MTB Season Winding Down

Posted on October 13, 2009 by aa
It’s mid-October and I actually had to turn the heat on in the house. That means it’s getting cold outside. While that doesn’t really stop me from mountain biking, it certainly does slow me down. I did my usual day off from work ride at Cherry Plain State Park, but this time it was 43 degrees according to the car thermometer. With a base layer, long sleeve jersey and cool weather tights, I headed up the dirt road to the first trailhead. In a previous post I had said that fall is my favorite time of year for mountain biking because it is so quiet and there is no one else on the trails. Well, I think some others feel the same way. When I pulled up the the Park entrance, three horse trailers were blocking a side road/parking area. I didn’t come across the horses and riders, but while I was finishing up my last two miles, I did encounter a hunter. He wasn’t hunting, but he was sighting in his rifle. He wasn’t some back hills yahoo just shooting, he was actually a park employee in a very remote area shooting away from the trails. That is one indication that the mountain bike season is just about over in the northeast or, at least in my part of New York. With the hunting season coming, I normally take November completely off from mountain biking.
One more mountain bike race for the season, the NYS MTB Series Finally at Riedlebaur’s Resort in Round Top, NY, and then five or six more cyclocross races.
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Fall Mountain Biking

Posted on October 7, 2009 by aa

I think autumn is my favorite time of year for mountain biking. It’s not real cold yet and the extreme heat is gone. If it does get a little chilly, a long sleeve jersey will do the trick. I also find that the trails are pretty much empty. No hikers, no horses and usually no other mountain bikers. When the leaves are turning, you also get great views of the season. Right now, we are at peak season for the leaves turning. The autumn colors certainly adds to the ride. This is also the time of year, for me, that the training rides are over for a while. All of my rides right now are just rides. No sprints…no timed 1200 foot climbs…just rides. The forest full of red and orange leaves, a calm lake with Canadian Geese taking a break and long, quiet pieces of singltrack to ride with Led Zeppelin on my iPod.
On this ride, I took the time to scout out some new trails. Every time I ride at Cherry Plain State Park, I seem to find a trail that I haven’t seen before. And this day was no different. A long dirt road that leads to a singletrack trail dropping down to a steam and running parallel to it and a mile long stretch of flowing singletrack that that connects two other trails that I’ve been riding for a while.
Every time I ride there, I get lost in time. It is so quiet and there is just so much to trail, a four hour ride is easy to do without realizing it.
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Blood, Sweat and Beers…Cyclocross @ Brewery Ommegang

Posted on October 6, 2009 by aa

There was no blood that I saw, but there could have been somewhere along the way. Wet grass, off camber hills and tight, twisty course markings that went through the beer tent too. Winding our way through he property of Brewery Ommegang near Cooperstown, NY was my next step in the cyclocross learning curve. Alot of open field, a short forest trail and a wet grassy ‘run-up’ that was ridable for many. It wasn’t a difficult race course at all, but the wet grass did make some spots a bit sketchy. No better way to learn than to just do it. My dismounts and mounts at the barriers were so much better this race…not real efficient, but much better. I think this race was the most fun ‘cross race I’ve done yet. And the free beer had nothing to do with it. Actually, with a 1 hour 45 minute drive home, I didn’t stick around for the beer. After my Cat 4 race, I did stick around for the Masters race. I mostly watched at the barriers. There I could see the right way and the wrong way to do it. I felt good about my skill being somewhere in the middle. Our 30 minute race was closer to 45 minutes. I finished -1 in 22nd place, but much better than my first two races.
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2010 Kenda Tire Catalog

Posted on September 28, 2009 by aa

The 2010 Kenda Tire catalog is here! Check it out and see the new tires and new technologies offered by Kenda Tire.
About Kenda:

 

Kenda is a leading manufacturer of bicycle, motorcycle, ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), industrial, and trailer tires. Most recently, Kenda has begun producing quality automotive tires and tubes for worldwide distribution. Since the inception of our company in 1962, Kenda has operated on core values of honesty, innovation, quality, and customer service. For the past forty years, Kenda has continued to develop and expand its product selections to meet changing market demands.
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Blunt Park Cyclocross #2 – Yep it’s ‘Cross Season

Posted on September 28, 2009 by aa

When is the start of cyclocross season? USA Cycling says September 1. If it didn’t start then, it definitely started today. At 6:30 am today when I left for the Bunt Park Cyclocross race, it was 49 degrees and raining. At 9:00 am, race time, at Blunt Park in Springfield, MA, it was still pretty close to that. The first Blunt Park race at the end of August was hot and dry. It didn’t really feel like cyclocross. Today was all cyclocross. The only thing missing was a little bit of snow. Oops…did I say that four letter word?
The course was slightly different this time around. Tighter turns, barriers in a different spot and mud. I know that I am new to cyclocross racing, but it just seems to me that the mud is a part of the racing. It just doesn’t feel complete without the mud. But maybe that’s just the mountain bike part of me.
There is a learning curve for me with cyclocross. I’m slowly working my way up the curve. With two races under my belt, the second race was definitely better than the first. For me winning is not an option, but time and laps are important. Again I was -1 lap, but being lapped by the leaders happened much later in the race this time. I’m getting the bike fine tuned for the typical conditions encountered. And, I’m getting more proficient on my dismount and mounts at the obstacles.
For some, 41st place would be discouraging, but for me, it’s what I expect in my second ever cyclocross race. I see improvements in my technique and in my bike handling. I now have two more monthe to continue to improve those skills.
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2 Rides And The President

