Show me mean face

Doesn't really matter how much you trained for SM100, you still have to line up next to Qwadsworth, or behind Qwadsworth, or within earshot of Qwadsworth, or within view of his enormous legs, and that will pretty much make you act like this:

It's a little disconcerting.  But it's just the nature of racing bikes.  There's one start line for all of us.

After that, though, you're in luck...you won't have to see him again.  So settle in as soon as you can, try to get a sammich early, and hold back the panic until you really need it, which is right at Aid #5 when that pizza is looking at you as much as you're looking at it.  (Don't let it touch you.)

Remember: You have done the training.  You have a plan.  Just go out, execute it, and have fun.  And try not to ride using your face.

The good news is that the Hurricane that never was, Erika, has pretty much mailed it in, and the weather in Stokesville on Sunday looks downright perfect.  For most of us, this is good news, but I'm actually a little disappointed simply because I liked my man C-ham's odds of winning the whole thing in an outright Hurricane.  Like a huge night ride, but darker.  But I guess his loss is the rest of our gain.

I've written at length in the past about SM100 week, and how it changed my life a decade ago, and how much it means to me and what not, so I won't rehash that here, but rest assured I'm in full on nostalgia mode.

This will be my 10th MTB 100 mile race.  That's 7 SM100, 2 W101s, and 1 Cohutta.  You'd think after all those miles I'd have something useful to say about it, advice or whatever, but no, indeed, I have very little other than this:

Get to the finish.  It's worth it.  

See you Sunday.

Up, up, up.