Crushed but Not Defeated

Today we are not gonna be defeated. Last week, or the week before, we attempted a 100-mile mountain biking ride in Pisgah. We didn't make it. We're gonna drop Austin's car at the end. We're gonna take my truck to the beginning and we're gonna beat the trail. Yeah, we're gonna beat the beast that threw you out. I don't think he call it, but I don't have to call it for him. Do you have enough in your knees to get back? Okay. How's your knees? Doing good, feeling fresh. The knees— been doing exercises— stopped us last time. You're doing knees over toes now? Yep, knees over toes. It got me off painkillers for my knees while deeper strengthening kept me off and built me from there, but I never stopped going backward. Okay, we've been doing— that's old man, you gotta do knees over toes. You know, we talked about whether or not I was a part of the, the old group or the younger group. I think I'm a part of the old group now. We're gonna get you to the young group. Aren't we? Got knees over toes. Yeah, let's go beat this thing. Austin had to drop out on day 2. We vastly underestimated the difficulty of this thing. We're not gonna let a speed-up beat us, and part of this is we're gonna do it again next year, the whole 100. We're gonna train, we're gonna get a feel for the trails, the trails we'll be riding. But 3 out of 5 of us finished to the 50-mile mark this year, and that felt like a finish. We got to get Austin and Jonah across that line too. So today it's Austin dropping the truck here at the bottom. Is it the bottom or is it the top? It's the bottom. We're pretty much dropping ourselves at the bottom and biking up. You know, usually bikers do it the other way. Well, we have no idea what we're doing. They drop the trucks off at the top of the mountain. Going hard today. We've got purpose. Yeah. You know, boys, before we were just kind of putzing around in the woods. So I just asked him in the interview, why are we doing this? And he said, why are we? Why are we doing it? I don't know. 100 miles. I still don't know. Well, today, so we're not defeated. That's right. We're doing this today so that we can train for that 100 miles. That means we're going hard. We're going long and hard. We're going twice as long as we normally do in our monthly rides, and we're gonna go hard as we can. I got an idea. Okay. I feel like maybe part of the storyline for our Banff Film Festival submission is that we're trying to— we're making them— you know how I'm always saying we're not out here milking cows, we're making a movie about milking cows? Yeah. But we're not out here doing the Pisgah 100, the Blank Panther, we're making a movie about it. It can be this idea that I've been going to the Banff Film Festival for 20 years and I've always thought in the back of my head that I should have a movie in that someday. We think we have enough for a movie and then we realize the deadline's over. This is another idea I have, Austin. Let's make a movie of our 50 miles. We can add this in it. Okay, that you and Jonah finish the second happy ending for this first documentary, okay? And then let's actually do it. Let's do a screening. And let's try to get a screening at Brevard College where we're gonna have, hopefully one day, have our film in the real film festival, right? Let's invite people. So Austin, this is— Rebecca picked you up, drove you down this road. Did it feel good? Or did it feel terrible? It was a mixture of— It felt good in a sense of I wasn't biking anymore. But it was defeating for sure. Mentally it was defeating. We were just reading the ugly comments on the videos we put out and somebody said, "Not for me." And then I said, yeah, it wasn't for me either. Every one of us got on there and said, well, I guess it wasn't for me. Yeah, almost to the trailhead. It's uphill, guys. That means we get to go down. Yeah, no, I don't trust that comment anymore. I know y'all kept saying we got to go down. I know, right? I don't think you have to go downhill. One of these apps, I think that OnX one you sent me, yeah, it said how many elevations you went up and then how the elevation went down, and it was uneven. Yeah, yeah, probably to the Okay, is this weird? Being where we were, we were so much more tired. We came down that— those crazy packs. We're learning so much with crazy bike racks. This next year, we're not— we're not doing bike racks. There was so much we couldn't go up and down just because we had racks. What we're gonna do— pack lighter. There's— there's little packs that can attach to your seat. We're gonna have this, what I call a triangle pack. And I noticed a lot of bikepackers put more, more of their stuff on their handlebars, which makes sense. And then we have our CamelBaks. We could get CamelBak backpacks if we have to. I've never seen these boys so excited to go riding. You guys are feeling a sense of purpose. The idea is we aren't out here mountain biking, we're out here making a movie about mountain biking. We're gonna get some pickup shots for the documentary we're making. We're off, boys are jonesing. We were thirsty right about here, weren't we? Yeah. I've never been so thirsty. We