Trimble Mt. Tribune

Christmas Break

2012-01-05T17:11:00.001-05:00

Here is a few pictures showing how I spent my time off this past Christmas/New Years break.

Joseph and Ben on top of Oak Knob Christmas Eve

Blueberry Trail

After a big Christmas lunch Joey and I head up toward Reddish

View of the Valley from close to Flagpole

Joey railing a fire road. As you can see we are cutting the daylight close.

It is now dark and we are having to push our bikes up some of the most rutted out fire road you will ever see.

The next day Ben and I drive to Mt. Jackson for a pavement and gravel loop through Fort Valley

My Specialized Roubaix at the Meem's Bottom covered bridge

This is me showing off my gravel road skills; or lack thereof!

The climb to the top of Massanutten after being forced to re route due to a traffic crash

After a crazy gravel descent Ben and I ended up crossing the South Fork of the Shenandoah near a disused dam of some sort.

Stopping at Sheetz for a bathroom break

Joey fording Ramsey's Draft on Bridge Hollow Trail

Hammerin' back to the car!

New Year's Eve Ben and I get together again for another road loop. This is looking west from 613 toward Little North Mt.

Refuel in Timberville gas station. I overheard some of the local guys talking to Ben and they couldn't believe we had come all the way from Dayton. Then he told them we were biking back. :)

This is what happens when you ride on wet and dirty roads for 500 miles and don't wash your bike!

Peace on earth, goodwill toward men!

Til next time,

Going Round the Mountain

2011-11-17T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well I wish I could have gone around the mountain! Unfortunately the only way to Sugar Grove is over Shenandoah Mountain so last Wednesday I got off of work and headed out armed with lights as well as some warm clothing for the colder temps in the higher altitudes. I crossed Briery Branch Gap then hit the looooong descent on a rough dirt road down to Sugar Grove.

After getting back to pavement I spun along for four miles or so till I turned left onto Brushy Fork Rd. A few miles later and I was climbing up yet another quad-killing fire road. It was all agony and sweat till I saw the moon climbing over the bare limbs of the trees. It was close to the horizon and seemed so large I almost felt I could almost reach out and touch it. Resisting the temptation I climbed higher until the sun finally gave up its last few rays and left me in darkness. I flipped on my headlight. I could still see the outline of bare tree limbs along the rugged backbone of the mountain but the effort of trying to climb a rocky road with road tires had me paying more attention to the weak light in front of me instead of the twilight beauty. Arm warmers, needed only minutes before to stave of the chill of the air down in a creek gully, were pushed down as I slowly started warming up. Even though I know I am in the lowest gear I have I keep pushing my gear lever, as if maybe the next time I will use enough force to take it down to some imaginary cog which which will give the perfect balance of torque and cadence. Failing to find this gear I just settle to turning over the pedals just fast enough to stay upright and rolling. I have ridden this road a few other times but never in the dark. I know this climb isnt that long but it seems to go on forever. Finally I crest the top of the climb, put back on my wind jacket and arm warmers, then roll into the North River Watershed. I soon start wishing for the sharp rocks of the fire road, at least it didnt have sections of gravel that would like nothing better than to suck down the tires of a cyclist who relaxes his guard for even a second. I finally get a reminder of civilization, a huge diesel trucks bears down on me with its high beams glaring. I was just able to get off the road before enveloping clouds of dust choked me and forced me to breathe through my nose for the next half mile.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. I followed the gravel till it turned to pavement, climbed three little hills, then it was almost all downhill to home. I finished the ride with 54.2 miles in 3 hours 58 minutes showing on my odometer. I'm not sure how accurate it is but my cyclometer said I climbed 4200 feet during the ride. It was almost perfect weather to be riding your bike up in the mountains. People seem to think I'm crazy going on long rides like this. Well I think your crazy if you don't!!

As promised here are some my latest efforts at HDR. I really wasn't totally happy with any them so don't be too critical.

Here is the map of my ride.

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/58207760">Sugar Grove and Back November 9, 2011</a> <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Bridgewater, VA">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Bridgewater, VA</a>

Til next time,

Chesnut Ridge

2011-11-10T13:52:00.001-05:00

Last week after hours of gazing wistfully through panes of glass at the brilliant sunshine I had to get in a ride. I rode up to Reddish Knob on pavement, then linked together a few fire roads and some doubletrack which put me on top of Little Bald Knob dodging snow from the last Saturday's freak snowstorm. I turned left onto the Wild Oak Trail that runs along Chestnut Ridge. On my left I could see the Little River drainage basin and on my right I was looking down on Todd Lake and the North River watershed. After the first mile of trail in which I had to dodge errant snowdrifts and struggle to stay upright I finally hit some dry singletrack! Although Chestnut Ridge is not my favorite downhill it certainly ranks in my top five. Although you have some supremely smooth sections you definitely should not be lulled into complacency. In a matter of feet you can transition from trail which is the biking version of chocolate mousse, to singletrack which is more reminiscent of an ax murderer than a delicious chocolate dessert. A combination of loose rocks, ledges, roots, and recently fallen leaves, makes you wonder about your sanity in bringing a hardtail with skinny xc tires on such a technical trail. Having just barely escaped major bodily harm you soon forget the numb hands and pounding heart in an ecstasy of fall brilliance and endorphins. As you may have gathered I had a great ride! I did take just enough time to get a few pictures.

Snow still on the ground at Briery Branch Gap

Muddy fire road heading toward Little Bald Knob

Lately I have been playing around with HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography. I am certainly no pro but it is fun to see what you can do. This set of pictures first shows a regular photo with a few tweaks; the second one has received the full HDR treatment. I am not really sure which one I like better but they both have their strong points. The HDR photo has an interesting effect on the grass and rocks on the foreground. Let me know what you think!

I was able to get in another long ride yesterday afternoon and evening. Look for another post next week with more stories, pictures, and HDR magic!

Til next time,

Month of Pictures

2011-11-03T08:56:00.000-04:00

First of all I will apologize to the handful of people that read this blog. The past month has been rather busy and . . . well I can't think of another excuse for not posting right now. I will get back to you on that sometime.

I have taken more pictures in the month of October than the last three or four months combined. I don't know if it was the brilliant fall colors or I was just inspired, but I snapped pictures of almost everything from my bike rides, hikes, sunsets in my backyard, to the school where I work. It is hard to explain but one day you look at a what should be a beautiful scene and really don't see anything to take a picture of. The next week you are burning film on water drops hanging on a clothesline trying to get some sort of artsy effect. The second and third weekends of the year I attended the Shenandoah Valley Mountain Bike Festival and hiked Old Rag Mountain respectively. Here are some images that I hope will show you what a great section of this country the Shenandoah Valley really is.

Getting close to the top of Old Rag

Wind blown tree on top

Reflected Fall Color

Old Rag Panorama (click the picture to see it larger)

Round Hill just at Sunset

The Shenandoah Valley is as the cliche says, "God's Country." Even though it is a cliche I truly believe it. I am sure most people are partial to where they grew up but every day I am thankful that I live where I do and am physically able to enjoy His Creation. If its a sunny but cold day outside don't sit next the the central heating vents. Get outside, get your heart pumping, and fully experience all that God has given us to enjoy!

Till next time,

Aborted As Well As Newly Hatched Plans

2011-09-14T09:44:00.000-04:00

I told you not long ago that I was going to do the Jeremiah Bishop Gran Fondo. Well that plan has fallen by the wayside. A combination of the fact my friend I was going to do the ride with dropped out, and that it will cost 75 dollars to ride for 6-7 hours made me decide to pull out. I still want to do this route, I just would rather do it at less cost and at my own pace. I will make sure to post some pics when I do this ride sometime this fall.

This summer I have done two rides over 100 miles so I am looking for the next challenge. I really have not ridden much in southern Augusta County and Bath County so I am planning on doing a long ride from my place to Clifton Forge in Allegheny County, and then back. Here is the route.

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/40332232">Churchville to Clifton Forge Double Metric Century</a> <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/?location=Bridgewater, VA">Find more Cycling Routes / Bike Rides in Bridgewater, VA</a>

This is longer than my previous distance record by at least 40 miles. I think that if I make sure to ration my energy and I remember to eat and drink regularly it shouldn't be much of a problem, I hope anyway. I plan to head out before sunrise Saturday morning so I can get back home before dark. I figure it should take me between 10-12 hours but we shall see.

I had a great weekend! I got in about 50 miles of mountain biking with almost 6500 feet of climbing. You really couldn't ask for anything better.

Here are some pictures from the past weekend and a ride I did over to Sugar Grove WV.

Rawley Flats: They look flat but have a 2% average grade or so for 5 miles!

Still Climbing to the Top of Shenandoah Mt on 33 West

West Virginia!

Hamlet of Sugar Grove in the Background

This turtle looks rather miffed I blocked his way with my tire.

Pretty flowers

Artsy Pretty Flowers

View from Flagpole Knob toward the Valley

Deerfield Valley from Dowell's Draft Overlook

Start of Dowell's Draft Trail

See Ya Later!

Till next time,

Mud and Sun

2011-09-01T12:51:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to get my Salsa ready for an upcoming ride, the Jeremiah Bishop Alpine Loop Gran Fondo. To achive this I used a wheelset I had laying around that is a bit lighter than the factory wheels and replaced the factory 700x32 tires with 700x28 Continental GP 4 Seasons. With this setup I hope I can shed some weight in the wheels and lower the rolling resistence. This will make this bike much better for long distance rides but will still keep the capability to ride on gravel and even fire roads. Of course I wanted to test out this setup so I started out on a ride Monday after I taught school. I started out around 4 and almost immediately ran into a rain storm. I pulled out my rain gear and various warm bits of clothing I had thrown in my frame bag and soldiered on. After reaching the top of Reddish Knob I turned off on a fire road and made some serious time since most of it was downhill. I had a setback when I pinch flatted on a huge rock that I was unable to dodge. Luckily I had a frame pump and a spare tube in my seat bag. I replaced the tube but soon realized that it wouldn't hold any air. I had obviously pinched my tube while trying to slip the bead of the tire over the rim. I had to pull the tube back out and patch it. I didn't have a good patch kit so I was praying it would work so I wouldn't be stranded way back in the mountains with soaking wet clothes and temps hovering south of 55 degrees. After getting the tube back in the tire with as little mud as possible adhering to the tube I held my breath while I aired it up. It held!! A few short minutes later I hit a gravel forest road that I was able to make up my lost time. The rest of the ride was gratefully much less eventful. I arrived home covered in mud from my knees down but otherwise glad I had gotten outside on such a beautiful day.

