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!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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
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
Monday, August 6, 2007
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
Monday, July 30, 2007
Night Riding and Back on the Fixie
Well, it's been quite a week really.
Mid week saw me meeting up with George for our first night ride in a while - headed out from the Park and Ride into Patapsco at around 9:45 pm. As always, I had light issues - my Night Sun headlight has been playing up for a while but tonight it just plain died - looks like a dodgy battery connection (may explain the recent piss poor performance).
Nevermind, headed off along usual route, Mile Smile, up the hill from the small car park then along the top of the ridge and down what I have been calling Buzzard Rock but George calls the "Chute". Who knows? I will look up these trails names and be more definitive in future. Once on the roadway George wants to head up a "new trail" he has found right opposite the swing bridge. Well hey, anything new sounds like a sparkling idea! Up we head on a trail George quaintly calls "House of Pain". Yep pretty steep in places (especially at the bottom) which results in some pushing of bikes but we make it to the top. Then we have a choice, eiher head back to the cars or catch a second lap. George's family are away for the week and I knew MLW would be well asleep when I got in either way - so second lap it was. Headed back west towards Patarini Hill (for the second time) but instead of taking the usual trial (Buzzard Rock/the Chute) we head straight on down a trail George calls the "Double Drop". Whow! George makes it look easy but as the trail gets seriously steep and rutted out I decide "Bugger that for a game of soldiers" and get off and trek down (yeah I'm a wuss).
Back at the road we take a left up Vineyard then head down Soapstone - as we hit Soapstone I realize that my rapidly decreasing vision is not related to the heavy spec fogging I've been experiencing all night but the fact that we have been riding for over two hours and my trusty Nite Hawk bar lamp is burnt out! Time flies when you are having fun! Fun decending Soapstone with no lights but no harm/no foul. Then up the Mile Smile with George kindly riding behind me so I cabn scrounge the light from his NiteRider. Kin spectacular ride (approx. 12.5 miles at a steady if not earth shattering 7.3 mph) - best in ages, great new trails, some good wildlife sightings - snake, couple of large toads and the inevitable deer.
Couple of social beers in the Park and Ride and before I know it the time is 12:45am and bed beckons!
Friday I take life by the horns (the bull horns on my Fixie that is) and commute on the Fixie for the fist time since I screwed my shoulder - what do you know? After a tentative start it is all BIG FUN! No isues either way and I love this bike all over again.
Saturday morning and it's time to do the weeks real work! 15 mile hilly run with Sean. Departure time is 5:15 am but Sean oversleeps so we hit the road sometime after 5:30. Bloody hell it's hot and humid! In less than 2 hours running I drained my 70 oz Camelbak. We haul ass a bit more than the last time we did this course (part of the massochist marathon) and due to time constraints I leave Sean at about 9 miles to get home. Averaged a little under 8 min/mile pace so not spectaular but still had sore legs on Sunday.
This morning and another commute on the Fixie - oh yes! Fixed and loving it.
Life is good!
Cheers
Dogzbollux
Mid week saw me meeting up with George for our first night ride in a while - headed out from the Park and Ride into Patapsco at around 9:45 pm. As always, I had light issues - my Night Sun headlight has been playing up for a while but tonight it just plain died - looks like a dodgy battery connection (may explain the recent piss poor performance).
Nevermind, headed off along usual route, Mile Smile, up the hill from the small car park then along the top of the ridge and down what I have been calling Buzzard Rock but George calls the "Chute". Who knows? I will look up these trails names and be more definitive in future. Once on the roadway George wants to head up a "new trail" he has found right opposite the swing bridge. Well hey, anything new sounds like a sparkling idea! Up we head on a trail George quaintly calls "House of Pain". Yep pretty steep in places (especially at the bottom) which results in some pushing of bikes but we make it to the top. Then we have a choice, eiher head back to the cars or catch a second lap. George's family are away for the week and I knew MLW would be well asleep when I got in either way - so second lap it was. Headed back west towards Patarini Hill (for the second time) but instead of taking the usual trial (Buzzard Rock/the Chute) we head straight on down a trail George calls the "Double Drop". Whow! George makes it look easy but as the trail gets seriously steep and rutted out I decide "Bugger that for a game of soldiers" and get off and trek down (yeah I'm a wuss).
