Landmine Classic

Media Fridays

We'll post videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

I miss this race... used to be my old stomping grounds.  Now that we are settled down here in Charlotte... well almost completely settled.  The bathroom reno should be wrapping up next week, and then I get to finally start on my bike room - right now it is a pile of dusty bikes and bathroom materials.

Anyway, once we are in the groove down here it is time to start thinking about possibly visits back up north.  I know it is too late for this year, but perhaps next year I can get a visit to coincide with the Landmine Classic.

good lord

Media Fridays

We'll post videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Things have been falling apart in terms of keeping up with this... SORRY!  Still working on getting everything back in order - got my PhD application in and complete, so now that is a waiting game.  Now I've got to lock in a job so we can stop using our savings and I can start making money - but more importantly, get back into a routine.

Ok, life aside.... it is FRIDAY!!  so.... here we go!

So, I've been missing Wompatuck a lot lately... so here is a little video I found - not the race, but some footage of some of the course (as it had already been taped off).

How the South is different

I'm not about to get political here, I'm talking about riding.

Well... ok, just two things on this Chick-fil-A business that's been in the news and whatnot.
1.  Way to go Mumbles.
2. Bojangles' is AWESOME.

Done.

So, what I wanted to discuss is how riding in the South has been different thus far.

Humidity.  Yes it's been hot down here.  I think our first week down here it was like over 100 nearly everyday, which I've been told is abnormal.  But, it's not the temperature that is killer, it is the humidity.  It's not really the same humidity that I remember from my days in Georgia, where you found yourself soaked just walking from the comfort of your a/c controlled apartment to the a/c of your vehicle...  no, what I'm finding is the heaviness of the air is an absolute killer on rides.  It's that weight in the air that I've yet to adjust to, so when the lungs start crying for more air I seem to be left stuck sucking on a sponge.

Trail conditions... there are a couple in this category.

Trails here are buff and clear.  I guess that's the difference in riding trails created specifically for mountain bikes (here) versus riding State Forests where trails were originally designed for hiking (New England).  Being designed for mountain bikers, and receiving frequent maintenance, riders/workers seem to be partial to debris-less trails.  Yes, nice derailleur snatchers (branches) need to be cleared, but everything is cleared leaving a nice view of the hard packed trail.

Trail length frequently leaves something to be desired.  I've found a bunch of trails that are sub 6 miles... some being closer to 3.  I'm not used to forced laps to get mileage in.  But again, I suppose this is a sacrifice made to have mountain bike specific trails, as well as utilizing available lands to increase the number of trails to choose from.  I do miss being able to hit Wompatuck or Foxboro and just ride my way through and around the forest with minimal to no repeats of trails and still log 20+ miles.

Building these shorter trails to utilize the land available sometimes means squishing in the miles... lots of twisty and turny bits.  Lot's of switchbacks.  Lots of leaning the bike over on turns.  Lots of stuff I'm frankly not used to!!  Switchbacks, most of the time, were utilized on climbing hillsides in New England... forcing trails to twist back on themselves wasn't considered in the original hiking minded design of said trails.  So, my experience on switchbacks was on tight technical climbs where speed would probably be low anyway.  Here they are utilized to pack the trails into small places so I'm having to relearn how to ride in a sense. It's kinda neat to take on a different style, but man is it a process to get your mind wrapped around trying to keep speed up as much while getting the whole turn thing down perfectly on some sharp turns (outside pedal down and weighted - get off the damn saddle, inside hand press down into the turn - get off the damn saddle before you wash out!!).

The technical aspects of trails here - yes there are some roots and some rocks - are far outweighed by the buff fast stuff.  There are trails here and there that can keep you honest with a mixture of tight turns, ups and downs, and some roots and rocks thrown in for good measure.  But these trails are definitely not the trails I learned to ride on when I got back on the mountain bike a couple of years ago.  Is that an advantage or disadvantage?  Maybe I learned some skills up North that you might not (be forced) to learn down here... but does that help me here?  There are no rock walls to cross here like there is EVERYWHERE in New England... but hopefully that translates into me being confident to keep speed up through whatever mess I find on a trail here.  On the flipside, those learning on the tightness down here will probably smoke me with their ability to carry speed through the corners at a level I have not gotten to yet.

What it has done is made riding new again.  It's always been fun, and I have always been learning and improving (or at least striving to do so) with each ride.  But now I get to focus on a new set of skills and really work.

So far, so fun!!

You fickle...

70-80s last week just dripping with sweat to frozen feet yesterday...

