Linglestown to Mount Gretna Tandem Ride

Well I certainly can't step to Rob's Mexico post (see below), but we did have a sweet ride today. Nancy and I rode the tandem on some back roads from our house in Linglestown (just outside of Harrisburg) and made our way to Mt. Gretna. Gretna is an artsy little village, the site of one of the first MTB races I've ever done. Anyone remember the "Pinch Pond Classic" or "Pinch Pond MTB Race" or something like that? I think that Bill Gentile may have been involved in it's promotion.

Gretna actually has some sweet trails. Stop by if you are in the neighborhood. There is one that is pretty new and really rocky / challenging. Super fun.

Anyway, we got to Gretna, rode some rail trail, and back home. About 50 miles. Awesome weather, nice roads. Only hitch was some moron teenage driver who was in a hurry to get home and catch up on Facebook, Vampire novels, or whatever it is that she does. If you are behind a cyclist and want to pass, keep in mind that you should view the bicycle as another vehicle, just like you'd treat a car. Preaching to the choir, I'm sure.

Bye.

mazatlan, mexico bikeless vacation(almost)

so it was supposed to be a week off the bike and just a nice vacation with the wifey. well, i tried. the pics here are in reverse order of our trip (my bad) , but i give a quick story first.---- Day1 flew to phoenix to visit a good friend of mine and his family. we start our trip to flagstaff immediately. -----day2 trip to the grand canyon(yeah its large)---- day 3 fly to masatlan, mexico relax and do nothing. ----day4 same old thang ---- day 5 uh oh, found a local bike shop and find out that mazatlan hosted the 2000 world cup xc race. ------ day 6 broke down and rented the bottom of the barrel mountain bike for 195 pesos a day(16 bucks). departed the resort for my first 6hr tour with my flattop plastic pedals , baggy shorts, and no helmet. checked out some of the locals single track which was awesome till i discovered some toilet paper. then some more toilet paper. then some piles of human crap. then more crap. it was land mine city and my handling skills came in handy. so gross. twenty feet later i come across the reason. a construction site where i guess they cut costs on a porto potty. ( no pics of this trail). next i hooked together a nice road loop. ------day 7 Today i found the world cup coarse and did a few laps , followed by a dirt road tour. ----day 8 after a nice boat tour, sarah broke down and got a bike too and gave her a tour of the downtown and road to the lighthouse mountain. ---- day 9 gave sarah a best of the best tour of trail , roads , and dirt roads. I was able to google earth all the dirt roads around and connect little villages. i would write down some coordinates before we leave and check once once in a while on my old school gps. so here some pics above, sarah ripping around one of the villages we found

endless dirt roads. dejesus would be in dirt road heaven

badass pic , i thought

this is a funny shot. we road up 150 vertical dirt road, the hiked up another 150 of steps while carrying these tanker bikes. so of coarse i thought it would be a fun idea to ride down. the fork will never be the same. i felt bad renting a bike while the owner had no idea what the bike was in for . if you ever do visit mazatlan, visit kellys bikes on the main drag. if the owner , fernando kelly, is around and his knee is better, he'll give ya a tour.

seeing how an entry bike holds up to seven feet to flat

pretending i know how to wall ride

showing up the cliff diver. (in back ground). no helmet needed here because if you fall to the left your done either way. funny part was the street vendors were yelling ," otra, otra" which really means other, but in this case they wanted to see another. they really just wanted to see the tourist gringo plunge to the boulders. who wouldnt?

hardest part of the world cup course. it was nice that the caution tape was even up in places after nine years. at least i knew i was still on track. fun little loop

took a shot of this thinking about the trials unicycle guy. he would be all over this railing

ever blog needs the on the fly self taken shot. here it is . the first and last one you'll ever see

i skipped this dirt road for obvious reasons

here was the first of many flat tire breaks. lots of thorns. check out that rig. the cog on the pulley was so big it could second as a weapon.

i think i see a line here. just adjust your rebound slower for the landing

snow bowl in flagstaff

somewhere in sedona. cool place

best ride ever

Today Nancy and took advantage of the warm weather and did a really sweet ride from her parents place in Lewisburg. I tried to piece together some of the best scenic stuff I remember riding in the area when I was in college. I think I did a decent job missing most of the busy spots but still giving a nice tour of the area.
I am trying to figure out the best and most helpful way of sharing turn by turn riding routes. I a not crazy about MapMyRide but maybe it is the best option. Other suggestions?
Anyway, the ride was great. Hit some really nice country roads...here's a nice rustic (crumbling) barn.
We hit two covered bridges and also a pretty sweet section known as Twin Churches for obvious reasons.
Hope everyone got in a good ride (or whatever it is that you are into) today.
Mike F. just tipped me off to a sweet site call BikeRouteToaster. Here is a link to the course:
http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=92318

