Since my move back to the land of vacations and taxes, otherwise known as Maine (of course when you live here you don't get to take vacations as you always have to work to pay the taxes), I've been lacking in quality trails right out the back door. I'll admit I was pretty spoiled over in Conway with Davis Hill out the back door and the great trails of Peaked, Sticks and Stones, and Cedar Creek all within riding distance of the house. Of course in Conway there is also a very large riding community, but over here in Bridgton there seems to be a large contingent of people working far too much just so they can pay their taxes.
What this has meant is that there are many trails that are overgrown or places where a trail should just appear. I keep thinking that will happen, but alas it has not.
That has meant a bit of picking away at some sections of trails that needed to be cleared and this week it has meant a bit more flagging, raking, cutting, and moving things like downed trees and rocks. I'm making a bit of progress and now have a couple of good loops (short, but fun), and am starting to enjoy the process of building. The best part- no damn bridges! Although there are a few sections that will require bridges, but they will be a good 36-48 inches wide with grip tape applied to the riding surface.
Last night I wanted to go check another stand of woods where there were some good trails about 10 years ago, but has since been logged. I was all of three minutes into the ride when I had a very quick and violent trip over the bars while I was not rolling very fast. I managed to not smash up my face, as the helmet took the hit, but it rattled my skull pretty good and I managed to mash my wrist and shin in the process. I kind of wish someone had a picture of my on the ground trying to untangle as it was one of the better scorpion poses I think I've ever had.
Of course being by myself, it being three minutes into the ride, and knowing I had a hall pass that lasted for at least another hour, I picked myself up checking to make sure that I wasn't about to be treated to that pain that takes a minute but when it hits it knocks you on your butt. But things seemed to be working. The blood coming out of my shin seemed to be only a trickle and the swelling was going to happen regardless of if I stood around or rode, so I remounted. I think I was trying to convince myself I hadn't thrashed myself so I took off and before I could realize that my vision was off a bit and my neck and arms weren't really communicating all that well I found myself flying through the air once again. This time the landing was fairly tame, however it really shook my confidence.
I choose to walk out of the woods and remount after I found a trail that I had already raked, and rode slowly to a place where I could at least make some trail improvements for my next ride. My neck and shoulders got pretty tight, but I was able to rake and clear debris for the next hour or so and almost go another loop completed (maybe tonight). Needless to say Advil has once again become a good friend of mine.
My hope is that I can find some other riders who live in the area. We have a few kids on campus who have said they'd like to get out and ride. One of whom I've gotten out with a couple of times. I've seen a vehicle rolling around with some nice shiny bikes on the roof, but have never seen the bikes actually being ridden- I'll have to work on that.
That's it for the moment.
DEA
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Weekend riding in VT and NH
Saturday morning I picked up Mike D, aka Outdoor Addict for a trip up to Kingdom Trails for a day of riding. We left about 7:30AM and arrived at the home base for the FODOFT a bit after 9. Apparently they stayed up too late the night before and were just getting around when
we pulled in. After everyone got their gear together and all lycra'd up we made our way to the Darling Hill section of Kingdom Trails.
Craig and his 80's era bike, nice green machine
The morning started out wicked chilly with temps around 40 degrees. I was riding my SS 29er and figured once we started to peddle that I would be plenty warm. A few guys were decked out in jackets and the like, only to begin the stripping process about 10 minutes later.
Our trek started on Loop and then onto a black diamond trail called Pound Cake. (Name makes me think of the Van Halen song of the same name) Its a nice bit of singletrack and a couple technical spots. A good place to get warmed up. After a trip around Fence Line and some other nearby trails we started our way towards Webs and Riverwalk. Some new bridging down by the river is nice.
Our group was about 10 strong and at about noon we arrived at Sidewinder, which for many folks is one of the main reasons they come to KT in the first place. This pic was taken at the end of Sidewinder, as you can see, plenty of smiles.
the FODOFT Crew
After 2 trips down sidewinder and back up we started our way back towards the parking lot. Once we crossed Darling Hill Rd. we made a quick left onto a double black diamond trail known as Jaw. I had ridden Jaw earlier in the summer, well actually walked a bunch of it cause it was a complete mess. I had heard that some new bridging had been done and that it was in nice shape. I was skeptical but figured that I would give it a shot. It was great. All of the really crappy sections were now passable by nice new bridges. Great work by the KT trail crews. After Jaw we made our way up Sugar Hill to Ridge and finally out to Heaven's Bench which has some of the best Vermont views there are.
SUrviving the climb to Heaven's Bench
View from Heaven's Bench
After our pit stop at Heaven's Bench we headed to Bill McGill and made our way back to the parking lot. All in all a great day of riding at Kingdom Trails.
Mike D, Team GT
Mike and I drove back to North Conway and I called DEA to see if he was up for a ride on Sunday as he wasn't able to make it to KT. He was in so we met up Sunday AM at Wal-Mart to ride, doesn't everyone meet at Wal-Mart to mountain bike ride?
DEA was accompanied by Chris, a student from BA, a lacrosse player I believe. We had a good ride of a couple hours. It was fun showing them around some new trails they had not been on before. Sort of being a tour guide. After about an hour and a half my legs were pretty spent. There wasn't a lot of life in them to begin with from the day of riding on Saturday at KT.
Sven and his love for walking bridges
Both days the riding was great. Cool temps, dry trails and great riding mates. What more can you ask for but more of the same. Who's up for a ride this weekend???
JJ
we pulled in. After everyone got their gear together and all lycra'd up we made our way to the Darling Hill section of Kingdom Trails.
Craig and his 80's era bike, nice green machineThe morning started out wicked chilly with temps around 40 degrees. I was riding my SS 29er and figured once we started to peddle that I would be plenty warm. A few guys were decked out in jackets and the like, only to begin the stripping process about 10 minutes later.
Our trek started on Loop and then onto a black diamond trail called Pound Cake. (Name makes me think of the Van Halen song of the same name) Its a nice bit of singletrack and a couple technical spots. A good place to get warmed up. After a trip around Fence Line and some other nearby trails we started our way towards Webs and Riverwalk. Some new bridging down by the river is nice.
Our group was about 10 strong and at about noon we arrived at Sidewinder, which for many folks is one of the main reasons they come to KT in the first place. This pic was taken at the end of Sidewinder, as you can see, plenty of smiles.
the FODOFT CrewAfter 2 trips down sidewinder and back up we started our way back towards the parking lot. Once we crossed Darling Hill Rd. we made a quick left onto a double black diamond trail known as Jaw. I had ridden Jaw earlier in the summer, well actually walked a bunch of it cause it was a complete mess. I had heard that some new bridging had been done and that it was in nice shape. I was skeptical but figured that I would give it a shot. It was great. All of the really crappy sections were now passable by nice new bridges. Great work by the KT trail crews. After Jaw we made our way up Sugar Hill to Ridge and finally out to Heaven's Bench which has some of the best Vermont views there are.
SUrviving the climb to Heaven's Bench
View from Heaven's BenchAfter our pit stop at Heaven's Bench we headed to Bill McGill and made our way back to the parking lot. All in all a great day of riding at Kingdom Trails.
Mike D, Team GTMike and I drove back to North Conway and I called DEA to see if he was up for a ride on Sunday as he wasn't able to make it to KT. He was in so we met up Sunday AM at Wal-Mart to ride, doesn't everyone meet at Wal-Mart to mountain bike ride?
DEA was accompanied by Chris, a student from BA, a lacrosse player I believe. We had a good ride of a couple hours. It was fun showing them around some new trails they had not been on before. Sort of being a tour guide. After about an hour and a half my legs were pretty spent. There wasn't a lot of life in them to begin with from the day of riding on Saturday at KT.
Sven and his love for walking bridgesBoth days the riding was great. Cool temps, dry trails and great riding mates. What more can you ask for but more of the same. Who's up for a ride this weekend???
JJ
Friday, September 18, 2009
Kingdom Trails
This weekend is our annual trip to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont to the Mountain Biking Mecca of the East known as Kingdom Trails. The nice part is that it it less than 2 hours drive. Even better is the 100+ miles of singletrack riding.
Unfortunately DEA is not able to make the trip but Mike D is going for his first time. I think he'll be wicked pleased with the riding, except he's bringing a bike with gears. What's up with that??? Here's some video of KT Video. Some pretty cool stuff.
Hope to get some pics and maybe some video. Catch ya later on with a ride report.
JJ
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Fall Riding
Fall isn't here just yet, but it's feeling like it. Cool nights, damp mornings, in fact I've even seen trees starting to shake off their summer coats.
I dig fall riding, usually as the pace is mellow and the legs are good. The trails are usually pretty buff and the bugs had died in the last frost. With all that said I'm hoping I can get out and do some fall riding! Work has gotten busy and weekend hall passes are hard to come by. My wife would like me to get out and ride but it's the office that is keeping me tied down. I keep thinking it will even out, but so far it hasn't. Oh well.
October will be a bit better and there will be a couple of cross races to give me something to shoot for. The only weekend I'm keeping as sacred is Porky Gulch, I love that race.
Other than that not much to report. Ski season will be here soon and morning skin trips up my local hill will keep me entertained. Still working on passes for the winter, hopefully we'll have that dialed soon!
Until next time, ride safe.
DEA
I dig fall riding, usually as the pace is mellow and the legs are good. The trails are usually pretty buff and the bugs had died in the last frost. With all that said I'm hoping I can get out and do some fall riding! Work has gotten busy and weekend hall passes are hard to come by. My wife would like me to get out and ride but it's the office that is keeping me tied down. I keep thinking it will even out, but so far it hasn't. Oh well.
October will be a bit better and there will be a couple of cross races to give me something to shoot for. The only weekend I'm keeping as sacred is Porky Gulch, I love that race.
Other than that not much to report. Ski season will be here soon and morning skin trips up my local hill will keep me entertained. Still working on passes for the winter, hopefully we'll have that dialed soon!
Until next time, ride safe.
DEA
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Where Did My Bike Go?
It's been one week since I swung my leg over a bike. I guess that is what happens when school starts and you work 14 hour days every day! Life gets a bit more back to normal in a couple and I will likely try to start riding again. With that in mind I need to bring the Chilli Con back to life as it is still in pieces from Newton's Revenge back in July.
At some point I also need to come to grips with my cross season and figure out what races I can make a reality. I need to look and see if there are any weekly cross sessions down in the Portland area as that could be a good way to get in a bit of good training/racing.
That's it at the moment- a recap of the Summer Series coming soon.
DEA
At some point I also need to come to grips with my cross season and figure out what races I can make a reality. I need to look and see if there are any weekly cross sessions down in the Portland area as that could be a good way to get in a bit of good training/racing.
