Alabama Slama!

I figured out one thing. I'm a roadie!

But, know this. I won't miss another Alabama Slama. It was a blast. Roadie or mountain biker, it was worth the trip.

We arrived around noon on Friday afternoon. After hanging out for a while, we did a night ride up the fire road to the top of Oak Mountain. I thought I was doing pretty good at first. I took off like I knew what I was doing. It got steeper and steeper. I suffered up one of the first pitches. After that, I was done. I was looking for more gears but I had "1FG". I was walking man!

I was so glad to see the top! The ride down was fantastic.

Saturday morning, it's time for the Slama. It's a one lap free for all. I heard it was a great race. I ended up walking up the steep pitches again. Most of the crowd rode away. I made it to the top. Several things went through my mind. 1) I could turn around and go back to the camp or 2) I could press on. Press on I did!

At this point, it was your basic solo MTB ride. Most of the time, I rode like an 80 year old grandma. Other times, I walked.

Just when I was starting to get comfortable, I broke a chain. Not only did I break a chain, I was about as far away from the camp as I could get.

Hey, it was a great day for a walk. I ended up walking about 4 miles. Luckily, one of the guys rode back to camp to get his truck.

Over the course of my walk, almost every bike rider that passed by offered to help. It was great to see how much bike riders are willing to lend a helping hand.

I'll be back. Next year I plan to complete the course!