You might ask, "why was it such a beautiful day?" I will admit the first hour and a half I was getting close to miserable. The wind was blowing, rain was sheeting down, and the temperature was dropping as I gained altitude. I got to an overlook close to the top of Reddish and it was all worth it. The rain had just stopped and the view towards WV was breathtaking. There were clouds rising up from the valleys leaving the mountaintops clear and bathed in sunlight which was streaming through breaks in the clouds overhead. I finished climbing to the Knob, got a bite to eat then put on some more clothing for the descent on the fire road. That was a great part of the ride. Other than the occasional bear hunter I was completely alone. The muddy road stretching before me and the green canopy overhead made it feel like I was totally immersed in Creation. As I was just getting out the National Forest and heading towards Stokesville and then home I saw in quick succession a flock of at least 12 wild turkeys and a black bear cub. I then took the back way home and just as I crested a small hill the sun broke through the clouds and bathed the Valley in golden light right before it set behind Narrowback Mountain. Yes it is sometimes hard to get out of your Lazy Boy and onto your bike but it is almost always worth it!

Here is my Salsa Casseroll right after the ride. You can't tell very well but it is coated in mud. After I took this picture I had to take a hose and blast all the mud off so I could further clean and lube the much-abused drivetrain.

This picture was not taken during the aforementioned ride but a week before. I decided to ride up the the Knob early in the morning and on the descent I saw the sun throwing a spot of brilliant light on the road and I had to take a picture of it. God's Creation is so beautiful, you just have to be out in it to see scenes like this!

Here is a video of the Gran Fondo I am planning on doing in a little over three weeks.

Till next time,

July

2011-08-12T12:05:00.001-04:00

July was quite the month. Mostly it was hot! The most notable thing that happened this month was my first organized century which totally kicked my butt! Ninety degree heat, an unrelenting pace, plus hills that never seemed to end had me bonking about 20 miles from the finish. I am an obsessive cyclocomputer checker. Every minute I am checking either speed, feet ascended, mileage, heart rate, average speed, temperature or grade. The last 10 miles I didn't even look down except to grit my teeth as I crested yet another hill. It wasn't till after I had finshed that I even had the energy to find out how long it took me. As it turned out I was able to limp to the finish with a time of approximately 5:20. I would have liked to do the ride in less that five hours but I was still very happy with my results.

A fire road just south of Reddish Knob

I really like how you can see both ends of the road disappear. You just have to wonder, what new experiences are around the bend? I actually liked this picture so much I splurged and got made into a large print that I plan to hang on my bedroom wall.

Clearing the hardest section of Trimble Mt. Trail with my new 29er. I look like I'm concentrating on something.

This is about 2 hours into my first organized century. I must not be having much fun!

Rolling a fire road on my CasseROLL

Ahh!! Summer biking in the mountains of Virginia!!

This is another attempt to do a good HDR photo.

Till next time,

My Last Month

2011-07-02T15:32:00.002-04:00

I really don't have any inspiration for something to write so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

I had to lean over and put my camera almost on the pavement to get this picture

It looks sunny but is actually not even 50 degrees; hence the wind jacket.

Looks like I need a haircut!

This is near the top of Camp Run Rd. At one spot it was steeper than 20%

An abandoned house between Bergton and Criders

Lumber Mill Rd

Bergton Store

Ben at speed on a gravel forest road.

The view from the top of Old Rag Mt. Unfortunately it was very hazy.

If you look close you can see the helicopter that was sent to airlift a rock climber off the mountain. It was different to look down to see it!

I'm happy that we are climbing up Shenandoah Mt. on 250

Overlooking Sugar Grove from the east. Shenandoah Mt is behind me and Moyers Gap is the split in the mountain just behind the buildings.

My brother's dog Roy looking really relaxed.

Mountain Laurel

My friends who hiked with me to the top of Old Rag

Storm clouds over Mt. Solon Rd

Mole Hill in the evening

Riding to my friend Ben's house at 6am to set out on what turned out to be a 108 mile ride.

Yet another picture of me on my Casseroll. I am pedaling along the Cowpasture River and you can almost see the dread on my face as I steel myself to climb up the backside of Reddish Knob.

The climb is so steep we had to stand up so we could use some different muscle groups. Even that gave us almost no relief from the unrelenting grade.

Early morning overlooking the Atlantic Ocean near Corolla NC.

Right now I am in Kansas at the Goering family reunion. It is eye opening to be shown a landscape that is so unlike the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley. We are staying near Newton which is not too far from the home of the Adventure Monkey who lives in Emporia.

I hope the rest of the summer was as productive and exciting as the first part!

Til next time,

Flying Casseroll

2011-06-28T09:02:00.000-04:00

HDR On Centerville Rd

2011-06-07T15:46:00.000-04:00

As I have slowly learned a few things about photography here and there I stumbled upon a kind of photograph called HDR. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. In many situations it is impossible to correctly expose the whole scene. Either the sky is blown out and white, or the sky is right but the ground is dark. HDR gets around this by using multiple photographs which are either overexposed or underexposed, then stitching them together in Photoshop or some other photo editing program to have the whole scene be correctly exposed.

Here I took a series of three pictures to be used for and HDR photo. By themselves none of them are anything to write home about, two of them are actually quite terrible.

Just as I stated before I took these three photos, worked a little Photoshop HDR magic and came up with this.

Before you say anything I know that this photo is not realistic; its not meant to be. It always seems that a photo never really captures the moment. With some judicious application of my meager editing skills I feel that the emotion that I felt looking over this landscape comes through better than if I just used the last photo of the previous series. Some people I talk to think that using Photoshop is cheating; that you can take a bad photo and make it great. There is a grain of truth in that, but you still can't get around that fact that a poorly composed picture will always look bad.

In the comments below let me know what you think of this picture, good or bad.

Til next time,

Rapha Continental: The Movie

2011-06-02T14:23:00.002-04:00

Over the past year I have been following the exploits of Rapha Continental. They consist of dedicated riders sponsored by the Rapha cycling wear company that seek out the best rides across America. They then document the rides and produce amazing videos and pictures to chronicle their experiences. Just in the past week they revealed a short clip/movie about their rides during 2010. The cinematography is amazing and the soundtrack is sublime. I often try to explain to all my non-cycling friends why there is almost no other place I would be but sweating my way up a 6 mile climb or riding till parts of me are so sore I have to pedal standing up to mitigate the agonizing bolts of pain emanating from my backside. They usually just look at me like they can't decide if now is that time I should be committed, or maybe they should just wait for a little and hope that this addiction will wear off. The riders in this movie explain exactly what it is that compels us as cyclists to willingly go places and do things that most rational human beings would only do under threat of bodily harm.

Enjoy!

Rapha Continental – The Movie from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Till next time,

Quick Post:Up the Back of Reddish Knob

2011-05-31T11:20:00.000-04:00

I don't have much time today to do a real post but I can give you an idea of how my past Saturday was spent.

Here Ben and I are rolling up 250 toward the climb to the Confederate Breastworks

My Casseroll taking a well deserved break at the top of Shenandoah Mt.

We stopped at a little spring almost to the top of Reddish Knob. Wow was that a hard climb!!

(If you want to see any of these pictures larger just click on them.)

I have been taking lots of pictures in the last week or so but I will have to postpone posting them till I have more time.

Till next time,

SDS 3 Day

2011-05-24T07:44:00.002-04:00

In case you are wondering what this random title which makes no sense means, I will clue you in. On the second weekend of May I went on a three day backcountry mountain bike tour from Stokesville Va to Douthat State Park in Bath County, and then back to Stokesville. Hence the term SDS 3 Day. Over the next few posts I will show what an amazing experience this was. Here is a video that the guys I went with put together.

Here is a link to some pictures the SMT guides took over the three day tour. Unfortunately these pictures can only give you a small taste of all the amazing singletrack we rode and the camaraderie that developed between the riders over the trip.

Enjoy!

Till next time,

Another Purple Flower

2011-05-06T15:35:00.000-04:00

Out In The Country

2011-05-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

I took this picture on one of my now habitual Saturday morning road rides. I was struck by the poppies just randomly sprinkled across a vast field of green rye. With the farm behind and blue sky above this scene is pure Shenandoah Valley countryside.

Spring Creek Silence

2011-05-04T09:25:00.000-04:00

A Perfect Morning

2011-05-03T09:36:00.000-04:00

Just Can't Get Enough

2011-04-26T12:57:00.001-04:00

Of this weather that is! After months of snow, ice, and cold, the another month and a half of being teased by occasional temps above 50, I now can hardly find weather that I don't like. We have had some torrential rains lately but the rivers are finally down to the point I can finally ford them if I need to cross one with my mtb. Quite a few things have happened since I lasted posted. I have replaced my old Giant TCX with a Salsa Casseroll for one. I am loving this bike for commuting and casual road riding. Last week I put on some fenders so I am ready to ride even if it rains.

I also have had to buy a new camera. My old LX3 was used hard for over a year and a few drops, rain, and outright crashes have finally caused it to be totally inoperable. I bought this camera mostly because it is almost the twin of my old camera with the added bonus of almost twice the zoom. I am constantly amazed at the pictures this thing can take.

Before you think I'm going all feminine with the flowers I did take some shots of my bikes as well as a few obligatory self-portraits taken while riding.

This past Saturday I had to get in some miles. All day Friday the rain poured down and it barely hit 50. Saturday morning I loaded up my Roubaix and hit the road. I only got in 30 miles but it really felt nice to stretch my legs for the first time in a week. I started out with arm warmers but had barely went three miles when I shed those and didn't put them back on for the rest of the ride. The end stats said I biked 30.4 miles at an average speed of 18.0 mph with around 1200 feet of climbing. All in all a great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Now that I have a camera that works and I now have more to take pictures of than barren trees and ice, I plan to start posting a little more often. You have my word on that.

Til next time,

Two Broad Arrows

2011-02-28T12:40:00.001-05:00

I have recently discovered a cycling wear company called Rapha that puts together some really great short films and videos. This short really spoke to me. It is a little hard to put into words but it is mostly about facing a challenge head on and overcoming it. There is an emotional high that comes with accomplishment that has to be felt to be believed. Let me know what you think of it.

Til next time,

Still Slogging Thru the Snow

2011-02-25T14:50:00.000-05:00

We have been occasionally getting glimpses of spring but just when the inhabitants of the Great
Valley start getting soft we get hit with another round of snow and ice. This past Wednesday I decided to get in a short ride after work with one of the guys I work with. We had a little trouble with the thin layer of snow that was still on the shaded side of Trimble Mt. We were lucky enough to hit the trail when there was ice and hoar frost on the trees and bushes. There was almost a visible line where the trees turned from ugly dull brown to brilliant white as we climbed higher. Usually I find it hard to stop and take any decent pictures but this time I had to wait for my coworker so I took a few as I sat beside the trail.

As you have seen by my past posts I often go riding alone, hence the almost total absence of pictures of me unless they are cheesy self-portraits. Luckily I had James B. along to take a few snap shots of yours truly. I really like the look of Gnat's dynamic photos so I guess you can say I ripped him off on this one.

After all the artsy picture taking it was getting late. I was worried we would get stuck on the trail with no light but luckily we were able to get off the mountain before it got too dark and lived to ride Trimble another day.

I don't know about you but I can't wait for days above 60 degrees and that thing called sunshine!

