Post-Turkey Day Ride

The call went out for the post-Turkey day ride but the uptake was pitiful - even given the announcement that it would be the first outing this year for the DogzBollux "holiday helmet". People out of town visiting the folks I guess. With MLW not feeling well at one point Sunday looked like it could turn into a solo ride. But then Greg came to the rescue! Bedecked in his new "cold weather-tights" and feeling a little silly (cos he usually wears baggies) he and me are the only takers. Pity really cos the weather and the trails were beautiful, mostly a golden lawn of freshly fallen leaves all over Patapsco.

A little cold when we hit the trails so I had the foresight to jam an extra pair of gloves into my back pocket - what a fabulous decsion, second water crosing (and I have just gotten feeling back in my fingers) and I make a complete balls up of the approach and end up off the bike and in the water. Fortunately not too wet cos I got my hands down, but the gloves were gonna's - totally saturated. Now.. were it not for my extra gloves the rest of the ride would have been bloody miserable, but as it was - fantastic!

So did lots of trails that we don't usually do - or rode trails we often ride but in the opposite direction. the highlight is still the new loggy section near Rockburn park entrance - did it twice, once in either direction. Took in the derelict houses section that I haven't done in an age. All in all 90 min (ish) of pretty sustained effort and plenty of time to try lots of the extra point obstacles. Fun ride - missing the night rides which haven't happened for the past three weeks and feeling fat (sepecially after turkey day excesse).

Next few weeks should be some prime riding - gor to check out the new Princetontec Yukon helmet light (report will follow) and have just ordered the first upgrad to the trustly Monocog - decided it was time to go disc, so Avid disc brakes ordered from Pricepoint and will be counted as an early Birthday present.

Hope all had a great Thanksgiving and have as much to be thanskful for as Yours Truly.

DogzBollux

Sunday and an early start

With the weather being less than compliant of late and with some traveling for work, the hours with my bum on the bike have been limited. So Sunday needed to be worthwhile. Only one way to go - get out there early!

So the alarm rang at 6:15 on Sunday morning and I was at Landing Road by 7:00 - first car there - oh yeah! Soon as it was light enough I hit the trails. I did what is now the usual Sunday route but in reverse (clockwise) which somehow appears to have more uphill than the anticlockwise route (how that work?). I didn't rush myself and spent time trying out different obstacle variations. So Cascade, Ridge then back through Rockburn branch and Belmont. Did the new piece of trail in reverse for first time and it was ace! Even spent a bit of time just riding (and falling off) the log at the bottom of the Belmont hill. Back at the trail head for 8:00 and met up with the "Sunday Group", MLW, Dan "the decider" and this week Eileen and Richmond. As a happy quintet we retraced my previous tire tracks but anticlockwise this time. Richmond is an infrequent mtber - but you'd never guess - the guy knows no fear and launched his bike at every obstacle going. Fantastic ride, usual minor irritations MLW struggling with new shoes/pedals and Dan had a flat - but hell, no one died! Crowded trails this weekend, bikers in large groups for some reason, even one lady with no helmet! In-freakin-sanity!

Second lap much slower than first but 2 and 1/2 hours of fun and approx 14 miles covered, many logs ridden over ridden along and fallen off of. Loving wearing my pads, look like a complete git (especially on the rigid SS), but it's nice not to be bleeding when I get back to the car.

Feeling the need to wander and find new trails - maybe that is a resolution for 2008. Maybe if the weather gets cold enough to dissuade MLW then a trip to Frederrick will occur one of these Sundays.

No night ride this week cos I was away - and with Thanksgiving hitting this week another week sans noctural tomfoolery looks on the cards. I've ordered a new headlight (Princeton Tech), if it ever arrives (been two weeks now - that's what you get ordering from Dick's) I'll review it for anyone who stumbles across this blog. Feels lonely writing this sometimes - let me know if anyone is actually reading, not that I will stop isf noone is - but if people are actually reading this I might start using the spell check more often (but probably not).

Cheers, Happy Thanksgiving

DogzBollux

P.S - H.R. at University of Northampton really SUCK!!!

Mission Impossible!

Been away for most of the week, so no night ride and only the Sunday am ride under the belt. MLW spent the weekend in George Washigton State Park on a ladies MTB/yoga retreat! She came back after a couple of big time technical and long (3+h) rides to annouce she wants a new bike. Needs full suspension to achieve her full potential apparently - we'll see.

