shortest way to do 100K

BikeAsia 2008 was in Singapore a few weeks ago and as part of it, there was a 100K mountain bike race. I entered with one of my coworkers, of course not expecting to even come close to winning. ... and actually we didn't! But it was a lot of fun. 100K race, 10 laps on the course, and a time limit of 9 hours. So it's definitely possible to do- it's just really long, and we were splittin it between the two of us. There was also a solo category but needless to say we weren't interested in that.The Course: 1 lap. It looks a little crazy, and it is. It's about a 1 square km area, but with all the twists and turns it made a 10K lap. 10 laps to finish the race.

The race started at 8am, and after 4 hours we had finished 6 laps but just then storm clouds rolled in and a lightning storm started up very fast. The organizers were forced to call the race on account of the lightning (I was told they are very particular about lighting since it's so common here and people do get struck by lightning here, I've heard a couple people a year get stuck). So the race got canceled but they rulled that every team that had finished 5 laps would be considered finishers.... so we got finisher's medals. I have no idea where we placed overall but we didn't win any money.
The course was very muddy and it really got everywhere. about half the couse was exposed and the other half was riding through jungle trails...full of all the mud
After the race, with our bikes and our clothes sprayed clean

Solana Beach shark attack

A man was attacked and killed by what's believed to be a great white shark about a mile from where I used to live in Solana Beach, CA (city's website). The man was swimming just off the coast, training for a triathlon, when the attack occurred. Though it's very rare for this kind of shark attack- or any shark attack- in San Diego, it's still scary to think about. I've been swimming at that same location and with the ocean you just never know what's under you in the water below.

Logically, I know the chances of being attacked by a shark are very low. Lower than a car accident for sure (despite all the 90+ year old cab drivers here half asleep at the wheel) or lower than being struck by lightning(although Singapore does has the most lightning strikes every day than anywhere else in the world). But neither of those ideas bother me as much as actually being eaten alive, especially in the water since it feels you're out of your natural element and can't escape as easily; I'm much less afraid of being eaten by a bear or a tiger than by a shark for some reason (The last wild tiger in Singapore was shot and killed in the 1930s but there are still wild tigers in Malaysia). I still go swimming in the ocean though.

So this will give me something to think about the next time I'm in the water... which will be in 4 days when I'm scuba diving off Lombok, Indonesia, in the Gili Islands. I guess the alternative is always to stay out of the water and head a few islands over to Komodo... you know, the same one that's full of Komodo Dragons. I wonder which has the higher probability- eaten by a shark or eaten by a Komodo dragon.

Fixed Gear

I picked up my new bike from the shop today. Actually it's not exactly new- I had found an old '76 Raleigh Team Profesional racing frame from a small local shop and had them build it out as a fixed gear. The frame's finish is pretty worn and scratched but it has some character vs a new frame. I wanted to keep a retro look to match the frame so I got gold wheels and chain, drop handle bar, white tires and leather seat. Now I just have to learn how to ride a fixed gear bike.