Til next time,

Playing in the Mud: Adult Version

2011-02-11T09:26:00.001-05:00

As I have said in other posts much of what I enjoy about biking goes back to my sense of adventure that I had when I was a child. When I was younger I loved building forts, throwing dirt clods, and overall just being in the outdoors which tended to be a little messy (my mother who had to wash me and my clothes can vouch for me here). I now can do this again, albeit in a slightly different way.

This past Sunday afternoon I set out on a medium distance ride of approximately 18 miles. After slogging through mud, muck, ice, snow, and slush, I finally decided that I had better turn back after only about 3.5 miles of climbing. All this climbing meant that I now had to traverse the same area I had just covered but now gravity and speed were working together to send me off the edge of the road into a quite large oak tree. After one minor wreck and several near mishaps I finally got back to the truck.

To say that I was dirty was an understatement. I and my bike were so filthy that you probably could have planted and harvested a decent field of wheat from both of us.

Yeah I know its gross but a man's gotta drink!

It has been cold these last few days and it is just warming up today so Im sure the mud will be back in force this weekend. Guess I will have to get in the miles on ice and mud-free pavement.

Take heart, spring is around the corner and the days are getting longer! All you need to do now is to muster up the resolve to get outside even if you may get covered in dirt and lose all the feeling in your toes due to that ice-cold river you just had to ford.

Just get outside and pound out the miles!

Till next time,

New Year's Post

2011-01-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

Well here is your obligatory New Year's post. No I will not lay out any grand plans or goals for the coming year. I simply want to get in even more miles than ever, do a 100 mile ride or two, and just generally make this year better than the last.

This past weekend the sub-freezing temps let up for a few days and I was able to get in some much needed riding. I was able to get in 3 hours on my road bike Friday and 13.5 off road miles Sunday afternoon with a friend.

I haven't been getting any post-worthy pictures lately but I was able to take a decent picture of a sunset which was taken from a hill just west of Harrisonburg.

Till next time,

Yeah I Know Its Cold!!

2010-12-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

Last winter I made a covenant with myself that I would ride in all types of weather. Not to prove that I was tough but mostly to keep my level of fitness that I had attained that summer with much sweat, pain, and tears. Okay maybe not tears, but the rest is true. As the snowy winter of 09-10 progressed my reasons for riding slowly changed. I did start out just wanting to get in some base miles for the winter but it slowly turned into a contest, (as almost everything I do eventually does). I was not competing with another biker or even myself. Instead it was me against Mr. Winter; internal dialogue soon ensued. "Think you can stop me with a piddling 40 degrees! If you do you have another thing coming!" (Me) (Mr. Winter, henceforth referred to as Mr. W) "I think I can, here is a little slush to make you wreck whenever you go around a corner." (Me) Yeah you did get me that time but I am now riding my mountain bike; try and stop this full suspension icy road eating machine!" (Mr. W) "Lets see how you like 50 feet of snow! Mwahahahahaha!!!!!!" I could go on like this for pages but I will humor your short attention spans and cut to the chase. Through December and January Mr. W and myself played a cat and mouse game. I would force myself outside in a certain temperature and might even enjoy myself. He would then make it ten degrees colder then stand back looking at this handiwork, sure that I would not brave the cold. I didn't get mad, I just bought heavier clothing! I ended the winter having gotten outside on my bikes almost every week, except for a stretch in January. When the buds started coming out on the trees I had gained a respect for Mr. W but also had a slew of weapons in my arsenal to defeat him. I plan to use this knowledge to defeat him again this winter.

It is very hard to describe exactly why I like biking in the cold and snow. If you want a longer and better reason for braving the elements than I can possibly can come up with, visit the Adventure Monkey's site here. I just love how I feel when I am outside in inclement weather. A combination of beauty, triumphing over adversity, and endorphins makes it a unique experience. Knowing that most people are cooped up at home getting fat off of Christmas cookies and cocoa while I am outside gives me a sense of satisfaction. I am not saying that staying inside is bad and that freezing your toes off outside is good; it just feels like life is fuller and richer when you are outside reveling in God's awesome Creation.

Biking when there is snow is on the ground and the mercury is below freezing is also just plain fun. Remember when you were a child and all you could do each winter is pray for enough snow to cancel school? When that happened I would get my brothers and we would go exploring. I remember one day we broke a path through what felt like 10 feet of snow, but was probably only 18 inches, to get to the back side of our property. We were pretending we were the valiant explorers of the American West who had to brave monstrous conditions to settle all the way to the West Coast. By the time we got back home, shook mountains of snow off of our coats, boots, and pants, and went inside to some piping hot cocoa and cookies; our toes and fingers were icicles and our faces were red from the cold. If you would have asked us at that moment we couldn't have imagined a better way to spend a snow day. What happens to us when we get older? Do we become wimps or winter grinches? Or have we just lost touch with what can produce pure happiness? When I am biking through the snow and cold I am not thinking of my job, my future or even my ice cubes for toes; I am a young boy again exploring and seeing God's Creation in a way that bring a smile to my face and warms my heart. Only the present exists, and the present is indescribably beautiful.

So the next time you see or hear of me out in the snow biking don't feel pity or think I'm crazy. If you had any idea what experiences you were missing out on, you actually should be green with envy.

Cross At Luray Caverns

2010-11-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Not having ever been to a bike race, let alone a cross race, I had no idea what to expect. I was hoping there would be swarms of racers with the course surrounded by screaming fan. After I got there I had to lower my expectations a little. There were actually more racers than spectators which I believe I can attribute to this being the first year of this event. Nonetheless it was a beautiful day and bikes were involved, how could you possibly go wrong?

One half of the double barrier that each racer had to hurdle near the end of each lap.

One of the best things about this race was that it seemed very accessible. There are so many classes that you are sure to find one in which you can be competitive. Everyone from wafer-thin hard-core racers to weekend warriors out to have some fun were racing. If I have a bike for this next year I really would like to compete. It looks like a lot of fun!

Till next time,

Quick Post

2010-11-15T09:52:00.000-05:00

I don't have time to say much but I did run across a new photo website created by the couple I hiked with on the AT. I can just dream that someday I can have as much talent as they have in the tips of their little fingers. Check it out!

Cross pics and report coming tomorrow.

Till next time,

Darkness is Here

2010-11-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

Daylight "Savings" time is finally past. No more quick rides after work, unless I bundle up and ride with lights that is. The leaves have finally fallen, turning the trails in the mountains to slick, narrow paths which hide rocks that can turn you and your bike into a whirling ball of legs, arms, and aluminium. If the darkness and slick leaves isn't enough you now have to contend with hunters who probably don't check their targets as well as they should before firing off a volley into the underbrush. Otherwise this is the best time of the year to be in the mountains. On the climbs you still sweat but it is nothing like the body-sapping geysers of the summer. You have to carry only minimal clothing for when it gets a little colder or if you are hitting a long descent. The one perk of the time changing is that you now don't have to drag yourself out of bed hours before the sun peeks over the horizon.

Picture from my last evening ride

As much as I love biking I often reflect and find it amazing that I have never went to a bike race. Mostly this is because cycling is not really a good spectator sport and I haven't found the time to compete myself. This is going to change this weekend. I am planning to attend a cyclocross race at Luray Caverns in Page County.

In case you don't know "cross" was first developed as a way for cyclists to keep in shape during the off season. It was founded in Belgium and is raced off road on a short course which makes it much better to watch than regular racing which usually covers long distances. Cross has never really been very popular in the US until the last 5-10 years, in which it has now taken off exponentially. If you want to know more about this unique type of racing check out this link. I plan to take my camera and will post some of the pictures I take in the next post.

Till next time,

Blurry

2010-11-02T09:27:00.000-04:00

Valley Road Biking Roubaix Style

2010-10-19T12:48:00.000-04:00

In case you couldn't figure it out from the title, I have just bought another road bike. Instead of promising to give away my first born son I was able to finance it by convincing a friend of mine that the empty feeling in his heart must be the result of not having a Giant Reign. He bought it from me, and soon after I picked up a Specialized Roubaix Elite at the local bike shop.

This bike has been a revelation. I have been using my Giant TCX for the last nine months set up with touring tires for a road bike and it worked fairly well. I finally decided I needed to get a dedicated road bike since I have been putting in more miles on the road each month that I have in the previous year or so. It is hard to quantify but it seems that I get home not near as tired and sore, but have covered more miles. Not only that, hills which used to be daunting are now done away with by out-of-the-saddle sprints. I really feel that this bike will help me to cover more miles this winter, and enjoy myself more while doing it.

I recently found that one of my distant acquaintances was given a road bike, and he plans on getting into biking pretty seriously. Finally someone to ride with! Don't get me wrong, I do love the solitude and quiet of riding alone, but sometimes I would like someone to share my experiences with. Many times I am on a piece of spectacular single track with the leaves crunching under my tires, the smell of pine sap, and the brilliant sunlight piercing the canopy above and I just wish I could convey the almost spiritual experience of being not just out in nature, but fully part of it. Nothing can make me feel more carefree and alive at the same time.

I would make this post more elaborate but this post is, ironically, cutting into my biking time.

Till next time,

Water of Life

2010-09-30T09:20:00.002-04:00

Sitting here at BRCC, staring out the window at the pouring rain, I cannot but help to thank God for this blessing. If you don't live on the East Coast you maybe don't know this but this rainstorm is (hopefully) getting us out of the worst drought in the last ten years or so. Dust is ever present in the air and the leaves even changed early this fall because of lack of moisture. Many of my favorite rides take my over or through rivers and streams, but the last couple of months I have forlornly watched as the water slowly receded until only a trickle remained in the very center of most streams.

There are many things in life which we often take for granted until they are gone. Family, friends, shelter, electricity, good health, and even the most basic building block of life, water. Days or even months can go by without even thinking about these things, then they are gone and we either feel a void in our life, or we get weak from thirst. The average human can go for weeks without food and get along just fine. Take away water for 3 days and you will be either dead or close to it. Just as our physical body cannot survive without H2O, our spiritual body cannot survive without the Water of Life. Living in a desert the Israelites certainly realized the importance of water. The first thing that Abraham did after coming to an area was the dig a well to water his family and his livestock. This knowledge of water's significance certainly influenced Jesus when he talked to the woman at the well. He told her that the water that he could give her would make her never thirst again. She thought he was talking of physical water and was very excited that she may never have to fetch water. Of course we know now that he was talking of the Gospel. Today we still have to drink water everyday but we can also access the well of Living Water which will quench our thirst forever. No longer will we have to search for our purpose in life, all we have to do is to look at the example and teachings of Christ.

Don't let the rain keep you inside this weekend. Get out and see something or somewhere you have never seen before. No matter how you get there, just get outside and revel in the awesome creation that God has given us!

Till next time,

Nothin but Punch

2010-09-28T08:32:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I was privileged enough to attend a Punch Brothers concert in Lexington. Here is a little taste of my favorite song of the evening.

Last week I discovered a new loop up toward Stokesville. The leaves are already changing at the higher elevations!

Till next time,

AT Pictures Part II

2010-09-16T09:32:00.003-04:00

Getting ready to go into town after three solid days of hiking. I think so far I had hiked about 53 miles.