Back at the road we take a left up Vineyard then head down Soapstone - as we hit Soapstone I realize that my rapidly decreasing vision is not related to the heavy spec fogging I've been experiencing all night but the fact that we have been riding for over two hours and my trusty Nite Hawk bar lamp is burnt out! Time flies when you are having fun! Fun decending Soapstone with no lights but no harm/no foul. Then up the Mile Smile with George kindly riding behind me so I cabn scrounge the light from his NiteRider. Kin spectacular ride (approx. 12.5 miles at a steady if not earth shattering 7.3 mph) - best in ages, great new trails, some good wildlife sightings - snake, couple of large toads and the inevitable deer.
Couple of social beers in the Park and Ride and before I know it the time is 12:45am and bed beckons!
Friday I take life by the horns (the bull horns on my Fixie that is) and commute on the Fixie for the fist time since I screwed my shoulder - what do you know? After a tentative start it is all BIG FUN! No isues either way and I love this bike all over again.
Saturday morning and it's time to do the weeks real work! 15 mile hilly run with Sean. Departure time is 5:15 am but Sean oversleeps so we hit the road sometime after 5:30. Bloody hell it's hot and humid! In less than 2 hours running I drained my 70 oz Camelbak. We haul ass a bit more than the last time we did this course (part of the massochist marathon) and due to time constraints I leave Sean at about 9 miles to get home. Averaged a little under 8 min/mile pace so not spectaular but still had sore legs on Sunday.
This morning and another commute on the Fixie - oh yes! Fixed and loving it.
Life is good!
Cheers
Dogzbollux
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
California and a priceless moment
As mentioned in a previous post my Sunday ride the other week was curtailed prematurely as I had to head off to CA on a business trip. Well the whole trip was rendered completely worthwhile by a single incident on Monday morning.
I flew out on Sunday accompanied by three work colleagues. Now, as I have mentioned in passing I am a scientist and as a result my colleagues are also scientists, although I remain a luddite, to the extent that I eschew both suspension and gears in my choice of MTB (Go my Monocog 29er!!!), most of my colleagues are more typical science types, i.e. techno-geeks.
One young guy on the trip ( a evangelical "Mac-guy" and general Apple-freak) has just got his hands on an iPhone. As you can imagine he is in seventh heaven and spent the whole flight (all five hours) watching video downloads on his iPhone. Even I think it is pretty slick. The guy is clearly in love!
Well the next morning the gods of coincidence start playing chess - to momentous and spectacular effect. First up we have agreed to meet at 7 am in the breakfast roomof our hotel. When I arrive I find that my young iPhone colleague is not in the breakfast room yet. However another of my colleagues is and not only that but has met up with a young lady who works for our company and just happens to be in San Francisco, in the same hotel, on the same day as us but for a completely different meeting! What are the odds! Obviously we sit together for breakfast and soon are joined by the our other colleagues (including young iPhone).
As breakfast progresses Mr iPhone can't help himself but mention that he is the proud owner of the most up to date and indispensible peice of techno-candy available. As luck would have it the young female work colleague is actually impressed by this (even female scientists are geeks) and so Mr iPhone produces his prized electronic gizmo to demo it's "indispensible features" to Miss techno-geek. He leans across to show off the internet browser and as he activates the screen Miss Techno-geek flinches back as though someone has just shoved a spider in her face! Mr iPhone likewise goes into rictus and VERY rapidly withdraws the iPhone, fidgets with it urgently and flushes bright red.
