Post #5 - $530 down $3970 to go & Trail Dogs

I hit a good milestone in my fundraising this week. Passed the $500 mark. So I've got just under $4,000 left to go... So if I break it down into dollars per mile:

4,109 miles to ride

$4,500 to raise

4,500/4,109 = 1.0951569724993915794597225602336 dollars per mile

We'll just round it to $1.10 per mile

I've got $530 raised so far, so ---> 530/1.10=481 miles covered!

So I've got about 12% of my miles covered! I'm getting there, slowly, but surely.

Now if it would quit raining for a while I'd be able to get some time on the bike. I've gotten several muddy mountain rides in lately, but I'd love to get in a road ride soon.

I want a trail dog real real bad. The idea of always having a riding buddy that's just ready to go is just awesome. Check out these pics and tell me that having a trail dog wouldn't be awesome!!

I want that dog!! She is stinkin' beautiful.

Tell me that dog isn't happy!

No explanation needed for the level of awesomeness in this picture.

This dude has 2 trail dogs?? I'm pretty sure that's cheating.

Rusty Dog, RIP - My buddy's old trail dog.

When I get back in August I am going to find me a trail dog. I can't wait!

Post #4 - Oak Mountain Saturday & Horses Sunday

Man, we had some awesome weather this weekend. Saturday was perfect for riding. I met up with a couple of my buddies after work Saturday morning and we headed up to Oak Mountain State Park for some mountain biking. I love Oak Mountain. It is one of the best places in Alabama to ride. They've got some new trails up there that I was anxious to check out.

From Barrett's Bike & Build Journey

Getting Ready in the Parking Lot

The trail I was most stoked to check out was the Flow Trail. Its a jump trail that is super fun. I'd seen videos of it, but they really don't do it justice. It's like a baby A-line style trail. It's a little more narrow and it's got a small climb in the middle, but man it is fun. I can't wait to session it next time I'm up there. We were in a bit of a hurry to finish the trail so we only took one run this time. Check out this video that someone made...

There are two new trails at the top of the big climb at Oak Mountain that are awesome. They're slow, techy, and super fun. They wore me out. Here's a picture of Jeremy rolling a big boulder.

From Barrett's Bike & Build Journey

I got in a little bit of alternative training on Sunday... I rode a horse. I haven't really ridden horse a whole lot in my life. I have ridden with Letitia on her horses a couple of times, and every time I've been sore in muscles I didn't know I had. I thought I'd be alright today, but nope, still a little sore. I'm hoping this helps me out when I'm 80 miles into a 100 mile ride this summer. Who knows. But I will say Letitia's phone got the worst of our ride...

From Barrett's Bike & Build Journey

Post #3 - Ain't Scared of a Little Mud!!

So we had thunderstorms yesterday. Yeah, thunderstorms in January. Pretty weird. Anyway I managed to get out on the new mountain bike today. This is only my third or fourth ride on the bike, and I'm starting to get a good feel for it. I'm a little weird about getting used to new stuff on my bike, let alone a whole new bike. I'll probably come up with a post solely about that bike at some point once I have a good opinion formed on it.

So yeah, rode for an hour and a half or so at Sportsmans Lake. Nice twisty singletrack that has you going up or down at all times, but the longest climb is only like four minutes. Had a good time sliding around in the muck.

From Barrett's Bike & Build Journey

What shoes to wear??? I'm picky about bike stuff. So my brain is going full time on trying to figure out stuff for this summer. Whatever I choose I am pretty much going to be using for 4100 miles, that's a long time if you don't like something. So I've at least settled on the fact that I will be using mountain bike pedals. The reason being that mountain bike shoes have a recessed cleat in the shoe that makes them easier to walk around in. My personal dilemma is do I wear my shoes that I have (race shoes, very stiff sole, snug fit) , or do I get a shoe that has a more flexible sole that would probably be a little more comfortable? I guess I need to put mountain pedals on my road bike and see how they feel on a long hard ride?

From Barrett's Bike & Build Journey

Post #2 - 65 Degrees in January, wait... what?

Managed to actually get a decent road bike ride in today. It was the best possible weather you could ask for. I have the distinct advantage of working for a buddy of mine who loves to ride, so we took off after lunch and got in about 21 miles. Not too bad for a lunch ride. I've just got to make sure to take advantage of weather like this when I get it, because its gonna be cold and rainy again real soon...

Post #1 - Getting Started

What up.

So this is my first blog post. The idea behind this blog is to help keep everyone updated on how everything is going as far as training, fundraising, and eventually about riding coast to coast. So let's go...

Check out my B&B Bio: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/5556

It helps explain who I am and why I feel like its a good idea to ride 4100 miles with a bunch of strangers raising money for affordable housing. It also has a handy "Donate" button that you can click. Any amount is appreciated (and tax deductable!). Check out B&B's website (www.bikeandbuild.org) for any more information or send me an email (barrett.hoover9@gmail.com).

Now for the normal blog stuff:

Last night was my first time on the road bike in 2012, and it was on the trainer. I really hate riding on the trainer, but it is a necessary evil. I only rode for about 45 minutes. On the plus side my Dad has all the movie channels, which is nice. I had aspirations of mountain biking before work this morning, but something about my bed being warm and it being cold outside kind of messed me up. I will get better about it though.