Viking Cat update...

uh..oh...

Brute force mechanics

Final trim

Well, the Viking Cat is upon us in only two days...I did a "pre-run" with the help of Shawn Embree (he'll be selling information for the right price I'm sure). We rode out of the store at around 6:20 and did some modifications on the locations and the clues as we saw fit. Shawn made comments about what was good and what was bad which was very helpful. We obeyed traffic laws and rode at a leisurely speed. The time it took us to finish the course was about 1:45. This included an accessory failure on Shawns bike (a stunning retro Specialized Allez), when the toe overlap caused him to jam his front fender in his front wheel, luckily at slow speed. We ripped the fender off with the help of a pocket knife and brute force and kept riding. Given the casual speed and stops we made, I still think that the fastest racers will finish around the one hour mark.
I've noticed that some people feel a little intimidated by the race, but rest assure that it will be an easy ride. There will be lots of clues, which should even the playing field since there won't be long sprints between spots. Nobody needs to feel that they're not fast enough or that they don't have the right bike etc.
Again, I want to stress that this is a FUN event. Not so much about racing as it is about hanging out with like-minded people and friends and about reveling in the bike community. I'd like to see lots of people coming out, both guys and girls. So bring your better half with you and do the race together. Four eyes are better than two!