That's it at the moment- a recap of the Summer Series coming soon.
DEA
Friday, August 21, 2009
24-14=10 Hours of Great Glen
My season started out with 2 major things on my calendar. One was the 24 Hours of Great Glen in early August. The other was a 2 week vacation at a villa on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean. I was feeling pretty solid up through June and July. I was even beating DEA on occasion which is not the norm. I like to tell myself it was due to my superior fitness as opposed to his recovering from injury that was the reason.
Needless to say when July 17 came, we loaded up the car for phase on of our summer vacation which was with the whole family. We hit the Baseball Hall of Fame and then went to Niagara Falls and visited family. I saw almost no time on the bike that week. Then on July 24 we flew to St. Maarten where we spent the next 11 days eating very well (the same as too much) and staying well hydrated (lots of adult beverages) and very little physical activity. I was thinking of the three weeks from my last real ride to the 24 Hr race as a nice taper. Fool.
When the race began DEA, A1 and myself hung at the back of the pack to let the crazy fast people and just plane crazy or ignorant people lead off the front. We made our brisk walk for the Le Mans start and got to our bikes. I was running my Some Juice 29er as a 32x22 singlespeed. Basically the same gearing as was DEA but a bit tougher than the dinner-plate 24 I ran last year, but it was in the tool box in case I needed it. A1 was running his 32x20 since he's a tough guy.
The first lap was pretty smooth and I was trying to be smart about what to ride and what to walk of the course. The three of us stayed together for another lap until A1 decided to not pit at all between laps and just go. DEA and I pitted after each lap to reload our water, get a gel and take care of anything that needed attention.
We rode lap 3 together and as we headed out for the fourth lap I started cramping a bit. I felt like I was getting enough water and was taking the Endurolytes each pit but was not feeling good. It was warm but not hot by any means. About half way through lap 4 My back began to stiffen. It made pushing my bike difficult let alone riding. As we hit the pits after Lap 4 I decided that I needed to take a break. DEA figured that if he stopped as well he wouldn't go back out so he got some water and headed back out. I found a chair and his leg massager stick thingie and worked on my calves.
DEA's wife was in camp with mine and they got the grill fired up and put some burger and dogs on. A few minutes later the beers were out and I decided I enjoyed this more than riding at that moment. My day of riding was over. AS a result I ended up with a snail like 14 hour lap number 5 which I completed Sunday morning.
When I did go back out Sunday morning I had checked the standings. Regardless of how hard I pushed I was pretty much locked into the finish position I was in as long as I rode 3 laps in the final 4 hours. That was not a problem as unfortunately for me I felt much better Sunday morning than I did the day before.
I ended up with 7 laps and 6th place. DEA was 5th with 10 laps.
I had a good time with the whole weekend, but I definitely was very disappointed with how I rode Saturday. I will blame the excessive taper this time. Next year I will have a different excuse.
JJ
Needless to say when July 17 came, we loaded up the car for phase on of our summer vacation which was with the whole family. We hit the Baseball Hall of Fame and then went to Niagara Falls and visited family. I saw almost no time on the bike that week. Then on July 24 we flew to St. Maarten where we spent the next 11 days eating very well (the same as too much) and staying well hydrated (lots of adult beverages) and very little physical activity. I was thinking of the three weeks from my last real ride to the 24 Hr race as a nice taper. Fool.
When the race began DEA, A1 and myself hung at the back of the pack to let the crazy fast people and just plane crazy or ignorant people lead off the front. We made our brisk walk for the Le Mans start and got to our bikes. I was running my Some Juice 29er as a 32x22 singlespeed. Basically the same gearing as was DEA but a bit tougher than the dinner-plate 24 I ran last year, but it was in the tool box in case I needed it. A1 was running his 32x20 since he's a tough guy.
The first lap was pretty smooth and I was trying to be smart about what to ride and what to walk of the course. The three of us stayed together for another lap until A1 decided to not pit at all between laps and just go. DEA and I pitted after each lap to reload our water, get a gel and take care of anything that needed attention.
We rode lap 3 together and as we headed out for the fourth lap I started cramping a bit. I felt like I was getting enough water and was taking the Endurolytes each pit but was not feeling good. It was warm but not hot by any means. About half way through lap 4 My back began to stiffen. It made pushing my bike difficult let alone riding. As we hit the pits after Lap 4 I decided that I needed to take a break. DEA figured that if he stopped as well he wouldn't go back out so he got some water and headed back out. I found a chair and his leg massager stick thingie and worked on my calves.
DEA's wife was in camp with mine and they got the grill fired up and put some burger and dogs on. A few minutes later the beers were out and I decided I enjoyed this more than riding at that moment. My day of riding was over. AS a result I ended up with a snail like 14 hour lap number 5 which I completed Sunday morning.
When I did go back out Sunday morning I had checked the standings. Regardless of how hard I pushed I was pretty much locked into the finish position I was in as long as I rode 3 laps in the final 4 hours. That was not a problem as unfortunately for me I felt much better Sunday morning than I did the day before.
I ended up with 7 laps and 6th place. DEA was 5th with 10 laps.
I had a good time with the whole weekend, but I definitely was very disappointed with how I rode Saturday. I will blame the excessive taper this time. Next year I will have a different excuse.
JJ
Friday, August 14, 2009
24 Hours of Great Glen- another one in the books
Not every race starts with cannon fire that causes you to just about jump out of your skin. You’d think I’d know better as I’ve raced the 24 Hours of Great Glen a total of 13 times, but that cannon fire still catches me off guard.
Once again I found myself racing in the solo SS category along with fellow Bikeman teammates, JJ and George Lapierre as well as TWAF teammate A1. JJ and I took up our usual spot walking the lap around the pond with the knowledge that you either have to run super fast to get out front early, or take your time and catch all those running fools on the blueberry field climb only minutes after you grab your bike. Experience does have its benefits!
I got to my bike and mounted up for lap #1 with JJ and A1. The weather had finally come around and we had enjoyed a few days of fairly dry weather leading up to the race. This meant the course was in pretty good shape, and for the most part the course was rideable if you have the legs to do it. That being said the legs I would have needed are still stuck in 2006 and despite my attempts to get to them with the flux capacitor, I was stuck riding with my legs of 2009. Either way I knew it was going to be fun, and my goal was to go and ride and enjoy the weekend.
Originally I had designs on riding 100 miles, meaning I was going to need to ride 13 or so laps. The course had been shortened a bit and was coming in at 7.7 miles and climbing was just under 1000 feet per lap. The riding was going well, having broken the cardinal rule of racing on gear that I had yet to actually give a legitimate shakedown on. I was running my Salsa Mamasita that had gone through a bit of a metamorphosis. Gone was the Reba fork, replaced with an Origins 8 rigid carbon fork. Gone was the SRAM x9 drive train, replaced with a White Industries Eno wheel with a White Industries freewheel. What was still there were the trusty Ergon grips and my 1995 Shimano XT crank. The bike was working and the 30x20t gear was turning over and when it wasn’t my granny gear (me walking) seemed to be working quite well.
The first two laps JJ, A1 and I rode together, laps three and four JJ and I rode together. We were out having fun and enjoying the course. The Hammer gels and Endurolytes were doing their trick keeping me moving (along with beef jerky) and the duct tape that I used to tape my heels with after the second lap were keeping my feet in ok shape.
After four laps my goal of riding the 100 miles began to wane a bit as the miles began to add up and the reality of not having put in the hard work this summer began to show. We rolled into camp after four laps and our families were there asking when we were going to break for dinner. Dennis was thinking he was done for a bit, and I knew that if I sat down I’d be done for awhile as well, so I grabbed a Hammer gel, a fresh bottle and headed out for lap five.
I felt pretty good. No cramping issues which had been plaguing me on rides over three hours for years. The bike was running well and the course was in pretty good shape. I cruised my fifth lap and pulled into camp with the idea that a beer and a burger would taste mighty good.
I got out of my wet and muddy kit and went to sit in the river for a minute to clean up. The water was shockingly cold and any lactic acid in my legs quickly jumped out the pores on the back of my neck and made its way to dry (and warmer) land. It was that type of cold that hurts so good. I walked back to camp feeling refreshed and sat down to a feast of burgers and beers- perfect!
Of course the comfort of camp made it difficult to get kitted back up, and the company at camp made it even more difficult. We ended up visiting with good friends and somehow beer kept showing up. I looked at my bike and said, “we’ll get back at it in the AM.”
This meant I would likely not hit my 100 miles, but I was ok with that. I climbed into my -20 bag and was soon glad I had brought it as the temps dropped. I slept well, awoke to the bagpiper and decided to go get in a lap before breakfast. The sun was up and the air was beginning to warm. The course had improved in some places and gotten a bit sloppy in others, but all in all it was in good shape. I loosened up and my legs began to get into the ride. I came in with an idea of breakfast, but decided to keep it rolling as Dennis was up and ready to go. We cranked out another two laps, stopping to get gel and fresh bottles each lap and then it was time to make the call- put the hammer down and get in two more or sit up and just ride the final lap needed to be at the finish for noon. If I got two it meant I’d get 10 laps, my fall back goal, so I bid Dennis adieu and hit the trail with purpose. The lap went well and I actually felt fast in a couple of spots. I came into the timing tent at 11:35 with a lot of cheers as the crowd likes it when solo’s are going out for that last lap (little did they know I had slept for 10 hours!)
I bottled and gel’d up one last time and put the hammer down. It felt good as I was in the fifth our of riding for the second time in a 24 hour period and I was pleased that my body was reacting well. My arms and neck actually were the sorest parts of me and I knew I only had about 50 minutes left of discomfort. I found I was catching a fair number of people and starting to feel a pretty good grove. I got caught by the two lead teams, and they were FLYING, it was an impressive display. Their speed motivated me a bit and picked up my pace, riding the climbs a bit harder (and longer) and letting it fly a bit more on the descents.
Coming into the Chute the cheers were loud and invigorating. I cleaned the last tricky section and just went hard for the finish. As I rolled in Dennis was there at the dismount point with a bottle of Tuckerman open and ready, I took the hand up and rolled into the tent- feeling pretty good and pumped with the event.
It was cool to see all the Bikeman jerseys at the race. Kudo’s to George, Jason, and Dennis who I got to ride with at various points during the race. Kudo’s to the Bikeman guys on the teams as well. We were all well represented.
For those who haven’t done the race- put it on your calendar for 2010- you’ll be stoked you did.
