A Broken Wheel And Some Singletrack: The Weekend Wrap Up

Mongo broke the rear wheel on my AC Hurricanes last Friday. I have to say that it was a long time coming. These wheels have seen it all. Potholes, railroad tracks, general abuse, and my fat ass have all contributed to the ultimate demise. A lesser set of wheels would have failed a long time ago, so I'm not too mad about the whole thing. As we speak, Mongo has the ball rolling on getting a new rim and the wheel re-laced. In the mean time, Mongo has borrowed a rear wheel from "The Only Good Wheels I Have Are Campy" Tom, and I'm good to go until the new wheel is built.

I didn't actually realize the wheel was broken until mere seconds before I was about to head out on Sunday morning. After a few moments of cursing and disbelief, Mongo decided not to ruin the whole day...so I dusted off the Cannondale, pumped up the tires and the Headshok, and headed out to the local singletrack.

After five fast'ish loops around the course in succession, I was close to passing out. The high intensity, short bursts of power needed on this course do "not" suit Mongo. Add to this the inability to do two of my favorite things on a bike, coast and not pay attention, and my mental focus and physical exertion finally got the best of me. But...I never crashed or put a foot down. Mongo really does have fun on my mountain bike, but I also have the most uncomfortable saddle in the world on it, so I end up paying the price in the taint area for several days afterwards.