Winter Riding Countinues

A mix of activities to keep in shape, continued progress on knees and winter Ridn makes January an eclectic mix. Swimming and spinning are keeping the heart and muscles strong. Winter riding in the woods on the studded-tired mountain bike and snowboarding make up the ridn.

Dan's Saturday morning spin class remains a routine for Donna and I. We get up not too early and still are at the Y in time to get signed-up for a bike. Dan is good at visualizing rides and makes the workout fun. Donna and I then head for the (Un)common Grounds coffee shop for breakfast.

This Saturday I doubled-up and went to Grafton in the afternoon to ride with the Capital Group at the WinterFest. We had 15 riders and challenging snow conditions for a great 2+ hour workout. The group stayed together going over Water Tower and Little Johnnies trails, then 8 of us rode RPI to the other end of Long Pond. We returned the length of Long Pond on the ice, dodging ice fisherman and ice holes all the way back to the beach area.

I have managed to get to Killington a couple of Fridays to enjoy excellent conditions up on the mountain. The base was solid enough to remain after a serious thaw and enough new and man-made snow has been added on top. The last time there I stayed over on Killington, Skye and Bear Mountains until my legs gave out. Cascade was in great shape with soft bumps and Skyehawk too. Later in the day as the soft stuff hardened, my legs gave out -- it was a long trip back over to the car at K-1.

A mountain bike ride on the home trails where I had to stay balanced enough to stay within 8-inch wide ATV tire tracks with 4 to 12 inch walls on the side was a fun challenge last Sunday. With the wind chill in the single digits, I had on the flat pedals in order to wear hiking boots. As a result I was warm, but the pedals kept hitting the side of the tracks. Still a great workout and fun to be in the woods under these conditions.

A trip is being planned to California next month in conjunction with work. I hope to ride some of the routes of the professional bike race Tour of California with a coworker, and then go up to Tahoe to do some snowboarding.

Ridn Takes A Plunge Downhill - For The Better

A new mountain bike for Alix, a new mountain biking experience for me and riding with family and friends make for record setting ridn in August.

Donna has wanted to get Alix a good mountain bike for quite awhile, but Alix has always been realistic about how much riding she would do. So, this time when Donna mentioned it, and she indicated excitement, we jumped on the opportunity. In a frenzied vacation day of on-line research and calling local bike stores we came up with a great bike for Alix. The Jamis Dakota female specific model is what we wanted, and Chris at Elevate just happen to have one on hand that was practically new since the rider that had it crashed and cut her leg on the big ring within the first hour and she no longer wanted it. So, the very slightly used bike was available at a good price. The only question was fit; but after test riding at the Saratoga store, we were convinced it was a good deal on a great bike.

As soon as we were able to locate some mountain biking shoes we all went for a ride on the home trails. At first Alix had the common problem of locking into the Candy SPD pedals, but she had a blast riding the home turf. It was getting dark, but she insisted on taking on both sides of the road. I wanted her to experience the G-drop section of the trail on that side of the road. Next time we will hit the Motocross track.

Donna and I took some extra time off for the Labor Day weekend and on Friday I had time to clean and lube some of the bikes. While I was at it, I took out the Malolo snowboard and cleaned and waxed the board and lubed the bindings. As a result, I began to long for the slopes of Killington. I got online poking around the site and started looking at the mountain biking trail map. Since Donna had a ADK group hike planned for Sunday, I decided I would try lift-served mountain biking at Killington.

Saturday Donna and I decided to road ride to New Skete seminary. She had been reading a book on the monks of New Skete and how they train their German Shepard dogs. So, we decided it would make a good destination ride. At 20 miles each way it was a pleasant ride. Donna was ride leader and took us up the steep and long and dirt English Road on the way to Cambridge. She obviously did not know what I knew about the road up to the seminary! Once east of Cambridge, the road starts to kick up. Where the sign says turn left for New Skete it turns to dirt and turns to a 15-plus percent grade for about two miles. Needless to say, we felt the burn until we got to the top. The ride down was tough as the dirt road was full of pot holes. After stopping at Anthem Bikes in Cambridge to replace my lost CO2 dispenser we took our time and pedaled home.