In all honesty, high 40-low 50 is a nice range (typically) for this time of year and I would have no complaints.  BUT, with the unseasonably warm weather we've been having I forgot the proper ride attire for the conditions and my feet were absolutely FROZEN during my ride yesterday.

Still had a fun ride - explored some more of Upton State Forest - took a nice ride out and around a lake in Whitehall State Park.  I stumbled upon the lake and there was a sweet little singletrack shooting around the shoreline so I followed... what I didn't realize was just how big this body of water was!!  A longer side track than I had planned, and with a late start I did get a little nervous I'd be fumbling in the dark to get back to the pterodactyl.  Never fear, I made it back in time. 

After two rides, I'm diggin Upton.  It offers a nice mix of terrain, some decent climbs, plenty of fire roads to bomb, and some nice tight twisty singletrack.  I've also realized that there is much more area to explore, both in and around the forest, and it looks like this place has the potential for some serious miles.

Oh, and the bruises are coming in nicely from the crash at Wompatuck over the weekend...  it sure is mountain biking season!!

when a biker crashes...

and no one is around to see it... is there a reason?

Saturday I hit up Wompatuck with no real route in mind.  I had thought about going down to check out Burlingame (even though I wasn't racing on Sunday) but when I realized it was an hour and 3/4 drive I decided against it.  I had also thought about going to the race to take pictures... but again, the distance and the 9am start kind of made that an unlikely event.

So, Saturday I rode around Wompatuck.  My general idea was to get 20+ miles.  With no pre-set route I was free to just ride.  Wompatuck is big, but it is hard to get lost (or at least lost for long) as there are a plethora of old paved paths that will lead back to the road and major trail intersections are well marked (assuming you have a map - or knowledge of the area).  My ride started well.  My legs were feeling pretty good - definitely stronger.  The weather was great for riding - low 50s, and the trails were in fantastic condition (some blow down here and there, but overall things were great).

I wore my new long sleeve merino jersey and that thing is sweet ass!!  It's made by Icebreaker.

I got a large, and all I can say is that I'm glad I've shed some pounds (and continue to do so) because it was tight.  Not so tight that it was uncomfortable or restricted movement, etc... but it is tight.  I've never worn merino wool before and wasn't sure what to expect.  When I tried it on I wasn't sure how warm it would actually be as it felt super light weight.  I decided to try it out on Saturday with temps in the low 50s because I figured my jacket would be too much and a ss jersey alone wouldn't be enough.  Well, it was PERFECT!!  It somehow managed to keep in body heat while also keeping me cool... as I flew down trails I could feel the cool air - but it felt good.... never got a chill from it (even when I soaked my back with an exploding water bottle... more about that later).



I ended up my ride with 25.8 miles and something to explore on my next (non-ride) visit.  I came across a whole section (so I guess there are areas I haven't ridden) of old abandoned buildings along an old railroad line.  Just a lot of opportunities for some great shots so I MUST go back with the camera and see what I can get.  But, let's get to exploding water bottle....

So I was following a bit of the race course and at one point I wasn't exactly sure which trail to take (turn or continue straight).  I stayed straight and as I was flying down the trail I saw ahead a slight bend with the outside having a slight berm to boulder.  Somehow, someway, something got caught up and I took a spill.  It felt as though something had grabbed my derailleur and flipped my rear in the air... I tried to keep my balance but soon felt like a spill was inevitable so I tried to separate from my bike.  I landed on my left elbow/side with my bike away from my body - but of course still tangled in my legs.  As the dust settled I saw a water bottle top laying in the trail in front of my face.  I look to the bottle on my bike and it's in tact, so I quickly reach back to my jersey and pull the open bottle from my pocket.  At this point I was more concerned with my bike than anything else so I methodically look it over and everything was fine!  My shins on the other hand were beat to hell, but overall ok.

I could not for the life of me figure out how the crash happened.  There wasn't anything there that snagged my bike... it was a mystery.  I continued my ride and soon forgot the crash... except for the wet jersey.  But even though I was wet - I didn't feel wet... if that makes any sense?  The jersey did not retain a chill from the spill, so I probably just looked a mess to other trail users after that point.  I didn't take any pictures before continuing my ride, but before the day was done I decided to find my way back to investigate the scene further.

approach to the scene... looks like a nice turn, right?

ride the outside... that's the plan

ground disturbance....

So, there was a nice divot in the area where the "accident" occurred... but what caused it?  Like I said, it felt like something had grabbed from behind... like a derailleur pull or something.  But there was nothing around that could have grabbed it, and of course no damage to my derailleur....

So I set my bike up to check if I could have hit the ground with a pedal.  I thought I had my pedals parallel to the ground, but maybe not??  