Once again I found myself racing in the solo SS category along with fellow Bikeman teammates, JJ and George Lapierre as well as TWAF teammate A1. JJ and I took up our usual spot walking the lap around the pond with the knowledge that you either have to run super fast to get out front early, or take your time and catch all those running fools on the blueberry field climb only minutes after you grab your bike. Experience does have its benefits!
I got to my bike and mounted up for lap #1 with JJ and A1. The weather had finally come around and we had enjoyed a few days of fairly dry weather leading up to the race. This meant the course was in pretty good shape, and for the most part the course was rideable if you have the legs to do it. That being said the legs I would have needed are still stuck in 2006 and despite my attempts to get to them with the flux capacitor, I was stuck riding with my legs of 2009. Either way I knew it was going to be fun, and my goal was to go and ride and enjoy the weekend.
Originally I had designs on riding 100 miles, meaning I was going to need to ride 13 or so laps. The course had been shortened a bit and was coming in at 7.7 miles and climbing was just under 1000 feet per lap. The riding was going well, having broken the cardinal rule of racing on gear that I had yet to actually give a legitimate shakedown on. I was running my Salsa Mamasita that had gone through a bit of a metamorphosis. Gone was the Reba fork, replaced with an Origins 8 rigid carbon fork. Gone was the SRAM x9 drive train, replaced with a White Industries Eno wheel with a White Industries freewheel. What was still there were the trusty Ergon grips and my 1995 Shimano XT crank. The bike was working and the 30x20t gear was turning over and when it wasn’t my granny gear (me walking) seemed to be working quite well.
The first two laps JJ, A1 and I rode together, laps three and four JJ and I rode together. We were out having fun and enjoying the course. The Hammer gels and Endurolytes were doing their trick keeping me moving (along with beef jerky) and the duct tape that I used to tape my heels with after the second lap were keeping my feet in ok shape.
After four laps my goal of riding the 100 miles began to wane a bit as the miles began to add up and the reality of not having put in the hard work this summer began to show. We rolled into camp after four laps and our families were there asking when we were going to break for dinner. Dennis was thinking he was done for a bit, and I knew that if I sat down I’d be done for awhile as well, so I grabbed a Hammer gel, a fresh bottle and headed out for lap five.
I felt pretty good. No cramping issues which had been plaguing me on rides over three hours for years. The bike was running well and the course was in pretty good shape. I cruised my fifth lap and pulled into camp with the idea that a beer and a burger would taste mighty good.
I got out of my wet and muddy kit and went to sit in the river for a minute to clean up. The water was shockingly cold and any lactic acid in my legs quickly jumped out the pores on the back of my neck and made its way to dry (and warmer) land. It was that type of cold that hurts so good. I walked back to camp feeling refreshed and sat down to a feast of burgers and beers- perfect!
Of course the comfort of camp made it difficult to get kitted back up, and the company at camp made it even more difficult. We ended up visiting with good friends and somehow beer kept showing up. I looked at my bike and said, “we’ll get back at it in the AM.”
This meant I would likely not hit my 100 miles, but I was ok with that. I climbed into my -20 bag and was soon glad I had brought it as the temps dropped. I slept well, awoke to the bagpiper and decided to go get in a lap before breakfast. The sun was up and the air was beginning to warm. The course had improved in some places and gotten a bit sloppy in others, but all in all it was in good shape. I loosened up and my legs began to get into the ride. I came in with an idea of breakfast, but decided to keep it rolling as Dennis was up and ready to go. We cranked out another two laps, stopping to get gel and fresh bottles each lap and then it was time to make the call- put the hammer down and get in two more or sit up and just ride the final lap needed to be at the finish for noon. If I got two it meant I’d get 10 laps, my fall back goal, so I bid Dennis adieu and hit the trail with purpose. The lap went well and I actually felt fast in a couple of spots. I came into the timing tent at 11:35 with a lot of cheers as the crowd likes it when solo’s are going out for that last lap (little did they know I had slept for 10 hours!)
I bottled and gel’d up one last time and put the hammer down. It felt good as I was in the fifth our of riding for the second time in a 24 hour period and I was pleased that my body was reacting well. My arms and neck actually were the sorest parts of me and I knew I only had about 50 minutes left of discomfort. I found I was catching a fair number of people and starting to feel a pretty good grove. I got caught by the two lead teams, and they were FLYING, it was an impressive display. Their speed motivated me a bit and picked up my pace, riding the climbs a bit harder (and longer) and letting it fly a bit more on the descents.
Coming into the Chute the cheers were loud and invigorating. I cleaned the last tricky section and just went hard for the finish. As I rolled in Dennis was there at the dismount point with a bottle of Tuckerman open and ready, I took the hand up and rolled into the tent- feeling pretty good and pumped with the event.
It was cool to see all the Bikeman jerseys at the race. Kudo’s to George, Jason, and Dennis who I got to ride with at various points during the race. Kudo’s to the Bikeman guys on the teams as well. We were all well represented.
For those who haven’t done the race- put it on your calendar for 2010- you’ll be stoked you did.
Friday, August 07, 2009
24 hours until the 24 hours of great glen
I have Europe "it's the final countdown" stuck in my head. This happens every year before the race. I don't really know any of the words other than "it's the final countdown" and then I can hear the power cords being played.
In 24 hours I'll start getting all nervous and feeling like I've forgotten something. Then I'll start wishing the race began at 9am so I would be about to start. That's just the way it is!
So today is the get some work done, get some packing done, gather my food, clean the bikes, give the bikes a shake down ride, try to get our camping space dialed, go home and sleep and then get up and get it going.
In keeping with tradition I'm doing what you are not supposed to do, race brand new gear that you haven't had a chance to ride. That's what I do. I like doing that, it offers a built in excuse if things go south or a great way to really put something through the paces if they go well.
I'll have my trusty Salsa El Mariachi but I'll also be bringing my newly converted and refurbished Salsa Mamasita that is now a carbon forked, White Industries ENO's single speed. I did give it a short ride last night and the fit is close. I may still shorten the steerer tube by a centimeter still- but we will see.
I did build a nice custom chain ring guard out of a spent 32t chainring from 1995. A bit of grinding and then drilling out the pins that help with shifting. As usual it took a lot more time than I had planned- but in the end it worked and that's all that matters! Now I was able to use the 32t as I'm running a 30t for my front ring as my freewheel is a 20t- and yes I'm going for a baby gear, but considering better than 1000 feet of climbing per lap, and hoping for 13 or so laps- that's a fair amount of climing- so better safe than sorry.
K is going to pit for me this year, which will help, especially when it comes to bottle hand ups as I only want to carry one bottle on the bike. It will also help to see her each lap as she'll make sure I'm eating and taking the Endurolites (which I'm hoping help with the cramping).
Either way it's going to be a fun weekend. JJ and A1 are both racing Solo SS as well so we'll get a chance to ride together for a bit (I hope). I haven't ridden with A1 at all this year, so I'm looking forward to that.
That's my take at the moment- oh and in other TWAF news- NK starts work at Bridgton Academy on Monday- so two TWAF'ers will once again be working in the same place! At one point three of us worked together, and at this moment in time none of us work together so this will be like a mini reunion.
Ride safe and hope for sun.
DEA
In 24 hours I'll start getting all nervous and feeling like I've forgotten something. Then I'll start wishing the race began at 9am so I would be about to start. That's just the way it is!
So today is the get some work done, get some packing done, gather my food, clean the bikes, give the bikes a shake down ride, try to get our camping space dialed, go home and sleep and then get up and get it going.
In keeping with tradition I'm doing what you are not supposed to do, race brand new gear that you haven't had a chance to ride. That's what I do. I like doing that, it offers a built in excuse if things go south or a great way to really put something through the paces if they go well.
I'll have my trusty Salsa El Mariachi but I'll also be bringing my newly converted and refurbished Salsa Mamasita that is now a carbon forked, White Industries ENO's single speed. I did give it a short ride last night and the fit is close. I may still shorten the steerer tube by a centimeter still- but we will see.
I did build a nice custom chain ring guard out of a spent 32t chainring from 1995. A bit of grinding and then drilling out the pins that help with shifting. As usual it took a lot more time than I had planned- but in the end it worked and that's all that matters! Now I was able to use the 32t as I'm running a 30t for my front ring as my freewheel is a 20t- and yes I'm going for a baby gear, but considering better than 1000 feet of climbing per lap, and hoping for 13 or so laps- that's a fair amount of climing- so better safe than sorry.
K is going to pit for me this year, which will help, especially when it comes to bottle hand ups as I only want to carry one bottle on the bike. It will also help to see her each lap as she'll make sure I'm eating and taking the Endurolites (which I'm hoping help with the cramping).
Either way it's going to be a fun weekend. JJ and A1 are both racing Solo SS as well so we'll get a chance to ride together for a bit (I hope). I haven't ridden with A1 at all this year, so I'm looking forward to that.
That's my take at the moment- oh and in other TWAF news- NK starts work at Bridgton Academy on Monday- so two TWAF'ers will once again be working in the same place! At one point three of us worked together, and at this moment in time none of us work together so this will be like a mini reunion.
Ride safe and hope for sun.
DEA
Friday, July 31, 2009
August is almost here
Summer is slogging by here in the Northeast. The weather has sucked, but that's just the way it is so no point in complaining. What it has meant is that I haven't ridden my mountain bike much at all, I've been racing on Tuesday nights, but other than that it's been road riding.
The Tuesday night races have been fun up at Great Glen Trails. It is more of a TT format, where you can start when you show up and race one of three courses- Mini, Short, or Long. Mini is for the real little kids, short of the kids and beginners, and Long for everyone else. Our routine is we roll up to Great Glen and I ride with Elizabeth for her race (short course) with Emma on the trail-a-bike in tow. It's fun as there is a bit of singletrack on the short course, but it's mild enough that I can ride it with Emma on the back. She's been a trooper as it's been wet so she's getting covered in mud after each lap- but she thinks it's fun so we keep it going!
Liz is doing well, but she's starting to get competitive when she sees the results but when she's actually riding I have a hard time getting her to go fast. I keep telling her that she can just enjoy the ride and check out the flowers and animals, but understand that she won't have a fast time, or she can try to go fast but that it will require some effort. I think he wish is that the other girls would just slow down!
My races have been fine, back of the expert pack. But for a SS I feel like I'm putting in ok times, as there is a fair amount of big ring fireroad on the 5 mile course (that is the long course) and I'm running a 32x18 on the 29er. There is a fair amount of spin/coast/spin/coast. The battle has been between JJ, Charles and I. JJ has been cleaning up but his two week vacation may have tipped the scales- we won't really know until August 11th or 18th as I'll miss next Tuesday's race.