Sunday morning I packed-up and set off for Killington, reminding me of the days I went up to the mountain to snowboard, except it was 70 degrees warmer! As I pulled into the K1 Lodge parking lot at 10:30 I was surprised to see so many cars with bikes out getting suited up. We are talking full face helmets and total body armor. I went in to purchase a lift ticket and was reassured by the ticket seller there was plenty of trails that do not require a stunt man's bravado. In fact he selected a first run that would progress me from the easiest to the black diamond single track; and if I wanted more, there were double diamond trails to try; and if I was still looking for more he told me to come back for directions to some secret stash.

I talked to a couple getting ready next to me in the parking lot who each had Yeti 575's. We compared notes on our Yeti's and turns out he works at a certified Yeti dealer in Milford, NH (www.603sports.com). We would meet up again at lunch time and they gave me some good advise on which double diamonds to try (34 and 21). I am quite sure I talked to the same couple last winter. They have both summer ($99) and winter season passes. We talked dogs as they had a nice standard poodle that waited patiently in their truck. I also ran into some mid-20's couples on trail 14 that were playing on a tree stunt. One of them pointed to my bike and said, "nice bike!" I said thanks and then looked at his ride - he was also on a Yeti 575. We compared bikes and agreed Yeti's were special.

The riding was amazing!! I quickly progressed from the easiest to the moderate single track, and in the middle of the first run got on the black diamond single track trails 6 and 9. After that first run on the Skye Peak (east) side I hooked over on 7 towards Snowdon and Ramshead Mountains. There a tangle of beautiful, steep and rocky black diamond single track trails made for two more fun-filled runs. Each run takes about 45 minutes, with stopping only to catch your breath, build your nerve, or relieve your aching-from-braking hands and arms. After the third run, also on the Snowdon side I rode to the Subaru and had a tailgate lunch in the warm shade. After lunch I tried the double diamond trails and 34 was fine, but 21 forced me to get off and walk a bit. The last run - sixth of the day, and my feet, legs, hands, arms and shoulders were all tired and going to be sore, so I packed it in. It was 4 pm and with a solid four hours of riding in, I was more than happy and satisfied. I gained a new respect for Downhillers - not only does it take nerve and skill, but also stamina and strength. I was thrilled to have a new type of ridn to do!

When buying Alix's shoes at Rick's bike store her friend Paul noticed her. He works at the bike store and is an avid mtb'er. Next thing I knew all four of us were heading down to Grafton for a ride on the trails there. Paul is a remarkably skilled rider and fun to be with. He was quite excited to have Alix as a potential riding partner, even though he told her he was interested in riding with me. We rode Spruce Bog - Chet Bell - Little Johnnies - Water Tower trails. All of which contained some technical rocky and rooty sections that both Alix and Donna did very well with. Paul was amazing us with his riding abilities. He pulled a wheelie the length of the beach as Labor Day onlookers hooted and hollered.

Donna unfortunately twisted her ankle during a fall on Spruce Bog. Her Time pedals do not release well and when she tried Alix's Candy pedals, she could not believe how easily they released. What you don't know can hurt you - and not knowing any better, she thought all pedals released as hard as her Time pedals. We ordered a set of Candy-C pedals off eBay that night!

As I tallied the August training log mileage, the combination road and mountain bike miles was an all-time high for August at 495 miles. More importantly, the riding I have been doing this summer has been the most fun and rewarding yet as I am getting more family and friends to enjoy it with me and I learn to enjoy new types of bike ridn.

Recovery Takes Over From Racing

Racing takes a back seat to recovery as my ambitions write checks my body can't cash. Road riding and mountain biking events midweek tell me it is time to recover and not race on the weekend. After four races in since the middle of April and three in four weeks, it was time to back off.

Wednesday's CVC ride last time was a casual affair with plenty of opportunity to test yourself against fast riders, but also time to wait for the slower ones. So, I was expecting to be with the slower riders this time since I was still feeling the effects of Blackfly and Whiteface Races. Well it was a different ride this time. The pace was fast, the climbs were many, and the waiting did not happen for me. We climbed nearly 2000 feet in a little over 21 miles, so at more than 80 feet per mile it was a hilly ride by anyone's standards. The "kids" and other faster riders were in attendance and the slower riders elected to do another ride, but I did not realize that until we were well under way. As a result, I was dropped on every climb and got to feel what it is like to keep going when someone else has been doing the waiting. It was a good ride, and the ego hurt more than the body, but it was a sign to me that my body probably was not yet fully recovered from racing.