Nope, inside pedal doesn't reach... 

outside doesn't reach either...

Maybe I had the inside pedal down by mistake?















Maybe I wasn't as far to the outside as I thought and I had my outside foot down??

It's a freakin mystery!  Now that I'm back home thinking about it the only thing I can imagine is that I dislodged a rock (my rear wheel bouncing over it - thus giving my that feeling of my rear wheel lifting??) and that divot is where it had been resting?

As I worked my way down the trail there were a number of impact areas on the trail before I came to my final resting spot... the whole spill must have been a sight to see!!

Initial impact zone

circles in the upper right are from the picture above.  bottom circles were about where my feet/bike came to rest - body further down the trail.

Top circle is accident spot, lower circles are from the first impact zone - picture taken from where my bike came to rest. 

It's one of those crashes that will go down in the books as a head scratcher.  Bike wasn't hurt, I have no major injuries, so we just keep rolling forward.  

Back to the original question: When a biker crashes and no one is around to see it, is there a reason?  My answer is: NO

BUT

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does it make a sound?  That one is not so clear... what I can tell you is that the trees in Wompatuck are a little scary...

ok, relax!! I won't...

"Death is Coming" "He is Very Close"... ok then, I'll just keep on riding, maybe a little faster now!!

Back to the grind in the new year

Today is my first day back at work.... getting up at 5 AM after averaging a 10:30 wake up time since the winter break was a tough one.  Being an adult sucks sometimes.

But, I'm luckier than most with the time off I get, so I'll shut it.

Ended 2011 with a ride at Wompatuck, and somewhat fittingly I smoked my shin on the frame of the 4300 after slipping on a wet root.  Oh, the bane of my existence for the 2011 race season, off camber wet roots.  I'm happy to say my "rough" experiences have made me a more skilled rider.  But on December 31st I didn't cut the corner sharp enough and as I lifted the front wheel over the first 2 roots I wasn't quite able to clear that third... ensue the slide, skid, slam.  It apparently wasn't as bad as it felt in the cold... no real bruise to speak of, just a little tenderness.

Otherwise, it was a good ride.  Although, with a soft rear brake it made for interesting descents....  But overall, a great way to end a year.  I was hoping that I would be able to follow up with a nice ride on the first day of the new year, but New Year's Eve celebrations kept that from becoming a reality

Happy New Year!!

Thank God we live in America... where if a holiday lands on a Saturday we will fight for the right to have the following Monday off so that we aren't "robbed" of any free time off.  Seems kinda silly... but who am I to argue against another day off.  And since I was somewhat "dehydrated" after NYE and generally a waste of space, an extra day was very useful.

With the Georgia game on at 1pm it would mean and "early rise" in order to get any ride in prior to the game.  Well, on the last day of my break that didn't happen.  So it looked like I was going to have to settle for a workout and ride on the trainer.... until Annie suggested that I go for the ride and just DVR the game.  In the back of my head I knew this to be an option, but there is just something about watching a game on DVR that just doesn't feel right.... plus, with technology keeping me updated on score reports I wasn't sure how it would all turn out.  

But once again I'm thankful Annie is around to keep me from being completely lazy.  I go out and rode Belmont.  I hadn't ridden there is quite a long time and from what I remembered it would serve as a pretty nice and quick ride.  It did in fact do that, but I was in for a pleasant surprise as a lot of work had been done out there.  Trails were clear and there was much more singletrack that what I had remembered.  Not sure if they had previously been there or it was new (some of it was clearly newly built) but either way that place is shaping up nicely!  Unfortunately the work being done had shut down some trails on the McLean side of things to bikes.  Not a huge deal but the one rocky descent leading back to Rock Meadow, which was the most fun part of that side in my opinion, was the biggest closure to bikes.  Ah well... you lose some and you find some.

On the Rock Meadow side I came across the Western Greenway.  Of course I'd noticed it in previous rides, but mostly when I was on a carriage path so it meant little to me.  They've bumped up work and signage on that trail and I followed to see what it was all about.  It actually turns into some sweet little singletrack leading out of the area.  As I left Rock Meadow I cam across other singletrack crossing the Western Greenway...  what a great find!!  This might mean the possibility of some nice miles leading to other riding spots!!

I'll definitely be going back to explore more of the Western Greenway and the areas it intersects.  

I rode from the Rock Meadow section along the Blazed trail (blue) over through Beaver Brook and Lot 1 to the crossing of Trapelo Rd.  More sleuthing the internets is in order to figure out the status of those unfinished sections, but considering this map was produced in October, I'm sure it's pretty accurate as is.... but as it stands now there is more out there!!