The race on the 11th may be off as well as both JJ and I will have just come off the 24HOGG as solo single speeders. We had planned to do double single but I chickened out as I didn't want to have JJ dictate when I was riding or sleeping. I'm looking at this as either a two or three part race- a five or six hour section, a couple hour section, followed by a morning 5 to 6 hour section. So the high end will be 13-14 hours of actual racing- which means I fully intend on spending some time off the bike. I'd like to get 13 laps as the goal (that would put me over 100 miles), with 10 being the minimum that I'll be happy with. We'll see!
The other wrinkle is that I'm heading down to DC for a few days with my wife and our friends Cecile and Jonathan who are here from France for a couple weeks. That means I'm not sure what I might get in for riding over the next few days. Then we get back and I'm hoping for a big box from Team Bikeman.com World HQ that will enable me to build up the Mamasita as a light, rigid, kick ass SS. Then I'll want to get that shaken down for the weekend, but doing so with no real effort- hmmmm. We'll make it work!
That's it for now, oh here is a pick from Newton's Revenge from a couple weeks ago. This is near the top, that is Chris Proulx from RSN tv16 chasing me with the camera. I tried to give him a good promo, but I was out of breath. He keeps telling me he's going to post the video, but I have yet to see it.
Either way ride safe.
DEA
The Tuesday night races have been fun up at Great Glen Trails. It is more of a TT format, where you can start when you show up and race one of three courses- Mini, Short, or Long. Mini is for the real little kids, short of the kids and beginners, and Long for everyone else. Our routine is we roll up to Great Glen and I ride with Elizabeth for her race (short course) with Emma on the trail-a-bike in tow. It's fun as there is a bit of singletrack on the short course, but it's mild enough that I can ride it with Emma on the back. She's been a trooper as it's been wet so she's getting covered in mud after each lap- but she thinks it's fun so we keep it going!
Liz is doing well, but she's starting to get competitive when she sees the results but when she's actually riding I have a hard time getting her to go fast. I keep telling her that she can just enjoy the ride and check out the flowers and animals, but understand that she won't have a fast time, or she can try to go fast but that it will require some effort. I think he wish is that the other girls would just slow down!
My races have been fine, back of the expert pack. But for a SS I feel like I'm putting in ok times, as there is a fair amount of big ring fireroad on the 5 mile course (that is the long course) and I'm running a 32x18 on the 29er. There is a fair amount of spin/coast/spin/coast. The battle has been between JJ, Charles and I. JJ has been cleaning up but his two week vacation may have tipped the scales- we won't really know until August 11th or 18th as I'll miss next Tuesday's race.
The race on the 11th may be off as well as both JJ and I will have just come off the 24HOGG as solo single speeders. We had planned to do double single but I chickened out as I didn't want to have JJ dictate when I was riding or sleeping. I'm looking at this as either a two or three part race- a five or six hour section, a couple hour section, followed by a morning 5 to 6 hour section. So the high end will be 13-14 hours of actual racing- which means I fully intend on spending some time off the bike. I'd like to get 13 laps as the goal (that would put me over 100 miles), with 10 being the minimum that I'll be happy with. We'll see!
The other wrinkle is that I'm heading down to DC for a few days with my wife and our friends Cecile and Jonathan who are here from France for a couple weeks. That means I'm not sure what I might get in for riding over the next few days. Then we get back and I'm hoping for a big box from Team Bikeman.com World HQ that will enable me to build up the Mamasita as a light, rigid, kick ass SS. Then I'll want to get that shaken down for the weekend, but doing so with no real effort- hmmmm. We'll make it work!
That's it for now, oh here is a pick from Newton's Revenge from a couple weeks ago. This is near the top, that is Chris Proulx from RSN tv16 chasing me with the camera. I tried to give him a good promo, but I was out of breath. He keeps telling me he's going to post the video, but I have yet to see it.
Either way ride safe.
DEA
Thursday, July 23, 2009
24 Hours of Great Glen
There is this race, you see, where you ride around this course up in the woods at the base of Mount Washington, and well you just keep riding around for like, a day. Not just the day part of a day, but for 24 hours, actually in some cases more like 25 hours.
Sound's tempting doesn't it. The next big thing on my cycling season that wasn't is the 24 Hours of Great Glen, a race that has been a part of my year for longer than I've been a Dad.
This year it looks like JJ and I are going to race the two person format. I've done the four person, the five person, and solo, so this is a format I have yet to try. I think it'll be fun and it gives me a much better shot at having a sense that we put in a good race than I would have if I raced solo (unless I did the 12 hour format).
I'm getting excited and nervous as I'm still heavy and haven't put in any looooong rides yet this year. If the stars align I'll get in a good road ride on Saturday, out through Bethel and up and over Evan's Notch- we'll see how that feels. It also looks like the Mamsita will be in SS glory for the race- details when the big box from Bikeman World HQ shows up next week.
Just heard from Mary, the event director up at 24HOGG- prize money went UP this year,not a bad thing in a year that many events have been cutting prize money. Of course the downside is that I won't be in the money, but it's nice to know that those that are actually do get some! Top team takes $1000. Overall solo for both men and women walk with $500, and top pro-four person teams (both male and female) walk with $600. There's more but those are the highlights. I wonder what bottom of the results sheet guys get? Hmmmmmm.
Ride safe out there, speakign of that have you checked out Dave Z's site- Yield to Life? Certainly a good cause- but between this and all the Road ID ads I see I feel like I'm supposed to get smacked by a car- been there done that, don't need to do it again.
later,
DEA
Sound's tempting doesn't it. The next big thing on my cycling season that wasn't is the 24 Hours of Great Glen, a race that has been a part of my year for longer than I've been a Dad.
This year it looks like JJ and I are going to race the two person format. I've done the four person, the five person, and solo, so this is a format I have yet to try. I think it'll be fun and it gives me a much better shot at having a sense that we put in a good race than I would have if I raced solo (unless I did the 12 hour format).
I'm getting excited and nervous as I'm still heavy and haven't put in any looooong rides yet this year. If the stars align I'll get in a good road ride on Saturday, out through Bethel and up and over Evan's Notch- we'll see how that feels. It also looks like the Mamsita will be in SS glory for the race- details when the big box from Bikeman World HQ shows up next week.
Just heard from Mary, the event director up at 24HOGG- prize money went UP this year,not a bad thing in a year that many events have been cutting prize money. Of course the downside is that I won't be in the money, but it's nice to know that those that are actually do get some! Top team takes $1000. Overall solo for both men and women walk with $500, and top pro-four person teams (both male and female) walk with $600. There's more but those are the highlights. I wonder what bottom of the results sheet guys get? Hmmmmmm.
Ride safe out there, speakign of that have you checked out Dave Z's site- Yield to Life? Certainly a good cause- but between this and all the Road ID ads I see I feel like I'm supposed to get smacked by a car- been there done that, don't need to do it again.
later,
DEA
Monday, July 20, 2009
Milestone?
Just saw that we've posted 500 times to the TWAF blog, not sure the level of excitement that I am supposed to feel. Does this image show the appropriate level of excitement?
Just got word from Garmin that my 705 is enroute, and when I checked the tracking it is slated to get here today- so I am excited about that. I hate to admit it but I am a data junkie now. I dream of someday running a SRM singlespeed crank just so I can be super cool. Maybe I can get one of the head units in a special TDF color. Here is to dreaming.
So my weight loss is happening, very slooooowwwwwly. I've decided the next time I get hurt and can't do anything for a long period of time that I'm going to ingest tapeworms that I have tied floss to (so that I can pull them out when the time is right) to help with weight control. Not sure if it will work, but it's a thought. Better yet- don't get hurt again and just keep the weight off to start with (boring!).
JJ and I are considering, strongly, racing 24HOGG as a double/single instead of both racing solo. Part of this is that we are both a bit soft this year and, well, he's just flat out old. I have concerns that if he doesn't rest from time to time he may get lost in the woods. Ok that's not really true, or maybe it is- but the truth is I looked at last years results and realized we would have been on the podium as a Double/Single team. With that intel we got all excited. However, since that epiphany I have gone back to look at the registration for this year and it looks like others have found the Double/Single category to be one that is of interest. A few names I recognize and to beat them would take very subversive tactics, like stealing their bikes during the LeMans start or swapping their energy bars with Exlax.
As evil as I am I just can't bring myself to doing either of those things. So I'll have to revert to just sending them an email saying the race has been postponed by 12 hours so they show up for the wrong 24 hour period- with a 12 hour head start JJ and I could kick their asses!
No tour to distract me today, and that is a good thing. Hopefully I'll get in a good, easy ride today and then go up to Great Glen tomorrow for the weekly series and put in a good ride.
That's about it for excitement at the moment- but I'm sure I'll let you know if something pops up.
Ride on.
DEA
Just got word from Garmin that my 705 is enroute, and when I checked the tracking it is slated to get here today- so I am excited about that. I hate to admit it but I am a data junkie now. I dream of someday running a SRM singlespeed crank just so I can be super cool. Maybe I can get one of the head units in a special TDF color. Here is to dreaming.
So my weight loss is happening, very slooooowwwwwly. I've decided the next time I get hurt and can't do anything for a long period of time that I'm going to ingest tapeworms that I have tied floss to (so that I can pull them out when the time is right) to help with weight control. Not sure if it will work, but it's a thought. Better yet- don't get hurt again and just keep the weight off to start with (boring!).
JJ and I are considering, strongly, racing 24HOGG as a double/single instead of both racing solo. Part of this is that we are both a bit soft this year and, well, he's just flat out old. I have concerns that if he doesn't rest from time to time he may get lost in the woods. Ok that's not really true, or maybe it is- but the truth is I looked at last years results and realized we would have been on the podium as a Double/Single team. With that intel we got all excited. However, since that epiphany I have gone back to look at the registration for this year and it looks like others have found the Double/Single category to be one that is of interest. A few names I recognize and to beat them would take very subversive tactics, like stealing their bikes during the LeMans start or swapping their energy bars with Exlax.
As evil as I am I just can't bring myself to doing either of those things. So I'll have to revert to just sending them an email saying the race has been postponed by 12 hours so they show up for the wrong 24 hour period- with a 12 hour head start JJ and I could kick their asses!No tour to distract me today, and that is a good thing. Hopefully I'll get in a good, easy ride today and then go up to Great Glen tomorrow for the weekly series and put in a good ride.
That's about it for excitement at the moment- but I'm sure I'll let you know if something pops up.
Ride on.
DEA
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Check Newton's off the List
“The winds at the summit are currently a calm 10-15 mph, visibility is 65 miles, and it is looking like a beautiful day on top of Mount Washington.”
