May 24 weekend Rides

Saturday
The DMBA* Pancake breakfast/take a child ride was on for Sat morning.
A really great job of laying out a course, maybe 4k long that took the little ones through some single track, double track, uphills and down hills to make it a great adventure. Thank you.
Sunday
3-stage ride. Left the house at 7.15 to meet Alan at the base of Osler Bluff.  Alan likes to climb, so do I. This was possibly the toughest, longest climb I have done in Ontario. I was on the SS, running 32x19, and I did have to get off the bike an push in a couple sections....Alan, a strong rider with gears was able to clear the whole thing.

This snapshot 15min over 2km sums up the climb well. My HR is in Red, elevation in green.  Yes it was up up up. Once at the top, we rode over to the main entrance at 2nd concession, and the ride was on.  I have ridden these trails on short travel 26" bikes, a Blur LT with 5" of travel, this was my first time on a 29" rigid SS. Again I am amazed at how these big wheels suck so much up.  I wasn't able to plow over everything like on the blurLT, but rocks that would stop a 26" bike dead in its tracks, I just rolled over.

After covering some of the initial trails on the top, Alan took us to the east side, and down a couple trails I had never been on... possibly the best trail I have ever ridden in Ontario...technical rock gardens switchbacks up and down...then into an insane downhill with more switchbacks.
I could go on an on...but enough to say that it was a really excellent ride that included climbing the escarpment twice, cliff riding with fabulous views of the pretty river valley, rock gardens, and a wild decent down a snowshoe trail.  4 1/2 hours 2 broken spokes and 3 water bottles later we emerged from the forest back where we started.
Back to Alan's place for a beer, and meet his family...then back to Stouffville....wonderful day.  Must get up to Collingwood more often.
Ride stats are Here
Sunday
Beautiful day, working around the house in the sun...then off for an easy road ride...or that was the plan.
Do you ever feel that something doesn't want you to ride?
My floor pump broke...I mean air comes out the sides,,, okay, still can't find my frame pump...put some air in with the minipump and head over to Mark's place to use his floor pump and I am off for the ride.
After 20k or so, decide to take a break...eat a cliff bar and just enjoy being out in the sun...staring out at farmer's fields..then bang! Tube explodes.  No worries...replace the tube with the spare..manage to put maybe 40lbs pressure into the tube with the minipump...easy pedal home....then when I am about 6km from home..I decide to stop and add more air....mistake...the valve snaps, air runs out. No phone :(  long walk home.
*If you mountainbike in Durham, you should join DMBA...the advocacy group working to ensure we have trails to ride. http://durhammountainbiking.ca/  contact them directly or speak to me.

Recovery week

After punishing the body all day last Sat at the spring 8 hour, then recovering with Pizza, Beer, Wine, Jacuzi on Sat. night, my body was feeling pretty sore on Sunday, and worse on Monday...thank the gods for Ibuprofen.
The week has been busy at work...Tuesday I did manage to stop in at Joyride on the way home , spent a couple hours doing nothing other than trying to ride a particular skinny, or land a jump. Love that placewww.joyride150.com
Got out again last night at Durham forest with the crew....felt strong...real strong, felt strong enough to knock the top dog out.. yeah Alan...ha!  I stayed on his tail coming back up from the bottom of GM/WW...pushing hard, feeling strong....everyone else decided...okay let those guys go...on the final straight climb, I decided to pull out beside him, and drop him with my newly aquired strength from the solo 8.  I got about a bike length in front of him, when he looked over at me....and just dropped the hammer leaving me 30 feet behind in seconds~! Ha, jokes on me. Good fun.
Just got back from 75 min of Moksha yoga,, ready for Wine, pizza and TV.

Mansfield spring 8 hour

This was my first 8 of the season..8 hr of solo race at Mansfield outdoor center.
First ever podium...yes, very unexpected, I got 3rd place in the singlespeed solo category.
A couple equipment notes...
I was riding a Misfit(rigid)
32x19
A couple last minute equipment changes
Kenda Small block 8's(first ride on them...real fast)

Ergon grips with barends - Wow, I am sold!
These things are amazing.... The only reason I am able to type today is because of these grips...If you ride a single speed in endurance events, and if that single speed has a rigid fork, this is the way to go.


I had done quite a bit of training earlier in the season (South Carolina), but very little riding in the last couple weeks, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I went into the race thinking
1 - I would like to get 12 laps in, 1 more than in 2009 & 2008
2 - It's a warm up, a long ride in preparation for the Mohican 100 , a 100 mile race I am doing the first weekend in June.
This was the first time Heather, my wife had come out to one of these events, and by buddy John Bragdonfrom Kingston was going to be there, as well as Mark & John Connors would be there doing a tag team with there family...Nice.

Race report
I started at the very back after a last minute run back to the car, add more air to the tires...as I looked down and thought "pinch flat" (good move as I did not flat during the race).

First lap was the busy, as I passed rider after rider...feeling strong, as the race went on I continued feeling good, and having family and friends in the solo pit cheering me on was really cool.

I struggled though a few laps (4, 5? its all a blur) then really started feeling good after 75 - 80k
A "side" thing that was going on during all this was, my buddies Mark & John competing as tag team LuvHammer had vowed to take me down :) some good trash talking over the previous weeks...well these guys were right there, we traded leads 3, 4 5 times during the race, some good friendly banter as we woud pass each other.. maybe around the 8 or 9 laps in, I started thinking...I might be able to beat these guys...this was another motivator to go faster when your legs are screaming stop.

I had decided to call it quits on lap 11...my pace was better than the previous years, I was tired, but someone on the trail said to me "what do you mean this is your last lap, you are climbing far to fast for this to be your last lap". So true...there was still a bit left in the motor, and I had been thinking...I really haven't been passed by too many riders..I wonder where I am...maybe I could actually podium, so as I came through the finish of lap 11, I kept going for lap 12.
riding time 7hr59min41sec
distance 133k
climbing approx 9,000
Advils 4

To close off the day...I got to stand on the podium and get my 3rd place medal..then off to the Pomps for pizza, wine & hot tub. ahhh. Perfect way to end a long day in the saddle.
Interesting notation...all three of us 1st 2nd & 3rd place were on Misfits

strange looking map...does anyone else see an animal with something in it's beak? (yes, this is the race route...12 times over)
click here for the Garmin details


Finally...a really big thanks to Heather, Jamie & everyone else cheering me on, and passing me gel, cliff blocks & drinks :)

Red Rock Country

I was in Utah last week...spent a few days hiking around Zion Canyon with Heather, my wife.

Before we got there...a quick stop in St. George Utah and a look at this beautiful building, the LDS temple...very very white - had no plans to go see it...but the way it stuck out against the blue sky...very impressive.