are not going to make it if I let us get that thirsty again. I ain't gonna let that happen again. We'd been 8 miles of like with no water. Just so you get this video of us making a video. Super meta. Austin, I became first concerned about you. You came down this. I don't know if you threw down your bike. Pretty sure we had to walk this rock section because our bikes were so loaded, and this time we're having fun riding through them. Second mistake of my trip: I camped under these, what they call widowmakers. Thought I had the best hammock spot, and then everybody pointed out to me that these, these trees are dead. The people in the comments have let me know that has legitimately killed people. You have one that fell? Where did Sam sleep? What? I don't know if that'd kill somebody, but I slept right here. Might wake them up. Hey, how are your knees holding up? Good. I tried these. Are you sure? Maybe these will compress a little bit. Okay. All right, this is the second camp not on my GPS map, but so much better. No dead trees, more trees to hang hammock. All right, are we gonna get a shot of us riding this bridge for the movie? Okay. Bunch of meta shots here. I'll film Austin filming me, and he's filming me film him. Cameraman's bouncing around. If you ever want to see what it's like to make an adventure movie, he's bouncing around. His camera is significantly more heavier than this phone. Austin, grab a shot under the bridge looking up through that crack. Oh no, come on! Oh, that's You can't do it? The step's missing. That would be really sketchy, but no one necessarily— You want me to show you how to do it? You're going to have to go fast. This is going to end out bad. There it is. Where'd you get them skills? Stay laid back. 15 years ago, I used to do this with my buds. They call me the Birdman, making the impossible possible. So the trick is, this is kind of up, you can get caught on it, so you need some speed and you need to be laying way back. To show you how to do it. Oh, oh, he did it! Woo! You going to do it? Yeah. He's like, yeah, so it won't be any worse than what Austin did. Whoa, get some speed! You got those high handlebars, that should help. What's wrong? My tires. What? This bolt right here is not on. This used to be tight. It's gone? No, it's on. Dude, this trail is going to be the bane. We're almost to where you had to drop and you're having bike problems. We will walk this trail if we have to right now. Go through it like you don't care, but you do. Like you're frustrated and over it. Let me stop smiling. John and I lifted up our seats right here. Probably just— that does not need to be this far from us. They won't stay stiff. Cable, is that supposed to be out like that? I doubt it. Lower it back down, otherwise we're going to be riding like this, like a BMXer. So apparently we went too high up on these. We wanted a little more seat height for cranking up the hills. We're getting experience right now. We know what we can do and not do. We'll have to ask REI to help us fix this stuff. My shifter screw came out. Oh no, look, is it still there? It's gone. There's one still in there, so I just need to tighten that one. This one came off, that's right here, but there's one right here and I want to tighten it. Dang, dang, Boy Scout, you're the most prepared. I just fell back at the creek, so you got wet anyway. We're mountain people. You're mountain people. What's going on? Uh, body's aching a little bit, but starting to feel that pain again in the knee. Giving it a second. Also got to poop, but it's making me— I can get rid of one, one easy. You can get rid of one distraction. Well, I'm also like constipated, so— you know how much more this hill? No, I know this is the hardest part. In the back? No, in the front this time. There's something— I don't know if it's the wheel or the— hopefully that just needs tightened. Uh-oh, that's not even Something. Your ball bearings. Is your brake still working? Yeah. So would you rather you, your body fail, or the bike fail? I'd rather my bike fail. Well, I don't know. Right. Well, is your brake still working? Yeah. All right, let's hope it gets us out of here. Are you kidding me? That's the gnarly part. What's going on? You fell, fell? Just a mishap or being tired? Just mishap. I feel fine. This shows how gnarly these trails are. I don't know if— uh, it could have been that wheel, huh? Did it cause a wreck? I don't know if it caused a wreck, but it's an issue that's gonna happen. We're averaging 2 miles an hour with these climbs, these single tracks, the problems with filming. 