Back on the Gas

Saturday: The Wayne Scott Memorial Cross presented by the DCCoD and FSVS MAC race in Fair Hill, MD. The short version: Mike’s stellar bike-handling skills and flat-out speed brought him to the top of the podium yet again this season. That win, combined with a win and a second place finish last weekend unofficially gives Mike the MAC Masters title for 2009. While my race was cut short because I was feeling a bit under the weather, I did enjoy watching Mike ride oh-so-smoothly around the Fair Hill course that included tons of technical turns, traverses of the barns, and tricky squiggles through a sandy riding ring. (That was probably my favorite part to ride, too.)

Sunday: back in PA! Mike and I decided to combine some solid local cyclocross racing with family fun on a gorgeous, sunny, warm November day. After his decisive win the day before, Mike decided to take the day off; I wanted to race, so we headed down to the Spring Mount Cyclocross race presented by Philadelphia Ciclismo and sponsored by Cadence Performance Cycling and Multisport and VeloEuropa Imports/Cyfac. It was a deceptively challenging course through the scenic Upper Salford Park not far from Philadelphia. Racers flew through tight turns, ran the deep sand, leapt over the stream (twice per lap!) and the barriers, and navigated slick, deep muddy sections. There were few places to catch your breath on this course, and the unexpected mud drained your power. Fellow Emmaus, PA racer Christine Fennessy (South Mountain Cycles and Coffee Bar) led out the Women’s Open race, with me on her wheel. We traded time at the front on the first lap until I gradually pulled away and continued to a solo win; Christine finished second and Philadelphia racer Lisa Most (Engin Cycles) came in third. Mike’s encouragement kept me pedaling hard all the way through.

The race drew both experienced racers and plenty of beginners out giving ‘cross a try at a nearby race – one of the great things about having a strong grassroots cycling scene. The event was well-organized and the cheering was intense, so I think it’s safe to say everyone had a great time. With such beautiful weather, we were lucky to have some non-racing spectators, too: folks who’d come out to stroll through the park, walk the dog, or play with the kids at the playground and were then drawn to the crazy spectacle of a cyclocross race.

After my race was over, our son Isaac and I headed over to the playground where he hit all the one-year-old favorites: swings, sandbox and climb-on statues. I ended up chatting with a local woman out walking her dog who started asking me about the race when she realized I’d just finished riding. She’d never heard of cyclocross but ended up sticking around to watch the racers ride things she didn’t think you could on a bicycle. We found common ground talking about how riding a bike can be a great way for regular people with jobs and families to stay in shape and enjoy the outdoors with friends.

transylvania stage race preparations

Yes , this was a better option than green cross #3. look at those smiles

kuhn making those rocks his you know what

check out the scenery on this one

some campground scenery

one of the lodges

some cabins

This is the camp where most of stages will start from. awesome accomidations . very cool scene

This past weekend kuhndog and i headed up to state college to get a feel on some logistics for the stage race next year that is over memorial day week.( see link on side of blog) We met up with sue from cyclingnews.com who got a good feel for what we are going to pull off for the stage race and why a race like this is needed in the northeast. We took a tour of the camp ground which will have everything from camping to daycare. there are cabins or tenting plots, rv spots(maybe with a hookup)a pool, playground, helicopter pad, a lake, dining hall, showers , first aid station,and we are even trying to pull off a communication station with wifi. yes it will be bada$$. As for the riding. well, we got a loop together already for the time trial and i believe it will not disappoint . It has a nice mix of singletrack and gravel road and nothing is too difficult. On sunday sue, kuhn, and i did another 3hr loop along a ridge (pictured somewhere here) which was amazing. Had killer flow and the options for a fun lines were endless. most of the trails we did on sunday will be part of one of the other stages. i'm giddy already

Off-Season Activities

Since the mountain bike season is well over, Ray is not able to mountain bike, and well, because I enjoy it, i've been doing some trail running lately. Nothing crazy, just some nice mid-length trail runs. Ray has even joined in, despite the face that his body seems to reject it every time he starts to get into it. I digress. Two of my favorite areas to get a nice 1 - 1.5 hour trail run in are Boyd Bid Tree Preserve and Swatara State Park.