"What's the matter?" our boss enquires to which the young lady blurts out "it was porn!" Oh yes Mr iPhone had inadvertantly left open the last web page he had been viewing! Unfortunately that happened to be a porn-site, very classy I'm sure you agree and just the sort of thing you want to share with your work colleagues over breakfast. His "explanation" was that one of his friends had told him it wasn't possible to access porn on the iPhone as t was blocked and so he was doing some "research". Of course you were mate!
I had heard mention of people figuratively "jerking off" over the lastest and greatest "new toys" but I fear my colleague was perhaps being a little too literal in this instance!
Flight to Ca $500, breakfast in hotel $14 - watching a workmate make a complete twat of himself with a porn-ridden iPhone.... bloody priceless! Almost worth the curtailed MTB ride.
Cheers (remember to always delete your history and temporary files)
Dogzbollux
I flew out on Sunday accompanied by three work colleagues. Now, as I have mentioned in passing I am a scientist and as a result my colleagues are also scientists, although I remain a luddite, to the extent that I eschew both suspension and gears in my choice of MTB (Go my Monocog 29er!!!), most of my colleagues are more typical science types, i.e. techno-geeks.
One young guy on the trip ( a evangelical "Mac-guy" and general Apple-freak) has just got his hands on an iPhone. As you can imagine he is in seventh heaven and spent the whole flight (all five hours) watching video downloads on his iPhone. Even I think it is pretty slick. The guy is clearly in love!
Well the next morning the gods of coincidence start playing chess - to momentous and spectacular effect. First up we have agreed to meet at 7 am in the breakfast roomof our hotel. When I arrive I find that my young iPhone colleague is not in the breakfast room yet. However another of my colleagues is and not only that but has met up with a young lady who works for our company and just happens to be in San Francisco, in the same hotel, on the same day as us but for a completely different meeting! What are the odds! Obviously we sit together for breakfast and soon are joined by the our other colleagues (including young iPhone).
As breakfast progresses Mr iPhone can't help himself but mention that he is the proud owner of the most up to date and indispensible peice of techno-candy available. As luck would have it the young female work colleague is actually impressed by this (even female scientists are geeks) and so Mr iPhone produces his prized electronic gizmo to demo it's "indispensible features" to Miss techno-geek. He leans across to show off the internet browser and as he activates the screen Miss Techno-geek flinches back as though someone has just shoved a spider in her face! Mr iPhone likewise goes into rictus and VERY rapidly withdraws the iPhone, fidgets with it urgently and flushes bright red.
"What's the matter?" our boss enquires to which the young lady blurts out "it was porn!" Oh yes Mr iPhone had inadvertantly left open the last web page he had been viewing! Unfortunately that happened to be a porn-site, very classy I'm sure you agree and just the sort of thing you want to share with your work colleagues over breakfast. His "explanation" was that one of his friends had told him it wasn't possible to access porn on the iPhone as t was blocked and so he was doing some "research". Of course you were mate!
I had heard mention of people figuratively "jerking off" over the lastest and greatest "new toys" but I fear my colleague was perhaps being a little too literal in this instance!
Flight to Ca $500, breakfast in hotel $14 - watching a workmate make a complete twat of himself with a porn-ridden iPhone.... bloody priceless! Almost worth the curtailed MTB ride.
