B
Bill Porter
Guest
The 24hr in the Old Pueblo was a blast! I had thrown my legs over a singlespeed for the first time
just a couple of weeks before the race. I was pretty sure I could put in a couple of good laps for
the SCUMBAGS SS team but I was a little concerned about recovering between laps as I always felt a
quite a bit more thrashed after the training rides on the singlespeed. Out at the race I loved the
wonderful speed at which you are forced to climb even though it often comes with a healthy dose of
pain, particularly on the b!tches. The cactus trail (first singletrack) was where the singlespeed
really shined. It was a gradual climb and there were only a few turns that required any substantial
loss of momentum so I could keep up a good cadence. However the new singletrack was a different
matter. It really beat me up, as it was bumpy and tight requiring a little more use of the brakes
than I wanted. This is were I came to loath my brakes as every time I squeezed them it meant
additional pain in my quads and lower back was just seconds away when I had to regain some speed. By
the third lap on the new section of singletrack my lower back was on fire and I lusted for the
smooth plush ride of my Spider back at home. The final climb was actually not bad on the singlespeed
at all. I was pretty whooped by the top of it last year on the geared bike and I was pretty whooped
this year too, but I got to the top quite a bit quicker. Lap for lap I was a couple of minutes
faster on the SS than I was on the geared bike last year even though I don't feel in any better
shape than last year. I squeezed out 5 laps and I felt totally humbled by the laps those kick a$$
solo folks did. The bottom line is I think the SS thing is hella lots-o-fun and I am going to giving
the legs some SS luvin, but I have no plans on chunking the Spider. I had toyed around with the idea
of racing a lap or two with the camera gear on but after my first lap I decided the hell with that.
I had also planned and catching some footage of people in the transition area, but after the first
lap I found myself just eating or resting between laps. Of well, here is the video of 99% pre ride
and 1% race at the Old Pueblo. www.mountainbikebill.com/videos/24NTOP-Web.mpg
Bill Porter www.mountainbikebill.com
just a couple of weeks before the race. I was pretty sure I could put in a couple of good laps for
the SCUMBAGS SS team but I was a little concerned about recovering between laps as I always felt a
quite a bit more thrashed after the training rides on the singlespeed. Out at the race I loved the
wonderful speed at which you are forced to climb even though it often comes with a healthy dose of
pain, particularly on the b!tches. The cactus trail (first singletrack) was where the singlespeed
really shined. It was a gradual climb and there were only a few turns that required any substantial
loss of momentum so I could keep up a good cadence. However the new singletrack was a different
matter. It really beat me up, as it was bumpy and tight requiring a little more use of the brakes
than I wanted. This is were I came to loath my brakes as every time I squeezed them it meant
additional pain in my quads and lower back was just seconds away when I had to regain some speed. By
the third lap on the new section of singletrack my lower back was on fire and I lusted for the
smooth plush ride of my Spider back at home. The final climb was actually not bad on the singlespeed
at all. I was pretty whooped by the top of it last year on the geared bike and I was pretty whooped
this year too, but I got to the top quite a bit quicker. Lap for lap I was a couple of minutes
faster on the SS than I was on the geared bike last year even though I don't feel in any better
shape than last year. I squeezed out 5 laps and I felt totally humbled by the laps those kick a$$
solo folks did. The bottom line is I think the SS thing is hella lots-o-fun and I am going to giving
the legs some SS luvin, but I have no plans on chunking the Spider. I had toyed around with the idea
of racing a lap or two with the camera gear on but after my first lap I decided the hell with that.
I had also planned and catching some footage of people in the transition area, but after the first
lap I found myself just eating or resting between laps. Of well, here is the video of 99% pre ride
and 1% race at the Old Pueblo. www.mountainbikebill.com/videos/24NTOP-Web.mpg
Bill Porter www.mountainbikebill.com