Wow what a week. I finally put down the trail tools for a few days (well except for a short time on Monday when I started the new trail in Wendell) and got in some regular riding.
Sunday was Hop Brook, which I reviewed last week.
Monday morning I spend about an hour in the morning in Wendell starting on the 2nd section of the Mormon Hollow trail. When finished this will be close to 3 miles of varied sweet toughness, swinging through the north central section of the park.
Tuesday - Hawley only this time in the saddle rather than with loppers, rake and chain saw. We rode for close to 15 miles, 2/3 or more on some of the parks superb single track that has been lovingly restored following the devastation of the December ice storm. I am not exaggerating when I say that over 80% of the hardwoods in the forest lost at least one major branch. Lots of love, and lots of work by many volunteers from NEMBA and other trail user groups. Did I mention this was a fabulous ride with the spooky bikes boys - they are trying to keep me young. 161 Average, 182 Max 1600' vertical.
Wednesday - Bikes Unlimited/NEMBA regular group ride. Tonight we rode the Greenfield Ridge with a group of about a dozen. There were a few slower riders tonight, and we kept to a single group, so not as many miles as most of these rides, after the hammerfest in Hawley yesterday though, that was OK by me. 147 Average 179 6.15 miles 1000' of vertical.
Thursday - Matt, Liam and I met up for an assault on Sugarloaf North. We rode the Single Track Loop and then the outside loop - what a great workout this trail network is. Great Training for Coyote Hill on the Weekend!! 141 Average 180 Max Just about 5 miles 1100' of vertical. Comparing this ride with wednesdays, they look pretty similar, but... I guess you had to be there!
Friday - rest day, at least biking wise...
Saturday - get up early and head to Fairlee VT for the weekend of races at Coyote Hill MTB Camp. Tom Masterson puts on a great event up there. Matt has been a camper or councilor up there for the past 6 years or so, so we headed up to give a hand pre-race in exchange for camping space Saturday night.
We arrived early Saturday morning and marked out the Short Track Loop and 2 different options for the hill climb the first principally fire-road and the second all single track, so by the time the competitions rolled around at noon, I had already done the ST loop a couple of times and both Hill Climb courses - we ended up using the ST version which is shorter, but with a more steady pitch. The fire-road course had a squidge more elevation gain, since it incorporated a short steep down hill so some of the gain had to be fought for twice.
I participated in the Short Track, not a result I'm proud of, but what should I expect competing in a 35+ bracket. 4.3 miles, 167 average 194 Max 700' climbing.
Immediately following was the Hill Climb up a nice 1/2 mile ST course behind one of the cabins. Elevation gain was about 260 feet - average 166 max 184. I ended with a 3rd in the 35+ category, about as expected beating a couple of guys. Both the ST and HC were pretty small fields - about 10 riders.
Following the HC, Matt, Kent and I did a casual lap of most of the XC course - about 4 miles per the GPS, though Tom swore it was 5.2!!! must be the squiggles added up faster than the GPS could record them. 148 average, max 184 750' climbing.
Sunday - XC Race day - another podium 2 laps 3rd place. 1600' climbing 160 average 184 max. Shared tent space again with Kathy. Great to have multiple members of the team on hand yet again. The four events so far there has been at least two of us at each - GO Team!
Till next time,
H
Great week, lots of bike talk around the campfire Saturday night.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Another Week - Ending Sunday May 17
Started out with a Mothers Day ride on the Greenfield Ridge, followed with dinner and festivities at Steffi's. Good ride, even if I did forget my shoes, good group, and generally good times. Low key post-race-day ride. For some reason the computer didn't record the track, but probably 10 miles in an hour and a half or so.
Monday, I headed to Hawley for a work session. I worked on Moody Springs Rd and started up the climb to the spring (or the switchbacking dh as we usually ride it). Really rough in there!
Wednesday, I snuck out 2 rides. In the morning Tom, Nick (NCC), Liam and I did a nice figure 8 through Earles and Batchelor's. Did about 9 miles at a pretty quick pace Max HR 176 - average 137. In the evening, we did the usual Wednesday night Bikes Unlimited group ride, again in Wendell. The most common loop tonight starting on the XC heading to Carlton Dirth, down to the Hiatus, up the Escape, across Maple Leaf and Down the Nipmuck. At the top of Baker Rd, the group split with Matt and I taking the adventurous down the Hannah before returning on the fire-roads to HQ. Another nice 9 mile ride - Max 174, average 142.
Thursday evening I got in an hour or so in Hawley in the rain. Worked on the Divide Trail.
Friday, not much going on, packing for the Weekend etc.
Saturday - picked up Jeff at the Crew Race in Salisbury CT. We drove to Winsted and pre-rode the course, nasty conditions - like riding in a cloud. I kept having to stop and clear the glasses, hoping the conditions would improve before the Sunday Race.
