Strong AR

We had a nice weekend up in Tennessee where Chris raced the Strong AR with Kim and Goble. I had meant to ride around and take pictures of them on the bike, but they ended up moving faster than I predicted so I missed them and ended up never seeing them on the bike.

I did manage to get in a good ride on the Big Frog Loop, where I saw 2 bears...one of which I nearly collided with coming around a corner on a downhill. He heard me coming down the road and was trying to get away, but ended up running across the road right in front of me. Thankfully I wasn't going super fast and my brakes work well! Always lots of wildlife up near the Big Frog Wilderness, but I was happy once I made it back to the main FS roads where the racers were riding..just to scare off any other bears and boars that happened to be hanging around. Did I mention I really don't like boars?

Chris and his team did well, although a somewhat conservative approach on some of the bike points cost them time that took them out of contention for the win. They still finished 3rd among some stout competition though, so it was still a good showing for them and they took home some cash for their efforts.

We spent Saturday night in Etowah, TN at Kim's parent's cabin, which was nice and peaceful. Sunday we just lounged around, dried gear, and consumed calories.

Now that the race is over and I am in my 37th week, I am going to start my 5 mile a day hiking regimen (on my non-bike ride days). Hopefully all that walking around will spur some action and the little kicker can make her appearance a couple of weeks early!