Breakfast at a donut shop in Manchester Center Vt. Chocolate milk and cake donuts never tasted so good. One thing I had to get used to was how people would react when they were downwind of us! After three and a half days of sweating and wearing the same clothes we were pretty ripe!

This is the kitchen of the hostel we stayed at in Manchester Center. It was a full kitchen with every amenity including a fridge full of free drinks and Ben and Jerry's ice cream. I usually don't drink sodas but you really start having weird cravings while hiking. I think in 12 hours I drank the same amount of soda I had consumed in the previous six months!

Green Mountain House Hiker Hostel

I was surprised to find out how many people you would actually see on the trail. Here we ate lunch with about 7-8 other hikers. This was the second time during the hike that we stopped near a lake for lunch. You just can't see it in the picture.

On the fifth day of hiking I finally got my first "real" blister.

Only a few hours before I cramped uncontrollably and had to call it quits, I filled up with water

at this tranquil lake. All this picture is missing is a moose in the background.

This is the restaurant/hostel/commune in Rutland Vt. where I stayed till my friend picked me up and took

me back home. (I just noticed that the name of the place where I stayed was the Back Home Again Cafe, how ironic is that!)

Now, a few months after this hike, I kind of wish I was still out there. Yes I suffered quite a bit during the hike trying to keep up with my thru-hiker friends, but it is an experience I will not soon forget. Getting away from the hustle of everyday life and seeing how life could be gave me a craving for more exploration and adventure. Hardly a day passes when I don't mentally plan out some trip that will take me far into the backcountry, far away from jobs, people, and cities. GDR here I come!

Till next time,

Summer is Over!

2010-09-09T10:43:00.001-04:00

As I rode to school today in my car I looked down at the thermometer and was amazed to see that the temperature was 55 degrees. Hopefully this must mean that this scorching summer is over and the peaks months of fall biking are upon us.

I had promised to tell you about my AT hike and I will, just not to the extent that I planned. In the past couple months, a combination of it being crazy at work and nonexistent internet access at home, has left me little time to update this blog. Because of this I apologize and I will just quickly touch on my hike and share a few pictures.

Leading up to the hike I was not feeling well. I contracted a sore throat that was so bad I almost couldn't eat. I did manage to force myself to go and was glad I did. On the hike I met some great people and saw some incredibly beautiful country. Now to the pictures.

This is the morning of the second day, eating breakfast and packing up for what turned out to be almost a 19 mile day.

Merf (Meredith); the friend who invited me to hike with her.

I never really saw any wildlife but there were plenty of flowers and beautiful views.

This is where we stopped for the night the evening of the second day. I had just enough strength to hobble out of the shelter to take a picture of Merf, as well as Ridley (with the pink hair) and Panther. As it turned out I would hike with them for the remainder of the trip. Except in the afternoons of course when they really decided to turn on the heat and leave me gasping for breath in their dust.

My glasses, headlight, bug spray, and water bottle close at hand right before I bundled up in my sleeping bag.

The view out of the front of the shelter at about 5 in the morning. I didn't even have to get out of my sleeping bag to take this picture!

On the third day we hiked over Stratton Mt. which had a fire tower on top of it, this is the view from there.

At the base of Stratton Mt. was Stratton Pond. I don't know about you but it looks more like a lake to me! Panther and Merf are cooling down on a day where it was at least mid 90s.

AT report Part II will come to you sometime next week!

Till next time,

Prepare for Hiking!

2010-07-21T17:40:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately I have not had the time or the energy to get in a decent post over the last few weeks but hopefully I now have some stuff to talk about, and some great (at least by my low standards), pictures to share of the things I have experienced and people I have met over the past month.

To prepare for my AT hike I wanted to get in at least 2-3 short to medium length hikes before I hit the trail, so a friend and myself went out one weekend for a sub 24hr overnighter or S24O. The combination of 90 degree heat and the fact that both of us were not in the greatest hiking shape made for what seemed like an endless climb to the top of Little Bald Knob (which is 5 or so miles south of Reddish Knob for you locals in the know). The climb up Horse Trough Hollow is one of the steepest in the area, gaining 2,000+ feet in only three miles. Once we got to the top we were rewarded by unbelievable views of the Shenandoah Valley and West Virginia not to mention a beautiful sunset. After we ate and I took a few pictures, we snuggled down in our respective sleeping systems. I was in a Eureka 30 degree mummy bag with a Thermarest pad while Conrad, not having a lightweight sleeping bag, used an old blanket. It got down to around 50, so while I was somewhere between comfortable and somewhat hot, by morning Conrad had gotten almost no sleep and was in the early stages of hypothermia, and that is no hyperbole! After we had gotten back to civilization he had to admit he had fun, he just wasn't really stoked about almost freezing to death.

Top of Little Bald Knob: elev. 4350 ft.

Mountains of Western Virginia in the Dry River Ranger District

Camp and Supper

Resting after a strenuous hike

Sunrise the next morning

It must have been the week for sunsets because only three days later I got home from work and the whole sky was lit up behind my house. I grabbed my camera and was able to get in 30-40 shots until it got so dark my shutter speed was getting too slow. It was so beautiful that the only real editing I did to the picture below was to adjust the brightness and stitch together 4 pictures to form a panorama.

Sunset behind my place

I hope to get out more that one post for the next month and by then I will be back in school so I will have more and better internet so I will be able to post more often. My next post will be about my AT hike.

Till next time,

Adios, Maybe

2010-07-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

As you may have picked up if you have been reading my blog for the last couple months I have been planning on hiking the Appalachian Trail and finally the eve of my trip has arrived. Along with this some nasty stomach problems and a sore throat that hurts so bad that I can barely eat or even drink. I still haven't decided whether I should pull the plug on my trip or forge on and hope that I can heal while putting in 15-20 miles a day on some pretty steep terrain. I hope I can go or the last month of list-making and conditioning have all been for naught. Well we will just have to see what another day brings.

I was able to get out in the woods last weekend and put in some miles with my friend Conrad. We only hiked 12-14 miles but it was nice to get my kit figured out as well as see what kind of shape I am in. If I do indeed go I should be okay except for blisters which seem to plague me no matter what shoes or socks I wear. After a month or no major biking or especially picture taking I have finally gotten some which I think are rather good considering my lack of talent and decent picture editing software.

Well I thought I would get you some pics to look at but my internet would probably be outrun by a sub-par glacier.

The throat condition I currently have precludes spending much more time on this post.

Till next time,

Shattered Dreams

2010-05-27T14:16:00.000-04:00

Have you ever woke up in the morning and while you were stretching out all your cramps you just knew that it would be a great day? Well that is how this morning started out but as you will soon see things went quickly downhill. The last two weeks I have been trying to commute to work with my bike. (To be honest I was somewhat forced to by the fact that my car was in the shop for an extensive tune up.) I was able to roll out of bed just in time to be on my bike as the sun was cresting the horizon. I pounded the 13.5 mile ride to work in only 45 minutes and arrived ready to attack my work day as hard as I had my ride. The whole week I have been anticipating the two day hiking trip I had planned with a friend and my brother. I had only been at my computer maybe and Conrad called me saying that the forecast for the next two days was calling for extensive rain and he didn't have a tent or decent rain gear. Unless the weather drastically changes in the next 12 hours that trip will be indefinitely postponed. Still riding the wave of endorphins from my ride I was able to shrug off this disappointment and forge ahead. Mere minutes later I realize that the print job I had been running for the last four days was junk due to poor image quality that I had failed to detect. In 20 minutes weather and negligence had ruined not only my week, but my weekend. The only consolations I have is that I can still hike by myself, and that my boss is not a very violent man. It feels bad enough to fail at something and cost yourself money but quite another to fail someone else.

One thing you can always count on is that the sun always comes out after the rain.

Till next time,

Not Motivated

2010-05-19T15:01:00.000-04:00

I have now officially came down from the euphoric high that results when the snow melts and flowers bloom. After a harsher than normal winter I attacked the mountains every day with the almost certain knowledge that the trails would soon be closed down by yet another snowstorm that drops a foot or two of white fluffy slush. After a month or so I finally realized that Old Man Winter no longer could threaten me and I slowly slipped into complacency. Only weeks ago I was putting in 3-4 rides a week and averaging close to 80 miles of riding. Now I might get out twice a week for maybe 30-40 miles. The weather couldn't be any better but I am having real trouble getting motivated; which you might have noticed by the dearth of posts the last two weeks.

Maybe it is my personality. Although I can't say that I really enjoy adversity and hardship, I do try harder and get more accomplished whether it is a deadline approaching, or a thunderstorm on the weather radar and I'm stuck in the mountains with no shelter. Biking is so easy this time of year that I'm not quite so frantic to get in the miles. I know that I can put off a ride till tomorrow so I procrastinate and then never get out to ride at all.

Although I could apply a biking metaphor to almost anything I have to think of how biking complacency compares to spiritual complacency. When I have been dragged down and am facing stress and hardship in my life, my first reaction is to drop to my knees and ask for forgiveness and strength to get through the tough times. Days or weeks later things have smoothed out and my life is going great but I no longer have the intimate relationship with Christ that I did when I needed him most. I am sure that almost every Christian has experienced this paradox; often when your physical life is hard, your spiritual life is much better. On the flip side, an easy life often leads to complacency and an eroding of your core principles. Just as vast empires rise when their people are struggling to survive against the elements and outside enemies, then fall into decline while their people bask in the luxuries won for them by their ancestors; a Christian can fall away when things are too easy to make them realize what really matters. Just as we should always bike like a maniac who knows that winter is a week away, we should also realize that we need to be ready in case Christ should come today.

Till next time,

They Say a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-05-07T15:53:00.002-04:00

This is my past week.

Union Spring Dam just before sunset

Flowers heading up to Reddish Knob

Richland

I'm not sure why I am looking so serious here, maybe it is the concentration needed to ride with one hand and take a picture at the same time.

Fire road on top of Shenandoah Mt. south of Reddish

More Flowers

Shenandoah Mt. in B&W

A combination of great weather and 80+ miles of off road made this the best week of riding I have had so far this year. Tomorrow I am heading out with a few friends to explore some new trails, (for me at least) on Massanutten Mt. Can't wait!

Till next time,

The Bike

2010-04-30T01:40:00.000-04:00

I have finally come to a sobering conclusion, I hate my Bike. Make no mistake it is a wonderfully crafted machine. After coming off of a 35 pound all mountain bike my Anthem accelerates like a startled wildebeest, and even though it is no six inch full squish bike it can handle most anything the mountains of Western Virginia can throw at it. It is not at all for technical reasons that I despise this Bike, but how it has changed the way I ride. When I first began mountain biking five years ago I went to be with friends and to leisurely pedal through the woods. Now I ride alone and at such a rapid pace that the only parts of the landscape that make an impression on me is the trees as I careen off them. This Bike has infected me with a disease that will never let me just enjoy being in the outdoors, but makes me strive to go faster, faster, faster, with no regard to the pain which it causes. If I step back and look at the big picture maybe it isn’t so bad. I actually do like going fast, and the pain in my legs ceases soon after I crest the mountain and look over the valley spread out before me. Maybe hate is too strong of a word; strong dislike would be a little better description of my feelings.

