Wednesday, August 29, 2012

MTB Sky Tum North Farewell

After work on Tuesday, it was time to rally and load the car up in order to get a post-work ride/therapy session in.

The plan was to head back up to North Fork from the Skyliners parking area and ride to the top and head back down via Farewell.  There was a nice crisp feel in the air and it is time to accept that the winds of seasonal change are upon us.  The days are shorter, the nights cooler, and the possibilities for getting out after work are reduced.

It was a great ride at around 15 miles but with a nice little elevation gain of around 2,000 ft in a little over 1 1/2 hrs of ride time.  I managed to crank my heart rate up during the climb up North Fork and once again took in the all sights and sounds as I grunted my way up.  I ran into 2 riders...1 on the way up, and 1 on the way down.  The upper elevation trails are riding really well and there are fewer riders up there so it is a win win...it is nice to avoid the craziness that can be the Phil's parking area and trail system.

Elevation Profile:
 North Fork climb going up clockwise, and Farewell coming down on the right:

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

MTB COB North Fork

Saturday's ride around Bend/Beyond took me from the house, to the Phils network of trails where I followed the trails up to Skyliners and hooked that into the Tumalo connector trail that takes you to the North Fork trailhead.  Once on NF, I crested up in Happy Valley and followed the trail to the junction which gave you the option to head downhill on Farewell (3 miles) or downhill on Mrazek (13 miles).  I wanted to do the bigger loop through Mrazek which would put me over by Shelvin and a little closer to home.  All in all it was a great day to work the cobwebs out of the legs and get some soul therapy in.

Ride specifics: 44.5 miles, a little over 4 1/2 hrs of ride time and a little over 4K of elevation gain.

North Fork is an uphill only trail so it seems to be holding out better than many other trails due to the lack of brake chatter/bumps from bombing downhill.  It makes a lot of sense to me to have directional trails like that, especially when they are multi-use trails that see many a hiker.  I would think part of the concern of bombing downhill on that particular trail is the possibility of launching off the trail into a water fall which would be enough to really ruin a guy's/gal's day.

To date, North might be my favorite local trail.  It is super scenic with some amazing waterfalls along the ride (and I am not talking the little trickle falls but more so the full on loud cascading type) and the best part is it gives you access to the upper elevation trails where you can link to all sorts of sweet sweet nectar.

mental note, take a camera for some pix on the next ride....

Monday, August 27, 2012

Of Bikes and Dogs

Saturday was a fine day to get out on the bike (well, what day isn't?)...After doing some bike maintenance earlier in the week, it was time to take the shiny clean bike out and dirty it up!  I hopped on the singlespeed and decided to ride from the house with a loose plan of linking trails from Phils up to Tumalo Falls and then see how the legs felt and what would unfold.

I kept the plans open-ended since I had not been out on the bike for a while and was unsure whether I had been able to kick the bug (that kicked me around for a while) to the curb.  I had 2 water bottles and no idea where the legs were.

Once I got to Tumalo, I decided to head up North Fork and ride it to Happy Valley and then ride down Mrazek and back home.  It ended up being a stellar day on the bike, although there was one really bizarre episode that unfolded.....

As I got to the top of North Fork and was about to get on the connector trail to Mrazek/Farewell, a black lab found me and exuberantly became my buddy!  He gregariously came up to me full of energy and tried jumping up to give me his full greeting.  Fortunately I was able to see this coming and was able to dodge the paws as he whiffed the air.  I stopped for a little bit and gave him some attention and then went on my merry way.  The dog owner had driven up to the top of the trailhead and was busy on his phone as his dog ran amok.

While riding downhill, I could hear the panting of the dog behind me.  I just figured either the owner would call him back, or he would get tired and lose interest in hanging with a smelly rider....About a mile later I realized he found his new best buddy and would not leave me side.  Being a dog owner (or more accurately, owned by dogs) I thought the right thing to do was to turn around and take the excited pup back to its owner.  I passed a couple of guys going downhill as I was trying to get back to the junction and of course the pup gave them the same exuberant greeting which was generally met with a 'wow, you are an excited pup'.  I quickly threw out the disclaimer that it was not my dog and he started following me...the last thing I wanted was to be reprimanded for something I was not responsible for!

