's category did it in 4:11. Sigh.

Oh well...Mike is used to waiting for me on the bike. (And yes, he's waited even longer than 2 hours before when we were touring once!)

But I am faster now. The truckers, who are the only motorized vehicles I see on my daily jaunts out in the country ( and who give me a whole lane to myself and wait patiently for me before they pass....never even getting close to me---it's amazing really), know me by name now. They think I'm a real nut---or else some kind of crazy athlete as they see me every day, several times a day, within a 50 mile radius of Lyon County. Yesterday, one of the guys stopped on the rollers around Russell and smiled at me with his toothless grin and asked me if I was a racer "like them Tour de France riders"? I told him that I was just dressed like one (I've got fancy bike riding clothes and my beloved Seven Alta road bike)---He didn't believe that I was just out riding everyday because I wanted to. So now they know I'm a nut. When I mentioned that I moved here from California, he said "Ohhh..." (as if it all made sense suddenly).

Mike rode his cross bike and did the mountain bike race course after work. He smoked his old time...and he also was faster than the times the guys at the bike shop are imagining he'll do. 3 minutes faster in fact!! So now he doesn't know if he'll ride his cross bike or his mountain bike in the Camden Classic. He's certainly going to be getting a new 29er (yes another bike to add to our collection) as the bigger wheel is what he needs.

It's raining off and on and so I will try and sneak in a ride before work. I just replaced my chain though---and even though I have a plethora of other bike-options...I always opt for my Seven.

Have a great day---I'm looking forward to a week up North!!