Cheers (remember to always delete your history and temporary files)
Dogzbollux
The Renaissance Continues
Well last post I concluded that maybe the tide was turning (in terms of my riding at least), and so it continues. I spent the majority of last week camping at the Assateague National Park in Md’s Eastern Shore. Original plan was for a “whole family” trip but this was nixed by daughter #3 (the three year old) taking a huge dislike to the tent during a trial run and the tentative trip coinciding with the same daughters “Princess Dance” summer camp. So it was just me, daughter #2 (the nine year old)and her friend that made the 3 hour trip to the Eastern Shore. Company was provided by half of another family (Jen and her two boys) Jen’s husband was supposed to be there but reneged on the commitment to compete in the National MTB Championship in Vt (fair excuse I suppose). With the youngest absent and all the kids being old enough to attend the gratis kids club at the campground the mornings were left free for a road ride. Whoa the Eastern Shore is flat! How flat? I hear you ask. Damn flat, pancake flat – no flatter than that! The result is road riding that is an intoxicating mix of constant high(ish) speed and essentially continual effort. There is no real opportunity to coast as there are no down hill stretches and the continual flat nature of the terrain enables you to reach speeds not easily achieved (by me atleast) without gravity’s assistance. As a result we hustled for ≈ 30 miles on both days available riding. Jen regaled me on both days with accounts of her exploits as a leading roadie “back in the day” including a podium finish in the National Road Race Championships after she had managed to bring down the majority of the leading pack in the final sprint with some borderline shenanagins but miraculously remained upright herself. On the first day I even attempted to initiate a mid-ride sprint at the turn around point. Feeling f,ing great as the extra effort kicked up my speed I felt a little idiotic when I glanced back and realized Jen wanted none of it and had just turned around already and was just waiting for me to catch her up once I had had enough of my foolishness. Looking back I am somewhat relieved Jen took this view of my over exuberance as she is still a pretty mean sprinter and would have undoubtedly kicked my arse and dented my ego if she had taken the bait of an impromptu intermediate sprint. The second day ride followed the same route but was slightly extended coming in at around 32 miles at an average of a respectable (if not outrageous) 19 mph. I must admit I was surprised and disappointed by the average speed as I had been pretty much convinced that we had never let the speed drop below 20 mph for the whole ride, guess those traffic junctions really screw your average speed. The afternoon was spent mainly relaxing in the “Lazy River” at Frontierland a trip to which was the payoff for daughter #2 agreeing to tolerate a second morning at the kid’s club
The longer and more concentrated efforts than usual on the road bike left my MTB accustomed legs feeling somewhat worse for wear after just two days and a third would have been great, but daughter #2 was not in favor of kids camp three days running so the last day at the beach was a “cool down” day on the Boardwalk in Ocean City. To be honest this was not totally unappreciated by “yours truly” after a nightmarish final night which allowed little sleep due to a sudden short but very vicious storm that blew up on the final evening and lifted my tent (along with contents) about four feet off the ground and probably thirty feet towards the ocean before I managed to pounce on it and hold it down – with the help of two over kind souls who came to my aid – until the storm abated. By the time the wind had dropped most of my stuff was wet and I couldn’t be arsed to put the tent back up. I chose to sleep in the car instead, until my daughter and friend woke me around 2 am scared because the wind had risen again and they were afraid that their tent would blow away with them in it. They then slept in the car and I took the duty of sleeping in their tent (after anchoring it to the best of my ability with some large chunks of concrete I scavenged) to ensure it (and I) didn’t blow away into the Atlantic.
The benefits from the Assateague adventure (well the riding bit anyway) were felt on Sunday however during the now regular social ride – wow I felt great! My love affair with my Monocog 29er is going from strength to strength, I just love the way those big ass wheels allow me to ride! Sunday saw the addition of another MTB-rider reborn to the group. Sean another friend was coaxed out of “MTB retirement” and proved to be a very able rider indeed – God the guy looks the part, lean and mean in his “Irish” MTB jersey and he rides with a purpose! In fairness Sean would have been out with us weeks ago if he hadn’t decided to show off “how well Daddy can ride his bike” on his sons new BMX ramp – ramp designed for small wheels and 26 inch rims were a bad combination and so a broken hand was the result.