Look at it sitting there sneering at me!

Before the Bike came into my life I had many friends that I would go on short hour long rides with. Now I insist we go on 20+ mile rides with thousands of feet of climbing so the Bike’s appetite can be sated. As you would expect they will have nothing to do with me or the sufferfest that the Bike calls an easy ride. It has also addled my brain so all I can talk to people about is bikes, biking, bike trips, bike parts, and bike accessories. After a few minutes of my Bike induced babbling most people just walk away shaking their heads in pity like they just saw a drug addict on the streets of New York. You know what? Long rides have gotten me in much better shape so I am more able to enjoy my rides; who needs friends anyway when you have the Bike for company?

The Bike reminds me of some of my best teachers in school. They load you down with homework, 40 pound textbooks, and make you write so many papers you have to personally slay a pine forest to defray the cost of your notebooks. Their reign is comparable to that of Hitler and Stalin only more repressive. You may hate them for making you work so hard, but after you come out the other side unscathed you are a better and stronger person for it. Similarly the Bike crafts you into a stronger rider but only after much pain and affliction. The Bike pushes you to your limits and beyond. Distances and climbs that seemed impossible now are done not only with ease but actually enjoyment. Yes I said it, I enjoy climbing now! What has this Abomination done to me!

I look over this post and although there are many horrific things the Bike has made me do, it has really made me a much better cyclist. Maybe I won’t have to turn it into soda cans. Yet.

Till next time,

The Only Redeeming Quality Of Road Biking

2010-04-23T11:08:00.001-04:00

I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

Get outside and take some pictures!

Till next time,

Couldn't Be Better

2010-04-19T10:45:00.011-04:00

This past weekend I had a lot of riding planned with some friends but I woke up Saturday morning to 10-15 mph winds. If I lived in the Midwest this would not be a problem but I decided to just cop out and wait for a day when the wind wasn't blowing. After a few hours of staring out the window at the otherwise beautiful weather I couldn't take it anymore, I had to get outside and do some pedaling! There is a notorious climb near my house so I figured, "If I can't make it to the top at least I will be able to tell people I failed on something pretty hard." To make a long story short I was able to make it to the top, wind and all.

As I have said before I have had trouble getting my friends to go biking with me so when I can get them to come I bike no matter what. I was still pretty sore from Saturday's climb but when Sherman asked if I wanted to get in a 2-2.5 hour ride I jumped at the chance.

We decided to take a circuitous route through southeastern Rockingham County and Augusta County.

Stribling Springs Rd

A ride that wouldn't have been very hard was complicated by weak legs and headwinds. I got home 37 miles later and was so exhausted I could hardly climb off my bike but was really glad I had went. It truly was a weekend that couldn't have been any better.

Till next time,

Pushing the Limits

2010-04-14T12:11:00.001-04:00

In the past week I have set some more personal records. I put in a 30+ mile mountain bike ride Wednesday, and biked a total of 90 or so miles all week. Yes that is less than some people can pound out in a day but as a personal record I was very pleased.

As many of my friends know I am a very competitive person, especially when it comes to biking. I struggle sometimes to not shoot past one of my friends who is not in as good of shape as me and leave them choking on my dust. Usually I am able to restrain myself and not be such a jerk that they never ride with me again. Of all the people that I bike with there is one who always shows me up and constantly criticizes me when I can't keep up during a 5 mile climb. "You must weigh at least 250 lbs to be biking that slow!" "You mean you had to get off your bike and push on that last climb, I didn't have any trouble!" If you are wondering why I would bike with such a boorish individual it is because I have no choice, he follows me wherever I am and will never shut up. Normally he doesn't say much until we go biking, then he is nothing but nonstop chatter about how pathetic I am. Of course I am speaking of the critical voice in my head that pops up to spur me to go faster, higher, and further. Eric Benjamin would call this voice his Adventure Monkey, but I will just call him "Biking Jim." Even as competitive as I am with my friends that competition pales in comparison to when I am riding with myself. Biking Jim tells me, "I have this 30 mile bike ride with 3,000+ feet of climbing all mapped out, want to go?" I reply, "Sure I would like to go but maybe for only the first 20 miles or so, is there anyway we could cut the ride shorter?" Biking Jim refuses to be swayed and finally shames me into accepting his challenge. I set out with a little trepidation because I have never attempted such a long ride. Hours later after almost running out of water, facing down a bonk, and several near over-the-handlebar somersaults we got back to the Passat. Yes I was tired but I had to admit that Biking Jim had taken me on a really nice route that day. He can be very irritating at times but for the most part he takes me places I would otherwise never go, and helps me push myself past what I would have ever dreamed was possible a year ago.

If you thought that Biking Jim was going to let me rest a week or so you would be wrong. This Saturday he mapped out another long ride. I just hope he is a little more supportive this time.

Dowell's Draft Trail: singletrack at its best

Till next time,

The King of the Mountain

2010-04-05T12:27:00.002-04:00

My utmost apologies on reneging on my promise for a product review last Wednesday. A combination of a term paper needing to be done and chronic (many of my friends say possibly terminal) forgetfulness. Now that apologies are over, to the review!

My Giant Anthem was bought with two sets of wheels, one set of Mavic Crossmaxs, and one of Mavic 717 rims and DT Swiss hubs. The Mavics were shod with Specialized 2Bliss FastTrak LT tires and the other wheels with Michelin XC Dry 2.0," both sets of wheels were set up tubeless with Stan's. The Mavics were my "go fast" wheels for the simple fact that with those wheels my bike was 1.5 pounds lighter. The other wheels were a good bit stiffer but the tires were so similar in performance I always defaulted to the lighter wheels. In January I sliced the already ragged out rear tire on one of the fiendishly rocky trails in the GWNF. I soon realized that I really needed a new set of tires. I decided that I would switch the Michelin's to my Mavic wheels and get a new more aggressive set of tires for my heavy duty wheelset. I looked all over the internet and I came across Continental tires. I didn't even know that they made anything else than car tires but when I asked the local tire shop they highly recommended them. I then ordered a 2.2 Supersonic Mountain King for the rear and a 2.4 for the front. (Yes that is fairly big tires for an XC bike but Contis run on the small size for the most part.) When the tires came I didn't have the time to set them up tubeless so I just slapped in some tubes and went riding. My first experience with these tires was less than stellar. A combination of rain and partially blown out legs made my first ride seem like I was dragging a house trailer up the hill with me. The next day I could find the time I converted the wheels to tubeless, and took them on a ride. Maybe I just felt better that day or it was the placebo affect but , wow what a difference! Yes the tires don't roll as well as the FastTraks but the grip was incredible! As long as my legs didn't fail me I had no trouble motoring up climbs that before I had to push because I lost traction and momentum. Bombing down descents that I normally had to take slowly so I didn't wash out, I was able to push the cornering traction as far as I could until I chickened out and the tires never broke loose unless I was on sand or loose pebbles. This tractions is the product of a rubber compound that Continental calls Black Chili and a very unique tread pattern. With Black Chili, Continental somehow changes the molecular structure of the rubber so that grip and tread life is increased while rolling resistance is reduced.

I am so impressed with the Continental's combination of low rolling resistance for such a grippy tire, as well as low weight that I have a pair of Race Kings on order for my "go fast" wheelset.

Since the weather has moderated and the snow is finally gone from the mountains I have been able to get my friends to accompany me on a ride or two. Gabriel, a former cyclist that is trying to get back into shape, came with me last week on a short loop of Trimble Mt Trail.

I also have some friends that like riding horses so last Saturday Jess and Conrad accompanied me on a short 10 mile loop to get themselves and their horses back into shape after months of no riding.

I constantly try to convince Jess that bikes are a much better form of transportation but she turns a deaf ear to even my most convincing pleas. Each to his or her own but I still stand fast on my opinion.

Whether you ride horses or like me prefer human-propelled two wheeled transportation, get outside and have some fun this week!

Till next time,

Daffodils and Gravel

2010-03-29T11:17:00.000-04:00

I read Gnatlikes and Adventure Monkey and they just go on and on about how great riding on gravel secondary roads is. I really couldn't see what the fuss was all about because most of my previous experience with this type of riding was somewhat underwhelming. Most of the gravel riding I have done was last summer and fall using my full suspension Giant Anthem. If you are on steep and technical singletrack your ego doesn't suffer too much when you barely maintain enough speed to keep from falling over, but on dirt and gravel roads it just makes you feel slow and weak. I was hoping to finally get in some miles on gravel this winter with my new Giant TCX but the weather has only recently moderated enough that I can finally go riding (Almost all of the gravel and dirt roads in my area are between 2500-4200 feet of elevation way back in the mountains.) Even after two weeks of sunshine and great weather there is still snow in some areas.

Until last Wednesday roads, gravel and otherwise, were a means to an end, that end usually being singletrack. Now with the roads being mostly open my opinion of roads has changed to one of tolerance to genuine enjoyment. I was able to string together 35+ miles of gravel along with 3,000 feet of climbing to make things interesting. If you give me a choice between 5 miles of smooth trails and 10 of roads I will always pick the trails but I still can't forget the enormous grin on my face when I spun out my big ring on a gravel road surrounded by some of the best scenery in Western Virginia.

This ride was the longest ride with the most climbing I have done so far this year and I was scared that I wouldn't be able to get back to the Passat, luckily my fears were groundless. Other than a near bonk in the last ten miles which was quickly fixed with an energy gel or two I had no problems. While there is good weather rides on roads will always be a second choice but they can challenge me much more than my normal trail rides so I hope to soon take a whole Saturday and see if I can break the 50 miles mark.

My first real gear review coming up Wednesday!

Till next time,

Weekend of Freedom

2010-03-22T10:51:00.001-04:00

The last few weeks I have been caught up in school papers, tests, and problems at work. Rather than raiding the medicine cabinets for a handful of anti-depressants I got on my Giant Anthem and pedaled till my legs felt like overcooked spaghetti. I was able to get in one ride by myself Friday after work on what has to be the most blissful piece of singletrack in the GWNF; Dowells Draft Trail. Many trails are multi use or geared more towards hikers but this is one of the few bike specific trails in the Shenandoah Valley area. Because of it being bike specific it is nothing but winding, flowing singletrack; not rocky precipices and boulder fields with a hike-a-bike thrown in the make things even more interesting.

Friday afternoon and evening I was able to get in around 20 miles of fire roads, single track, and gravel. Who says you have to party to have fun on the weekend?!