I got back up to the junction and the dog-owner was now off the phone.  I ran into a couple more riders at the junction and asked the owner who was over by his car if the dog was his to which he replied in the affirmative.  The dog gave them the now customary jump/slobber/paw combo while we were there too.  At this point, I figured I had done the right thing and it was time to enjoy the hard earned downhill.  I got about 50 yards down the trail and heard the familiar panting and dog steps behind me.   I stopped and asked the owner if he could call his dog and keep him close so he did not follow me...AGAIN?  The thoughts rolling through my mind was that this guy was not being the most responsible owner but those perhaps were too kind when he blurted out 'Most guys ride fast enough so he can't keep up'.

What???  Now that my fragile ego had been insulted I told the guy 'OK, I did what I needed to, it is now your problem'.  I rode off and of course the dog was on my wheel as we headed downhill.  After about 2 miles I stopped at the next junction and the dog was about ready to collapse from all the running so I stopped, let him cool off, and gave him some water.  During this rest, the two riders that were up at the junction to witness all this rolled up and said 'Can you believe how much of an ASS that guy was?'.  The irony was that I had passed them on the uphill and they mentioned how I had passed them like they were standing still and not only was the owner an ass for saying that, but he probably did not realize he was talking to perhaps not the slowest dude in the world (certainly no where close to the fastest either).  We all pontificated about what a jerk the owner was and he did not deserve a dog like that and that his dogs had more smarts and manners (taking into account the over-exhuberant greetings) than his owner, etc.

At this point my plans for the day were changing because I figured the best thing to do was take the shortest way back down to Tumalo Falls where I could give the pup to someone (hopefully a ranger) that would take care of the situation.  The last thing I wanted to do was call the dog owner as he was a total ASS-clown.  A couple more riders showed up and at this point my little plan started to hatch.....I figured the pup would probably follow whoever left first and so I lingered and 'let the pup rest' until the riders took off.  Sure enough, the pup followed them and I decided to exit stage left going the other direction (my original plan).

I am sure the dog made it back down to Tumalo Falls with the riders but for his sake, I hope his owner either learns to be more responsible, or that the dog finds better suited parents!

As for the moral of the story....I guess sometimes it pays to be a good samaritan and other times, not so much.....I still feel like I did the right thing be returning the dog the first time - we can't be accountable for other people's stupidity.  

Friday, August 24, 2012

A Roadie 1st

Some little bug got a hold of me last week and between some travel for a friend's wedding and the little critter running me over, time on the bike was next to nada.  I managed to get on a quickie ride on Tues and intended to get out on the road bike on Wednesday for a light spin to see where the body and legs are.

As I started to climb out of our little hood, I heard and felt the chain skip a couple of times and then whammo, it felt like my chain came off.  I got off the bike and looked at my bike to investigate what was going on.  To my surprise I found the rear derailleur in my spoke inside my rear triangle!!!

The rear derailleur hanger somehow broke as I started to apply some power to the pedals.  I have broken rear derailleurs on mountain bikes before but never a roadie rear D!  What's up with dat???

Fortunately, I was relatively close to home and I could coast back until the last 1/4 mile where I had to get off the bike and do the clickity clackity walk of trying to walk in road shoes....and up a steep driveway to boot....

With a little luck, it will only be the hanger and chain that need to be replaced...hopefully the rear D and the spokes did not encounter too much collateral action -

the damage:


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

TransRockies Event Photog Pix Part 1

There is such a big difference between amateur shoot and click photographs versus the pros!  Below are some of the 'pro' pix:











Tuesday, August 14, 2012

High Cascades 100 - Follow up Pix

One of the consequences of signing up for the High Cascades and the TransRockies was that they were separated by all of one week.  One of the follow ups from the High Cascades was getting some pix that were provided as part of the entry...so here are some of the High Cascades hundie photos:








Monday, August 13, 2012

Butte 50 Race Report


Guest Race Report by the wifer:

July 28 had been circled on my calendar for over half the year.  It was the day of the Butte 50, my first ever 50 mile mountain bike race.  We moved to Butte four years ago and since I knew it would be my last summer here, I figured I should do the race while I had the “home court” advantage.  Last year I focused on triathlons, mostly the XTerra series, which are off road, but a sore shoulder and general ineptitude for running made me want to change things up this year and focus on improving my biking.  That and a brand new Santa Cruz Blur XC that I have been building up over the past year are what inspired me to sign up for the race. 

Over the past few months I have been spending at least 5 days a week on the bike, following a training program Tiago bought for me.  I have ridden every inch of the race course, some sections countless times, so I felt ready.  I figured out nutrition, finally had a bike I was comfortable on, and followed my race plan for tapering (well, mostly- my husband makes fun of me for not ever following a recipe exactly. . . I always have to do my own variation.  Following a training plan was similar.)