Sunday - Winsted Woods Rt66 Race. Rained all night Saturday, making the course another mud bog - seems to be a pattern this year. Matt was again racing with the Pros while Jeff and I were both running Cat 2. Jeff promised to best my time for the day, though I don't think any of us believed it. Having watched the nasty bits during Matt's race, I planned to take it easy on lap 1 and let the field wipe themselves out in the muck. Seems that strategy worked pretty well, only missed first in the age group by a couple seconds as the lead rider crashed on the last DH before the line. I didn't have a clue I was that close till I saw him walking through the tree gap as I hit the last few rocks. Another 10 yards before the line and I would have had him! Sure is nice racing 50+. Great group of guys, most of them really nice on the course.
Monday, I headed to Hawley for a work session. I worked on Moody Springs Rd and started up the climb to the spring (or the switchbacking dh as we usually ride it). Really rough in there!
Wednesday, I snuck out 2 rides. In the morning Tom, Nick (NCC), Liam and I did a nice figure 8 through Earles and Batchelor's. Did about 9 miles at a pretty quick pace Max HR 176 - average 137. In the evening, we did the usual Wednesday night Bikes Unlimited group ride, again in Wendell. The most common loop tonight starting on the XC heading to Carlton Dirth, down to the Hiatus, up the Escape, across Maple Leaf and Down the Nipmuck. At the top of Baker Rd, the group split with Matt and I taking the adventurous down the Hannah before returning on the fire-roads to HQ. Another nice 9 mile ride - Max 174, average 142.
Thursday evening I got in an hour or so in Hawley in the rain. Worked on the Divide Trail.
Friday, not much going on, packing for the Weekend etc.
Saturday - picked up Jeff at the Crew Race in Salisbury CT. We drove to Winsted and pre-rode the course, nasty conditions - like riding in a cloud. I kept having to stop and clear the glasses, hoping the conditions would improve before the Sunday Race.
Sunday - Winsted Woods Rt66 Race. Rained all night Saturday, making the course another mud bog - seems to be a pattern this year. Matt was again racing with the Pros while Jeff and I were both running Cat 2. Jeff promised to best my time for the day, though I don't think any of us believed it. Having watched the nasty bits during Matt's race, I planned to take it easy on lap 1 and let the field wipe themselves out in the muck. Seems that strategy worked pretty well, only missed first in the age group by a couple seconds as the lead rider crashed on the last DH before the line. I didn't have a clue I was that close till I saw him walking through the tree gap as I hit the last few rocks. Another 10 yards before the line and I would have had him! Sure is nice racing 50+. Great group of guys, most of them really nice on the course.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Thank-you
To all the folk who have donated time, sweat, gasoline and blood on restoring the trails at Dubuque - Thank-you. Matt, Jake and I spent a couple of hours enjoying our handiwork. They are riding delightfully. I'm guessing we've seen the results of over a thousand volunteer man/and women hours since the first of the year.
To you all - thank-you for giving unselfishly of your time and energy. We still have a few more miles to go, but the vast majority of the park is ready to go.
To you all - thank-you for giving unselfishly of your time and energy. We still have a few more miles to go, but the vast majority of the park is ready to go.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
4/27 through 5/9 Lots of trail work and a bit more riding
Rides - Wednesday April 29 - I led the moderate pace weekly PV NEMBA ride out of Bikes-Unlimited in Greenfield. Tonight we met the group at Wendell State Forest and took 'the road less traveled'. I let the bunch around the pond loop, out to the Maple Leaf Trail and up the Bob-is-Fat Trail. From there, we darted a short distance down Baker Rd and took the fearsome left onto the Mormon Hollow Return Trail (only we rode in the out to not return from direction). This trail is relatively new, and for most of its existance it has been unrideable (or at least unenjoyable) for most riders. For some reason this winter was kind to it and it is riding like the gem we hoped it would be when we built it. It still proved quite the workout, so we opted to take the fireroads back to Park HQ after a short section of the Hannah Swarton's Remove.
Total Distance 6.45 - Climbing 1002 ft average HR 143 Max 181.
Monday May 4 - Matt and I returned to Wendell, he after Winding Trails on Sunday and me after the wining and dining of Parent's weekend with Jeff. We went down the M&M from Ruggles Pond, crossed the Mt Grace land and then took Jerusalem Rd all the way to the Mormon Hollow Return. Return we did, finding the trail climbed just as nicely as it descended on Wednesday. But that wasn't the end of things today. We dropped down Bob-is-Fat and wound through the swamp to the Nipmuck. One of the favorite trails in Wendell, some of the youngsters have deemed it necessary to build some 'wicked cool berms' on some of the corners. Problem is they haven't a clue what makes a berm work, nor how to make a good berm. All they ended up with was piles of mushy dirt just off the natural tread of the trail. Makes you wonder...