Those were the words of the race director about 45 minutes before the start of Newton’s Revenge, a race up the famed Mount Washington Auto Road. While I heard the words and enjoyed the idea of idyllic weather, I also cringed knowing the weather gods heard the words as well and I was sure they would look to show just how futile predicting the summit weather could be.
I had signed up for Newton’s Revenge back in the winter when I had had great intentions of rolling into the 2009 cycling season in great shape and having trimmed down to a nice 180lbs. That was of course prior to falling down and going boom at the end of the ski season that left me doing nothing (other than enjoying adult malted beverages) for a month and a half and not getting onto a bike for real until mid May. That left me coming into the season at a legitimate Clydesdale weight, and far from being in shape- but it didn’t matter- I could ride my bike and that made everything A-OK with me.
Toeing the start line I looked up at the Mountain that I’ve had so many great adventures on, mostly in the winter. I thought back to the night my wife and I and a group of friends did a night ride up the road to above tree line, talking our time and enjoying a beautiful summer night. I thought about all the Toughest Two’s I’d raced in (the hillclimb TT portion of the Porky Gulch Classic Stage Race- a race worth doing). But at that moment I realized that today I was riding all the way to the top. Not stopping at two mile, not stopping at tree line, but going all the way to the top- 6288 feet in 7.6 miles.
The cannon fired and we were off. I took it very easy in the start as I had forgone doing a really good warm up with the intent of warming up on the hill. That had more to do with being lazy than it did being a good strategy. I soon found myself spinning my 22x32 and enjoying the gear but not the lack of speed.
I was racing on my Salsa Chilli Con that had gone through a couple changes for the race. The crank had been replaced by a Truvita Stylo 180mm with a 22t chain ring. The rear end of the bike say the SRAM 10 speed cassette give way to a 9 speed cassette 11-32. With that change the Rival derailleur was swapped for a SRAM x9 with I had tried to operate with a 9-speed Dura Ace shifter. For whatever reason I couldn’t get the Dura Ace shifter and the X9 to play nice, so off came the drop bars and the flat bars with the X9 shifter made their way to the bike and all the shifting issues were resolved. I was running bar ends (Ergon grips, the greatest grips of all time) and found the position quite comfy for the climb.
Back to the race, not much exciting happened in the first hour other than being passed by the fast age groupers who started behind me. A couple of them were breathing so hard as they went by that I just couldn’t believe they would make it to the top. Of course I realized that when I usually “race” I breath that hard as well- ahhhh the joys of approaching the event as a tour!
Once about the treeline the views were fantastic. Looking out into the Great Gulf, and being on a bike on the road gave me a great opportunity to dream about skiing next winter, especially when I looked over and saw snow over on Jefferson. I noodled my way up the mountain, not moving very fast, but moving up the hill one turn of the cranks at a time. Newton’s Revenge is a bit smaller race so there were times that I felt like I had the road all to myself, of course that was until a group would catch me and blow by me from behind.
At about the five mile mark I started having some cramping in the thighs and lower back, I decided that walking for a bit to stretch out my back would be a good idea. I would give myself about a minute of walking before I would jump back on, the irony was that when I was walking I found that I gained on a few riders ahead of me, only to just maintain or slip back once back on the bike!
As I rode up I thought back to when I worked for the Summit Road Company, and did press for the big Hillclimb the first time Tyler Hamilton won the event. I rode in the back of one of the vans with the doors open yelling splits to him as we went up, the only problem was the splits were junk as they were being called down to the driver via radio and then yelled to him from me and half the time I couldn’t hear the driver that well. Tyler seemed fine with that and went on to crush the record and drive away with an Audi A4. I thought of how fast he road up that hill, and how slow I was going. I decided I was having a much better time as I got to really enjoy the scenery!
The road is unrelenting, averaging 12% for 7.6 miles, with a finishing kick of over 22% that you have a hard time keeping the front wheel on the ground. You can see the road go up ahead of you and it can get discouraging, then you can see the road below you and your realize how far you have come, it’s pretty cool.
I saw my wife about 500 meters from the summit and she gave me a good boost of encouragement. I then knew all I had to do was make the finishing “wall”. As I started up the wall and struggled to keep my front wheel down I started to panic as I had removed my rear brake to “save weight” (how much does a set of Avid canti’s weigh?) and realized that if my front wheel came up and I started to go over I didn’t have a way to stop it- that was good motivation to push up and through as fast as possible.
I cleared the wall and road across the finish line to get my medal and famed fleece blanket. The winner had been up topside for over an hour, but all the racers are great about cheering everyone on. I found my wife and we did the walk down the stairs to the car where I got cleaned up and just sat and looked out and New Hampshire below my feet. It was a pretty amazing view, and one that was that much better because I earned it on a bike.
I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Those were the words of the race director about 45 minutes before the start of Newton’s Revenge, a race up the famed Mount Washington Auto Road. While I heard the words and enjoyed the idea of idyllic weather, I also cringed knowing the weather gods heard the words as well and I was sure they would look to show just how futile predicting the summit weather could be.
I had signed up for Newton’s Revenge back in the winter when I had had great intentions of rolling into the 2009 cycling season in great shape and having trimmed down to a nice 180lbs. That was of course prior to falling down and going boom at the end of the ski season that left me doing nothing (other than enjoying adult malted beverages) for a month and a half and not getting onto a bike for real until mid May. That left me coming into the season at a legitimate Clydesdale weight, and far from being in shape- but it didn’t matter- I could ride my bike and that made everything A-OK with me.
Toeing the start line I looked up at the Mountain that I’ve had so many great adventures on, mostly in the winter. I thought back to the night my wife and I and a group of friends did a night ride up the road to above tree line, talking our time and enjoying a beautiful summer night. I thought about all the Toughest Two’s I’d raced in (the hillclimb TT portion of the Porky Gulch Classic Stage Race- a race worth doing). But at that moment I realized that today I was riding all the way to the top. Not stopping at two mile, not stopping at tree line, but going all the way to the top- 6288 feet in 7.6 miles.
The cannon fired and we were off. I took it very easy in the start as I had forgone doing a really good warm up with the intent of warming up on the hill. That had more to do with being lazy than it did being a good strategy. I soon found myself spinning my 22x32 and enjoying the gear but not the lack of speed.
I was racing on my Salsa Chilli Con that had gone through a couple changes for the race. The crank had been replaced by a Truvita Stylo 180mm with a 22t chain ring. The rear end of the bike say the SRAM 10 speed cassette give way to a 9 speed cassette 11-32. With that change the Rival derailleur was swapped for a SRAM x9 with I had tried to operate with a 9-speed Dura Ace shifter. For whatever reason I couldn’t get the Dura Ace shifter and the X9 to play nice, so off came the drop bars and the flat bars with the X9 shifter made their way to the bike and all the shifting issues were resolved. I was running bar ends (Ergon grips, the greatest grips of all time) and found the position quite comfy for the climb.
Back to the race, not much exciting happened in the first hour other than being passed by the fast age groupers who started behind me. A couple of them were breathing so hard as they went by that I just couldn’t believe they would make it to the top. Of course I realized that when I usually “race” I breath that hard as well- ahhhh the joys of approaching the event as a tour!
Once about the treeline the views were fantastic. Looking out into the Great Gulf, and being on a bike on the road gave me a great opportunity to dream about skiing next winter, especially when I looked over and saw snow over on Jefferson. I noodled my way up the mountain, not moving very fast, but moving up the hill one turn of the cranks at a time. Newton’s Revenge is a bit smaller race so there were times that I felt like I had the road all to myself, of course that was until a group would catch me and blow by me from behind.
At about the five mile mark I started having some cramping in the thighs and lower back, I decided that walking for a bit to stretch out my back would be a good idea. I would give myself about a minute of walking before I would jump back on, the irony was that when I was walking I found that I gained on a few riders ahead of me, only to just maintain or slip back once back on the bike!
As I rode up I thought back to when I worked for the Summit Road Company, and did press for the big Hillclimb the first time Tyler Hamilton won the event. I rode in the back of one of the vans with the doors open yelling splits to him as we went up, the only problem was the splits were junk as they were being called down to the driver via radio and then yelled to him from me and half the time I couldn’t hear the driver that well. Tyler seemed fine with that and went on to crush the record and drive away with an Audi A4. I thought of how fast he road up that hill, and how slow I was going. I decided I was having a much better time as I got to really enjoy the scenery!
The road is unrelenting, averaging 12% for 7.6 miles, with a finishing kick of over 22% that you have a hard time keeping the front wheel on the ground. You can see the road go up ahead of you and it can get discouraging, then you can see the road below you and your realize how far you have come, it’s pretty cool.
I saw my wife about 500 meters from the summit and she gave me a good boost of encouragement. I then knew all I had to do was make the finishing “wall”. As I started up the wall and struggled to keep my front wheel down I started to panic as I had removed my rear brake to “save weight” (how much does a set of Avid canti’s weigh?) and realized that if my front wheel came up and I started to go over I didn’t have a way to stop it- that was good motivation to push up and through as fast as possible.
I cleared the wall and road across the finish line to get my medal and famed fleece blanket. The winner had been up topside for over an hour, but all the racers are great about cheering everyone on. I found my wife and we did the walk down the stairs to the car where I got cleaned up and just sat and looked out and New Hampshire below my feet. It was a pretty amazing view, and one that was that much better because I earned it on a bike.
I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
First MTB Race of the season
It seems odd to be into July and to be finally doing my first race on dirt of the year, but that's how it worked out. I guess I should restate that and say first race off the pave as it was clearly not on dirt but rather in the mud.
So Tuesday was the first race in the Dakine Summer Series at Great Glen Trails. We had planned to arrive at about 5 or so and have myself and my two sons who are 5 & 10 race as well. At about 3PM I got a call from my wife asking my to check the radar as there was a large green blob moving towards us. Knowing that the rain was coming soon we decided to head to Great Glen sooner and arrived there about 4PM. The whole drive up was in the rain but as we pulled into the parking lot the rain subsided. I usually will pre-ride the course or at least do a lap on the short course with my kids as a warm up before racing, however I decided to just go out cold and try to get my race in before the skies opened up.
A couple of friends went off a few minutes before I did and I stood in the start house awaiting the count-down. Eli told me right before I was to go that he expected a 24 minute lap from me. I said "Eli, look, I have only one gear." He just smiled and then I heard the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go....