Sunday morning I was wondering if I could coerce any of my friends into going for a medium length recovery ride when I got a call from a friend I hear from maybe twice a year. He was hitting the trails at 2:30 and wondered if I wanted to come; does a bear *&%@ in the woods?! I had never biked this trail and he hadn't either but we set out in the spirit of adventure. After what seemed like 50 stream crossings we finally hit a 2-2.5 mile climb. Much of this was in excess of 20% grade and had slippery leaves, broken limbs, and four foot high water breaks you had to scale. The branches left over from the winter storms were more than a little inconvenient and not only tore up my legs but occasionally totally blocked the trail. My derailleur also fell victim to this rapacious trail. As I type these words my bike is in intensive care and there is little hope that my SRAM XO component group will remain whole. Yes the ride was plagued with equipment breakages, running out of food, and legs that went on strike, but there is still nothing like an afternoon in the mountains with friends.

Till next time,

It Couldn't Have Come Sooner

2010-03-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

What I am talking about of course is access to the delightful singletrack in the GWNF. The past week has been occupied with trying to stay sane while just outside my windowless jail cell called "work," the weather couldn't be better for biking. There is both good and bad news about the last week or so. The good news is that I still have not been forcefully admitted to my own comfy padded cell, the bad news is I only have gotten out for one ride so far this week. The few daylight hours that remain after I return home after school and work have been all but used up by preparing my stable of wheeled thoroughbreds for this coming weekend. It is calling for 60-65 degree temperatures and clear skies. With beautiful weather like that there is no way I can possibly resist the siren call of blissful singletrack.

Last Saturday I went on my first real mountain bike ride in the rain. I came back with a new appreciation (maybe a better word would be "hatred") of slippery rocks, mud, and raging creeks. At one point I approached a stream and peered through the fog to see where the trail was. I couldn't find a blaze on the other side so I started looking around. It turned out that the torrent in front of me was the trail! I couldn't find a route around the stream that didn't include being sliced into human carpaccio by the brambles on either side of the "trail," so I had to wade calf deep in snow melt water for close to an eighth of a mile. The whole ride was a debacle as far as a riding experience but I got in 2.5 hours of saddle time and explored a totally new trail system so I guess it was an overall success.

Later on today after getting out of class and making a stop at Mole Hill Bikes I hope to ride the trail which this blog's name comes from, Trimble Mt. Trail. This will be the first time I have touched this trail since Thanksgiving!

Just checked the tracking number for my brand new ultra light sleeping bag and it should be delivered today! I have to admit that nothing makes me feel like a little boy Christmas morning than opening up a package with my name on it.

Hopefully during the ride later today I will be able to get some good pics to liven up what, I will freely admit, has been a rather bland blog lately.

Get outside, ride your bike!

Till next time,

Does It Ever Quit?

2010-03-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

It seems that there is someone or something that does not want me to ride this spring. First it was snow that lingered on the mountains even after a week or so of 50+ degree days, now a series of storms is hitting the area just long enough to deny me a dry ride this weekend. Luckily I was able to get in some saddle time over the past few days, just not as much as I'd like. Monday I rode my TCX, which is in the process of being converted to a commuter/touring bike, to school and then other various errands. It was the first time I had ever used my new Topeak rack and bag system and I am glad to report that they worked flawlessly. Books, clothing, and food fit with room to spare. I only got in 35 or so miles but that was about all I could take after just recently recovering from a small case of the flu last week. Wednesday I was able to get in the first decent singletrack ride in months on the recently thawed out trails. I was still recovering from the flu and my ride on Monday, and Sherman hadn't biked in 6 months so we had a hard time getting through the 15+ miles of left over snow banks and energy sucking muddy roads that comprised our route. I was exhausted afterwards but haven't felt that good since before the snows. It is calling for rain tonight as well as all day tomorrow but I WILL get outside no matter what it takes! You can only get so wet and muddy then it just doesn't matter.

More backpacking news! I have finally decided on some of my equipment choices. The only sleeping bag that fulfilled my requirements of warmth, weight, and cost was the Eureka Silver City. Shortly after finding said sleeping bag I stumbled upon the Eureka Solitare. I was expecting to pay at least 150 dollars for a sleeping bag and close to 200 for a tent so I was overjoyed to find these two items for under 100 bucks each.

I didn't post any pictures today and don't expect any from the ride tomorrow; cameras hate downpours ya know.

Till next time,

If Life Gives You Snow Go Biking Anyway

2010-03-03T14:01:00.001-05:00

The roads have long since been cleared of snow but the roads that VDOT didn't touch are still covered in 6-12 inches of snow, and sometimes more. Last Saturday I knew that I had to take advantage of the 35-40 degree weather so I put together a pavement and gravel loop to mix it up. Things were going great till I hit a gate and the tire tracks I was depending on to get me through the snow stopped.

I had decided to take my TCX because most of the ride would be on pavement, but as it turned out my 700x35 Small Block 8s were terrible on unpacked snow. I then had to push my bike for several miles till I got back to civilization and plowed roads. As far as I could tell I had been the first person to touch that section of road since the February 9th snow. There is something about being the first human to put tire tracks on untouched snow that makes you feel like the busy, stressful life you have to deal with during the week is far away. While you are alone in the wilderness no one can call you on your cell phone or make you wash the dishes. All your cares vanish and you have the silence and solitude you need to think.

I almost feel that I should ask Gnat for permission to take a picture like this. I first saw one like it on his blog and thought that it looked so great that the first chance I got I had to take one like it. I have to admit that mine didn't turn out near as good as his though.

This weekend they are calling for sunny skies and 50 degrees, mountains here I come!

Till next time,

Trainer Terror

2010-03-01T12:23:00.000-05:00

Last week was a first time I have ever stepped into a gym. The lack of riding weather has forced bikers all over the Eastern seaboard indoors and I have now entered their inglorious ranks. Rows and rows of grunting and sweating humanity spread out before me like a Roman era galley or Third World sweatshop. I couldn't help thinking, "You mean these people actually pay good money to inflict such pain upon themselves?" Over in the corner was a machine that looked vaguely familiar; I naturally gravitated to it because of my predilection toward machines with pedals and wheely things. After climbing onboard I saw a flashing button that said, “Hill Climb Plus.” Wanting to prove that I was a tireless stud I pressed it with my index finger and set the resistance to “Cramp and Puke.” Just like my favorite form of off-road transportation I smashed down on the pedals got my rpms up to speed. “What is going on here! I am pedaling so hard I am risking dislocating my femur and yet I don’t seem to be moving!” It seems I had been duped. Instead of an invigorating spin along a pristine forest trail I was stuck in a hot building sweating bullets with other people that were just as desperately pathetic as me. Not being the type of person to quit I kept up the furious pace for the next 20 minutes until my body forced me to concede defeat. As it happened my legs were not the source of my failure. The fiend that had designed this wretched excuse for a bike had cleverly designed a razor sharp hatchet head to look like the bike seat version of a Select Comfort mattress. After the first pangs I got off and prodded the offending seat. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Once again I climbed back on and began pedaling. Mind numbing pain coursed from my nether regions thoughout my entire body. No longer able to force my broken body to respond I had to tumble into a quivering mass beside the victorious machine.

Forget waterboarding, just make a terrorist pedal a stationary bike for 30 minutes, that will get him to talk!

I Never Thought I Would Say This

2010-02-26T16:36:00.000-05:00

Thanks IRS! I got back my tax return from the accountant yesterday and almost had an aneurysm when I saw my tax refund! I could buy a decent dual-suspension mountain bike and still have some change left over to get myself some I9 wheels for my Anthem! After buying tires for my Passat, loaning money to a friend, and then taking a trip to Central America; saying my coffers were getting bare would be an understatment. Two weeks ago I was wondering where I would get the dough to get equipment for my upcoming AT hike, but not now! That temporary euphoria lasted for exactly as long as if took me to realize that I wasn't getting a check from the government but actually a check from myself. This is not a magnamimous Big Brother helping a struggling student and bike addict pay the bills, but a thief who returns part of his haul saying he doesn't want to kill off the golden goose who has so generously provided him with a lavish lifestyle for the past eight years. Before you get the wrong idea I am not anti-government or even anti-taxation. There is no doubt that the govenment needs money to provide us with services such as law enforcement, infrastructure, and schools. I just have to wonder, can't they make it with just a little less? The legislators in Congress can vote on wether they want to get a pay raise or not. I bet that is one bill that has unanimous approval! That just doesn't seem right to me.

Enough grousing about money and politics, I promised to fill out the details of my AT hike. I have narrowed down what pack I want to one of Osprey's options. I haven't totally decided but I will probably settle on either one from their Aether or Atmos lines. As I am going to be with a thru hiking friend I will not have to take along either any water filtration or a stove which will be really nice. I will have to get these items for my bikepacking trip this fall but that is another post. Rapidly I am realizing that the clothes I have in my closet will be totally inadequete for this trip so I will have to get myself some good hiking pants as well as some fast drying shirts; Smart Wool's t-shirts look really sweet! Hiking in Virginia or Pennsylvania during the summer will negate the need for cold weather clothing or equipment, so right there is some more money and weight I will not have to deal with. Further details will be forthcoming as the trip and equipment come together.

Till next time,

Pavement and Snow

2010-02-24T10:57:00.002-05:00

Ever since the twin snowstorms of February 2010, riding opportunities have been pretty sparse. That and the fact that the only days that seem to be good riding weather I am trapped inside the windowless building where I work. Last Saturday I was finally able to get in my first long ride for almost three weeks. I wasn't planning on it taking too long so I only took one water bottle and one Clif bar; boy did I miscalculate! Things were going great for the first 15 miles. My legs warmed up quickly and were feeling great, also the toe warmers I purchased at SBC for riding conditions just like these were keeping my piggies nice and toasty. I was feeling invincible till I hit the first big climb and at the same time realized that this would not be a quick 2-2.5 hour spin.

I had been the only vehicle (if you can call a bike a vehicle) other than a few snowmobiles that had attempted to drive on this forest road. If a truck or car has packed down the snow I have no trouble riding in their tracks with my Anthem but with the snowmobiles with their relatively light footprint, and my 2.0" XC tires I kept punching through the crust on top of the snow even after letting all but 15 or so psi out of my tires. On the downhills I could achieve 15-20 mph but would suddenly and violently break through the crust with my front tire. Sometimes I would get so out of control I would have to bail off my bike into an inviting snowbank. In one of those very snowbanks I discovered that there was at least 1.5 to 2 feet of snow under the slightly packed down surface. This went on for the next 10 miles. As a testament to how bad the snow was I saw a truck that had gotten stuck in a ditch and had to be abandoned by its owner. By looking at the amount of snow on top of the truck it looked like it had been there for at least three weeks! All this snow wasn't all bad though. For over an hour all I saw or heard was the gurgling streams and the wind through the trees. My reverie was rudely interrupted by three trucks who had failed only two miles into a snow four wheeling trip and were trying to extricate themselves. I think the drivers were rather surprised when one minuscule biker pedals past their hulking four wheel drive trucks. Luckily I was able to get out of the worst of the snow right as I ran out of water and started bonking pretty hard. Yes the ten miles of deep snow were absolute torture but I still got out and went biking on a 40 degree Virginia day. I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

I now know a little more about my impending AT hike. I will start hiking around the first of July, now all that I need to do is to buy the equipment I will need for the hike. One thing I have learned is that just like biking gear, hiking equipment is not cheap! Guess I will just have to lay off of the biweekly visits to Cally's. I hope to have another post in the near future about my planning for the hike.