Back up Baker Rd, out to Moosetrax and down the Lookout Trail. Really nice day.
Total Distance 10.55 - Climbing 1937 ft average HR 157 Max 182
Wednesday May 6 - NEMBA BU Ride again, this time from Eaglebrook. A very large turnout that we managed to keep together except for one kid who was clearly over his head. We hit Mud-Mile to Blueberry, then the Road to Crystal Cave, Back up to the Friend's trail, Keets Rd out to the gate, The XC Trail to Eric's. Unamed to the XC Trail and out to the vertical climb up to the Pocumtuck Ridge. From there along the ridge to the Powerlines, down the lines and back on the road.
Total Distance 9.73 Climbing 1335 ft average HR 150 Max 189
Saturday - Race #3 - UMass Cycling Club's Orchard Assault. It was raining lightly, on a promised partly cloudy morning as I prepared to hit the line. The rain stopped just before the whistle blew as 30 some odd Cat 2s headed up the fireroad for the start-finish line. The course winds up and down a 200' hill on the Amherst campus. Plenty of Mud, plenty of downhills and plenty of climbing. This was an open race, so no age buffer in the finish positions - nice for the plethora of Collegiate As that don't have USA Cycling licenses and have to race as 2s - not so nice for 50+ guys. I managed 21st, about 20 minutes off the fastest.
Total Distance 9.76 Climbing 1911ft aver HR 173 Max 188
Interspersed with the riding, was another bunch of trail work days. Twice in Hawley both weeks, and once each week in Wendell - another 20+hours buffing our best Single Track. At this point Wendell is just about clean of the ice storm debris. Hawley is approaching 50-60%, but there was a session up there while I was racing at UMass, hopefully we get to 70-80% by next weekend. I will say, once we get finished up there, the riding will be world class - most of these trails have needed the face slappers and derailleur biters cleared for a long while. Everything we are hitting now is getting a hard rake and heavy lop in addition to the clearing of the ice storm devestation.
Total Distance 6.45 - Climbing 1002 ft average HR 143 Max 181.
Monday May 4 - Matt and I returned to Wendell, he after Winding Trails on Sunday and me after the wining and dining of Parent's weekend with Jeff. We went down the M&M from Ruggles Pond, crossed the Mt Grace land and then took Jerusalem Rd all the way to the Mormon Hollow Return. Return we did, finding the trail climbed just as nicely as it descended on Wednesday. But that wasn't the end of things today. We dropped down Bob-is-Fat and wound through the swamp to the Nipmuck. One of the favorite trails in Wendell, some of the youngsters have deemed it necessary to build some 'wicked cool berms' on some of the corners. Problem is they haven't a clue what makes a berm work, nor how to make a good berm. All they ended up with was piles of mushy dirt just off the natural tread of the trail. Makes you wonder...
Back up Baker Rd, out to Moosetrax and down the Lookout Trail. Really nice day.
Total Distance 10.55 - Climbing 1937 ft average HR 157 Max 182
Wednesday May 6 - NEMBA BU Ride again, this time from Eaglebrook. A very large turnout that we managed to keep together except for one kid who was clearly over his head. We hit Mud-Mile to Blueberry, then the Road to Crystal Cave, Back up to the Friend's trail, Keets Rd out to the gate, The XC Trail to Eric's. Unamed to the XC Trail and out to the vertical climb up to the Pocumtuck Ridge. From there along the ridge to the Powerlines, down the lines and back on the road.
Total Distance 9.73 Climbing 1335 ft average HR 150 Max 189
Saturday - Race #3 - UMass Cycling Club's Orchard Assault. It was raining lightly, on a promised partly cloudy morning as I prepared to hit the line. The rain stopped just before the whistle blew as 30 some odd Cat 2s headed up the fireroad for the start-finish line. The course winds up and down a 200' hill on the Amherst campus. Plenty of Mud, plenty of downhills and plenty of climbing. This was an open race, so no age buffer in the finish positions - nice for the plethora of Collegiate As that don't have USA Cycling licenses and have to race as 2s - not so nice for 50+ guys. I managed 21st, about 20 minutes off the fastest.
Total Distance 9.76 Climbing 1911ft aver HR 173 Max 188
Interspersed with the riding, was another bunch of trail work days. Twice in Hawley both weeks, and once each week in Wendell - another 20+hours buffing our best Single Track. At this point Wendell is just about clean of the ice storm debris. Hawley is approaching 50-60%, but there was a session up there while I was racing at UMass, hopefully we get to 70-80% by next weekend. I will say, once we get finished up there, the riding will be world class - most of these trails have needed the face slappers and derailleur biters cleared for a long while. Everything we are hitting now is getting a hard rake and heavy lop in addition to the clearing of the ice storm devestation.
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