Fuck Giant....

 Yeah....still beating that drum.

FUCK GIANT BICYCLES. 

I really should be over this by now....but its still frustrating to no end. So yeah, you can say I am holding a grudge. Not only did I not achieve my goal of completing LJ100, but then I broke my frame and now don't have a mountain bike. So with registration opening soon I am going to take the gamble and sign up, with the hopes that I will be able to land a bike in the spring.

Main issue here is that Giant refused to honor their warranty. Well, partially. They made some stupid offer that would have cost me an additional $5500 to get into a functional bike. So thanks for that. I got a better offer from a rep from a different company. lol.

Second issue is....I can't drop that kind of coin on a bike right now. There are plenty of places with financing options, but I need to get thru January and see a few things. First, what bikes will even be available to buy in the spring. Secondly, will I even be able to afford something. 

I will let it go....eventually. But I swear I will never own another Giant for as long as I live....and I have owned a bunch....currently 3....one complete with a broken frame. Its bananas that their offer wasn't better.....

So where am I now. Sitting here watching the snow fly. I will ride in the basement. I will ride the fatty out in the snow. I will train with the intent that I will have a new mountain bike next year. There are so many options that I will be able to land something high end and in my affordability range. Here are some options:

Specialized Epic EVO. all the perks of the Epic with shock and fork that don't need to be serviced yearly. High end, big cost...but great bikes. My all time favorite bike was my Epic Expert that specially fell into my lap from Cross Country Cycle so many years ago. I rode that thing to death....then my son took over before he either sold it or it got stolen. Either way, I loved the bike and would love nothing more than to get back into a Specialized.

Canyon LUX world cup (or LUX trail) is another option. High end components on a proven winning bike. Price range is solid, and it has everything I would want. Right now the World Cup isn't available but the LUX trail is. The Trail has longer travel to take some of the abuse. Much like my Anthem SX, it has the race geometry with a bit more travel up front. Seems like a good choice.

Kona Hei Hei CR/DL is another affordable option. One drawback here would be that it doesn't have carbon wheels. As heavy as I am and as hard as I ride...and as spoiled as I have been.....I need/*want carbon wheels. So for the pricepoint, that is a hit. 

These are the main 3 I have been looking at. There is the Scott Spark, The KTM Scarp, the Niner RKT, the Cannondale Scalpel amongst others that I would consider. 

I won't really settle.....but it will have to be what is available this spring. So I find what is around and then I sort out how to pay for it. Hope my yearly review goes good ;)

That being said, training starts today. Will be getting on the trainer tonight and just doing what I can. Made it through the first holiday poorly eating everything I could find. Need to get through Christmas now. 

Clearly this topic isn't closed. There will be much more to come in the next couple of months. Just need to get it all sorted out so I can train on the bike I will riding for LJ100.....because I don't want it to be Albert....my 35lb fatbike. lol.

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving.

and by the way.....Giant....you can still suck it.

Where is your head.....

Here we are the day before Thanksgiving and I am mentally all over the place. Brain has gone from work to Thanksgiving to vacation to bills to family to what my potential raise will be at work to bikes to Lumberjack to family to Christmas to vacation to Red Wings tickets to Michigan football to vacation to bills to raises to holidays to family to bikes to what the hell am I doing here.....

Mentally.....checked the fuck out.

This is where I am right now. Short weeks are rough. Wondering if work will get busy makes it harder. And being in somewhat of an odd position and hoping for the best....its a very grey area for me. Of course, this time of year is kinda meh anyway.

Because of Covid aftermath I still don't really see my parents. That sucks. We all miss them, and I ask about plans and never really get an answer....so I stop asking. Just talk to them on the phone every few weeks. Its like we are across the country when we are only 90 minutes away. Strike.

Then...normal work stress. It comes and goes....but some things this year have made me wonder exactly what is going to happen. Won't really get into that....but its a lingering stressor. Strike.

Bills, sure I could blame inflation and the cost of living....but I have dug a hole. Bills are paid, but doesn't leave much for anything else. Strike.

This leads me to a new mountain bike. G really put a wrench in things by not honoring their warranty. This is where my year really tanked mentally. Riding stopped. Mentally tanked more. Overall, I am mentally doing pretty good....but the riding side of the mentality is where I think my biggest challenge has landed. I can deal with the rest.....

