Hello New Year...Whatcha got?

 It's 2014!....Sounds crazy to even say it...2014. I reckon it's normal for a fellow to sit back and take stock of the previous year and see what he's accomplished. In the same way a body can look forward to the new year and the challenge it might bring. So here we sit and I say 2014....whatcha got?
With that in mind I'm thinkin the TNGA. Well actually I didn't, this was my Ole buddy +Jason Byers Idea, but seein how I have a hard time backing down from a challenge I said, "count me in".

 What in the world is a TNGA? Well I'm glad you asked. The TNGA (Trans North GeorgiA) is a 350 mile mountain bike route through the mountains of North Georgia on trails, forest roads and paved roads featuring challenging terrain, beautiful scenery and over 56000 feet of climbing.....a self supporting adventure that starts at the South Carolina Border on Highway 28, east of Clayton Georgia, heads west and has nearly 9 days to follow the route to the Alabama border on Highway 20, west of Rome. The beauty of this beast is its simplicity. Load your bike with what you need to live for a few days ( food/water/shelter) then pedal, push, tote, carry or drag your bike to the Alabama border!.....the biggest challenge for me (being a big guy) will be gravity! 56,000 feet of climbing, let me say that again FIFTY SIX THOUSAND FEET....take a min to let that sink it .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................lets get a little comparison going cause I don't think you're gettin it.Mount Everest (the highest place on earth) is 29000 feet....an airplane cruses at around 36000 feet. That should give ya a little perspective on it....now that I really think about it I should prob train a little harder.

 I am not a professional cyclist, heck I'm not even an adequate cyclist, but what I do have are a particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. but what I do have is just enough stubbornness to maybe pull this off .This adventure may hurt me physically and meta-physically, but you know what they say, "if you're gonna be stupid, you'd better be tough!

Since my former bike was destroyed by a Tahoe, I will be training on an old beast till my new build is complete. It's 50lbs of good old American steel! Hard to break, and even harder to pedal.

the beast

 So for the next little while, if your lookin for me you'll find me doing this........

 actually it'll probably look more like this..............................................

 in the cold riding some  forest service road, dreaming about the thrill of victory....or the agony of defeat. Either way it'll be an epic challenge, preceded by some epic preparation. I hope you take the opportunity to challenge yourself soon, and I encourage you to stick with it, even when the "feeling" of excitement wears off. Get with it soon....time is-a wastin.

-saw em