Thursday, May 31, 2012

MTB COB

It is time to get my ride on in COB and prep for that High Cascades hundie thingie...

I got out on the mtn bike yesterday for the first time since the 24 hrs of Spokane and was curious to see how the body and legs would hold up.  My body has been a bit beat up the last few days trying to fight a chest/sinus thing.  I spent most of Monday/Tues coughing up lung cheese and dealing with a runny nose - good times.

Wednesday was a turning point of sorts as the body was starting to feel somewhat normal and it was time to return to the saddle.  There are less than 2 months until the High Cascades so time is of the essence and a pesky little cold is no reason to make excuses to not be on the bike riding.  Here is to hoping the return to activity won't trigger a relapse....

Wednesday's ride from downtown up to the Phil's trail system and beyond:

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

24 hrs of Spokane

The Round n' Round weekend ended up being a good weekend of saddle time.  The wifer and I did it as a team (duo) and I was a little anxious to see how it would all play out.  It had the potential to blow up in our faces considering it involved riding, sleep deprivation and all that goes with sleep deprivation (grumpiness, inability to think, etc).

All in all, it turned out well.  We had a couple of logistical challenges to sort through (as to be expected).

I rolled into Spokane on Friday morning and secured a good camp-spot with the Airstream right next to the course so it made it easy to coordinate during the race.  Perhaps the only minor tweak would have been to set up camp on the other side of the course/road in order to try to minimize the dust.  For whatever reason, the dust from the riders kicked up and floated our way and we quickly realized everything would be covered in a layer of dirt.  We were super psyched to be in the Airstream as it gave us some additional comfort and privacy.

The wifer rolled into town late on Friday and I was pleasantly surprised at just how relatively quite the race area was that night.  People were mostly considerate in prep for the start on Saturday.

The madness kicked off at noon on Saturday and ended at noon on Sunday.  Each team is required to do a 4hr shift of volunteering at the race.  This poses a bit of a problem for duo team because it means that 1 rider will be unavailable for riding for 4 hrs...Our idea was to try to get a good shift (shift options were determined based on when you signed up for the race - so the earlier you signed up, the better shot you had at a better slot for volunteering).  By the time I got to the sign up sheet, the only slots available were the undesirable ones like 12:00-4:00 a.m., etc...With a bit of luck there was a page that the organizers had forgotten about and happened to notice when I showed up to sign up.  We were able to get a cherry shift from 12:00-4:00 p.m. on Saturday.  This meant the wifer would have to pick up the first 4 hours of riding while I fulfilled our volunteer duties.  The plan was she would ride for 4 hrs, then I would ride for the next 4 hrs...and then we would alternate laps until night time when we would try to stack a couple laps together in order to try to get some sleep.

Lady luck was smiling on us that day because when I went to check in for my volunteer duty, I asked if there was any way we could split the shift such that I did 2 hrs and then the wifer picked up 2 hrs in order to break up the volunteer and ride shifts.  As luck would have it, there was a lady there who was looking for a volunteer job at the time I was having this conversation with the race organizer and the race organizer promptly coordinated for her to take our shift and let us off the hook!

By this time it was about 15 minutes until the start and the wifer was ready for the lemans start (they made everyone run a 600 yd lap before hopping on the bikes).  The lemans start was intended to try to thin out the herd at the start of the race.  Our new plan was to for the wifer to do the lemans start and the first 2 laps at which point we would switch off and I would pick up the next 2 laps and we would then alternate laps until dark.

Day turned to night and it got COLD COLD COLD.  As in low 30's!  I was totally unprepared for this and ended up getting so cold on my 2nd night lap that I had wooden blocks for feet.  The missus got super dehydrated on her 2nd night lap and had to stop to recover for a while.  A while turned into about 6hrs later....so long story short is between my wooden blocks for feet and her spinning dehydrated head, we got some shut eye.  It took about an hour for me to 'warm' up again as I lay shivering in my sleeping bag trying to coax one of the dogs to come give me some body heat.  The goofballs were having none of it as they were plenty toasty sharing their mama's bed and blankets, so I was on my own to shiver away for a bit.

