Sitting in a coffee shop in the Minneapolis area... Attended the Outdoor Adventure Expo this weekend and scored a couple of fantastic deals on bike lites and classic skis.
Brought my "new" bike down with me and put it through the paces on a local trail that I really like, it's a nice flowy trail with short climbs and swoopy corners that for the most part you can take as fast as you can ride the straights...think bird's hill burr oak trail meets whittier park...
The stunning part of this is that this trail was built AT THE REQUEST OF THE CITY!!!! Inver Grove Heights approached MORC (the minnesota 'equivallent' of the MCA but way way better) to build a trail in a little used park. While it is open to hikers and trail runners, it was built with mountain bikers in mind and there's non of this "bikes yeild to pedestrians" crap. Wow, a bike trail for bikes!!!!
So it made me think; (and this is where this post becomes more rant/vent than observation) that Winnipeg could be like this, with an active and vibrant trail building/maintaining community that CLOSES trails when they're wet to preserve them, builds new trails and improves existing ones. Their local committee (MORC) seems to be more action than talk which would be a very very welcome change from the way things are in Winnipeg.
Sigh, sadly, nothing will change in spite of any efforts to spur new trail building/maintenance and only the most dedicated will do anything to attempt to make our local trails any better.
I cannot vent about lazy trail riders without pointing the finger at myself somewhat; I do not do much trail maintenance. I will however, get off my bike and move branches and trees off a trail when I they are small enough for one person to move but I have never carried any kind of a saw to tackle some of the bigger downed trees. BOO ME!!!
Having said all that, I do strongly wish that some group would adopt some of the local trails and at least once or twice a season "spruce it up" to make riding more enjoyable and flowier for all of us.
Vent completed, rant terminated.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
So I was able to secure a steal of a deal on a full suspension Gary Fisher frame in the 29er persuasion. I couldnt pass it up and the idea was to change the geared parts over from the Norco to the GF full squish. (sorry for the technical terms; full squish = full suspension. The norco was a hardtail {front suspension only})
Halfway through I ran into a roadblock as the seat post tube was thicker on the GF than the Norco so on top of purchasing new shifter cables, fork spacers and a derailleur hanger I will now need to acquire a new front derailleur. Not a huge issue but that means I won't be able to ride the bike tomorrow as planned. No worries, a trip to the local bike shop SHOULD solve this problem. I say should because at this time of year, parts availability is not the greatest, and understandably so.
So anyway, pics should be up soon, as I documented the change of parts. I also consumed a bottle of wine as I proceeded with this project and I noticed that productivity is inversly proportional to the volume of wine consumed. Which is demonstrated by this post seeing as I am not done building up the GF full squish and yet, amazingly; I am writing in my blog.
I know, I know, it blows my mind too!!!
So anyway, as mentioned, I documented the changeover and I'll make a short but funny video about it to be posted on FACEBOOK.
I'll post the link here as well.
Ok, back to the bikes.
Halfway through I ran into a roadblock as the seat post tube was thicker on the GF than the Norco so on top of purchasing new shifter cables, fork spacers and a derailleur hanger I will now need to acquire a new front derailleur. Not a huge issue but that means I won't be able to ride the bike tomorrow as planned. No worries, a trip to the local bike shop SHOULD solve this problem. I say should because at this time of year, parts availability is not the greatest, and understandably so.
So anyway, pics should be up soon, as I documented the change of parts. I also consumed a bottle of wine as I proceeded with this project and I noticed that productivity is inversly proportional to the volume of wine consumed. Which is demonstrated by this post seeing as I am not done building up the GF full squish and yet, amazingly; I am writing in my blog.
I know, I know, it blows my mind too!!!
So anyway, as mentioned, I documented the changeover and I'll make a short but funny video about it to be posted on FACEBOOK.
I'll post the link here as well.
Ok, back to the bikes.
Monday, November 9, 2009
MDH x 1 day
The Maah Daah Hey trail is 96 miles of single track through the North Dakota badlands. It runs from the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park at Medora, ND to the North Unit which is close to Watford City, ND.
This trail was 30 years in the making since it was first discussed. Finished now, it winds its way through a wild landscape dominated by layered clay cliffs scoured by wind, rain and the Little Missouri River.
While attempting it in one day is nothing new, many riders have done this, I've never ridden this far before on a trail. I've done longer road rides but a road ride is considerably easier than a mountain bike trail, especially when approximately 12000 feet of climbing is involved.
Arriving in Dickinson, the group of 4 riders and 4 support crew members finalized the support stops, where the riders could receive food, water and tweak any problems with their bikes and decided to start at 5 am from Medora and ride north.