And now.... back to work!

Media Friday PLUS (+)

Media Fridays

We'll posts videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Happy Holidays everyone!  Today we are heading to CT to drop the dogs off at my parents and then we are catching a flight to visit the clan down in WV.  Until we get back, nothing will be going on over here (probably).  Hopefully you won't even notice because you will be enjoying your time off from work, time with family, enjoying good food, maybe opening some sweet gifts, partaking in any other traditions you may have this time of year, and spending some precious time on the trails if all goes well... and we hope it does!!

Yesterday we had a half day at school and the plan was to head down to CT yesterday... plans changed, the weather was gorgeous, and I was miffed that I didn't have my bike with me since there was no rush home.  Traffic was the same as it ever was so by the time I got home I didn't have much in me to head back out.  So I didn't.  But thanks to my gorgeous and supportive wife, she booted my ass out the door to ride.  I was pumped, but without a place in mind to ride I figured I had plenty of time to pick a place, get there, get riding, and throw on the light as the sun faded away.  

I decided to hit up Wompatuck since I hadn't been there in a while and the I figured I'd follow the race course.  As I'm getting all my gear together in the parking lot I find out that the light isn't in the trunk of bike gear I keep in the pterodactyl  like I thought it was... UGH... it's 3:30 already... so about an hour of light left.

Screw it.  I set out and figure this will make me keep the pace up.  The 4300 felt good.  It was interesting riding parts of the race course (with the impending darkness I could only do a portion of the course ) on the 4300 versus the HiFi.  Naturally it's a totally different experience (29er full suspension vs 26 hardtail) but it was a fun time!  One annoyance was the angle of my shifters... the set up on the 4300 is a shifter/brake lever combo... so while the brake levers were good, the shifting was not so much, and I can't angle them individually... which BLOWS!!  So I'll have to do some more playing with that to get a better set up, or upgrade....

Point of the story is I was able to squeeze a ride in before the trip!  Thanks mostly to the unseasonably warm weather we are having but mostly due to Annie making sure I didn't get stuck in a lazy funk. (couldn't find a clip to support the double "mostly"... but maybe someone out there gets it?)

Happy Holidays!!!

And now to the media portion of our program.

And a bonus gift!!!

 

Season 1

My first race season has come to a close...

Overall, I've learned a lot.  A lot about my fitness, my riding, and hopefully I have an idea of where I need to go from here.  I've also been fortunate to meet some really great people through this blog and through racing.  And I'm grateful for all the advice and support I've received, so a big thanks to all you out there!!

For my final race, the Landmine Classic, I had no Annie or parents rooting me on... Annie is in LA with her best friend... so I took full advantage of that fact when making sure things looked good on the HiFi on Saturday.

That's condo living!

Even in their absence, I was still able to pull a crowd!!  My buddy Matt (a coworker) came out, even though I repeatedly told him he certainly did not have to show up (I didn't want him to feel obligated to check out my race since I had just stopped by his rugby game).   I spotted him as we were lining up waiting for the Cat 1 and Cat 2 riders to go off.  He didn't stay the entire time, good call on his part, and I greatly appreciated him seeing me start.

It was great seeing some familiar faces, and as with every race, meeting some new riders.  As I pulled in to park the door of the truck next to me swings open and out comes a question "are you following me??"  Low and behold it was Charlie - I swear, I'm not a stalker!!  I also met up with my buddy Pat at the end of the race.  I missed him before everything got started as I wasn't sure if he was going to ride the 25mi race or not.  I was out warming up right until they were getting things started so I didn't have time to thoroughly check for him... didn't see him on the course, but apparently passed him at some point.

I'd have to say, overall things went great for such a big race (400+ riders).  Instant results on the big screen was pretty sweet.  I heard a couple riders missed turns out on the course, which is unfortunate.  I made a turn late - but that wasn't really due to markings, that was more so because of traffic.  I had just let a rider pass me back as another was coming up behind me calling for the pass.  I was focused on staying to the right to let the pass happen and just followed the rider in front of me and at the last second looked up to see a left turn as the rider back was coming up for the pass (on my left).  I called out the turn (which he didn't seem to be making, following the rider ahead of us, and we both took it a little off trail to make the turn without crashing.  I tried to yell back to the rider who had passed me, but I'm not sure if he heard before going too far off course.  For the most part things were marked well - although I would agree that some taping across trail splits would have been nice here and there.