I was off. Within about 200 yards my heart rate was already at 167. I could feel that I was red lining right from the start. The course changes every year and this year even had some new singletrack. As I rode the mud and roots were wicked sloppy. About 1.5 miles in I came upon a friend who had started before me. She was off her bike trying to get through a really muddy almost bog like section at the entrance of Moose Alley. I figured that maybe she had just picked the wrong line and decided to just ride right through it. I hit it and it almost sucked me right in and threw me off my bike. I came to an abrupt halt and slowly churned through the peanut-butter like ooze and then proceeded on my way. That was almost a disaster so I decided to be a bit more careful as I approached other similar sections.
There was a good bit more of carriage roads before I came to the entrance to Whiplash, a section where I have had some great success riding it and other times great difficulty, including some very bad crashes. With that in mind I stared into it and made it to about the half way point until I decided it was much more prudent considering the conditions and my present heart rate of about 300 that I get off and try to run this section as opposed to ride it and break myself or my helmet, again.
I ran some, but not enough and got back on too soon, I got back off and ran some more and then got back on only to jump off yet again and finally start yelling at my dumb ass as I jogged along, the whole time thinking that the clock was going as I was farting around getting on and off my bike instead of riding.
Finally I was able to get on my bike and actually ride it. I completed Whiplash and headed out onto the carriage road, I had taken my glasses off due to the fog that appeared on them as I was running(walking). I tried to pull them out of my jersey pocket and put them on while going as fast as I could. It was not a good idea as I proceeded to hit a water bar with one hand on the handlebars and almost stuck the glasses in my eye and just plain crash. I averted that mishap and thought I was ready to head back to the start/finish area. My heart rate was still in the low 170's and had been there since almost the start with no let down. I figured I was going to struggle getting back in a good time and as I looked at my clock I was thinking I was looking at a time of about 27 minutes.
I peddled my bike as fast as I could considering what was left in the tank and was cruising along at a blistering 14 mph. I really could have used a few more gears at that moment but was stuck with the only one I had. AS I headed up the final hill I could really feel the legs starting the not feel good and my lungs were on fire. To top that all off I was thinking I was going to taste my lunch again shortly. Gotta love when you get to enjoy a meal twice.
AS I hit the tunnel to the home stretch I saw that I was still under 25 minutes. I drove for the line and came in at 25:01. Just missed the 24. Not too bad considering the amount of time off the bike and being spun out as much as I was. Oh well, that's racing on a single-speed.
After the race everything needed a good hose down and as I was loading the car up with all of our bikes Sven rolled in with his crew. I told Sven's oldest to make sure he took his time on his lap and she asked me what my time was, I fibbed and told her I put up a 30. Guess I wanted to give Sven some false sense of my time thinking he'd take it easy out there.
Overall I ended up in 8th p[lace in the expert division, but I think I was the top singlespeed finisher so that's cool.
My oldest son took second place in his division and our youngest who is 5 and was racing for the first time took first place in his division. Nice job fellas.
Next week is Week 2 of the series as well as the second race in the Red Jersey Race Series.
Good luck to Sven on the hill climb Saturday. Better him than me.
JJ
So Tuesday was the first race in the Dakine Summer Series at Great Glen Trails. We had planned to arrive at about 5 or so and have myself and my two sons who are 5 & 10 race as well. At about 3PM I got a call from my wife asking my to check the radar as there was a large green blob moving towards us. Knowing that the rain was coming soon we decided to head to Great Glen sooner and arrived there about 4PM. The whole drive up was in the rain but as we pulled into the parking lot the rain subsided. I usually will pre-ride the course or at least do a lap on the short course with my kids as a warm up before racing, however I decided to just go out cold and try to get my race in before the skies opened up.
A couple of friends went off a few minutes before I did and I stood in the start house awaiting the count-down. Eli told me right before I was to go that he expected a 24 minute lap from me. I said "Eli, look, I have only one gear." He just smiled and then I heard the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go....
I was off. Within about 200 yards my heart rate was already at 167. I could feel that I was red lining right from the start. The course changes every year and this year even had some new singletrack. As I rode the mud and roots were wicked sloppy. About 1.5 miles in I came upon a friend who had started before me. She was off her bike trying to get through a really muddy almost bog like section at the entrance of Moose Alley. I figured that maybe she had just picked the wrong line and decided to just ride right through it. I hit it and it almost sucked me right in and threw me off my bike. I came to an abrupt halt and slowly churned through the peanut-butter like ooze and then proceeded on my way. That was almost a disaster so I decided to be a bit more careful as I approached other similar sections.
There was a good bit more of carriage roads before I came to the entrance to Whiplash, a section where I have had some great success riding it and other times great difficulty, including some very bad crashes. With that in mind I stared into it and made it to about the half way point until I decided it was much more prudent considering the conditions and my present heart rate of about 300 that I get off and try to run this section as opposed to ride it and break myself or my helmet, again.
I ran some, but not enough and got back on too soon, I got back off and ran some more and then got back on only to jump off yet again and finally start yelling at my dumb ass as I jogged along, the whole time thinking that the clock was going as I was farting around getting on and off my bike instead of riding.
Finally I was able to get on my bike and actually ride it. I completed Whiplash and headed out onto the carriage road, I had taken my glasses off due to the fog that appeared on them as I was running(walking). I tried to pull them out of my jersey pocket and put them on while going as fast as I could. It was not a good idea as I proceeded to hit a water bar with one hand on the handlebars and almost stuck the glasses in my eye and just plain crash. I averted that mishap and thought I was ready to head back to the start/finish area. My heart rate was still in the low 170's and had been there since almost the start with no let down. I figured I was going to struggle getting back in a good time and as I looked at my clock I was thinking I was looking at a time of about 27 minutes.
I peddled my bike as fast as I could considering what was left in the tank and was cruising along at a blistering 14 mph. I really could have used a few more gears at that moment but was stuck with the only one I had. AS I headed up the final hill I could really feel the legs starting the not feel good and my lungs were on fire. To top that all off I was thinking I was going to taste my lunch again shortly. Gotta love when you get to enjoy a meal twice.
AS I hit the tunnel to the home stretch I saw that I was still under 25 minutes. I drove for the line and came in at 25:01. Just missed the 24. Not too bad considering the amount of time off the bike and being spun out as much as I was. Oh well, that's racing on a single-speed.
After the race everything needed a good hose down and as I was loading the car up with all of our bikes Sven rolled in with his crew. I told Sven's oldest to make sure he took his time on his lap and she asked me what my time was, I fibbed and told her I put up a 30. Guess I wanted to give Sven some false sense of my time thinking he'd take it easy out there.
Overall I ended up in 8th p[lace in the expert division, but I think I was the top singlespeed finisher so that's cool.
My oldest son took second place in his division and our youngest who is 5 and was racing for the first time took first place in his division. Nice job fellas.
Next week is Week 2 of the series as well as the second race in the Red Jersey Race Series.
Good luck to Sven on the hill climb Saturday. Better him than me.
JJ
Newtons Revenge
This weekend is Newtons Revenge, the sibling to the Mount Washington Bicycle Hillclimb. Same course, same hill- different date, different name.
(racing to the top of this, yes there is a road- 7.6 miles, average grade 12%, gain 4400'
I haven't "trained" for the ride, other than riding. I don't have a goal, other than to finish on the same day I start. And until last night I wasn't nervous.
Race nerves- do they ever go away? I felt nerves before the Four on the Fourth running race just the other day- and I'm not a runner so I wasn't really "racing". I felt nerves getting ready for the first race of the Dakine Summer Race Series- which is about as laid back as you can get. I just get those butterflies when it's time to toe the line, yet I don't when I know we are going out for some epic ride- hmmmm.
So last night I began to tear apart my Salsa Chilli Con, which I found ironic as it is still in shakedown mode from the initial build. Off came the chain, cranks, derailleurs, and on went a MTB crank I had bought over the winter that after I got it I couldn't figure out why I had bought it- but it found it's home as it is a 180mm crank that has a small ring of 22t. The other chain rings came off and just the 22t remained.
Tonight I'll pull the cockpit apart as that bike is currently build with SRAM 10sp and I'm not throwing down for a SRAM XX cassette (at $300) so I'll use an old Dura Ace lever and a SRAM X9 for my rear shifting giving me a 11-32 cassette in the back. Then I'll get it all buttoned up and go up and down Chadbourne Hill a few times to make sure it all works. Then before the race I'll pull the rear brake off and save a few more grams- why- why not?
I thought of using my road bike, but knowing how next week is, I didn't want to have to find time to rebuild that bike for road riding- see there is an advantage to having a quiver of bikes!
Next week we have the Dakine race then on Thursday the second race of the Red Jersey Series- so in two weeks I'll have gotten in five races (one running, one hill climb, three mountain bike races)- jezzz that's almost like I'm using racing as "training".
Hopefully by the end of July I'll start feeling a bit better about 24 Hours of Great Glen. Right now I'm nervous about racing solo as I just not in shape. But a good three weeks of riding and racing may change my perception of that (or not)- either way I'll be at Great Glen and it'll be fun.
That's it for now.
Ride on.
DEA
(racing to the top of this, yes there is a road- 7.6 miles, average grade 12%, gain 4400'I haven't "trained" for the ride, other than riding. I don't have a goal, other than to finish on the same day I start. And until last night I wasn't nervous.
Race nerves- do they ever go away? I felt nerves before the Four on the Fourth running race just the other day- and I'm not a runner so I wasn't really "racing". I felt nerves getting ready for the first race of the Dakine Summer Race Series- which is about as laid back as you can get. I just get those butterflies when it's time to toe the line, yet I don't when I know we are going out for some epic ride- hmmmm.
So last night I began to tear apart my Salsa Chilli Con, which I found ironic as it is still in shakedown mode from the initial build. Off came the chain, cranks, derailleurs, and on went a MTB crank I had bought over the winter that after I got it I couldn't figure out why I had bought it- but it found it's home as it is a 180mm crank that has a small ring of 22t. The other chain rings came off and just the 22t remained.
Tonight I'll pull the cockpit apart as that bike is currently build with SRAM 10sp and I'm not throwing down for a SRAM XX cassette (at $300) so I'll use an old Dura Ace lever and a SRAM X9 for my rear shifting giving me a 11-32 cassette in the back. Then I'll get it all buttoned up and go up and down Chadbourne Hill a few times to make sure it all works. Then before the race I'll pull the rear brake off and save a few more grams- why- why not?
I thought of using my road bike, but knowing how next week is, I didn't want to have to find time to rebuild that bike for road riding- see there is an advantage to having a quiver of bikes!
Next week we have the Dakine race then on Thursday the second race of the Red Jersey Series- so in two weeks I'll have gotten in five races (one running, one hill climb, three mountain bike races)- jezzz that's almost like I'm using racing as "training".