5 AM Saturday:
It was crisp but not overly cold. I kept the heat low in the RAV to minimize sweating on the drive to the starting point. We mounted our lights and set up the batteries, made final preperations to our hydration packs and bid farewell to our sensibilities. It was very dark and climbing hills on an unfamiliar trail in the dark is fairly difficult because you don't know if you're climbing 100 feet or 500. Plus my bike wouldn't shift into "granny gear" (the smallest chain ring on the front- FWI for non-riders) so I had to unclip my foot and push the chain over with my heal while trying to spin with one leg. Eventually I was able to fix this problem and I don't think it was a determining factor in my end result.
We watched the sun come up and felt the wind begin to rise. Each competing with each other to see who would be stronger, the wind seemed to be the victor...it never got warm enough that we could ignore the breeze but it was unseasonably warm for the first week of November which was a blessing. After the first support stop we were able to remove our lights and ride in daylight. Wardrobe adjustments were necessary as well because it became warm enough to shed a layer or two.
Most of the ride was just what I expected it to be. Because my fellow riders are shorter and at least 30-50 lbs lighter than I am; I was off the back just as I always am. It was neat to see them working their way across a long valley but sometimes frustrating because whenever I saw them above me (especially in the dark) I knew I had a lot more climbing to do.
I had to bail on the ride at about the 140 km mark (it was about 168 total) after 11 hours 42 minutes of riding time because my knee was causing me considerable pain. I had partially dislocated it during a race in summer but it was never bad enough to require a doctor visit. It began to hurt occasionally around 80 kms but would stop hurting for long periods of time. Eventually, as these things happen, it began to hurt more and longer and at about 100 kms I was in pain non-stop and the waves of the worst of it were beginning to affect my ride. I abandoned my effort in the end because the zenith of pain was now causing me nausea. In the end; I chose long term mobility and knee health over short term pride. I also knew that my slow progress would impede the others as they had to wait for me at the support stops now so quitting was also semi sacrificial to ensure their completion.
I intend to attempt this again but I will do a few things differently. I would climb more hills leading up to the ride, the trail I chose to train on does not have long enough sustained climbs to prepare ones legs for this. I would also choose more "real" food over performance food. I was pretty sick of clif bars and powerbars and when one of the support crew members had coffee ready at the stop where I bailed on the ride, he became my instant hero, even if only for the moment. Riding in the cool weather like this suggests to me that a soup of some kind at a support stop would have been most welcomed. I found myself craving real food while on the bike and the bagels with honey I had were great for the carbohydrates they provided but they became "glommy" in my mouth and in hindsight, I would have chosen something else.
Before the ride I had emailed my friends and family to suggest that they consider a donation to a charity of their choice in accordance to how many kms I rode and that spurred me to ride farther than I would have if some had not decided to accept my challenge. In the end I might have quit sooner but all in all I'm slightly disappointed in my failure to complete this trail but I wonder if I might have been more disappointed in myself had I finished it and caused real damage to my knee because I simply should have known better.
I brought my camera equipment along and had several people assist in filming. Now begins the process of reviewing what was captured and what is usable. I intend to make a short film about this adventure but being a procrastinator and of limited creative abilities; I expect it will take several months.
If I knew how to post pics along side the words, I would but I haven't quite figured that out yet...
And before I forget, MANY MANY THANKS TO THE SUPPORT CREW:
Mitchell R
Mark Z
Kellye P
Susan D
and the other riders
Tom Q
Gregg P
Craig D
Ride on...
This trail was 30 years in the making since it was first discussed. Finished now, it winds its way through a wild landscape dominated by layered clay cliffs scoured by wind, rain and the Little Missouri River.
While attempting it in one day is nothing new, many riders have done this, I've never ridden this far before on a trail. I've done longer road rides but a road ride is considerably easier than a mountain bike trail, especially when approximately 12000 feet of climbing is involved.
Arriving in Dickinson, the group of 4 riders and 4 support crew members finalized the support stops, where the riders could receive food, water and tweak any problems with their bikes and decided to start at 5 am from Medora and ride north.
5 AM Saturday:
It was crisp but not overly cold. I kept the heat low in the RAV to minimize sweating on the drive to the starting point. We mounted our lights and set up the batteries, made final preperations to our hydration packs and bid farewell to our sensibilities. It was very dark and climbing hills on an unfamiliar trail in the dark is fairly difficult because you don't know if you're climbing 100 feet or 500. Plus my bike wouldn't shift into "granny gear" (the smallest chain ring on the front- FWI for non-riders) so I had to unclip my foot and push the chain over with my heal while trying to spin with one leg. Eventually I was able to fix this problem and I don't think it was a determining factor in my end result.
We watched the sun come up and felt the wind begin to rise. Each competing with each other to see who would be stronger, the wind seemed to be the victor...it never got warm enough that we could ignore the breeze but it was unseasonably warm for the first week of November which was a blessing. After the first support stop we were able to remove our lights and ride in daylight. Wardrobe adjustments were necessary as well because it became warm enough to shed a layer or two.