So my race...  I'm happy to say I've ended my season on a positive note.  From my pre ride I estimated a finishing time of around 1 hour 20 minutes.  I felt that as long as I was able to pace myself and not take off too hot I should be able to hit this goal.  In the line up I ended up towards the back, which was unintentional.  It was hard to tell where the age group in front of us ended and where ours began... I thought I was sitting pretty good until the age in front left... I was toward the back of the pack.  At first I wasn't happy about that, but then I thought it might turn out to be good, keeping me back a little so I didn't start off too fast... I quickly learned that wasn't the case at all.  Well, id DID keep me from not going off too fast, but it was too slow.  I worked my way through the pack as we rode the straight flat start before we hit the first turn into some rooty singletrack.  This put me at a slightly faster pace than I really wanted, but I was feeling good.  I was still working my way up steadily through the field when all of a sudden a rider went down on a rooty turn.  He fell hard next to me and we got jammed up for a second.  I made sure he was ok before taking off after those that got out ahead.

After that point I caught a few more people, got passed by a couple, but pretty much held my place for the rest of the race.  I had no idea how far I had gotten up, but I felt pretty solid in my ability to hold off those behind me.  The course was beautiful - considering the rains we had earlier in the week.  Some roots were a tad slick, but overall the course was pretty dry and fast.

Wet roots... my nemesis at the start of the season were no longer the monsters they once were...  I mean, they aren't my friends, but I feel my bike handling skills have improved by leaps and bounds throughout the season and I was able to aptly take them on turns and off camber trails with little worry.

Overall it was a day of good riding.  I finished in 10th place (out of 30).  I was happy with that.  I was kinda hoping I had cracked the top 10, but I am still happy with those results.  10th out of 30 is good enough to earn me a little something extra.  What I am much more pleased with was that my finishing time was 5 minutes faster than my target time!  I ended up finishing the 12 mile race in 1 hour 15m minutes.

So cheers to a great season.  I think I'll take a week to enjoy the season, and then it's time to start getting my ass in gear and training for next season.  I've enjoyed racing greatly, but I have a long way to go and I'm ready to get serious about this mess!

The Final

In just a few days I'll be racing my final race for the season, the Landmine Classic.  I've been looking forward to this race since last year - when I thought about racing for the first time.  If I had a home court, Wompatuck would be it.  It's my go to place... it's where I started on the old roads and paved paths (and where Annie in turn started out as well)... eventually venturing onto the plethora of singletrack.  It's my winter ride zone as the paved paths get nice and crusted with foot traffic and snowmobiles - you can usually ride without studded tires.  

I pre rode the course yesterday and it's looking great.  The promoters really deserve a high five for the work they put in cleaning up after Irene.. and at least a skeletal signage up to allow for pre riding this past weekend.  (Most arrows were perfect... only one arrow misaligned and one missing).  Closer to the race, tape will be up and "confidence arrows" as well.  To be honest, I haven't been riding nearly enough lately... I think it's the back to work blues (today is our first day back), but I really turned into a bum the last couple weeks.  It's too bad.  But it is what it is at this point.  So although my endurance is going to be a bitch in this race, I did feel super great on the bike handling side of things during my pre ride.  I cleared everything (except two wall crossings) but rocky/rooty climbs, stone walls, muddy rock gardens... things were looking good!!!  

The other day while I was on the Cutler part of my Cutler Commute something randomly hit me.  No, it wasn't a downed tree from big bad Irene... although there was a fair share of that out there....  I call these guys the triple threat.

Ok, to be fair Cutler is anything but technical... BUT it was while I was out tearing it up on the trail that a random thought flooded my brain and things just made sense (that's one of the things that I love about mountain biking... sometimes out of nowhere things just click and everything makes sense).  

My whole outlook on technical riding got a kick in the groin.  I guess I was stuck in some sort of simplified outlook on clearing technical terrain where it was all about steering and pedaling (momentum).  So yeah, that is involved, but the missing link for me was a new focus on body position!!  Working with your body position - getting out of the saddle, leaning right/left, etc. - equals balance!!  Get your balance right, keep your momentum up, and you are in a position to give that extra kick you need to get over that obstacle...

Simple stuff I know.  But until it clicks in your head it doesn't translate on the trail.  Mountain biking is a bit of a mental game - more often than not the biggest obstacle on the trail is your own head getting stuck because of fear.  

So, all that being said, I felt technically strong on my ride yesterday at Wompatuck.  And really, that's what it's all about.  Seeing the improvements.  I've got a ways to go in racing... but first comes strength and confidence in one's own abilities.  And I am very happy to say that as this season (my first race season) comes to an end I feel that I have continued making strides to becoming a stronger, more competent rider. 

New roads, races, AND trails!!