The wifer rallied at about 6 and we were back on task to alternate laps until the finish at noon.

Long story short, we each did 7 laps on a very fast 15 mile course.  We got in a total of 14 laps as a team and shared a few lessons learned from the experience.  It was a great event and we ended up meeting a bunch of really interesting people.

Lap stats:

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Round n' Round

Ratt?  nope....Spokane Round and Round...The 24 hr mountain bike race has just kicked off and the wifer is taking the first couple of laps which means she got to partake in the lemans start where everyone had to run a short lap of around 600 yards before getting on the bike to start the course.  This helps to thin out the herd a bit on the trail during the first lap.

Somehow, I was able to get out of volunteering.  Each team (exception of solo riders) has to take on a 4 hour shift of volunteer work.  This is not too big a deal for 4-5 person teams but it becomes a bit of a challenge with a duo.  I was able to get a 12-4 Sat shift which coincided with the race start.  This meant the wifer was going to have to take the first 4 hours on the course riding until we could switch off.  When I went to sign in, there was another volunteer looking for something to do so as they say timing is everything and in this case timing definitely worked in our favor as that volunteer took our shift and we were let off the hook.

The plan is to start the race by doing a couple of laps then alternating to the other rider.  Each lap is around 15 miles.  The wifer and I signed up as a duo so it does take a little planning to figure out how it will go.  Once we each do a couple of laps, the plan is to start alternating 1 lap each until it gets dark & late at which point we might try to do 3-4 laps each in order to try to salvage some sleepy time shut eye.  What do they say about best laid plans?  curious to see how it will shake out based on how we feel as we progress through the event....

more to come...

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

MTB Elk Park CDT Pix

Some photo's of the ride recon up in Elk Park:

 Fleecer - looking South'ish
 looking west towards the Pintlers
 Fleecer
 looking west

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

MTB More Butte

When I ran into the Forest Service last year on the local trails, they told me about some new trail that they had been working on north of town from Elk Park to the Electric Peaks area.  Fast forward to spring and voila the trails are finished and ready for the taste of rubber!

I had explored the Electric Peaks area by Thunderbolt Mtn a couple of years ago and thought that the area had potential to have some hidden gems.  This new trail links into that network and now offers more options to really put in some long, epic rides.  My thought was that you could actually link trails from Helena all the way to Butte for a long day in the saddle through some singletrack that does not get much traffic.  You would have to self support because there is no place to stop and get food or parts.  My guess is it would probably be around 80 miles with some sweet views along the way.

I drove up to Elk Park yesterday and dodged the storms in the area in order to do some exploring on said new trail.   I parked in the first parking area with access to the konda trail.  After 4 miles or chunky, rocky, and bumpy terrain it spits you out by the lowland campground area.  This is where the choice trail starts.  The trail is much smoother and offers up some really great views of the Pintlers, Fleecer, and even the Tobacco's in a couple of spots.

I did an out and back partially through the lower section and the trail looks broken in enough that you could ride it the full 16 miles towards the Thunderbolt Mtn network of trails.  There are plenty of water sources along the way where you could fill up if you had a filter.  Not only did I not have a filter, but I left my 2 water bottles sitting on the counter at home - DOH!

The riding was good and my timing was impeccable as the first rain drops started to sprinkle right about the moment I loaded up the bike to head home.

I did take some pix and video footage that I hope to put together over the coming days....

Monday, May 21, 2012

Tour de Butte

My stay in Butte is wrapping up and with 2 months to go until the High Cascades hundie it was time to get the singlespeed out and get in some saddle time.  The beauty of much of the riding in Butte is that you are usually going up, or down...meaning there is not a ton of time to chill, regroup, eat, drink, etc...so you have to figure out how to do all that while on gentle slopes, etc...or stop which is not always an option if you are in race mode and trying to eliminate un-needed stops.

Saturday's ride took me through many of my usual trail choices.  With my days in Butte wrapping up, it was time to get in some last hurrahs on some of the usual suspects...