Most of the ride was just what I expected it to be. Because my fellow riders are shorter and at least 30-50 lbs lighter than I am; I was off the back just as I always am. It was neat to see them working their way across a long valley but sometimes frustrating because whenever I saw them above me (especially in the dark) I knew I had a lot more climbing to do.
I had to bail on the ride at about the 140 km mark (it was about 168 total) after 11 hours 42 minutes of riding time because my knee was causing me considerable pain. I had partially dislocated it during a race in summer but it was never bad enough to require a doctor visit. It began to hurt occasionally around 80 kms but would stop hurting for long periods of time. Eventually, as these things happen, it began to hurt more and longer and at about 100 kms I was in pain non-stop and the waves of the worst of it were beginning to affect my ride. I abandoned my effort in the end because the zenith of pain was now causing me nausea. In the end; I chose long term mobility and knee health over short term pride. I also knew that my slow progress would impede the others as they had to wait for me at the support stops now so quitting was also semi sacrificial to ensure their completion.
I intend to attempt this again but I will do a few things differently. I would climb more hills leading up to the ride, the trail I chose to train on does not have long enough sustained climbs to prepare ones legs for this. I would also choose more "real" food over performance food. I was pretty sick of clif bars and powerbars and when one of the support crew members had coffee ready at the stop where I bailed on the ride, he became my instant hero, even if only for the moment. Riding in the cool weather like this suggests to me that a soup of some kind at a support stop would have been most welcomed. I found myself craving real food while on the bike and the bagels with honey I had were great for the carbohydrates they provided but they became "glommy" in my mouth and in hindsight, I would have chosen something else.
Before the ride I had emailed my friends and family to suggest that they consider a donation to a charity of their choice in accordance to how many kms I rode and that spurred me to ride farther than I would have if some had not decided to accept my challenge. In the end I might have quit sooner but all in all I'm slightly disappointed in my failure to complete this trail but I wonder if I might have been more disappointed in myself had I finished it and caused real damage to my knee because I simply should have known better.
I brought my camera equipment along and had several people assist in filming. Now begins the process of reviewing what was captured and what is usable. I intend to make a short film about this adventure but being a procrastinator and of limited creative abilities; I expect it will take several months.
If I knew how to post pics along side the words, I would but I haven't quite figured that out yet...
And before I forget, MANY MANY THANKS TO THE SUPPORT CREW:
Mitchell R
Mark Z
Kellye P
Susan D
and the other riders
Tom Q
Gregg P
Craig D
Ride on...
Monday, November 2, 2009
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Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sunday ride
After a week of rest I went for a few laps of Burr Oak this afternoon. It was good to be out riding some trails again after miles and miles of road riding to get ready for the MDH x 1 Day attempt on November 7th.
The trail is in nice riding shape and a lot drier than I expected to see it. It was a good test of the bike after a rebuild over the weekend. My newly sealed up nanoraptors tubeless set up held up just fine. Some slight fluid leakage around the rim but I rode for an hour and a half without flatting. I held back because today's ride was about spinning the legs and not about speed.
The final prep's are being figured out for the MDH x 1 day... leaving Friday morning, riding all day Saturday and coming back. It'll be a whirlwind for sure but 200 kms in one day will be a challenge and an adventure.
It looks like there will be 4 riders and support crew. 2 support vehicles assuming we can drive both of them across the Little Missouri River. At 1300 calories per hour; staying nutritioned will be vital to successful completion. Eating early and eating often will be the name of the game, even choking down a cliff bar if necessary. I know from previous long rides that after a while you simply do not want to eat anymore but you have to override your stomach because sooner or later you will need those calories.
Slow and steady is my strategy, not riding hard just because it feels good but a consistant pace for an all day epic.
The trail is in nice riding shape and a lot drier than I expected to see it. It was a good test of the bike after a rebuild over the weekend. My newly sealed up nanoraptors tubeless set up held up just fine. Some slight fluid leakage around the rim but I rode for an hour and a half without flatting. I held back because today's ride was about spinning the legs and not about speed.
The final prep's are being figured out for the MDH x 1 day... leaving Friday morning, riding all day Saturday and coming back. It'll be a whirlwind for sure but 200 kms in one day will be a challenge and an adventure.
It looks like there will be 4 riders and support crew. 2 support vehicles assuming we can drive both of them across the Little Missouri River. At 1300 calories per hour; staying nutritioned will be vital to successful completion. Eating early and eating often will be the name of the game, even choking down a cliff bar if necessary. I know from previous long rides that after a while you simply do not want to eat anymore but you have to override your stomach because sooner or later you will need those calories.
Slow and steady is my strategy, not riding hard just because it feels good but a consistant pace for an all day epic.
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