Boyd Big Tree is a conservation area that has about 12 miles of trails for hiking. Unfortunately, because of its "Conservation Area" classification, mountain biking is not permitted, but it is a great place to trail run. Most of the trails are doubletrack, with just enough rocky, technical singletrack to make things interesting. The park is basically located on the north side of Blue Mountain, which because of its location, offers several challenging climbs and descents.

Swatara State Park is a great, purely singletrack system of trails that also totals about 12 miles, however new trails are always in the works. These trails were designed and built by the Susquehanna Area Mountain Bike Association and make for a beginner-friendly, super-fast, twisty ride. Rocks are almost non-existent, however there are numerous logs which are good for practicing log hopping skills. As for running, the trails are perfect offering gentle grades with numerous options to do a short or longer run.

Boyd's Big Tree and Swatara State Park are both great places to enjoy fall's mild temperatures and central PA's beautiful fall foliage! Check 'em out!

Back On

As some may know, I busted my wrist about 6 weeks ago at the final race in the Michaux series. It was a bummer since all I had to do was finish and I would have placed 2nd in the series, which would have been monumental for me since I never even had been able to finish all three long races in a season. Anyway, got a sweet titanium plate installed on the radius to ensure quick and proper healing, and she's almost good as new.

Which brings me up to the story at hand. Yesterday I went for a ride on the old single speed road bike. Why ride the SS when fitness is less than stellar? Not sure, other than you have an excuse all set to go when you need it. It's a fun bike and I didn't feel like shifting. I rode to do a couple errands, then decided, just for the heck of it, to see how I could do on a climb after 6 weeks spent off the bike. The climb I selected is a touch one: Parkway West here in Harrisburg. The section I did takes 6-7 minutes when I am in shape, not sure of grade or any of that jazz. At the onset, the plan was to do as much as I could, then turn back and head home. To do the whole grade is a tall order on a SS.

So, I start up and after a couple curves in the road, who do I see but a road cyclist, fully decked out, looking real pro. He's headed up the same direction I am. So, of course, this changes things. I pretty much have to make it to the top or lose any claim that I own this climb (which, of course, I do, since it is in my back yard). Passing him was actually pretty easy since the SS dictates your speed. Finishing the climb was super tough, though. I have not dug that deep in a looooong time. I used the whole road, weaving side to side. Finally made it up, out of breath and hurting.

That's that. I'll have to introduce you to the single speed real soon. That's a story in itself.
Later.

River Towns Finale

This past weekend Kara & I made the drive to Danville for the 14th annual DACC 5k. Being that the race was on Halloween, the promoters got into the spirit with theie parade float and some cool Zombie & Dracula costumes. They also used the Halloween theme to great success by having every corner marshalled by a volunteer in an oange race t-shirt. In just the three events we did in the series, the thing that stands out is how much passion the promoters and race series director have. Definitely enjoying the experience is paramount, and we are looking forward to doing more of the RiverTowns Series next year.
On to the race.
It amazes the amount of energy in teens. It is kind of cool to watch kids at running races go crazy for 1/4 to 1 mile just to see how long they can stay in the lead. The DACC race was no different. The passion of youth was in full force, as I was only 10th after a lap on the track. A nice steady pace put me at mile 1 in 5:30 and in third, with kara just behind at 5:48. We then turned on to a Dike to run almost 1/2 mile directly into a 15 mph headwind. I sat behind another guy until we were off the Dike and then made a steady made to run straight through. As the course turned I could see Kara coming off of the Dike and she had a comfy lead and was 6th overall. I hit the 2 mile mark around 11:15. I knew the last mile was predominantly uphill through the Danville State Hospital grounds. It was cool running through DSH, as I used to go there every Tuesday when it was part of my territory. That was definitely an interesting experience. I decided to hit it for the rise and see if I could drop the guy with me. Sure enough the TWO days of land training I had done in October must have paid off. I moved away and there was no knee or IT Band pain. I actually raced the last mile only glancing back once. Onto the track and my gap was secure. I crossed in 18:30 for the win and Kara rolled a 19:47 for the Women's win. After we did a little "Map My Run", we confirmed our thoughts, the course was a little long.
The event was great and I would highly recomend it. Super volunteers, safe course, nice ups, downs, turns, terrain changes, hot coffee, good eats and a super sweet $100 payout to win.
I dig this series.