| EAST COAST SPEEDBALLS GO GNCC RACING JUNE 29 , 2002 |
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| MOUNTAIN TOP VIEW |
| EAST COAST SPEEDBALLS NEWSLETTER Its early AM Friday morning as struggle to remain asleep , but the sound of a muffled chain saw ( wife snoring ), the kink in my back & the sharp pain in my bloated kidneys finally roust me from beneath the confines of my warm bed. As I struggle to get my bearings in the dark , the alarm clock beams out the ugly truth that once again I failed to get the required sleep I so desperately needed for the long trip & busy day ahead. Within 25 minutes, the Tahoe , Trailer ( 400ex enclosed) & I are headed north towards the beginning of another " GREAT ADVENTURE ". After topping off the gas tank at our local Exxon station , SPEEDY RACER turns on the radio & jams to some light "rock " & after a few hours the sign for Cumberland, Md. stares out from the early morning sunrise. Not having ridden for three whole weeks , its time to put in 40 or 50 miles to get this AARP body limbered up & my reflexes functioning once again. The rest of the SPEEDBALLS aren't due at Wisp Ski Resort to sign in & register for tommorrows race until late this afternoon, so off to Hyndman, Pa. & Wills Mountain to exercise & get my 400ex set up for tommorrow. By 7:00am the 400ex is warmed up & SPEEDY RACER cruises along the RxR service road & before long is headed upwards , traversing the side of Wills Mountain at a pretty good pace on a fairly rocky trail , to see if shock & tire pressure are properly set for the rough terrain we are most likely to encounter in the mountains of Western Maryland. About two thirds of the way up, I'm just getting in a pretty good rythm when I round a curve in the trail & a " BIG BLACK BEAR " is ambling down the trail in my general direction! By the time we both STOP , no more than 75 feet seperate the two of us! Almost on cue , we both do an about face & haul ASS in the opposite direction ! Once safely at the bottom of Wills Mountain , its time to do some fast paced riding along the elevated whoop filled RxR service road. After about an hour or two of this I head back towards Hyndman, Pa. at a decent pace , when I am started by the LOUD " BLAST " from a freight train's horn as the engineer & train pull along side & begin to pass me ! OH BOY!!!!!! Something to RACE!!!!!!! HA! HA! |