The weather forecast called for sun and highs in the mid-80s.  The temps were in the 60s at the start of the race- perfect!  I decided about a week and a half before the race that the wingnut hydration pack I had been riding with was getting in the way of the saddle on the climbs, and therefore switched to a two bottle system.  Since the largest distance between any two aid stations was 11 or 12  miles, I figured this would be fairly safe even in hot conditions.  I know you’re not supposed to change things last minute, but in retrospect am extremely glad I did.  Because the Blur doesn’t easily accommodate 2 bottles, I bought a King cage that mounts to the headset.  I can’t say enough about how awesome this setup is!  It makes it extremely easy to grab your bottle while riding since it is so close to where your hands are on the bars.  But I digress. . .

The start of the race was a 4 mile loop on gravel road meant to spread the pack out before the infamous Blacktail descent.  I started out towards the middle/back of the pack and took my time to warm up, knowing a long day was ahead of me.  My heart rate was still too fast from the adrenaline by the time I reached the first descent.  It was super sandy from the unusually warm (and dry) summer, and I wiped out going around a tight corner between some trees.  Luckily the sand was deep (and soft!) so I hopped back on and kept going.  No harm, no foul.

I made it another ten minutes, grinding through the first climb of the day, when Tinker Juarez, winner of the 100mile race, blew past me with a “good job”.  Unreal!  I made it to aid station one, with the encouragement of “cow bell guy” and grabbed some water.  After a short climb through Thompson Park, I was feeling pretty good for the gravel road section before Basin Creek.  I made sure to eat and drink plenty of fluids, but still stopped at the aid station, not wanting to start the hardest section of the day (with about 3000 feet of climbing!).  After a few swigs of water (it was really starting to heat up), I put it into granny gear and started spinning.  For about 50 feet, that is, before I had to hop off and start walking.  Alternating sections of walk/bike for the next several miles, I made it through to the Highlands Aid Station feeling relatively okay.  I took a longer break here, enjoying the oranges (always a favorite of mine!) and prepared for the “eight miles of hell”, which actually were not as bad as the Basin Creek climb.  Definitely started to feel the legs here, but was able to slowly start passing people and playing leap frog with a few who were going about the same pace.  Breathtaking views at the top of the meadow, and I knew I was home free.  I flew into aid station 4, which had great volunteers cheering everyone on, and dumped a bottle of water over my head to fight the heat.  I had just started the last downhill section, with about 3 miles to go, when my tire hit a rock and I fell sideways (right onto my derailleur- ouch!)  As soon as I fixed my crooked seat and started moving, I realized my derailleur went into the spokes in the easy gears.  Luckily it was downhill from then on, so I shifted to my big ring and started moving.  Some dark clouds were threatening, and as I pulled across the finish line, the sky opened up.  I got a quick shower to wash all the dirt off, but at the time didn’t really mind, since I had a finisher’s mug in hand.  The rain was short lived, and I managed to make it to the food tent for some veggie lasagna.  Slow and steady does not win races, but I had managed to finish in 8:14, which I was happy with.  Now to figure out what the next race is. . . maybe the High Cascades 24?  I am officially addicted. . .

Friday, August 10, 2012

TransRockies - Misc Pictures

As if Hersey did not have enough to contend with dealing with a bad shoulder, he did this the day before the race as he was riding around his bike to make sure it was riding OK and ready for the TR7
Anyone have salsa and guac for le taco?  someone's wheel in mechanics tent
 On day 3 I noticed this!!!  after my fall, I realized my derailleur hanger was bent and my gear cable was hanging on by 3 strands!!!!  notice all the severed strands to the right!
 I did have to visit the medics but only for treating the ole flesh wound that would not close - nothing too bad at all!
 real purdy......

 a brief moment of sun before the storms rolled in
 after day 6 - the puddles n' rainbows day
 between storms....
 7 days of suffering and you get a finisher medal
 loading up in Canmore after the race to get back to Fernie


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

TransRockies - Stage 6 Pix

not many pictures during the ride proper due to the downpour but we did get some pre race and post race pictures...
the calm during the storm....about 20 mins before starting time:
 post race muddiness madness!
 I especially like the shrubbage hanging off Hersey's camelback on the lower right
 some mud pie anyone?
 notice the guy behind me on the left and just how clean he looks relative to my mud caked mug....
 the bikes needed (and need) some love....they got cleaned up that night but time to replace all cables and housing...