I parked at 9 mile, rode up Blacktail, over to Archery, down Archery, up Thompson where I did the upper and lower loop, then took the RR bed up to Toll Canyon, went up the CDT to Fish creek, down Fish Creek, up Toll, then down Toll to catch the CDT over to Beaver Ponds and back over to Blacktail...ride summary below...a little over 4 hrs with almost 6K of climbing.  A good day in the saddle - got worked!
Sunday's ride was a quick tempo ride up from Homestake Pass to the peak and then back down.  Low mileage, high intensity.  The legs were a little tired from Saturday's ride but it was good to give them another quickie beating.


Friday, May 18, 2012

TWC and Wanoga Snow Bike Video

Video from the winter fun fest in Togwotee Pass, Wyoming and Wanoga Sno Park in Bend, Oregon

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Wed Eve Spring Ride

After sitting in the car for much of Tuesday, it was time to stretch the legs and see what kind of abuse they could take on Wednesday evening.  It is time to start putting mileage on the singlespeed so it was dusted off and we headed out to the trails around Butte.

I was curious to see how the legs felt because they have not felt particularly good over the past couple of weeks and I was starting to get concerned about where they are in terms on fitness and riding.  We are about 2 months out from the High Cascades and now is not the time to feel like they are totally out of shape!  The last couple of local rides around Butte had me thinking that there is still a lot of work to do.  I have not been able to get out on the bike as much as I would like but sometimes that can be a blessing as the head can come back fresher.

The ride was around 2 3/4 hrs through some hilly terrain to work the legs.  Surprisingly the legs felt pretty good all things considered.  It was partially due to the perfect temps and no major dehydration.  I have learned my body does not like heat and my sweat rate means I have to pay particular attention on long rides of over 4 hrs to make sure I take in enough liquids.  There are some key variables to manage on these longer rides and hydration is a huge component.  Wednesday's ride did not throw that hydration variable at me thanks to the perfect riding temps.

I even ran into the wifer on one of the loops around Thompson Park and then later ran into a moose between the Beaver Ponds and Blacktail.  I tried getting a pic but the pix ended up being all sorts of blurry so no go.  All in all it was a vey gratifying ride on the single....

Ride info:

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Road Ride - Bend to Bachelor to Bend

On our recent trip to Central Oregon, I took the skinny tire out and got a little mileage from Bend up to Mt Bachelor and back.  The terrain is deceiving because it looks flat on the way to Mt Bachelor but you are definitely pedaling up-hill.  There are definitely a couple of spots where the terrains turns up and you can see the grade but for most of the way up, it is a gentle slope that eases up - albeit around 3,000 ft over about 20 miles....

The return is really fast and fun - tuck and fly....

Monday, May 14, 2012

Central Oregon Splitboarding

Life took us to Central Oregon for a few days and it is that amazing time of year when you can pursue just about any outdoor activity you want as there is still enough snow in the high country to go play in the white stuff, or it is warm enough in the low lands where miles of singletrack are rideable.

Bob H rolled up to Central Oregon for a couple days of recon and play.  We dusted off the splitboards and had our sights on Tumalo Mtn which is across the road from Mt Bachelor.  It seemed like a good option for a couple of splitboarders who are still ramping up the learning curve without getting a little too over our heads.  It turned out to be an awesome choice as the conditions and views were truly spectacular.  It was roughly a 1 1/2 mile skin, with about 1,300 ft of elevation gain but it was an amazing eye opener for what is out there for possibilities to explore as we had amazing views of Bachelor, Sisters, and Broken Top.  From the top of Tumalo, we could see un-interrupted views of the aforementioned mountains and potential lines for backcountry exploration and snowboarding.

This was my first time out on the new soft boot / binding system.  The Spark system rocked!!!  It was a major confidence booster as soon as we went into downhill ride mode and I hit the first couple of turns and started to understand the possibilities of just how cool and amazing this sport can be.  Up until this past Friday, I had been using the hard plastic Scarpa boots which felt super clunky and does not provide a guy with a feel for the snow/board.  The hard boot system feels like 'Franken-boot' and makes you ride like a 'Frankenboarder'....lots of falling due to not really feeling the edges.  With a couple of quickie carves on the Spark boot/bindings it felt like being on the resort board and made for some big grins and girlie giggles on the way down.

