Plan B = Super D

For the past 718.5 days (yes I count the days) I've been plagued by overuse injuries in my left knee. The good news is that after tons of physical therapy, 3 dimensional bike fits, hours of IT band rolling, cortisone shots, and even surgery I've found something that has very, very slowly yielded an improvement in my knee pain and ability to ride. My latest approach has been through applied kinesiology and it's given me positive results. That's not to say the Durango 100, 24 Hour Duo Pro or Solo races are in my near future, but I can ride a couple times a week with minimal pain.

I'm super grateful to be in the saddle period, but I my competitive side just isn't satisfied with schooling the "gapers" (that's Alex slang for slow riders) on the bike path. Cross country (XC) racing is still a bit much for me, but a relatively new type of racing called Super D might be right up my alley. I've never been a natural climber, but consider myself a natural descender. All the BMX riding I did as a kid translated well into mountain biking and over the years I have honed my tech skills. That complimented with an aggressive nature and suppression of fear equals more speed on the downhills. Super D could be considered a cross between XC and downhill racing. They are relatively short races and don't feature a lot of climbing which should help keep my swelling down. I plan on using my old race bike outfitted with a higher travel fork and more stout wheels. Here's before and after pics and the new shock and wheels.

















I also added a new drivetrain for smoother shifting and reliability, a bigger front brake disc for improved stopping power, and new tires.











It took many days, trips to the store, some tuning from Doug, and understanding from Jo for hours spent in the garage to get the new rig built up, but it's finally done. I'm not sure when my first race will be (I've never even seen a Super D race before) and don't plan on having stellar results, but I do plan on having fun, which is the most important thing in mountain bike racing!