Maybe that was a bad idea....

I guess I got a little over confident with my rib doing well riding on the road and trainer. I opted for the new SS ride this Saturday. Partly because it's new and I wanted to ride it and partly because I signed up for the 6 hours of Warrior Creek in the solo SS class. I'll talk more about the Warrior Creek race later this week. So I roll out to Sherman Branch to meet my homies for some twisty singletrack nirvana. John and I head out for a warm up while we wait for the other Jon to get there. As soon as we hit dirt,I knew right away- Shit, this is gonna be  tough and I'll certainly pay for it later. At least I had a nice new bike to ride.

Every root, bump, and dip felt like someone was prying my rib out with a screwdriver. It hurt to stand up and it hurt even more to stand up to pedal. Not a good combination on a SS as you have to stand up more then on a geared bike. I was running a 32/19 gear ratio which would usually be right on the $$$, but considering it has been a long time since I rode a SS and my rib issue - it might be a long day. I was starting to think about other sports I could be doing that might not bother my rib so much. Maybe I can break into Segway racing? I already have the helmet, do you think I could make this dangerous somehow?

After a good 30 minute warm-up we head back to the parking lot to meet the other Jon. I popped a couple 500mg Tylenol and decided I was gonna suck it up. One thing I noticed during my warm-up, or actually didn't notice was how great the new Niner turned. I say didn't notice because I never had to think about it. Friggin' bike was dialed, it was just point and shoot. I wondered before my ride how it would do. I have only ridden Trek 29ers until now and was used to their geomotry. I was really happy with how the Niner handled. Sherman is really twisty and a good place to test out cornering. The boys and I were ripping in no time. Railing tight, twisty singletrack is the best way to not think about how bad your rib hurts. I built in a little safety cushion and didn't push the pace to much as I'm in a no crash kinda situation. Didn't want to end up on the floor

So overall I was pleased with just getting thru the ride. Two good hours on the SS! I did set myself back a little, but that's what pain killers/muscle relaxers are for and I'll live.