Thursday I looked over Fells commute route, tweaked it a bit, waited for the plumbers to finish and off I went.  Ended up with a ride that was only a little over a mile less than the Cutler commute, but still...  you don't get a view of Boston on the way to Cutler.

Climb up this bad boy (located in the Mystic River Reservation in Medford)...

And catch a glimpse of the Beaner

You don't really want to know what I found under the look out....

Had a decent little ride around the Fells.  I was able to quickly join the Bike Loop from my entry point, toured that around and came across a number of riders, which was really nice.  I often ride without seeing another mountain biker, so it was cool to see a number of riders.  I probably jumped off the loop sooner than needed to in order to get back to the task of rodeoing back home... but that is what transpires on a scouting trip.

Saturday I hit up Wompatuck to ride attempt to ride the race course (as they have posted up a map outlining the course).  Overall it was pretty easy to find, a couple head scratches here or there and I was back on track... but I did get tripped up twice.  One was due to a lot of intersecting trails amongst some sweet dips, turns, and jumps... rode around that hill for a bit trying to determine the actual course.  The other spot was coming to the end.  I got suckered into following the Time Trials markings and got all turned around... and of course this occurs in probably the most technical area.  Which, in reality was just a great opportunity for some practice.  I was totally psyched that I was clearing all the rock gardens and rooty/muddy mess that was thrown in front of me.  When I determined I was off track I backtracked through the technical minefield and attempted to get to the finish line.... well it never happened.  I ended up doubling back somewhere by mistake and with my time on the trail nearing 3 hours I decided it was time to get back to the car (after all there were beers, wings, and the company of friends by an open fire to be enjoyed later that night).

Of course there is a race BEFORE the Landmine Classic, but there doesn't seem to be much going on in terms of a pre ride on that front.  I did see today a GPS from last years race and it seems I have ridden much of the course on my ride down there earlier in the summer.  So I feel fairly confident in heading down the day before to just tour the course.  One of the things that I was reminded of while riding in Wompatuck is that I need to utilize my gears.  This seems to be a cycle I fall into where I stop using my gears and just try to push too hard.  I don't know what it's all about (some subconscious feeling that I should be stronger/faster?) but it throws me off my game.  I was very happy to snap myself out of it and get back to spinning - pushing hard and riding fast, but making sure I was spinning those gears.

I'm in a good mindset going into the Annual Hodges Village Dam race so I'm feeling good about that.  I've backed off working my legs this week as I started the Fells Commute with a nice "burn" going on that never went away in my right thigh.  My legs felt pretty good at Wompatuck (could feel them working throughout - which is MUCH better than the void they were floating in for the Boneyard) so I'm hopeful I'll be in good shape for this upcoming race.  I'm ok with "feeling" my legs, as long as there is some output!!

Monday I decided to have some fun and hit up a new trail.  I went up to Chelmsford and rode Russell Mill.  HOLY CRAP that place is sweet ass!!!  The trails were just pristine.  So sweet and fast.  They did a great job of utilizing the natural features, hitting up rollers and wall crossings whenever possible.  Some nice quick twisty singletrack throughout.  And a pump track to boot!!  Not the longest trail system ever, but certainly a fun place.  I wanted to hit it for a second loop (mainly to snap pictures of the awesomeness that was the trails) but clouds were coming in and I had to get to the grocery store before I picked Annie up so I had to bail.  No fear, I will be back... and probably with much more media accessing technologies than just the garmins and iphone (possible mini movie??).

Suggestions?

Lately I've been bummed.

It seems when I started riding I was much more fearless than I am now. In the beginning, I would follow Michael through tight turns and bumpy lines without being scared of falling or hurting myself. Now however, I'm a big chicken and I'm trying to pinpoint when the shift in ballsiness happened.

Today we went to Wompatuck and the whole ride I was nervous to get on singletracks. Right before shifting from the road to the trail a wave of panic would come over me. I thought maybe it's from being clipped in or maybe it's because I have fallen a few times and well...it hurts. But the more I think about it the more I know that it's not the fear of falling that's freaking me out; it's the fear of the unknown.

I really don't like riding trails that I'm not familiar with because I get scared to death that I'm going to whip around a corner and smash into a tree or hit a hill with crazy rocks. I don't trust in myself nearly enough to relax and just go with it because I'm frightened of hitting the hills without enough momentum or being in the wrong gear to wrestle with whatever technical challenge pops up.

This really shouldn't be a surprise to those that know me. I'm rather notorious for wanting to control all situations. I'm not one of those people that reads the last page of a book because I need to know how it ends before it starts (which is so stupid by the way, considering that the last page of a book hardly ever makes sense unless you have read the book), but I am the type of person to plan out every minute of a vacation. Surprises don't sit well with me, and mountain biking is becoming one long unpredictable panicky experience every time we go out.