Without MLW the Sunday ride launched from the PnR - fairly low turn out just Sean, Dan "the decider" and me (DB). After the usual decent into the park we climbed the trail up Soapstone rather than the fire road - that wrmed us up plenty - the new fallen tree was still in situ so at least we had an excuse to stop 2/3 the way up. Then the usual BC trail past the Community College and then the rocky uphill. Instead of down House of Pain we hit Superhighway and ended up on Charcoal trail - all rerouted the other week so the mission (if we chose to accept it) was to find the new link to the trails leading to Mission Impossible/Sudden Impact/Double Drop (all trail names changed to protect the guilty - and cos I don't actually know the real names). Mission accomplished when we found the new Sawtee [sic] trail and eventually found ourselves at the base of Patarini Hill with a choice to make. Even Dan "the decider" was unsure so in the interests of stupidity we took the hardest possible option and headed down Mission Impossible.

Just as the trail started to get tough who should breeze past like he was cruising asphalt but Eatough himself and team mate (second Eatough sighting in two weeks). He even stopped to mention to Dan (sho was a little way back) that the trail was the toughest in Patapsco. His meaning was probably "hey you guys have no business being here, get back on the nursery slopes", but he was too polite to say this and we were/are too stupid to take the hint.

All goes swimmingly - with a lot of pushing of bikes - until after the now legendary "24 solo-log" which Dan actually doesn't even want to walk over much less ride over, though we could clearly see the tire tracks from Eatough et al (smart arses) over the log. Shortly after however disaster strikes. Sean gets a bit optimistic on a steep downhill, Dan is in his way, Sean dabs his brakes and..... next stop crashville. Sean comes down HARD on a nasty rocky section and my first though is "well that's his shoulder F**ked". Fortunately I'm not completely correct and after 5 min or so lying on his back groaning and allowing his body to carry out a "systems check" Sean says he is pretty sure nothing is broken and is ready to continue. It becomes obvious very quickly that his shoulder is an issue however and he can't pull on his bars. So in the interests of being sensible (a one time thing only I promise) we take the road back to the base of the climb to the PnR and head back to the cars.

Sean is bemoaning being "stupid" for trying something he shouldn't but hell! Stupidity is what is is all about! If we wanted to be sensible we would be tucked up in bed with a cup of tea at 8:30am on a Sunday morning (especially when the temp is in the 40's) not throwing ourselves and our bikes down (and up) the Patapsco trails.

Till next time

Stupidity rules!

DogzBollux

Two night ride week!

Just when life is looking a bit glum, out of the blue comes a two night ride week! Several of the "Sunday Group" have bought lights and have shown interest in night riding. To date this has been restricted to single nocturnal sojourn around the neighborhood trails but that was to change this week. "Dan the Man" stepped up to the plate and so we hit the trails at Patapsco for his inaugural night ride. It was a short loop - approx five miles but it dipped his toes into the waters of nocturnal insanity. Dan was amazed how different even the most familiar trails were without the ability to actually see where you are going - he rode several sections he normally doesn't clear just due to not realizing they were coming up and the fact that he was going too fast to do anything but close his eyes and hope! Love it.

The next night was the "main event" George and me again - the gruesome twosome. George announced that tonight it was 15 miles or bust! My kind 'o' guy! AS a consequence we set of out the gate like bloody greyhounds. After 5 miles and at the base of only our second climb and I was beginning to feel it. Two miles later and I was sat looking up the Soapstone trail climb and seriously doubting I would ever see the top. Fortunately a tree had fallen 2/3 of the way up so I got to stop, saved me from an imminent MI I think! But the fun kept coming, past the water tower, the usual route skirting the community college and down House of Pain. George then decides he wants to replicate the "circuit of hell" that was the last nightride with Rodger and Todd (the one that left George in hospital), well that sounds reasonable - especially as I am feeling (as Jon Posner would so poetically put it) "like complete ass" and am fighting the urge to barf on a minute to minute basis. Much walking up Double Drop, but a sweet decent of Sudden Impact (minus the last bit, which I still wuss out of every F'in time).