Therapy for the soul....nothing like a great adventure with great company followed up with some beer appreciation a one of the many local watering holes...

some pictures of the excursion:
getting ready with the resort Mt Bachelor in the background....this day it would be sans chairlifts for us.  "Do these pants make my butt look big?"
 view of the bowl at the summit
 view looking the other direction of the ridge/bowl
Bob cresting the summit looking towards Sisters & BrokenTop
 Mt Bachelor in all her glory - we could pick out skiers on the resort as we worked our way up Tumalo
Bob rocking the descent!
 Day 2 ascent:
 hard not to stop and take in all the views....

 summit - getting ready to go from tour to split mode
 descending day 2

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Upper Elevation Trails

The upper elevation trails are drying up around SW Montana but it did not mean the el phattie had to be put away quite yet.  I have developed such a crush on this big tired beast that it just makes it hard to put it away until the snow season again.  It is not the swiftest of bikes in fleet but it is always big fun and worth hauling the extra lbs of the little tank.

Some pix from riding on the CDT from Homestake Pass earlier this week:




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

May Pictorial

prepping fo the whiskey - bike pack..check
last of spring snow riding



the next day....yum yum gimme some!



Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Back to Back Dirt

The plan for the weekend was to get back to back 'long'ish rides in to start prepping for the upcoming enduro fun this summer.  Sunday's weather cooperated much better although the legs felt really heavy....

Monday, May 7, 2012

Chilly Saturday Ridin'

Our local forecast for Saturday was for the temps to hover in the low 40's for highs.  The low 40's were specific to the lowlands in town so the mercury dipped into the 30's as you got higher.  By the time I  hit around 7,500 ft on the Cont Divide, I found myself in the middle of a snow storm!  Woohoo!  I figured it would blow through and there would not be much in terms of real precip.

Fortunately all the local trails are riding spectacularly right now with some recent warming trends and as the snow fell, it just created a nice visual.  There was not enough snow to accumulate but there was definitely enough snow to chilly it up!  The descents were cold but still provided ear to ear grins as the bike slalomed down.

Bike of choice was the 9zero7...mostly because I did not know how the trails were riding at upper elevations....The more I ride the green machine, the more I like it.  The big tires are just so damn grippy!!  The price is the 'weight' training due to the sherman tank'esque' girth and the extra rolling resistance from the big knobbies/tires....but it is all so good!

Ride details:

Friday, May 4, 2012

Whiskey Race Report

The Whiskey fiddie was bound to be a good measuring stick of about where the fitness is this early in the riding season.  The weather was just about perfect where it warmed up into the 70's during the day.  It had rained earlier in the week so the moisture helped to 'tacky' up the trails so they were not too dry and dusty.

It was my first trip into Prescott to ride and the trails did not disappoint.  Prescott sits at a little higher elevation and the course topped out at around 7,000 ft which provided a little extra challenge to flat landers.  Fortunately the altitude was right in my wheelhouse since Butte sits at around 5,300ft and many of the trails we ride on are between around 6,000 to 7,000 ft of elevation.

The race started at 7:30 which meant there was a little nip in the air.  I erred on the side of caution and wore knee warmers and white arm warmers/sun protectors.  It felt great at the start of the race but I found myself rolling down my sleeves about an hour in order to try and cool off a little.  I would pay for wearing the knee warmers on the big climb out of skull valley but it is always easier to remove layers than to add layers you did not take....

The start was fast and the organizers somehow encouraged the singlespeeders to line up towards the front of the event which was great for those of us on the singles but probably not ideal for all those gearies behind us.  We had around 4 miles of pavement until we hit the dirt.  The pavement thinned out the herd, and then thinned it out even more about 2 miles in when the grade kicked up a notch and got steeper.  By the time we hit the dirt road, most of us were more or less about where we would be throughout the day.  THe course had more or less sorted riders out within the first 4 miles.