So why wasn't I scared in the beginning considering that I was equally unfamiliar with the trails at that point? Well, at the start of this whole thing I naively trusted that Michael knew every single trail and wouldn't take me on something I couldn't handle. But after a few trips together I realized that he usually didn't know or didn't remember what was coming up either -- and that rocked my trusting world.

Any suggestions on how to overcome this fear would be greatly appreciated. I still want to ride, but I'm starting to have less and less fun out there. Maybe some suggestions of starter trails would help? I know I could probably google, but I always trust people's personal recommendations so much more. Or, since most of you are from all over the place, maybe some tips on how to feel more relaxed on a bike?

:(

(I'm hoping a frowny emoticon will make you feel sorry enough to help me.)

-A

Look scared?

Thanks to the highly documented world we live in, I have seen a lot of pictures and videos of myself over the last couple years. Because of this influx of documentation, I have noticed a pretty interesting fact about myself: I hide my fear quite well.

For example:

On my wedding day, I remember walking down the aisle with my dad and thinking, "Am I going to throw up?, "Do I remember what I'm supposed to say?", "These 4 inch heels weren't really that great of an idea."

However, as shown in the pic, I come off really relaxed and calm. Maybe it's a Niner thing, because my dad isn't showing a hint of pain from the death-grip I had on his arm. P.S. Isn't my dad awesome? Yeah, he is.

There's also this wonderful video of myself singing karaoke. Now, I need to disclose that I was running on some liquid courage when this video was made, but I also remember feeling really scared, embarrassed (as I should) and anxious for the song to just be over so I could get off the sun-porch stage and go back to the hot tub where I could fade into the crowd again. However, you'd never know I was having an "all eyes are one me" mini panic attack from the footage.

I must warn you that this video isn't one I would recommend watching, but it illustrates my point. If you do choose to watch it, may I suggest turning off your speakers first?



So when I saw the video Michael made of me riding in Wompatuck, I was faced with this anomaly again. I remember that ride being stressful where I fell twice and even proclaimed that I didn't like mountain biking anymore. I was bailing on simple (yet still technical) lines and once again, taking all my fear and anger out on Michael.

Again, you wouldn't know it from the video. Now, it helps that the sound has been dubbed over. I'm pretty sure I was rocking some foul language during parts of that ride, but overall I seem pretty in control and impressive. Maybe one day I'll actually start feeling as comfortable as I look when it comes to riding. Until then though, please don't be fooled by the photographic evidence. I act like a fool out there.

-Annie

Media Fridays

We'll posts videos or photos that will hopefully inspire trail shredding weekends.

Here we have for you some original content.  

First video with the Stealth. (handlebar mount at Wompatuck)

Enjoy.

Busy busy

Friday after work I got a ride in at Blue Hills.  I planned on it being a quick ride so I didn't throw the heart rate monitor on, and I kinda wish I had.  I instantly noticed the new Ignitor on the back of the HiFi as soon as I hit the sandy trail from the parking lot to the trailhead.  How could I notice a difference that quickly you may ask?  Well it's simple really.  I'll admit, at first I didn't know it was the tire - I thought I was getting attached by a swarm of ravenous mosquitos!!!  The tread on the tire was throwing sand up into the back of my helmet!!  But I must say, a combo of the new tire and running lower pressure due to the tubeless set up had me leaning my bike over more confidently on downhill turns, it was AWESOME!!

The first half of the ride I rode the "tamer" white loop.  The second half I hit the yellow loop and took the "hill" - that is where I would have loved to check out my heart rate.  It starts off with a grind up a service road.  The pitch steepens once it breaks off from the service road and gets much rockier.  I didn't make the whole deal without hiking (but I was pleased with how far I did make it).  Honestly, the last bit hits some rocks that I don't know how you'd clear unless you had lungs and legs of steel... maybe one day.  I hadn't ridden Blue Hills in a while, and I think this was only my second time on the yellow loop but things were very different this time.  It all started with that initial climb. So I'm not sure if it is my fitness is better, or because I was riding the HiFi this time, or a combo of the two... but I seemed to take both the climbs and the decents much better.

