Are we bored yet?

Following from my last post - the stats from my Thursday "return commute" on the fixie were:

Distance: 9.6 miles
Average speed: 18.6 mph
Max speed: 29.9 mph

Hum...... Might stop posting these kind of stats - bit boring really isn't it!

Anyway the weekend was blessed with the best MTB ride in ages. Took an early start Saturday and hit Patapsco from Landing Road at 7 am to get an hour in before the ladies joined us. Took it pretty aggressively - nice climbs, crossed the swing bridge and introduced Sean to "the House of Pain". Then rode to Patarini Hill and down the Buzard Rock trail (including the bit at the end that I normally bottle and walk!). As we were running late we ended having to carry our bikes from the road by the swinging bridge up to the waterfall on Cascade then back to meet the ladies. Then we took in the "long loop" HC side to finish with a respectable 14 miles. Hotter'n'Hell though! we all sweated buckets - all good fun. Only downer is the removal of the nice big log at the Landing end of Cascade - not wanting to second guess the trail builders but that log was eminently ridable and not a real obstacle to walkers so I'm a bit nonplussed as to why the old chainsaw had to come out on that one! There are places on the trails now where the "grooming" seems to be getting a bit too aggressive for my liking.

Next weekend it's going to be me, my trusty 29er Monocog versus the Shenadoah Mountain 100! Yes, I finally took the plunge and sent off my entry fee - MLW was all in favor though she doesn't know how much it cost! So planning is afoot for next weekends fun, leaving Saturday early afternoon - should be epic.

Hopefully have a couple of blow outs this week to keep things turning over (might even take in a night ride assuming I can conjure up some company). All this and my eldest daughter left for college this week! To quote the T-shirt "Life is good" at the moment, let's see how long that lasts.

On a completely unrelated note - MIA at the moment appears to be "singlespeed outlaw". I hit his blog every week for my MTB fix (one of the motivating factors getting me out there into SS-land). But where is he now? Tried logging on a few times in the last week and he just isn't there! Hopefully he will return soon to fill the ether with tails of Frederickian SS and fixie fun. If not RIP!

Mindless Statistics

I wa surfing bike related sites last night and found a fixed-wheel dedicated blog where the guy logs pretty much every ride in terms of distance, max speed and average speed - kin genius!

If I can be arsed I'll find the blog again and set up a link!

Anyway thought "I can do that" so here goes - fixie ride this morning (the commute taking in the "killer hill" I mentioned in posts past)

Distance 10.7 miles (yes pathetically short)
Max Speed 29.5 mph (aided by the 52x17 gear I am running)
Average Speed 18.0 mph

Woo-Ho

Cheers

Dogzbollux

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, it's been too long

O.K. so I'm a lazy slacker!

Been on the bike a few times in the past couple of weeks but not got round to writing anything down - now those rides are lost to poor memory and too much beer - BOLLUX!

Th past few weeks have been blighted though - appears the cycling gods are angry! MLW went out on a ride two weeks back and only one of the seven riders made it back unscathed! Bummer. Later that night I got stopped by the cops heading out for my weekly night ride, and even after fluttering my eyelashes at the nice lady policewoman still ended up with a ticket!

But the miles have been going in (though not consistently enough) on both the fixie and the SS 29er, been hitting some new or long forgotten trails at Patapsco and taking on some serious elevation and decending - even cleared the first pitch of Patarini hill and the entireity of the double drop decent (on the same ride) whoa! Met walkers going up and coming down and it was cool to see the "you're riding a bike on these paths!" look in their eyes.

Sunday ride was another bust! With MLW and a few friends, just getting warmed up when one guy actually shears his saddle mount. Just as we were getting ready for some sweet single track we had to be sensible and head back to the trail head or risk serious injury.

Enough of my bloody whinging though - tomorrows night riding time and hopefully the weather gods and cycling gods will have been content with the chaos they have rained down on us for the past 14 days and will let us blow off some steam and release some endorphins. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers

Dogzbollux

The riding week started a usual with the Night Ride. Despite other "maybe's" it was just George and me again at the Park and Ride at 9:45 pm. Both on rigid 29er SS - my faithfull Monocog and George's Independent Fabrication.

At the Park and Ride we bump into two guys also with their bikes - we saunter over to "shoot the breeze" and ask if they are just heading out - thought we could join up (safety in numbers and all that). Tuns out they have just finished - they've been out since 6:30 and got lost, the ride was not intended to involve any nighttime action! When we explain we are just heading out they look at us as though we are insane - maybe they are right.

The route is a bit of a departure from the norm as we take in both BC and HC sides of the Park. Start the usual was up Soapstone but then head down Vineyard and take the road to the Other side. Head up Morningchoice fire road and then take Ridge to the Waterfall on Cascade. The whole way I am convinced there is someone chasing us down as I can see lights shining through the trees as I look back. Turns out it is the full moon shining through the trees! Just before the rockgarden on Cascade (at the waterfall) we discuss what we want to do and Georgw wants to have another go at "House of Pain". W decide the best way doen is the trail just prior to the major rock garden. I have run up and down this trail and found that to be challenging - so on my bike! At night! We both make it though even George (he of no fear) announces that it was a bit "butt clenching" at times. Over the Swingbridge and up House of Pain - fair bit of pushing again, I'm not sure that it is even in my ability level in the light with gears much less in the dark on a SS. Still plenty of fun. Then it's back to the usual, Old Santee Trail and Sawmill Branch (told you I'd look at the map) Then onto Buzzard Rock, where we take the straight route down that George calls "Double Drop" (and I call " get off and walk").

Back up Vineyard and down Soapstone then back to Park and Ride along Soapstone. We take a right turn at some pont o hit a more challenging uphill stretch, good fun - though with an impecable sense of timing my light burns out just as we reach it so i ride the last 10 min with just the light of my $10 Ever Ready LED headlight - just enough to aviod a major wreck.

Nice Ride - just over 12 miles, new trails, mixed it up a bit.

Couple of commutes in the week on the Fixie (here's a picture - isn't she a beauty?). I thought I

was pushing a reasonably major gear (52 x17) but I'm rereading Graeme Obree's Autobiography " the Flying Scotsman" again (a must read for anyone interested in biking - the man is a star) and he casually mentions that he road the British National Time Trial Championships (coming a close second to a certain Mr Chris Boardman) on a Fixie running a 52x12 gear!

Sunday and the group ride is going from strength to strength! Another good turn out at Landing Road for the 8 am start (O.K. 8:15 to 8:30 start depending on when we finally arive - sorry guys). A bit more competitive this week and we mix the route up a bit, Morning Choice to the derelict houses then left to meet the Ridge. Clockwise on Ridge to Rockburn Branch and back through Belmont. We were feeling so good at this point we added a short loop on Cascade, turning left after the first water and up the steep rocky hill. Then back down a nice gravely, rooty decent back to Cascade then back to the cars. Fabulous.

The only other thing to note was whilst we were waiting to set off on the ride I was asked by a lady who had just arrived if I could get her bike out of her car for her - No worries! But as I retrieve the bike I realize why she can't do it herself, she's heavily pregnant! "Wow - how long do you have left" I enquire incredulously "About three weeks" is the answer!! All I can do is ask her to be careful and wish her well. I hope she had a good ride and that everything is cool.

Cheers for now, lets enjoy the summer while we can winter and cold rides will be here soon enough.

Dogzbollux