Hopefully by the end of July I'll start feeling a bit better about 24 Hours of Great Glen. Right now I'm nervous about racing solo as I just not in shape. But a good three weeks of riding and racing may change my perception of that (or not)- either way I'll be at Great Glen and it'll be fun.
That's it for now.
Ride on.
DEA
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
So here was my race
Liz: "Dad, Dennis rode the course in 30 minutes- you better not take longer than that!"
Dad (Dad being me): "I'll try kiddo, but it's pouring and well I'm not fast anymore."
Liz: "Don't try that on me Dad."
Dad: "Ok, go watch your sister."
Eli: "You ready to rock this course like a hurricane?"
Me (feels weird to do refer to myself as Dad when talking about Eli): "Ummm, maybe?"
Eli: "5,4,3,2,1 go, go like the wind."
Me: actually I already couldn't speak, out of breath
Me: (in my head- and even in my head I sound out of breath)- "damn this is hard, watch that entrance, duh, ok, run, watch your shin, ouch f$*&cking pedal, you stupid bastard, ok get on go, go, go- this frikin hurts"
Me: (still in my head, later on course- Whiplash to be exact): "can that time be right, I'm at the top of the course and I'm at 15 minutes, damn I'm flying, I'm going to crush that Dennis Morgan- I'm going to crush him like potato chips on the floor of my car, I'm going to crus... oh shit- ground coming up quick. Ok back up, why did that happen, why can't I see, why is this cloud bank so think, wait it's my glasses, you dumb ass, take them off, into the pocket, where is the pocket, why are you like a retarded monkey drunk on skunked beer- why did I just think that, ok put the damn glasses in the pocket- now run, ok walk, but walk faster, back on the bike you sissy- there you go, hey I'm flying now- ok back off the bike, run, walk, back on, back off, this is getting stupid, go, go, ok ride the rest of this- wow look at that slug- I bet the slugs are loving this weather....."
Me: (in my head, back on gravel): "Oh look at this time, I'm killing it- I can be back in in 5 minutes, I'm the man, Lance ain't got shit on me, I'm so fas......oh crap, A LEFT, are you kidding me A LEFT, I could be so much faster if I went straight- argh, nobody would know if I went straight, just go straight- why are you going LEFT!!! You make some crap decisions in you life, but you do the right thing here- what the hell is wrong with you, ok just keep going, maybe you're not as fast as you thought, oh man another Left- are you kidding me- I can be fast through here- crap traction, don't nut yourself, who is coming up on me? Why are they coming up on me so fast? This sucks. There he goes- look at him all fit and trim and in a UNH jersey, I wonder if they have scholarships for cycling, I wonder if he dopes, I wonder if he's like the next Lance Armstrong, I'm so sick of hearing about Lance, almost as much as Michael, watch that root, duh...."
Me: (back on gravel)- "I can still crush Dennis, I can regain my crown as the fast guy formerly from Center Conway when you only consider a carefully selected group of people, I can get in by 28 minutes, oh I'm cranking now. Wait- a little piece of new single track, sweet, save some climbing, oh I can be in in under 27 minutes- I'm the Mac Daddy! Wonder what Mac is doing? The prick is probably in the hot tub drinking a beer, argh, and I'm racing in the rain in 52 degree temps in July- I'm just stupid, why is there a camel over there? Ok crank this hill, damn I'm going fast, damn I just blew up, damn just get me in, here comes the finish- is Eli even paying attention try to say something, can't, he'll see me- ok- DONE."
Me: (out loud): "I kicked Morgan's Ass!"
Liz: "Dad you beat 30 minutes, but Dennis did it in 25 something."
Dad: "Argh, are you kidding me. Oh well, I can live with that."
Fast forward to this morning- I click on a Garmin Connect link, it shows 24:41
Me: "Damn, I've got work to do. Maybe I should write a funny thing to send to Dennis letting him know that I tried like hell to crush him, but instead was the one crushed, yeah that's a good idea- it'll only take a minute"
Moral of the story- if I can cut the amount of time it took me to write this damned thing- I'd be faster than you!
By the way- it's raining.
later,
DEA
Dad (Dad being me): "I'll try kiddo, but it's pouring and well I'm not fast anymore."
Liz: "Don't try that on me Dad."
Dad: "Ok, go watch your sister."
Eli: "You ready to rock this course like a hurricane?"
Me (feels weird to do refer to myself as Dad when talking about Eli): "Ummm, maybe?"
Eli: "5,4,3,2,1 go, go like the wind."
Me: actually I already couldn't speak, out of breath
Me: (in my head- and even in my head I sound out of breath)- "damn this is hard, watch that entrance, duh, ok, run, watch your shin, ouch f$*&cking pedal, you stupid bastard, ok get on go, go, go- this frikin hurts"
Me: (still in my head, later on course- Whiplash to be exact): "can that time be right, I'm at the top of the course and I'm at 15 minutes, damn I'm flying, I'm going to crush that Dennis Morgan- I'm going to crush him like potato chips on the floor of my car, I'm going to crus... oh shit- ground coming up quick. Ok back up, why did that happen, why can't I see, why is this cloud bank so think, wait it's my glasses, you dumb ass, take them off, into the pocket, where is the pocket, why are you like a retarded monkey drunk on skunked beer- why did I just think that, ok put the damn glasses in the pocket- now run, ok walk, but walk faster, back on the bike you sissy- there you go, hey I'm flying now- ok back off the bike, run, walk, back on, back off, this is getting stupid, go, go, ok ride the rest of this- wow look at that slug- I bet the slugs are loving this weather....."
Me: (in my head, back on gravel): "Oh look at this time, I'm killing it- I can be back in in 5 minutes, I'm the man, Lance ain't got shit on me, I'm so fas......oh crap, A LEFT, are you kidding me A LEFT, I could be so much faster if I went straight- argh, nobody would know if I went straight, just go straight- why are you going LEFT!!! You make some crap decisions in you life, but you do the right thing here- what the hell is wrong with you, ok just keep going, maybe you're not as fast as you thought, oh man another Left- are you kidding me- I can be fast through here- crap traction, don't nut yourself, who is coming up on me? Why are they coming up on me so fast? This sucks. There he goes- look at him all fit and trim and in a UNH jersey, I wonder if they have scholarships for cycling, I wonder if he dopes, I wonder if he's like the next Lance Armstrong, I'm so sick of hearing about Lance, almost as much as Michael, watch that root, duh...."
Me: (back on gravel)- "I can still crush Dennis, I can regain my crown as the fast guy formerly from Center Conway when you only consider a carefully selected group of people, I can get in by 28 minutes, oh I'm cranking now. Wait- a little piece of new single track, sweet, save some climbing, oh I can be in in under 27 minutes- I'm the Mac Daddy! Wonder what Mac is doing? The prick is probably in the hot tub drinking a beer, argh, and I'm racing in the rain in 52 degree temps in July- I'm just stupid, why is there a camel over there? Ok crank this hill, damn I'm going fast, damn I just blew up, damn just get me in, here comes the finish- is Eli even paying attention try to say something, can't, he'll see me- ok- DONE."
Me: (out loud): "I kicked Morgan's Ass!"
Liz: "Dad you beat 30 minutes, but Dennis did it in 25 something."
Dad: "Argh, are you kidding me. Oh well, I can live with that."
Fast forward to this morning- I click on a Garmin Connect link, it shows 24:41
Me: "Damn, I've got work to do. Maybe I should write a funny thing to send to Dennis letting him know that I tried like hell to crush him, but instead was the one crushed, yeah that's a good idea- it'll only take a minute"
Moral of the story- if I can cut the amount of time it took me to write this damned thing- I'd be faster than you!
By the way- it's raining.
later,
DEA
Monday, July 06, 2009
How did the Fourth of July come and go?
How did that happen. One minute it's March and now it's July 6th? Hmmmm, I need to look into this as I think this whole Obama and change that has messed with the time space continuum, might need to invest in a flux capacitor.
Anyway summer is "officially here"- we don't think of the summer solstice as the start of summer, we use the 4th of July. And for good reason, this year we were still in long tights and booties up to the 4th of July as "spring" really sucked this year. But now the sun is out (for now) and maybe the trails will dry out by next year.
The summer race series begins up at Great Glen tomorrow night. It'll give me a chance to get away from the tour on TV (and NOT in HD in Maine!!! grumble, grumble, grumble).
The tour could shape up to be interesting, or Contador is just going to crush everyone and just make Lance mad- that might be funny. I know Lance is trying to say he's ok riding for the strongest man- but that's because he's never had to do it. Ok he did at teh TOC for Levi- but that was in the winter- we never got to see him ride back up from the cars with 12 water bottles stuffed down his jersey- that's what I want to see.
I've got another race next weekend (two races in a week- I feel so pro)- but this one is a hillclimb and I'm scared. 4400 feet in seven miles- gulp. Should be ok, building up a super low geared bike this week just for the occasion. Hopefully it works! Who knows with all this racing and tour watching maybe I'll start gettign some speed and endurance for that silly 24HOGG in August. I hope the course dries out by then (I'm not kidding- it could take that long!)
Back here at work we're still working on getting the last few kids in the door (so if you know of 18-19 year old male who is still wondering why he didn't get into Harvard and is still looking for options next fall- send him my way!) I'm starting to think about trying to build a cyclocross program here at Bridgton Academy. Not sure if we'll start this year, but I'm thinking it could be fun. There are quite a few races fairly close- and I'd bet I could work a deal with a bike company to get a few rigs here cheap- hmmmmmm. Food for thought at least!
Ok that's if from here. Hoping to get out for another ride with JJ in the near future (he's gonna kick my ass tomorrow night- you heard it here first!). We hit up Kingdom Trails last Friday, and it was good. It was slick, but still super fun. That being said- they do have roots over at Kingdom, if I tell you they don't- then I am lying!
Ride safe.
DEA
Anyway summer is "officially here"- we don't think of the summer solstice as the start of summer, we use the 4th of July. And for good reason, this year we were still in long tights and booties up to the 4th of July as "spring" really sucked this year. But now the sun is out (for now) and maybe the trails will dry out by next year.
The summer race series begins up at Great Glen tomorrow night. It'll give me a chance to get away from the tour on TV (and NOT in HD in Maine!!! grumble, grumble, grumble).
The tour could shape up to be interesting, or Contador is just going to crush everyone and just make Lance mad- that might be funny. I know Lance is trying to say he's ok riding for the strongest man- but that's because he's never had to do it. Ok he did at teh TOC for Levi- but that was in the winter- we never got to see him ride back up from the cars with 12 water bottles stuffed down his jersey- that's what I want to see.