Saturday Annie wanted to focus on planting in the back yard so I was left to ride alone.  I didn't really feel like packing up the car (and couldn't decide where I wanted to ride anyway) so I took a ride along the Charles.  Friday afternoon while I was out on my ride we received a package... a new Drift HD170 Stealth Camera, so I took my easy ride as an opportunity to see what I could do with the camera.  I didn't really want to attach the camera to my helmet, and the only other option was handlebar mount... not my ideal mount (I have straps on order to provide better angles in the future) but I figured I'd test out picture quality.  Unfortunately the whole thing was filmed sideways... I guess I wasn't paying attention and didn't appropriately rotate the lens to accommodate how the camera was attached to the handlebars.  But things looked pretty good, even over some rooty mess I hit at the mid-point of my ride.

I ended up riding 38.26 miles and my legs were done when I got home.  What really hurt was having to stop for lights on the way back.  Whenever I had to stand and wait I could feel my legs just burning and wanting to cramp.  The way my legs felt I half expected to wake up the next morning to find my thighs had doubled in size over night!  I rode the 4300 and even though I brought along a spare tube (as I caught a flat last time I rode the Charles) and tire levers, I left my pump on the HiFi... I even forgot my multi tool!!  Wasn't an issue for me, but on my ride I came up on a guy repairing his pull behind baby carrier and I paused to ask if he needed help.  He said he was cool so I continued on, and that is when I realized I didn't have anything that would have been useful in helping him - namely a pump or multi tool!

Sunday Annie was raring to go so we headed out to Wompatuck.  We hit some singletrack and again Annie showed she can handle it - even though, like all beginners, she doubts herself from time to time.

  

Big Ringin' It

Saturday Annie and I went out to Wompatuck to get her out on her clipless pedals.  Don't believe whatever she writes - she did awesome on the ride!!  I won't go into any details whatsoever as I don't want to be beaten into submission like I was for the last post (you'll see...).

Sunday I struggled with where to ride...  I wanted to head up to Ipswich to ride at Willowdale (the site of my next race) as the last time I rode there half of the park was still covered in snow.  I hopped into the internets and searched for a race map - but what I found instead was another rider's request for a race map and the response was hopeful, yet crushed my drive to get up there to ride.  EDIT: The facebook snipet janked up the whole page, and so it has been removed.

 

Considering how much snow there was the last time, and the water levels I've seen just driving around, I assumed that riding up there on Sunday would be a bust.  So I decided to ride over at Cutler Park.  I had seen reports over on NEMBA that some riders had cleared things up and the trails were good.  And boy were they right!!  It was a fun fast ride.  I was able to throw down in the big ring on the majority of the ride.  The other reason for the fun was my new gear.  

 

So you know about the garms (garmin edge) but you don't know about my new Pearl Izumi Elite Bib Shorts.  I wanted to get them for the first race, but didn't want to order bib shorts over the internet because I wasn't sure of the fit and whatnot.  While we were in The Web I got myself a pair when I got Annie her shoes.  LOVE them.  Consider me a full on bike nerd now.  They were soooo comfortable and it was nice to not catch any baggy shell on the nose of the seat, or have them slide down over the knee.  Just full on riding!

 

The next big purchase will probably be some new shoes, which I have at least narrowed down the color.  I'm digging my red sneakers - so I think (if possible) my next shoes will be red - add a little flash out there.  Probably a new helmet on the horizon as well... but one step at a time here.  

 

I think my "race kit" will obviously include the PI Bibs and my singletracks.com jersey (since it's my only jersey with black in it).  Looks like rain for the majority of the week... boo that!  But on the bright side I guess I'll be able to get back to the gym - haven't worked out in about a month! YIKES!

It had to happen sometime

What a great weekend!!
Weather wise things bounced back from the cruel joke that was played on us on April Fool's.  The sun came out and temps jumped up.  It also happened to be my birthday on Saturday.  And UCONN beat Kentucky to advance to the National Championship.

Saturday Annie and I went for a ride at Wompatuck.  It was a great ride.  We got some nice miles in and took some pictures.  I'll leave the details of this ride to Annie.

When we returned from our ride I discovered that a preride for Winding Trails had been scheduled for Sunday morning.  Oh decisions...  UCONN was playing, Annie made ribs and green beans for my birthday dinner, and there were beers to be enjoyed.  Google maps listed the course at just above 2 hours away... I know that to be on the high side, but a 10am ride time would mean an early morning for me.  This is my first race and I want to be as prepared as I can be so I seriously considered attending.  I jumped on the forum and attempted to post a question as to whether or not another preride would be scheduled in the future.  Apparently my posts have to be approved, and apparently no one approves anything on a Saturday evening, soooo I went to bed not knowing if there would be another opportunity.  My posts never ended up showing up so I messaged the ride organizer to no avail.  In the end Annie convinced me to not go and bank on there being another opportunity.