However, the week was young and the spirit still strong, so my plans for a big event were on at this point for the weekend. Donna and Alix were going to be away and I had charge of the house and four dogs. There was a MTB race on Sunday I could do and Donna would be home in time to care for the dogs. If that didn't pan out I could still do a long road ride or explore the trails at Spier Falls and be home in time.

But first, to start things off, I had a choice of doing a Time Trial practice with the Cambridge group or a Mountain Bike at Grafton State Park with the Capital Gang on Friday. Since I already embarrassed myself with the Cambridge group, and it was a threat to rain, I picked the Mountain Biking. As I pulled into the Grafton parking lot it was evident a downpour had occurred -- the parking lot was a lake. Additionally, it was windy and cool - around 60 degrees. But seven of us showed and we did a long ride on some good trails. I felt good and strong on the climbs and enjoyed the challenge of negotiating the difficult roots and rocks in the slippery conditions. Towards the end of the 2:20 ride, as the light waned the rocks got more difficult as we ended the ride on Water Tower trail. I slipped off a long, sharp, slippery, three-foot high knife of a rock and tipped over to my right. Unfortunately, my foot had not yet cleared a tree close to my right, so my foot remained hooked around the tree as the rest of my leg, body and bike tumbled off the knife edge. Result: right knee twisted.

So, on Saturday instead of racing, or even riding, I was recovering. Intense I+I therapy (ice and ibuprofen), plus lots of recliner time with it elevated. By the end of Saturday the knee could bear some weight if I had on a brace and I took the dogs on a long slow walk. By Sunday the leg was responding nicely and I was able to do a 22-mile ride on the Lemond covering mostly flat terrain. Today the swelling is gone, but some pain remains. I just returned from an eleven mile ride with Donna on the road bikes - nice and easy and enjoyable.

A break from the race schedule always happens - if you don't plan it, your body will.

You Cwazzy Mistaw

Five years ago, while training for the Tupper Lake Tinman, a 1/2 ironman-distanced triathlon, I was running early in the morning in Plattsburg, NY. It was May, but it was brutally hot and humid. I was making the return leg back to the hotel on a 6.5 mile out and back route I had done several times while staying in Plattsburg. I was hurting bad, having gone through several days of traveling to work on farms with consultants in the hot, humid conditions. All of a sudden I hear a kid in his driveway getting ready to catch the elementary school bus yell to me, "why are you wunning mistaw?" He replaced his r's with w sounds. I managed to get out some words from my salt-stained lips in between grimaces of pain and said, "because it's fun." The words were reflex, and not even meant to be ironic. He replied before my next heartbeat with, "you cwazzy mistaw!" After I told this story to Donna it has become our catch phrase for when we plan or do something extreme.

This morning Donna asked me if I would join her at Dan's Saturday 8 am spin class at the Y. I said no, that I was planning on joining a group mountain bike ride at Grafton State Park at 1 pm. And, you know what she said. The fact that it was 7 degrees out and snowing lightly had something to do with her response. When she told Dan and other members of the spin class why I was not with them, they came up with other words to describe my intentions.

Ice biking is not a familiar activity to even some avid cyclists. Two winters ago I bought a set of Nokian studded tires for my Epic mountain bike. They have a carbide tipped stud sticking out of every knob, all 296 of them, in each tire. You can bike on glare ice and not spin or slip a wheel. After solving that problem it is just a matter of keeping yourself warm. The only problem I have had with that is keeping my feet warm. It don't have winter mountain biking shoes and my attempts at using Gore Tex socks and neoprene covers with the regular mountain biking shoes, which are vented for crying out loud, have resulted in near frost bite. In addition, the metal clips conduct heat out and also freeze up making clipping in a problem. My solution for this day was to put on the flat, studded Kona pedals that came with my Yeti and wear my GoreTex hiking boats.


There were 10 of us "cwazzies" on hand for the 1 pm take off from the Winter entrance to Grafton. We rode for about 3 hours, a little over 10 miles, on icy hard-packed snow, rocks, roots and puddles. We did a lot of hill climbing which actually helped keep us warm. It was a fantastic day on the bike and despite the sub-20 degree temperature, most of us stayed pretty warm. My foot solution worked very well and I even wore my snowboarding helmet for extra protection, although it was overkill - I could have gone with the regular biking helmet with the hoody underneath. It was just what I needed - 2 hours of hard aerobic effort and probably close to 2000 calories burned off. The woods were beautiful and we even rode out on the frozen lake among the ice fishermen - who looked at us like we were, you guessed it - cwazzy.