Summer is done, bring on the snow!

This summer went well overall. I rode my bike more than ever before, raced consistently and had a lot of fun. The 24 races were good, although I am not sure they are worth it. I might try more shorter races next year, but we will see. The millstone grind went well. I hope the rumors about the date change next year aren't true so I can do that race again. The 50 started off okay, but went downhill quickly at the end. Three flat tires and only two tubes. He last flat being only five miles from the finish. I could have finished but I didn't see the point in ruining my wheel and I really wanted to be done at that point. Oh well. There is always next year. Some recent good news is I get to wear Outdoor Research clothing for the winter as one of their lab rat type people. I am excited to beat on clothing for this ski season. I promise I am going to ski every chance I get!
That is all for now.

wired

This is scary. I can now type stuff on my phone and post it. Pat's peak went well and the summer has been full of riding and working and more riding. Hopefully I can get my new wheels soon and get ready in time for great glen. Lot's of fun and hopefully more and more riding.

Last post for a while, back to VT!

yup. it is over. Done with the New Hampshire job, just have to pack up the car, visit family and then head home. Rainy, nasty day, so not much for riding, but I hope to do something active. I got into the VT 50 again, and Bear brook is this weekend. Then I get to start work for the summer, and look forward to the new job in the fall.
I hope it all works out!

Coyote hill

I love the Coyote hill course. I hate the fact that you need a license to race there. I am, admittedly, a "wicked noob" when it comes to racing, but I feel like I am physically capable of racing in the expert class. Unfortunately, I am only allowed to race cat 2 at "official" events. I showed up early after carpooling with a friend who was bringing his cousin down to race in the beginner class. His cousin started well, but broke his chain halfway through the lap and had to walk out of the woods. Mike (my carpool buddy) and I got dressed and pre-rode the course way before our 11 o'clock start time. Then we got nice and cold in the rain, and while waiting for the start which was pushed back half an hour. I wanted to race in the open/cat 1 single speed class, but I can't because I have never done a "norba" race before and because there are lots of rules to follow to race bikes with the big kids. Oh well, live and learn. I rode my two laps in the greasy, rooty, mucky, pump park that is the Coyote hill race course. I had a lot of fun riding, and if I ever race there again, I will put my suspension fork on my single speed. My arms are a little sore from riding it rigid. Mike crashed early in his lap and may have broken his arm, so I got to drive home. I had a pretty good day and might actually get more serious about this whole bike racing thing.

Back on the Road

So today I got to get back on the pavement for a two and a half hour ride.  It was hot, and the wind was fierce.  I have a bad habit of mistaking a tailwind for a headwind when I set out, probably because I am usually slow to warm up and I feel like I am working harder than I need to.  This makes the ride back home a better workout and much more demeaning.  If you are damaging your self confidence, then you aren't really training, right?  Anyway, the weather was actually really nice today.  I believe I increased my freckle count exponentially today riding around in the afternoon sun.  My loop followed a big river for the majority of the ride, and views like this are very tempting when it is ninety and humid.  

I felt pretty good after warming up (do you really need to warm up on a ninety degree day?) and was able to make good time for the second half of the ride.  Just a few more short rides and hopefully a good day down at Coyote hill this Sunday.  

World Cup sh*tshow

Yesterday I went up to Plymouth to get my crankset tightened up and to ride some single track.  Plymouth is a cool little town with an inordinate amount of trails for small town in Northern NH.  I asked the guys at the LBS about some trails further North.  They told me about some logging roads that I tried to check out, but they were still wet, so I headed back to town and rode a super, double secret trail that may or may not be called world cup, as rumor has it.  It is super tight, Eff you single track with rocks that eat tires and do funny things to tubeless tires.  It has steeps

And a very scenic view of the local thoroughfare.  

The first part of the trail runs right along the highway in between the deer catching fence and the pavement.  At times, you pop out right next to the trucks and tourist zipping South at 75 miles and hour.  After the first part, it gets gnarly and runs along a stream up some old logging roads.  It has some very cool rockwork. 

I like to ride the trail as an out and back, heading uphill and then coming down.  The climb is really technical on the way up, topping out on a rocky section with some cool bridges.

  I topped out and turned around back through the rock garden.  It is not a good thing when you pinch a tubeless tire between two rocks.  Air rushes out very quickly.  Somehow, I managed to keep riding after checking to see that the tire wasn't completely flat.  I hit some of the steep sections and immediately went over the handle bars, hit the leaf cover on the ground and accelerated downhill on my back.  Not fun.  I picked myself back up and continued down.  On the next steep, I turned the front wheel a little bit, and went over again.  I slammed my knee on the stem or ground (I don't remember which) picked my self up again and soldiered on.  It wasn't until the third trip over the bars that I realized my front tire was near flat.  Anytime I turned the wheel, the tire pressure was so low that tire tried to come off the rim.  Miraculously, It didn't.  I rode back to the car, refilled the tire (it had a whopping 8 psi) and heard the bead pop back into the rim strip.  I am lucky I didn't have to walk back to the car, and I think I will check my tire pressure a bit more often.  

Vermont state Single speed championships/Flower Power

(Pic borrowed from Bike29 blog, please don't sue!)
Today was the first race of the year. The Flower power race at Catamount outdoor center was a new course (much more technical) and lots of fun. I came in second for the VT state single speed championships, which is pretty good for me considering 1st place went to an ex-Sobe/Cannondale racer, who is still really, really fast. I think I rested a bit too much, and hopefully I can ride more this week and get ready for Coyote Hill next Sunday. We will see.