Gerry Pflug Does NOT Eat People

I came to find out this past week that someone wrote a blog about me. If you did not get a chance to read it, checkout this blog here. The poster of the blog, Rich Dillen, is a single speed brethren, but not someone I can say that I actually know. After reading the blog, I figured it would be best to tell everyone not to be afraid of me; I do not eat people.

I think most people reading Rich's Blog probably do realize that I am not all he claims me to be. Man, I wish I was that strong, but, like everyone else, I have weaknesses. And, after this past Saturday's WVMBA Big Bear Ultra MTB Race, I certainly do not feel as strong as I am portrayed in Rich's Blog.

Let me just start by saying that I need to be a little bit more honest with myself when it comes time to rest. All week after the Wilderness 101 I felt tired. I took Sunday after the 101 off, but rode the rest of the week. I did not do anything too long or hard, thinking that this would rest me up a bit to do Big Bear. By Friday, I was still tired, but thought I would be good enough to do another long race. I can tell you now that the race is over that I should have been smart like Jason M. and did a long ride at 7 Springs instead.

I really did not do all that badly at the nearly 50 mile long Big Bear Race, finishing 5th overall and as the 2nd single speed racer, but my legs felt like crap during the entire race. I didn't make things much better during the race either when a few miles into the race I went over the bars and smacked my knee into my stem. Damn, that hurts! The darn thing bugged me for the rest of the race and still feels a little tight today, as do my legs in general.

Sorry to bitch so much about my tired legs...but, you would think, by now, I would figure out when I should take a weekend off from racing and rest. Or, at least be smart enough not to do a super hard race like Big Bear, when I need a break. Thing is, I like to race and it is hard for me not to race. I must admit that the trails at Big Bear were sweet. The network of trails there is amazing and they are by far some of the most technical around. At certain points during the race, I was not sure if I was riding on a XXC course or a closed trails course. Yes, some of the technical stuff was that sick! The technical nature of the trails certainly made time go by quickly for the 4.5 hours I was out there., thank goodness.

Even though I felt pretty tired from Big Bear, I still decided to ride today. Instead of riding the 29er, though, I took out my super light weight racing cross machine. Man, does that thing fly! I rode it over to my hometown cross course, Mammoth Park, and did a loop there before riding home. By the time I did the ride, it was in the peak heat of the day. I figured I better try riding in some super hot weather before heading down to my next 100 miler in Georgia, the Fool's Gold NUE Series Race. The heat did not bother me too much today and I do think that my legs loosened up a bit from the ride.

I think after doing Fool's Gold this coming weekend and the Shenandoah 100 in a few weeks, I will be ready to pack the mountain bike away for a bit. I am getting the cyclocross itch in a bad way right now. How nice it will be to race for like 45-60 minutes instead of 8 hours. Funny thing about bike racing is that no matter how long or short the race is, they all still hurt. Yes, Rich Dillen, I do hurt when I race....sometimes a lot. Happy Trails - Gerry