The Sunday ride took the now regular route from Landing Road, through Lewis and Clarke (where the revelation was that all the jumps and berms have been completely irradicated! Whilst we never really took any of the jumps on it was always kind of neat to have them there just in case the confidence/stupidity was ever found to give them a go. Then on to the “loggy section” that leads to the Belmont loop and the Rockburn Trail. After the third water crossing we again turned left up the insanely steep hill (Sean damn near cleaning it) then back onto the Rockburn Park Trail. A few twiddly bits added probably a mile to make the total distance to perhaps a shade over 10 miles. Legs felt great and MLW complained a couple of times that maybe I could slow down a bit – Yeah right that’s going to happen when the “Mojo” is in full flow, though to be fair to MLW her riding is just going from strength to strength and she is throwing that bike around a fair bit – she can a cropper a bit towards the end of the ride when a sudden last minute hesitation and approaching a log at a sligt angle resulted in a rapid testing of gravity a bruised side and a scrapped elbow. Good on her she never even hesitated and just got back on and attacked the next obstacle – that’s my girl! There was an option of extending the ride along Cascade but the need to catch a plane to Ca in the afternoon vetoed that option – bummer.
Still, life is good, my love for road riding is returning and the MTBing just gets better and better. Hopefully a few longer rides will be on the cards in the next couple of weeks cos the legs are begging for it right now.
Cheers
Dogzbollux
The longer and more concentrated efforts than usual on the road bike left my MTB accustomed legs feeling somewhat worse for wear after just two days and a third would have been great, but daughter #2 was not in favor of kids camp three days running so the last day at the beach was a “cool down” day on the Boardwalk in Ocean City. To be honest this was not totally unappreciated by “yours truly” after a nightmarish final night which allowed little sleep due to a sudden short but very vicious storm that blew up on the final evening and lifted my tent (along with contents) about four feet off the ground and probably thirty feet towards the ocean before I managed to pounce on it and hold it down – with the help of two over kind souls who came to my aid – until the storm abated. By the time the wind had dropped most of my stuff was wet and I couldn’t be arsed to put the tent back up. I chose to sleep in the car instead, until my daughter and friend woke me around 2 am scared because the wind had risen again and they were afraid that their tent would blow away with them in it. They then slept in the car and I took the duty of sleeping in their tent (after anchoring it to the best of my ability with some large chunks of concrete I scavenged) to ensure it (and I) didn’t blow away into the Atlantic.
The benefits from the Assateague adventure (well the riding bit anyway) were felt on Sunday however during the now regular social ride – wow I felt great! My love affair with my Monocog 29er is going from strength to strength, I just love the way those big ass wheels allow me to ride! Sunday saw the addition of another MTB-rider reborn to the group. Sean another friend was coaxed out of “MTB retirement” and proved to be a very able rider indeed – God the guy looks the part, lean and mean in his “Irish” MTB jersey and he rides with a purpose! In fairness Sean would have been out with us weeks ago if he hadn’t decided to show off “how well Daddy can ride his bike” on his sons new BMX ramp – ramp designed for small wheels and 26 inch rims were a bad combination and so a broken hand was the result.
The Sunday ride took the now regular route from Landing Road, through Lewis and Clarke (where the revelation was that all the jumps and berms have been completely irradicated! Whilst we never really took any of the jumps on it was always kind of neat to have them there just in case the confidence/stupidity was ever found to give them a go. Then on to the “loggy section” that leads to the Belmont loop and the Rockburn Trail. After the third water crossing we again turned left up the insanely steep hill (Sean damn near cleaning it) then back onto the Rockburn Park Trail. A few twiddly bits added probably a mile to make the total distance to perhaps a shade over 10 miles. Legs felt great and MLW complained a couple of times that maybe I could slow down a bit – Yeah right that’s going to happen when the “Mojo” is in full flow, though to be fair to MLW her riding is just going from strength to strength and she is throwing that bike around a fair bit – she can a cropper a bit towards the end of the ride when a sudden last minute hesitation and approaching a log at a sligt angle resulted in a rapid testing of gravity a bruised side and a scrapped elbow. Good on her she never even hesitated and just got back on and attacked the next obstacle – that’s my girl! There was an option of extending the ride along Cascade but the need to catch a plane to Ca in the afternoon vetoed that option – bummer.
Still, life is good, my love for road riding is returning and the MTBing just gets better and better. Hopefully a few longer rides will be on the cards in the next couple of weeks cos the legs are begging for it right now.
Cheers
Dogzbollux
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