I've got another race next weekend (two races in a week- I feel so pro)- but this one is a hillclimb and I'm scared. 4400 feet in seven miles- gulp. Should be ok, building up a super low geared bike this week just for the occasion. Hopefully it works! Who knows with all this racing and tour watching maybe I'll start gettign some speed and endurance for that silly 24HOGG in August. I hope the course dries out by then (I'm not kidding- it could take that long!)
Back here at work we're still working on getting the last few kids in the door (so if you know of 18-19 year old male who is still wondering why he didn't get into Harvard and is still looking for options next fall- send him my way!) I'm starting to think about trying to build a cyclocross program here at Bridgton Academy. Not sure if we'll start this year, but I'm thinking it could be fun. There are quite a few races fairly close- and I'd bet I could work a deal with a bike company to get a few rigs here cheap- hmmmmmm. Food for thought at least!
Ok that's if from here. Hoping to get out for another ride with JJ in the near future (he's gonna kick my ass tomorrow night- you heard it here first!). We hit up Kingdom Trails last Friday, and it was good. It was slick, but still super fun. That being said- they do have roots over at Kingdom, if I tell you they don't- then I am lying!
Ride safe.
DEA
Monday, June 22, 2009
Father's Day Epic
I had high hopes all week of getting out for 3-4 hours of riding on Sunday. The weather looked crappy and not many folks were responding to the emails I was sending out to see who wanted to ride. I figured it would end up being DEA and me but I was surprised when Charles pulled in. We moved our ride start back an hour from noon til 1 as I had some errands to get done and DEA had a bit of a hangover to get over.
Just as we were getting ready to roll out the rain started again. It was coming down pretty hard but when I went inside to look at the radar it did not show up. Maybe the radar is getting tired of the rain too. At about 1 the three of us headed out for a 3 hour tour. We started on Davis Hill and rode a good bit of the network there and were disappointed to see that there had been some significant logging operations that had ruined a real nice section of singletrack, bummer. We then proceeded around the end of Conway Lake and then through Redstone to some new trail that I do not know the name of but was just soft enough that it was sucking the life from us. We could never really get any momentum going or any flow.
We finally arrived at Sticks & Stones and did most of a lap there and while doing so bumped into Carl from the Red Jersey and the Michelin Mike (not sure he should be called that anymore) who were out for rides too. After seeing them and chatting for a few wee decided to test out the new pump track. There were 6 or so folks at the track which was nice to see. Either I suck at pump tracks or my bike is too big for them. Not sure they were designed for 29ers.
About this time we alldecided it was probably time to start back. I asked which way we wanted to go, left or right, and we chose right. That meant a good climb up Peaked Mountain to the Sidehill Trail. Once we got to the top of the climb I think we were all feeling pretty spent. The trail was a good ride as usual and I showed DEA all of the new stuff that seems to be popping up all over as we rolled along. We then hit the Power Lines and then back through Redstone and on to home.
Overall it ended up being just over 3 hours of actual ride time and 26.5 miles. I had a blast regardless of the rain. Nice to have 3 SS 29er riders out on the trails together. Like a freaky bike gang.
So here's the data from the ride:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 3:34:16 8:05 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:05:03 6:58 pace
Distance (mi ) 26.50
Moving Speed (mph) 8.6 avg. 27.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,007 / -2,008
Avg. Heart Rate 144 bpm Zone 3.6
Temperature (°F) 68°F avg. 69.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) NE 8.0 avg. NE 11.5 max.
Might head down to Pat's Peak and pre-ride the 24hr course on Saturday. It would be nice of it dried out some before though.
JJ
Just as we were getting ready to roll out the rain started again. It was coming down pretty hard but when I went inside to look at the radar it did not show up. Maybe the radar is getting tired of the rain too. At about 1 the three of us headed out for a 3 hour tour. We started on Davis Hill and rode a good bit of the network there and were disappointed to see that there had been some significant logging operations that had ruined a real nice section of singletrack, bummer. We then proceeded around the end of Conway Lake and then through Redstone to some new trail that I do not know the name of but was just soft enough that it was sucking the life from us. We could never really get any momentum going or any flow.
We finally arrived at Sticks & Stones and did most of a lap there and while doing so bumped into Carl from the Red Jersey and the Michelin Mike (not sure he should be called that anymore) who were out for rides too. After seeing them and chatting for a few wee decided to test out the new pump track. There were 6 or so folks at the track which was nice to see. Either I suck at pump tracks or my bike is too big for them. Not sure they were designed for 29ers.
About this time we alldecided it was probably time to start back. I asked which way we wanted to go, left or right, and we chose right. That meant a good climb up Peaked Mountain to the Sidehill Trail. Once we got to the top of the climb I think we were all feeling pretty spent. The trail was a good ride as usual and I showed DEA all of the new stuff that seems to be popping up all over as we rolled along. We then hit the Power Lines and then back through Redstone and on to home.
Overall it ended up being just over 3 hours of actual ride time and 26.5 miles. I had a blast regardless of the rain. Nice to have 3 SS 29er riders out on the trails together. Like a freaky bike gang.
So here's the data from the ride:
Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s) 3:34:16 8:05 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 3:05:03 6:58 pace
Distance (mi ) 26.50
Moving Speed (mph) 8.6 avg. 27.3 max.
Elevation Gain (ft) +2,007 / -2,008
Avg. Heart Rate 144 bpm Zone 3.6
Temperature (°F) 68°F avg. 69.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph) NE 8.0 avg. NE 11.5 max.
Might head down to Pat's Peak and pre-ride the 24hr course on Saturday. It would be nice of it dried out some before though.
JJ
Summer Race Series at Attitash
It has been a strange spring season for me as I’ve been recovering from a broken tailbone that had taken me off my bike for a good five weeks. That meant that this year my first race wasn’t Crank the Kanc, but instead the first race of the Red Jersey Summer Race Series.
This year the first stop took place on the Thorne Pond trails at Attitash in Bartlett, NH. A flat, twisty piece of single track that tests your handling and root riding skills. Like most of the Northeast, it had been raining for several days (race day included) so the roots and rocks offered little in the way of traction.
The race started with a mass start of all categories, which is different from how they usually run the race. This meant that when I rolled back in from my warm up lap I found that they were lining everyone up and that I didn’t have time to go back to the car for a pre-race check up on the bike. I knew my tires were running soft so I borrowed a pump from a buddy and put in some air- but the gauge didn’t work so I was doing my best to do an accurate squish test, shooting for 32psi in my Panaracer Rampage tires. Let’s just say I missed that mark, more on that in a minute.
The race began and I quickly move backwards through the pack as my 32x18 that I was running on my Salsa El Mariachi, had me spun out quickly. Once we hit the single track I began to get some of those spots back, and the slight climb on the back of the course gave me a chance to get a few more back. What I was finding was that the air pressure I had put in was a bit more than I had thought, and the roots were really pounding me. Finally I pulled off to let out a bit of air, in the process loosing a few spots that I hoped to get back in the final two laps.
On the third lap I began to hear a clunking sound, that I attributed to the fact that I had left my tool bag on the bike and figured it was my multi-tool banging into the seat post. How wrong I was. A short while later on a step down bridge that you basically aired onto, I found myself on a bike that seemed to be imploding. Some how I didn’t completely wreck and managed to get my feet to the ground and looked back to realize my rear wheel was no longer in the dropouts. This image left me confused for a moment and then I realized I never snugged down my rear wheel after changing the cogs. Rookie mistake that could have been a very costly error. I put the bike back together and chased back trying to catch up to the people who I had by yo-yoing with each time ended up stopping.
By the fourth lap I realized the people I had been chasing had already finished, must have been sport class and I’m guessing I was now taking up the rear of the expert field. Not a great showing by any stretch, but I looked at is I got the best value of any of the racers out there as I paid less per minute of racing then those who went much faster!
Here is the Garmin 705 data from the ride.
In all it was a good start to the season. It felt good to ride hard and chase a bunch of other like minded people through the woods. It also reminded me, yet again, how important it is to have your gear ready and dialed before the gun goes off. You’d think after 20 years of racing I’d have that figured out, but it seems like at least once a year I have to go through this to remind myself- I guess I have it out of the way for 2009!
See you out on the course.
This year the first stop took place on the Thorne Pond trails at Attitash in Bartlett, NH. A flat, twisty piece of single track that tests your handling and root riding skills. Like most of the Northeast, it had been raining for several days (race day included) so the roots and rocks offered little in the way of traction.
The race started with a mass start of all categories, which is different from how they usually run the race. This meant that when I rolled back in from my warm up lap I found that they were lining everyone up and that I didn’t have time to go back to the car for a pre-race check up on the bike. I knew my tires were running soft so I borrowed a pump from a buddy and put in some air- but the gauge didn’t work so I was doing my best to do an accurate squish test, shooting for 32psi in my Panaracer Rampage tires. Let’s just say I missed that mark, more on that in a minute.
The race began and I quickly move backwards through the pack as my 32x18 that I was running on my Salsa El Mariachi, had me spun out quickly. Once we hit the single track I began to get some of those spots back, and the slight climb on the back of the course gave me a chance to get a few more back. What I was finding was that the air pressure I had put in was a bit more than I had thought, and the roots were really pounding me. Finally I pulled off to let out a bit of air, in the process loosing a few spots that I hoped to get back in the final two laps.
On the third lap I began to hear a clunking sound, that I attributed to the fact that I had left my tool bag on the bike and figured it was my multi-tool banging into the seat post. How wrong I was. A short while later on a step down bridge that you basically aired onto, I found myself on a bike that seemed to be imploding. Some how I didn’t completely wreck and managed to get my feet to the ground and looked back to realize my rear wheel was no longer in the dropouts. This image left me confused for a moment and then I realized I never snugged down my rear wheel after changing the cogs. Rookie mistake that could have been a very costly error. I put the bike back together and chased back trying to catch up to the people who I had by yo-yoing with each time ended up stopping.
By the fourth lap I realized the people I had been chasing had already finished, must have been sport class and I’m guessing I was now taking up the rear of the expert field. Not a great showing by any stretch, but I looked at is I got the best value of any of the racers out there as I paid less per minute of racing then those who went much faster!
Here is the Garmin 705 data from the ride.
In all it was a good start to the season. It felt good to ride hard and chase a bunch of other like minded people through the woods. It also reminded me, yet again, how important it is to have your gear ready and dialed before the gun goes off. You’d think after 20 years of racing I’d have that figured out, but it seems like at least once a year I have to go through this to remind myself- I guess I have it out of the way for 2009!
See you out on the course.
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