Personal collective of ideas, thoughts and notes
70 odd miles in Wilson creek in absolute deluge of rain …. without eye protection. Mistakes were made … I ended up stopping at the general store for any type of glasses, but nothing, Ole Betsy’s came through with some Minecraft kids glasses, but they were so clutch. he next 2 odd hours in the pouring rain was a joy after.
Another year of last minute travel booking – this time somewhat justified by me switching jobs. We had the difficult decision of Islands (Caribbean), Hawaii, West Coast or Europe. Italy was on the short list for the longest time, but due to some scheduling, the crowd anticipation, and the associated expense, we decided to do something closer to home and an adventure/island vacation was on the cards. Some ideation using Claude, we decided to conservatively dip our toes into doing a catamaran vacation exploring islands. Just 2 nights on a boat and 3 nights on land was the plan. I know I get seasick and due to that, I was very nervous that it was going to be a living hell on a boat for 6 days. We booked a casual charter to explore the British Virgin Islands, and then a subsequent 3 nights on a quiet area on the north east side of Tortola .called Long Bay.
Another fun year of a fast, hot and furious Woods Mountain MTB Race. The course was shortened compared to past years (I raced this in 2022, 2024 previously).
Not because of the trails, the distance or the events … just a memorable ride with 4 laps of the hulk training leaving from the beach and riding some greenway to get there 🙂
A nice weekend away with the family to Myrtle Beach for Charlottes last Club Volleyball tournament.
New beginnings at a new company.
Using elastics to keep your bike shoes attached to your pedals during T1 is standard practice in triathlon racing. It saves you from running in cleats, which is slippery and slow. The catch: setting up elastics at 4 AM on race morning is fiddly and cumbersome. They snap, they break, and the whole process is finicky right when you want stress-free prep. It’s an unnecessary stressor.
My idea: replace the elastics with a magnetically retractable cord. Think retractable key or badge reel, paired with magnets. Setup becomes nearly instant, and you can practice T1 transitions repeatably without rebuilding the rig every time.
After a few iterations, here’s the design I landed on. A small plastic enclosure mounts to the rear chainstay on either side of the bike. Inside is a retractable string with a magnet on the end, and your bike shoes carry a matching magnet on the heel. A torsion spring (with variable tension and string length depending on setup) holds the shoe in position parallel to the ground. As soon as you start pedaling, the magnet releases, and the string retracts back into the case.
A mate organized a golf trip to Southern Pines and was kind enough to schedule it during a open weekend where I could not say no … so after a 6 odd year hiatus of no golf, I jumped into a trip down to Southern Pines with 4 rounds of golf in 3 days. My game was rusty and the parts which were not great prior to me taking a break were worse than ever, but it was as such a blast. Great friends, great location made for great times!
Pine Needles, Mid Pines, Southern Pines and Tot Hill Farm
Just over 11 years at SAP and can’t be more grateful for what I had, and accomplished. It was a great run but I am looking forward to joining Wells Fargo and taking on a new challenge. I am going to miss the folks I worked with, but staying in the SAP ecosystem. I hope to see and chat to some familiar faces on the odd occasion, but from a slightly different customer perspective.
Onward 🚀
Some of my more memorable moments:
Another year back in Chattanooga, I knew I wanted to come back after the swim leg of the triathlon was cancelled in 2025, and I really enjoyed the course and the city.
My mom and I arrived on Friday afternoon after a beautiful drive through the Appalachian mountains and a short stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We stayed very close to the start/finish which was convenient since it was her first time attending an event like this. I stayed there the year before with Wes and it an absolutely prime location. Saturday after bike check in and info session I drove the bike course and did some sight seeing. We went up Lookout Mountain on the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (Steepest part is 75% gradient!) and had a short walk around Point Park. After multiple visits to Mellow Mushroom for carbs, race morning came pretty quick.
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