Pry yourself off the couch and get outside whether you bike, ride, or run!

Till next time,

Thankfulness

2010-02-15T15:30:00.002-05:00

There are times in everyone's lives when the scales fall off your eyes and you realize how petty you really are. You grumble and complain about the snow which makes biking hard or even impossible, when all around the world billions of people have never even seen snow. You go to a restaurant that you don't like because your friends want to, the whole while muttering under your breath about the swill they are making you eat. Yet there are quite possibly people in your own neighborhood that go to bed hungry several times a week. This post is not meant to make you feel guilty; what I want to tell you is how blessed we are. We live in a prosperous country that is ran by law and order with full grocery stores around every corner. We have shelter from the snow and the cold as well as closets that are packed with clean clothes. Could we really ask for more?

During my recent trip to Belize I saw a totally different view of the world. Yes I have seen pictures of babies with swollen bellies and ramshackle huts with no running water or toilets in magazines, but you soon get so used to such graphic images that you become callused. If you actually visit these coutries and view the huts with your own eyes and smell the raw sewage running in the gutters the experience is very different. Here you cannot put aside the magazine when come across something you can hardly stand to look at. We as Americans have been in our little bubble of comfort for so long that we quibble and gripe about the most trivial things, why can't we just got along and be thankful for the plenty we have?

One thing that amazed me was the bizarre juxtaposition of bueaty and squallor. Coming into Belize City to land the sea was the deepest shades of blue and greens, it looked like I was going to be landing in a paradise. Upon landing reality forced itself upon my senses. Trash covered the streets, broken down and vacant homes were everywhere.

After an hour of dodging refuse, stray dogs, and beggers you were able to find a beautiful open air market with selection and quality that would rival many American mega marts.

John, Derek, and myself were able to stay in the guest home of a Mennonite mission who is ran by Weston, a friend of mine since childhood. We didn't do too much touristy stuff but we were able to make it to some Mayan ruins as well as briefly visit Guatemala. The view from on top of the main pyramid was breathtaking after many months of dreary skies and snow.

Guatemala, although similar, was in many ways a different country. Instead of relying of bicycles for transportation most people had motorbikes, many of which looked to be in good shape and rather new. In Belize most people speak Creole which is just broken English. We went from being able to understand the natives to having no idea what they were saying about 100 yards past the Belize-Guatemala border.

This town was obviously a place that tourists frequented because there were shops lining both sides of the streets selling everything from drink coasters to hammocks.

In an indoor market I came across two brothers practicing their soccer skills

Nothing is more iconically American than Coke

When we look at other peoples and coutries we have a hard time finding common ground, but we have to look no further than children to see that we are more similar than we know. If I could go back in time 15-20 years this could very well be me learning to ride a bike or playing with trucks in the dirt.

If you look closely enough you can see she is playing with a Hummer.

Single-speed rigid Third World style

In stark contrast to the squallor of the cities of Belize is the landscape. Especially coming from a state where the only thing I have seen green in months has been pine trees was a bit of a shock.

One pleasant suprise was that the food wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be, in fact it was rather good. I do believe that rice, beans, and chicken would get tiresome after thats all you had to eat for months on end.

In Belize I saw many people overcoming and coping with situations that would have most Americans curled up in a ball crying. From this I realized that even when we think we have it bad there is someone that has it much worse and is quite possibly having a more fulfilled life that we are. So quit whining and be thankful for all the blessings you do have!

As I touched down at Dulles International Airport I felt joy from finally arriving home, but at the same time a sort of sadness. I had come home with killer bee stings, fire ant bites, not to mention the multitude of other bites from countless unidentified insects, but I still couldn't wait to go back.

Skinny Tires Don't Like Slush

2010-02-02T20:30:00.001-05:00

I was able to finally get on my bike for the first time in a week yesterday but it wasn't the mood lifting experience I was expecting. A week off of my bike on top of barely riding at all for the last month all combined to make my legs feel like leaden lumps. I was able to get in twenty couple miles which took me an embarrassingly long time. All the excitement of the last week has faded under 5 inches of snow this past weekend and even as I am typing this more is coming down. Every time I want to start grumbling I have to think of our fellow biking enthusiasts that live in weather which is much less conducive to riding in winter. I think this church marquee pretty much says it all.

I just found out the other day that I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail for 2-3 weeks this summer! I am quite excited about this because I have always wanted to hike the AT but never could quite get up the fortitude. A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to hike with her and I was at first somewhat hesitant, mostly just because my nature is to over analyze everything I do. After some thought I realized that if I continued thinking like this that I would never get out on the AT so I told her I would go. Sometimes you do have to sit back and think about what you are about to do but other times the best thing to do is to leap and hope you come out okay on the other end. (Yes I am being a bit over dramatic but this is quite a leap for me.)

Fortunately I was able to get some other pictures with my new camera so the ride wasn't a total loss. I haven't done much shooting with it but so far it has proven to be much more camera than the old clunker I used to have.

This coming week I am fleeing this frigid clime and heading to Belize to visit a friend. If all goes well I should be back around the 11th. I know that this has been a rather bland post but to be honest I am feeling rather bland. Maybe this vacation is just what I need to shake these mid-winter blues.

Till next time,

Narrowback Tales

2010-01-27T11:30:00.007-05:00

What do you call 15 miles of leg killing mud, one flat tire, two rain squalls, two swollen streams, and bone-chilling cold? Perfection! Maybe not perfection but the closest you can get during a rain-soaked, snow covered Virginia winter. After over a month of road biking and riding on gravel roads I finally was able to ride some singletrack.

As you have probably figured out by now I was somewhat foiled by the torrential rains we had this past weekend. I wanted to park at Briery Branch Dam and then bike up Lynn Trail to Wolf Ridge. After going only a quarter mile on a dirt road I was stopped by a normally calm stream which had swollen to a waist deep torrent. I figured maybe I could do an out and back on Wolf Ridge so I drove to the bottom of that trail and was once again stopped by another overflowing stream. Desperate to get in some mile before the sun went down I looked to the Narrowback Mountain and the trails running along to top of it. On top of this ridge I was able to escape the floodwaters down in the valley but was unable to escape the mud.

The trails along the top of Narrowback were classic Western Virginia sandy loam riddled with sharp limestone. On one of those sharp rocks I punctured my tire. Since I was running tubeless I had to pry the tire off the rim and convert it back to tubed using my fingers. While I was struggling with unseating the tire a storm blew up sprinkling me with rain and a stiff wind. Having been already soaked and somewhat underdressed for being wet in 45 degree weather I was glad to get back on my bike.

The singletrack finally ended and dumped me onto a water soaked dirt road in the middle of I had no idea where I was. Other than a vague idea that there might be a trail to get me back to my car in about three miles I set off. I was able to find that trail and I did get back to the Passat but not without losing the feeling in my drenched feet. If I would have attempted this ride in the middle of the summer and had ran into this many problems I would have went home long before I did. In the winter you begin to appreciate any time in the saddle no matter how excruciating or pointless.

Massanutten Peak from Narrowback

Being a budding photographer I need some constructive criticism, which picture do you like best?

This one in B&W

Or this one in Color?

Later,

Bikepacking Update

2010-01-21T14:37:00.006-05:00

As promised I have done some research and now have figured out a few things about my upcoming bike packing trip. First of all I have finally decided on where the trip will be. While I was at Wilderness Voyagers one of the employees mentioned the Southern Traverse as being a good 1.5 to 2 day trail in neighboring Augusta county. It has 25-30 miles of single track and then about 15-20 miles of country roads to get back to my vehicle. This seems to be about the ideal distance for my first attempt at bike packing.

I have done some research about alcohol stoves and have made one myself as well as buying a Trangia stove. The other day I took the Trangia out to the woods behind our house in sub-freezing weather to test it by making coffee as well as bacon and eggs; it passed with flying colors. The only weakness of the Trangia is that it takes around 10-12 minutes to boil two cups of water. This can be remedied by carrying the Pepsi can stove I made which has been able to boil the same amount of water in 5 minutes.

I havent been able to get in any decent riding since last Saturday and don't anticipate riding till this weekend. I hope I will be able to but only if the leaden skies and depressing drizzle give it a rest.

I still have yet to decide how to carry all of my gear. The bike bags from Epic Designs have been making me drool all over the keyboard every time I look at them but they can be a little pricey. Maybe I will just have to set aside some of the small fortune I spend on coffee each year until I can afford them.

Until next time,

Reddish with Snow

2010-01-17T12:40:00.005-05:00

Finally some relief from this arctic weather! Yesterday it actually got up to around 50 degrees for the first time since the first of December. You couldn't have asked for better weather to go biking in. I decided since there was still 6-12 inches of snow at the higher elevations I would forgo the single track once again and get in some miles on pavement and gravel in a loop that would climb from the Briery Branch Dam to Reddish Knob, then follow the spine of Shenandoah Mt. to Elkhorn Lake where I would then circle back to Tilman Rd which would take me back to the dam.

After a mile or two up the tortuous climb on Route 924 I began to struggle and it was then I realized that my TCX has substantially higher gearing than my old road bike. I won't bore you with tooth count and other cycling nomenclature but I will just say that I was having a really hard time. I am used to in either my mountain bikes or my road bike to be able to drop into a granny gear whenever I hit a steep section or I get so tired I can no longer pedal in a higher gear. In lower gears such as these I am able to nurse my failing legs along till I get to the destination. Even through my pain and frustration during this 6 mile climb I started thinking. Yes it hurts a lot now but just think of how much better shape I will be in after this ordeal. As often happens I realized that there was was a parallel between my ride and life. Just like a bike ride, life can be compared to a journey with many different things happening along the way. Much of the time you don't really have any problems, you are just going from point A to point B, calmly spinning along on the valley floor. Then you hit an obstacle, whether it be financial instability, a death in your family, or a long excruciating climb. Unfortunately you can't shift into a lower gear to relieve the pain when something happens in your life. You struggle and struggle to get to the top of this obstacle, but then when you do the view is breathtaking.

Yes it is hard and you are in pain but after the pain is gone you are in much better shape then when you started. The fact that you couldn't take the easy way out has made you a stronger person. Will I swap out my chain ring for one a little smaller? I honestly don't know. One thing I do know is that whatever life throws at you the best thing to do is to soldier on and not the shrink away from a challenge.

My ride was unfortunately cut short by half melted snow on top of the mountain which my 700x35 Small Block 8s couldn't handle. As a fellow blogger has often said, "Going out to ride in the winter isn't about miles it is about time." I didn't put in but about a quarter of the miles I wanted to but I did get in two hours of riding (and pushing my bike through the snow) during the best day to be outside in a month.

Later this week I will have a post or two about my ongoing planning for a bikepacking trip this summer.

Later

Tilman Trek with TCX

2010-01-10T17:37:00.012-05:00

I have mentioned in earlier posts that I have already fallen short in my resolution to bike each week. After I dragged myself out of the depression that comes with failure I knew that I would have to get in some miles this weekend no matter what. For the last week or so I have let weather dictate if and when I got on my bike but no more!