So I have to start over yet again. 

However, I am not really starting from the beginning. I am starting from where I am. That is a difference. We all know that we are on some type of journey to the end of our lives...and we can never go back to where we started. We can try to right the wrongs we have done. We can can try to fix those things that have ailed us. Modern medicine allows us to live longer lives than what we used to....all the time modern FDA regulations are allowing the world to shorten our lives with flavor. Its a weird place we live in....but where was I going?

The bike thing will sort itself out. I have a plan, but need to wait until the first domino falls in order to put the plan in motion. Fingers crossed the things come through the way they need to for that bike to be pat of my future. I am planning on attempting LJ100 again and it will be difficult if I don't have a bike to ride. So, nothing I can do now but dream about the bikes (notice I didn't say stress over it) and let the future unfold.

I signed up for Barry Roubaix again too, before it sold out. Crazy how fast an event that big sells out. So cool to see, and so cool to be part of. It will be another attempt at a rough 60 plus miles in the hills of Barry county. Another notch on the bike that needs to be achieved.

What else.....

Can you tell I am checked out? I can't even complete a thought. 

Just keep going, even if you have to start over. 

The plan.....the plan.....the plan....

 " Don't you just love it when a plan comes together" ~ Joker via Original Batman movie 1989

I failed.....that much is clear. We all do. My year was yet again a roller coaster. 

But looking back I was right where I wanted to be....for everything. Sure I had a terrible Barry-Roubaix because it was ten million degrees (IN APRIL) and I wasn't acclimated to the heat. Mentally I took a hit....and I tanked. I was just done that day. Takeaway....mental toughness wasn't there.

A few weeks after that....I started TOO early at Yankee and had nearly everyone pass me. As prepared as I was for that to happen....some people race like they drive....like assholes. And it was difficult to stay positive while getting run off the trail. The takeaway....just be faster and nobody will catch you. 

A while later I headed up to Grayling for the last Fun Promotions event ever, the Hanson Hills 50. The year before I had missed the cutoff, so I had the single goal of making the cutoff and then finishing. I made the cutoff. Even with taking a dump in the sand out in the boondocks...in front of people. lol. Thankfully it was a slow and funny crash...not a high speed spectacular body breaking event. But then I finished....and that is a rough race. But things were looking good. Takeaway.....keep trying.

When June it I knew I was getting close to the main race....the LJ100. I had 3 long events leading into LJ. Hanson 50, Dirty Donut, and Cowpie Classic. As I said before, Hanson was a win....but I took a pretty good hit again at Dirty Donut. Not sure why that event is so hard for me other than simply the heat. I finished, but slower than anticipated. Cow Pie was a great ride for me. I was so ready to be done, but I rode a decent race and didn't kill myself with LJ being the next weekend.

We trekked up to LJ...and everything was going fine until it wasn't. The frame breaking at mile 52 is where the train came off the rails. At that point.....I mentally tanked. I stopped riding. We moved into a new house. July was a super low month of miles. I did finish Fast Fitty in August but then riding stopped again. Fell off the wagon. 

Went 2 months without a ride. Lots of activity....just not riding. Stress levels good for the most part....just normal stuff. Just not riding my bike. But I did get my trainer set up. and I plan to ride outside Wednesday. baby steps.

The plan....will be to once again attempt the Lumberjack 100 in 2024. There are obstacles that I need to overcome. Mainly, I don't have a MTB right now. But I can ride my tank Fat bike if needed. lol. Other obstacles are a crazy busy year. There are graduations, dance competitions, along with some vacations and other events that we have planned. 

I did manage to get signed up for Barry-Roubaix before it sold out, so that is a start. I need to try the 62 mile course again....and accomplish the finish. That means I need to have a good winter of training and a very very good winter/spring of healthy eating. 

The plan....

...is to drop weight...

...is to get a bad ass mountain bike...

...is to finish the 62 mile Barry Roubaix course...

...is to finish Lumberjack 100...

....is to have 3650 miles...

...is to stay conistent...

...is to kick ass...

Who wants to come along for the ride?