Team Cavaliere 'Prologue'

Friday I got up early, looked outside into the damp, foggy landscape with a certain gleam in my eye that could only mean one thing.....I would be riding today and not working. Not that I dislike work, I like my job, I just like riding better. I felt so good about not having to go to work I went anyway. Funny how not having to do something makes it seem much less of a chore, so I put in about 45 minutes of "working for the man" time just prior to my sojourn to Raccoon Mountain. With a little bit of work behind me I set off to begin my weekend.

Yes, Friday was the first day of a long weekend of riding that would put me back in some semblance of shape in a mere three days. Yes, that's right, the three day training plan. The three day training plan, in case you are not aware, is the staple of the weekend warriors pursuit of mythical cycling performance. Here's how it works (or doesn't work), big race coming up, knock off early on the Friday the week prior to the race and ride like hell Friday thru Sunday and even squeeze in a mid-week recovery ride to make sure you are in top form to finish mid-pack in the Sport class. Then make a promise to yourself to actually do more or at least some training or riding (is there a difference?) so you will podium and possibly win a Maxxis Ardent 29er tire.

For more training tips consult someone who is a coach or at least actually trains. Now back to the riding.

I arrived early for our high noon rendezvous at Raccoon Mountain so I decided to suit up and go for a spin. The weather was very misty, or foggy, or whatever you want to call it when it is soaking wet outside but not raining. However the temperature was a balmy 64 degrees as I started to pedal out of the parking lot. I pointed the Tang Flavored Niner down a familiar albeit leafy trail from the East Overlook for a very fun start to my weekend of riding. After a while I decided I should go back to meet up with Team Cavaliere as this was there first taste of riding in this area and I did not want them to wander off where they might be prone to attack by the vicious deer that roam this mountain. I popped up on the road and started to head back until I discovered a new trail. Well, I didn't discover it in a Lewis and Clark sense, but rather saw a trail that someone has made and adorned with signage providing useful information like mileage, difficulty, a name, etc. So not exactly a discovery as much as a "oh look at this". It seems when I go to Raccoon Mountain I am almost always greeted with a new section of trail or in this case a new to me trail, or some new trail feature. SORBA Chattanooga is really working hard to fulfill their commitment to building 100 miles of trail within some predetermined distance of Chattanooga proper by circa 2010.

After having such a great time riding this newly discovered winding ribbon of leaves, pine needles and sand that headed in the opposite direction of our predetermined meeting location it was time to navigate back. As it was already time for us to meet at the East Overlook I needed a quick way back. Lucky for me there is a road that circumnavigates the big water filled hole in the ground that generates the electricity that keeps the bass bumping into the wee hours of the morning in big cities like Miami. When I finally made it back to the overlook breathing hard from my anaerobic road effort, "Team Cavaliere" was in full kit, staring at the map on the kiosk and obviously ready to ride.

Day 1 riding report, and maybe some pics, tomorrow.