Posted on September 22, 2009 by aa
I had planned an epic 30+ mile mountain bike ride on Monday. But I had the opportunity to experience something that few people do. President Barack Obama was speaking a short ride down the road from me. So, I decided to shorten up my mountain bike ride to 16 miles and take a quick road ride to Hudson Valley Community College and hang out with a couple of hundred other people waiting for the Presidential motorcade. While I work for Southwest Airlines, the President’s arrival into Albany was limited to press only. The chance to see the President as he drives by is something that I couldn’t pass up, especially when he is only about 10 miles away.
The motorcade arrived, most everyone cheered and then we see the President waving to the crowds. Over in about 15 seconds. Was it worth giving up half of my mountain bike ride? Yes!
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Woodstock All Terrain Challenge

Posted on September 20, 2009 by aa

The Woodstock All Terrain Challenge, race #4 of the NYS MTB Series, was held Sunday at the Wilson State Park near Woodstock, NY. A 10 am start with two 6 mile laps great singletrack, steep ups and downs and a couple of stream crossing that went up to your hubs. This was a fun course for me to ride, although, some of the steep ups where very steep…suitable for walking.

It was, however, not meant to me my day…at all. I felt pretty good until the bee sting. At least I think it was a bee. I’m not allergic, but I was on a very steep technical downhill when I was stung. I did manage to save myself from what would have been a pretty nasty endo. Once I got myself together I continued on and into my second lap.

I tend to be a little faster on the second lap. Lap one is usually like a pre-ride for me. The second lap I tend to remember things about the course. This was definitely the case in this race. Or at least for the first 3 miles of the second lap. That is when my race was over. Not from the bee sting, not from fatigue, but from a mechanical. That is when my rear wheel locked up and stopped me dead in my tracks. A broken spoke and a bent twisted chain. Yeah, I’m not quite sure how it happened either. After the spoke snapped, somehow, the chain got caught between the cassette and the hub, twisted, bent and became lodged in there. On the trail I did everything that I possibly could to try to get it out and to continue on. That just wasn’t happening.

At that point I picked up the bike and started to continue on by foot. I wasn’t looking forward to carrying the bike for the next 3+ miles. (Side note: a full suspension bike with the rear shock to the top tube, is not meant to be shouldered.) After about 100 yard like this, I finally cut through the woods and back to the start/finish. That way out was only about a mile and a half.

I went in to this race 3rd overall for the series. I came out, probably 5th or 6th. The final race of the series is in four weeks. We’ll see if everything can stay together and get back the places that I lost.

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Mountain Biking to Cherry Plains

Posted on September 16, 2009 by aa

Back to a relatively normal training routine and in the last two days logged more miles that I have in the previous two weeks. I back to riding my 33 mile, two mountain road ride and my 25-30 mile mountain bike ride. Yesterday the moutain bike ride was 27 miles. These ride are great training rides because there are two mountains involved and both rides share one mountain…one ride with steep road climbs and the other with steep dirt road/off road climbs.

On Tuesday, I did the off road ride. Much of the ride was my usual route, but I wanted to scout out some more trails in Cherry Plains State Park. I didn’t really have the time I wanted to ride them, but I now know where the trailheads are. Next week I’ll drive there instead of riding there, head up the dirt road to the “unmarked” trails on the hundreds of acres of State land. As I have rode there throughout the summer, I have hound that you can’t really get lost. As large an area as it is, the land with most of the trails is surrounded by the same road. So, even if you aren’t sure where you are, when you get to the dirt road, go right and you will eventually be back at the Park entrance.

I’m looking forward to my next two days off to log another 25-30 miles off road each day.

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Motor Tabs sponsorship through 2010

Posted on September 14, 2009 by aa

Motor Tabs Fluid Replacement System will continue to be my sports drink of choice through the 2010 cycling season. I signed on for another year with Motor Tabs to extend their sponsorship and support to four years now.
Motor Tabs Fluid Reaplacement System turns ordinary water into a smooth, refreshing sports drink. It’s as simple as dropping an effervescent tablit into water. Designed to use anytime around participatory athletic activity or when additional electrolytes are required. Mator Tabs is a portable sports drink that can go anywhere, as the tablets are individually wrapped in a water/air tight foil packages that protect them from sweat, dirt and other harmful elements. Whether it’s on the bike, run, hike, gym or at work, Motor Tabs restores vital fluids that are lost during physical activity or illness. You can see more about Motor Tab here…
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Training, NYS Series and Cyclocross

Posted on September 14, 2009 by aa

With only two mountain bike races remaining for the season, I’m finally back to a normal training routine. My work has been very busy and crazy. With the exception of races, there has been nearly no bike riding…training…for about a month. That makes the racing a bit difficult after the second or third week. Now that work schedules have changed for the fall, I can finally get back to training and get that lost fitness back.

Two races remain for the New York State MTB Series, and I want to be sure to finish them. This series is my main focus for this year. If I have no DNF’s for the last two races, I have an excelant shot at an overall podium spot.

As training start again, cyclocross also starts. My second ‘cross race is two weeks away, and then cyclocross is nearly every weekend through November. This is my first season of ‘cross racing. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I’m learning as I go…I like it.

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