As the road turned from dirt road to singletrack, there was a big bottleneck where there was a stream crossing and minor tek section that was very very rideable but somehow managed to stop riders and back us up many riders deep.  These situations are always interesting to me because it sometimes brings out the worst in people.
Instead of waiting your turn in line, some eager beavers just HAD to try and forge their way around you.  These self centered jackasses basically just thought they were more important than everyone else who had enough sensibility to wait their turn to walk their bikes.  As frustrated as most of us might have been at having to get off the bike and wait as things cleared up, we all just moo'd our way along.
One guy decided he would go off trail and short cut the big switchback and consequently move his spot up about 100 places.  Another chick got off her bike and started to walk around everyone while saying 'singlespeed female coming through'....At some point, you just have to wonder whether Darwin held back some IQ points as they must have forgotten about the team kits they were wearing.  Needless to say, it was poor form.

As the conga line cleared up, we continued to climb on steady singletrack and there were a handful of places where dismounts were required once again to very slight tech terrain that was enough to cause disruption.  

The first downhill we got to was steep and rocky!  Not big rocks, but lots of waterbars and enough rocks that you did not want to fall...a fall would have definitely left some skin and blood behind.  By this time we were about 9 miles in and I was just trying to find the good lines on the descent.  Riding a hardtail on steep and fast descents makes a guy pay attention to lines and while trying to find the flow.  I managed to more or less stay close to the guys in front of me who were riding full squishees so I was able to not lose my place in the conga line too much.  I even managed to pass a handful of peeps on the downhill.  There were a couple of spots where there were some nice drop offs and you had to pick your line carefully or else you could end up going ass over tea kettle much like one of the riders in front of me who had a total yard sale and rolled a few times while still being clipped in.  Fortunately he was OK and no serious damage was done.

The downhill continued until it spit us out onto the dirt road where we would climb for a couple miles until we hit the aid station.  At the aid station, the fiddie riders hung a left and started the out and back down into skull valley.  The ride down was fast and I kept thinking the first 3 miles downhill were really fast and they would be brutal coming back up.  I picked my line carefully and even managed to pass a few geared guys thanks to gravity working its charm.  Once the grade eased back up, those same gearies passed me up as I spun at around a 120 cadence to try to keep up....come on little legs!

About 11 miles into the descent (and about the mid-way point of the race), we reached the aid station at the bottom where I promptly filled up my water bottles and started the trek back out of the valley.  The first 7 miles were pretty casual and then it kicked up and got mean for the last 3!  I was up out of my saddle for the last 3 miles and dug deep to find some intestinal fortitude to keep pedaling....we finally made it back up to the aid station only to realize there was about another 3 miles of steep climbing ahead of us...urggggg

At this point it felt like it was getting HOT.  We were on the side of the ridge where it seemed like it was dead air.  I started to get chills from being dehydrated and the infamous cramp hill was living up to its namesake.  I pounded a few Hammer electrolyte pills and continued to suck down water.  We crested a summit where there were a bunch of people cheering the riders on and telling us we had crested the top.  I fed off that energy for about a quarter mile until I realized the climbing was not quite yet done....at least the steep stuff was done though.  It was only about another mile of mellower climbing and then onto some singletrack where it had a bit of a steep kicker for a bit and then it was time to head down down down.

The downhill was really fun.  I got reeled in by a couple of geared and squishies but managed to keep a good pace downhill through multiple stream crossings.  After some great descending, we had a short hill and then more downhill to the paved road where it was 4 miles back to the finish.  I managed to get on a couple of geared guys' wheels and stayed with them for a bit until it flattened out and they managed to pull away.  The finish came quickly enough and I was glad to have finished without mechanicals or major setbacks.

As always, you always feel like you could go faster or do things slightly differently but at the end of the day, it was an awesome day on the trails and a good day to lay down some base.

Overall, the course is fast!  My official time was 4 hrs 39 minutes and there is definitely room for gains on fitness but all things considered, it was a good day in the saddle!

A big thumbs up to the Whiskey for a great event.  There was a really strong field of singlespeeders who laid down the gauntlet.  The winner of the amateur race was a singlespeeder...major major props to the SS brigade who showed up in force at the Whiskey! 

I look forward to a return trip to take it all in again.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Whiskey Off Road GPS

Data for Whiskey Off Road this past Saturday - race report forthcoming...Official time was 4:39 on the single speed.  Good training day!