7 miles in, we've got 9 miles to go. Hey, are we gonna finish this at 6 o'clock or what? I thought we'd be done at 2. It's 1. Talking about how late we're gonna be. Hey, we're making a movie about riding them bikes in the woods. Dude, you all right? Yeah. How'd you fall? Slipped off the side. It's a long way when you fall off the bike. Yeah, down. He got caught on this root and then he went up, went over backwards. Is your seat okay? Yeah, it's rideable. It's just broken. What do you mean broken? Look. Oh, okay, okay. All right, I made it. Maybe. A quarter of a mile and the seat fell off. Does it stretch and pull on? It should, but we can't stretch it from— ready? Yeah, okay, pull on it. Oh, you're like not even close. What the heck? You almost caught it. So close. Almost got it. It's so hard. It's like— Papa, you're like so close. Austin, get on one end. Papa, get on there, then act like you're fighting for a chocolate bar. Much later. See if it doesn't rub your legs. Does it not rub your legs? Doesn't rub all that, but it's Fine. Bike broke. A lot of problems. Oh wow, but showing how hard this is. Oh, and this bolt is hanging wide out. Okay, so it's not even on. So that— hopefully you haven't lost the other end. It's gone. Should be good. Austin's doing a lot better this time. He's actually even stopped and initiated filming. We're gonna wait a minute on Austin. We're where Jonah got sick. I thought we just might have to feel like this. How do you feel today compared to how you felt then? I feel a lot better, yeah. Yeah, like on 1 to 10, 10 being supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Like 2, 2 or 3. You felt a 2 when you were sick? No, no. How did you feel when you were sick? A 7. Feel just as good now as you were sick? Oh no, I felt a 2. I feel 2 now. You've got it backwards. But okay. No, you have a background. 10 is great. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I guess you need to watch Mary Poppins. That'd be a 10, like exciting, feel great, on top of the world. Like 9, 8, 9. All right, and then the day you were sick? 2 or 3. You have any regrets? No, I don't really have any regrets because I couldn't help it. I was just sick. Looking back now, you think you could have kept on? What's going on, Austin? Energy's gone. My knee is hurting from the climb. I'm starting to cramp. Where's your banana? I didn't bring a banana this time. Monkeys never cramp, bro. Monkey never cramp because monkey every day bananas. I got a sharp pain going on in my neck. It's hurting. You are out of water? It's a little bit. I'm trying to conserve it so I can at least have a sip when I'm done. You don't have any at the truck? Nope. Rebecca's starting to make dinner. She said that's what's keeping me going right now. Cheese dip, sweet tea, steak fajitas from the steers we just harvested, onions, peppers from the farm, tortillas, bean dip. No rules tonight. And off they go. I got the shot for the documentary camera. Forgot to get the shot on the iPhone. Austin made it. He conquered his beast. Proud of him. I wasn't sure I'd ever see him on the trail again. Is that good water? Austin, you don't even care. You need to stop, Austin. No, I mean, I don't know. But a week and a half later, he did it. He beat the section that got him last time. We made it off the mountain. Get a little refresher. We are back home. It's been a long day. Burn It Up Cooking Show, I love it. This is a farm fresh meal, I tell you. Heck yeah, look at this pot of cheese. I fell off and slid down not far, but then a minute later— You should have told me that. He like fell. He went over backwards. How many feet deep was this? Could you have died? I could die walking down those steps. Driving home. Yeah. Home run back. I know, I'm really excited. Hey, this is what got the old man through. I know. You forgot. This Mexican meal and this southern sweet tea. I have to say, sweetened with honey. I remember when we would go to Mexican restaurants, this was one of our favorites, is ordering mojitos. Oh yeah. So I've been looking forward to this as well. This old woman has been too. Yeah, look at this. We're gonna be pretty close in 2 weeks, next bike ride, and I'll be in the house. Thank you, Lily. It's Friday night movie night. Dinner and a movie. National Treasure 2. The movie was great. Was the movie great? That was fun. I'm glad we did that. It's been like a super fun day. So if you think I killed them on the trail, they actually beat me on the trail, and they're actually begging me to stay up. What are you guys gonna do, watch the Olympics? What are you gonna watch? Sea Boys? Whistling Diesel? I think those might be their two favorites. You'll watch Fails, won't you? Yeah. Oh my gosh, those are the new Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live? What is that about? The heck? They need a little more cowbell. She just lets us clean up so fast. Y'all still haven't showered. Yeah. Goodness, are you not sticky? No, my sweat dries up. All right. Oh, I know what you guys should watch. Mary Poppins. No. Since you didn't know Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Let's see what's on your feed. This is fun. Okay. What are we gonna watch? Have you watched all these? No, a lot of them are just boring. How can you tell they're boring? The thumbnails. I don't know. Thumbnails says a lot, folks. You should watch this. You should watch Nick Bare. He beats himself up like we do. Oh, you're gonna go for it. All right. I think sometimes people think that we push our physical bodies just to break it down in an effort to see what it can handle. Well, Nick Bare didn't last long. I tried. Johannes Whibner? I have no idea, I just saw that. He's about to jump a roof. Don't get any ideas. It's too late.