I was able to sell my OCR 2 to a friend of mine last week so with money in hand I immediately drove to Mole Hill Bikes and slapped it down to purchase a Giant TCX 2. I figured that it would be perfect for the gravel and pavement loop I had planned so I took it out for its inaugural ride.

After putting on so many layers I could hardly move I headed toward the mountains. As I left 257 Grocery toward Tilman the temp was 28, cold but bearable. Three miles of pavement led me past the end of Narrowback mountain and to the entrance of Tilman. The first thing I noticed when I finally hit gravel was how much easier it is to get up to speed and to maintain it on a cross bike versus a fat tired mountain bike. On a mt bike I have to gear down for a climb on gravel, with this bike I can maintain my momentum and even accelerate! A couple years ago when I first heard of this strange animal called a cyclocross bike I just scoffed. I figured the only person crazy enough to ride such a monstrosity would be pro road and mt bike racers that need some way to torture themselves in the off season when they aren't eating organic spinach sandwiches and sleeping on beds of nails. This past summer I found myself riding on mostly gravel and dirt roads much of the time, I soon realized that a full suspension mt bike is not the right tool for the job and I needed a gravel/pavement bike, enter the Giant TCX.

I was halfway to Stokesville on Tillman when I realized that I didn't have any energy. At first I thought I was bonking but then I remembered I had given blood yesterday and the nurse had warned me against strenuous activity, it worried me a little but I pressed on. I was tough enough that I didn't need to listen to her advice, right? Well to make a long story short I was able to get back to my car but only after coming very close to to the end of my endurance. The last mile of Community Center Rd back to my car was accomplished at a speed that a snail would scoff at.

One thing I did accomplish other than biking myself into the ground is biking in the coldest weather so far for me. When I left the Passat its thermometer read 28, when I returned it was 25. Only minutes into the ride my water bottle was already starting to freeze. Other than my face and toes I was able to keep surprisingly warm as long as there wasn't any long downhills. If I am going to bike in any colder weather I will have to get some insulating shoe covers or wear more socks.

Here is my route.

Tilghman Loop
Find more Bike Rides in Briery Branch, Virginia

Keep those wheels turning.

Jag II

Melancholy

2010-01-07T20:36:00.004-05:00

I have now officially declared I am ready for this weather from the far reaches of the north to end! I am no longer content to laze (yes it is an actual word) around the house in sweat pants. What I want now more than almost anything else is to ride. Not just to throw my leg over one of my bikes and pedal a few miles but a REAL ride. Mile and mile of gorgeous single track with nary a care or a distraction. The only thing that is stopping me is the cold. The average daytime temperature for the last week has averaged less than 32 degrees and now there is snow falling outside! It has been reported that the cause for this weather is air currents in the upper atmosphere are failing to contain the arctic wind north were it belongs. Whatever the cause is, this is one of the worse cold snaps in recent memory, at least mine anyway. Random thought, is it just a coincidence that Seasonal Affective Disorder has the acronym SAD?

After telling some of the people I know that I want to sell my OCR 2 and getting no interest I finally decided to post it on Craigslist. I almost don't want to get rid of it but it is just taking room up in the garage and it doesn't get used much. With someone else it will be able to fulfill it's true bike destiny and will be much happier. BAPT (Bikes are People Too)

In my last post I wrote about how most people fail in their resolutions after only months or even weeks, brace yourselves for I am about to join their unenviable ranks. The last time I rode was last Friday afternoon and the week is almost up with no rides on the horizon. Unless I can't get to work tomorrow because of snow it looks like I am doomed to fail.

I have set another goal for the coming year and that is to do at least a one, if not two night, bikepacking trip. Bikepacking, as the name implies, is backpacking but with a bike. There are three major hurdles to clear before I can attempt a bikepacking trip, money, a good route, and LOTS OF MONEY! Everything you need, from the tent over your head, to the socks on your feet, cost way more than it seems they should. The next issue to address is the route. For a 2-3 day trip you need at least a 50-60 mile trail that is preferably mostly singletrack. I could stick together a bunch of the trails that I have already ridden in the GWNF but the essence of bikepacking is adventure and exploring, how can you really experience that when you are essentially in your own back yard? I'm sure I will be able to find a route within a few hours driving time, I just need to get out some maps. The one local trails that look promising are the ones on top of Massanutten from New Market to the Strausburg area. Now if I could just solve that money problem I will be ready to go!

Later

What Does the New Year Stand For?

2010-01-03T17:25:00.000-05:00

Many people make resolutions to change their lives for the better when the new year rolls around, why is this? Well the New Year is a place in the year when there is a tangible split between two periods of time, namely when one year ends and a new one begins, hence the term New Year. There really is no physical difference between December 31st and January 1st other than the fact that we have to be careful when we write our checks, yet we still pick these dates to reevaluate our lives. Each year starts out with resolutions to read our Bible more, to spend more time with our families, or to lose weight. Only months later most people have already failed to carry out these goals. You could almost say that each year is a year long representation of our physical lives. When we are born we are in an innocent state, but soon dirty our feet in the sins of the world. For our whole lives we struggle against sin until we are finally taken from this world to be judged by what we accomplished during our lives. We start each year with lofty goals and ambitions but soon fail in our aspirations till at the end of the year we judge what we have accomplished against our goals, then make new resolutions for the next year. We are in a way reborn in innocence each year. But why does it have to be the end of the year for us the evaluate our lives? It doesn't! Each day we can evaluate our lives, set goals, and ask for forgiveness from our sins. Each day we can become white as snow and follow Christ. You do not have to wait till the New Year or any other special day, you can come to Him and seek forgiveness any day of any year.

May God Bless you and keep you through this New Year.

Bitter Cold + Screaming Wind = No Biking!!

2010-01-02T11:13:00.000-05:00

The last few week or so since the big snow on the 18-19th riding in the mountains has been hard if not impossible, today even road biking is out of the question. It isn't much warmer than 25 degrees and the wind is gusting up to and even exceeding 10 mph. Maybe i should be depressed because the horrible weather is keeping me inside, but I am not! This gives me a chance to sleep in till 10 and walk around the house in my "jammies" till 12. Then I can (if I feel like it) drive to the market and get a cup o' joe to warm me up. My extremities my be frozen solid but at least I can be warm on the inside. (Cue emotional music)

Even though I wasn't able to get in any good mt bike rides for the last two weeks I did get up in the mountains to take some picture while the snow was still on the ground.

This actually happens to be the first winter in which I have decided to soldier on even when we have inclement weather. During previous winters I just hung up my helmet at the first sign of snow, freezing rain, or temperatures below 40 degrees. No longer will I let Old Man Winter dictate where when and how I bike!! (Cue dramatic music) I have made a personal goal to get in at least two hours of saddle time a week and have so far fulfilled that. I guess while we are on the subject of goals that my New Year's resolution is to accomplish the aforementioned goal as well as compete in the Hoo Ha cross country race at Massanutten this summer. I will keep you updated on how that goes.

I have decided that I need to sell some of my bikes and the first one to go will be my road bike. I very rarely use it (maybe once a month) and feel the money from this could be put to better use. I feel that a cross bike can be much more versatile and will be able to pull double duty as both a dirt road and fire road bike as well as a road bike when shod with some slick tires. I hope to be giving Mole Hill Bikes some of my business soon but the Mennonite in me won' let me till I get the money from my road bike.

Later,

Jag II

Numb Toes

2009-12-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

After more than a week since the last time I clipped into my SPDs I was finally able to get in a decent length road spin today. The temperature was barely above freezing and a stiff 5-10 breeze was coming out of the northwest. Against all of my better instincts I suited up and set out. Although I absolutely loath riding on the road unless it is part of a mountain biking loop, I really didnt have much of a choice after the past week's snow. I rode towards Stokesville on North River Rd fighting the wind the whole way. I was finally able to break free from the wind which sapped strength from my legs and heat from my body when I turned east and headed toward Mt Solon across the old railroad bridge over North River. This brought me to Mt Solon and then to Route 42. I took 42 south to Bridgewater and then to Montezuma and home. After coming home resembling an icicle more than a human I was greeted by a water heater on the fritz! My cycle computer is defunct so I have no idea the exact mileage but it is probably 25-30 miles. Definitely not the most fun I have ever had on a bike but it is still better than getting fat on my Mom's cookies at home.

As I'm sure you are wondering, how did you keep from freezing over a 30 mile road ride? Well very carefully thats how. I was wearing an Ibex wool base layer with an Under Armour mid layer and a Columbia wind breaker as well as Swiftwick arm warmers. On my legs and feet I had thick wool socks with Specialized mountain shoes, Canari leg warmers, and Bontrager baggy shorts. For my hands I had Ibex wool glover liners and Specialized full finger gloves. On my head I had a Nike beanie. Even with the wind and the cold the only part of my body that got cold was toes so I imagine I will have to purchase some shoe covers.

Today was a training ride so I didnt have the time or energy to get any pics. Keep riding and stay warm!

Epiphany in the Saddle

2009-12-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

As a writer in the local newspaper put it, "Why doesn't real life call a cease fire around the holidays?" Why is it that around Christmas, which is supposed to be the happiest time of the year, it seems that people are even more bogged down in life's problems. For instance, in the last week in my own family I have had to bear two situations that just couldn't wait for a more convenient time. Not only did these two incidents cause me much personal distress but could also permanently mar a once happy marriage as well as the relationship of two sisters. If we didn't have a foot of snow on the ground which is now being topped with freezing rain I would now be having some serious therapy and thought in the saddle of my bike. Almost all my non-biking friends think that I must be mentally disturbed to even want to bike till when I return home my legs are quivering and I can barely stand. What they don't realize is how I feel when I hammering along some divine singletrack. While I climb a steep trail along a ridge I can ponder life's problems without the constant interference of cell phones and even other human beings. Then I hit the downhills and it takes my absolute attention to stay on top of my bike and in one piece. While I am hurtling downhill nothing else exists, there is no family drama, no term papers are due, it is just me, the trail, and the magnificent machine that brought me to this place. In life we have to constantly worry and concern ourselves with the future so that us and our familys can have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and so we can raise our children to be contributing members of society. If we don't worry none of this will happen. The things is, as good as looking to the future is for us and the ones we love it is tiring. That is why we must sometimes forget everything but the moment in which we find ourselves, and revel in it.

To cheer me up and to remind us that spring is only 4 months away (groan) here is a picture taken near the summit of Little Bald Knob almost three years ago.

Whatever problems you face this holiday season know that there is One who cares for you even when you feel all alone.

Road Ride on Snow

2009-12-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

I don't have much time so I will just leave you with a few pictures from my ride Sunday morning.

More Snow!!!

2009-12-18T13:33:00.000-05:00

After many many winters of almost no winter precipitation it seems that Mother Nature has decided to hit us twice in as many weeks! Hope I can drag my lazy butt out of bed to get in some miles but I doubt it. Wether I bike or no at least we will have some nice scenery.