Across swingbridge and up fire road to Ridge and Cascade. Despite feeling crap there are no issues other than my Night Hawk starting to burn out. I switch it off on the non-technical sections to save illumination for where I need it most. By the top of cascade though it is shot and I am relying totally on my $24 light from Target! Hell what's the worst that can happen? The light is actually damn bright, but the problem is it is too focused - the illumination is restricted to a fairly tight circle with no peripheral vision allowed. Bit like riding in a narrow tunnel. The downside of this is demonstrated to me very vividly on the smmoth decent just after the Norris Road crossing. Completely non-technical smooth trail leading to a slightly raised bridge. Well I scream down the trail and suddenly I am lost! Off trail and don't know where I am, I steer left to get back on the trail and hit the side of the bridge. Consequence? Monocog and me part company and I reconnect with the trail helmet first. Fortunately the wooden bridge has a vaguely slippery sheen and I slide gracefully along it (on my head and knees) for about 5 feet before I slide off the other side and end up sitting in long grass. Fortuunately I made enough time on George on the previous hill that I can pick myself up. remount and be riding as if nothing has happened when George catches me 2 minutes later.

Too bloody cold to spend much time with the post ride libation and chat - even though George has brought chairs as a new element of sophistication. Next up is grill and sound system and the post ride will be more like a tail gate party - COOL!!

Weekend and MLW is away in Virginnia on a MTB weekend! So it is ride central at "Chez Bollux". Loose the daughters #2 and #3 to a playdate on Sat and head off for a spel of fixed wheel fun. A loevly ride thru the fall countryside. Riot of color and all that. 30 miles at about 16 mph average. Slight sore and tired legs, but tomoorow is the big ride with the Sunday Morning Boys - Meeting at PnR for a bit of a throw down.

Life is Cool

Bollux

Bad Karma

It's been an odd couple of weeks since I last sat my lazy arse down to update this blog!

We've had a couple of real bad tempered rides and a couple of stormers. I put the bad tempered rides down to the changing season, it getting colder, bad weather interrupting riding time etc. For two weeks the whole riding population (yours truly included) seemed just to have a bad attitude.

First up MLW got all bent out of shape cos I lead a ride that was a bit on the long side - the first time the Sunday group has attempted both HC and BC sides of Patapsco in a single ride. maybe it was a little too much. First I got the ominous silence from MLW, then the hanging at the back of the group, but I knew I was in the Dog House when I waited for MLW to catch us up at the swing bridge (leading back to Landing) and as she passed she hissed "don't even speak to me!" Fortunately by the time we reached the cars she had cooled down and in the meantime I had dissipated my anger on four riders who decided to disregard convention and not give me the right of way despite me being the rider heading uphill just after the rock garden on Cascade. Having cleaned the rock garden for the fist time in ages and looking to go "no dabs" thru the whole section i was less than overjoyed when four mtbers heading down the hill (and having seen me approach) just hogged the center of the trail and forced me off the trail!!! The first guy just carried on but the second guy actually ran into me so we had a brief conversation. I suggested he give way to riders heading up the trail and he was chastened enough for me to feel bad at raising my voice.

But then what goes around comes around and the following week on exactly the same stretch of trail a couple of the guys in our group fell foul of trail etiquette and felt the wrath of another disgruntled mtber. I this scenario our group was indeed heading up hill but had dismounted so should really have gotten out of the way of the rider trying to clear the section. Our first rider did the decent thing and got out of the way as much as possible and received a grunt by way of thanks from the other rider. Our rider two however, being a bit more oblivious did not move from the center of the trail and took the mounted rider down - few harsh words deserved and received.

Since these two incidents though it has all been sweetness and light! I have even decided that the trail builders are not the devil's spawn I had previously presumed. In fact I realize that i have absolutely no bloody right to complain about the trails unless I get my arse out there and do some trail maintenance. However they have just put in a new piece of trail HC side which is absolutely bloody fantastic! Short but the best fun ever - ridden it twice now (first on a night ride) then in the light - LOVE IT! Big obstacles and wicked stream crossing.

The night ride with George was of note only because the aforementioned trail builders have rearranged the Hilton portion so that we got horribly lost (for the second night ride in a row) - no one got hurt this time.

Looking to get out with some night riding newbies in the next week or so - should be worth writing about.

DogBollux