Runnin' on Empty

We drained the tank before we even got there. Cruising west on the turnpike and the trip computer saying zero miles remaining in the gas tank. This was to be a harbinger of things to come.

We did find a gas station with about -7 miles (that's negative seven) in the tank and made it to the Allegrippis trail head around lunch time. We geared up and hit the single track agreeing we would leave it ALL on the trails. All of it.

And let me tell you, The Army Corp of Engineers and I.M.B.A. made it easy for us to drain the tanks. Many miles of sweet undulating single track on these hills surrounding Raystown Lake. They are all about flow with plenty of rollers, tabletops, and seriously bermed turns so no excuse for using the brakes.

At about mile 12 we made our second mistake of the weekend (not bad), riding Sidewinder backwards. Many of the trails are meant to be ridden in one direction (CW/CCW) and clearly we were riding this one the wrong way. And we were getting really toasted.

But somehow we managed to scrape out another 18 miles. It was just too good to call it quits. Admittedly the last five miles were pathetic but necessary to ensure the tanks were bone dry. And it gave me a lot of time to think about riding 30 miles of single track, every day for 5 days, at altitude in the Rockies, which is how I plan to celebrate my birthday next year. Thankfully even my oxygen deprived brain realized that it was the pace, not the distance, that had buried us (and maybe the single speed bikes). I still think it's the right bike for Allegrippis but we could have ridden more efficiently with gears. For the record, we logged 30 miles in 3 hours 15 minutes elapsed.

Having accomplished the primary goal of this weekend trip, we then began the hunt for a hip bar with a beer selection, great grub, and some good bike mojo. After swinging through Rothrock Outfitters to see a Big Dummy and get a rundown on this year's Dirtfest, we found ourselves in post-ride Nirvana at Boxer's Cafe:

• Hip - nice combination of mountain bikers and Penn State coeds gave it a great vibe. Cute waitress with dreds was a nice touch.
• Beer - Spaten by the half liter
• Grub - Great menu (for me it was chef's salad, mushroom and swiss burger, side of fries)
• Bike mojo - Cannondale mountain bike hanging over the bar

After solid day of riding, a monster feast, and a liter of German beer there was only one thing left to do. Head to camp, light a campfire under the stars, crack open the coolers, and finish the job. And finish it we did.

Almost. Because we were able to squeeze in one more ride Sunday morning before the long drive home. It was not a barn burner like Saturday, and it was downright painful in spots, but it sure was a fitting way to end an epic weekend. Great weekend, and I am still feeling the glow 36 hours later.

Chris

"Go Big or Go Home"

     -- Unknown

The Hammer

It's good to be The Hammer. But sometimes it can be good to be The Nail.

Three of us rolled into French Creek at 7:20am this morning, and soon had 10 riders saddled up and ready to hit the trails on the east side of Route 345. This would be my first time in the area known as "The Proving Grounds" and it lived up to it's reputation by proving to me that:

1. I've been riding waaaay too much at Marsh Creek
2. I can ride some pretty sketchy stuff if I'm running in a pack and going too fast to use my better judgement
3. ...and my Turner, which I have not ridden much recently (see Marsh Creek comment), is one hell of a bike, devouring miles of gnarly rock gardens and precipitous water-bar drops

The Proving Grounds made last week's ride on the west side of the park look like a boardwalk milk-run.  It dished out a never ending series of burly rock-infested downhills and steep technical uphills that had us (or at least me) white-knuckled but grinning ear to ear. We eventually rolled back into the parking lot around 9:15.

We stayed there long enough to eat a banana, take a wiz, and bid adieu to two riders before the remainder of the group struck out for a "quick one hour cool down loop" that would last more like two hours. One more rider bought it on this loop, which left our attrition rate at 30% - still respectable given the amount of punishment that was dished out.

When we got back to the lot the second (and last) time, our driver quipped that he had just (barely) enough energy left to push the clutch the 47 times it would take to get back home.

I think this Jef Mallett cartoon sums it up pretty well.

You Just Don't See This Every Day (or "The Breathing Dragon")

I think my words to Jim were"you never would have had that 'coon dog adventure if you were sitting home on the couch." How prophetic. Except this time it wasn't being hunted by 'coon dogs. It was...

...spelunking up the 430' outlet pipe of the Marsh Creek dam. Why (you may ask) would someone spelunk up the outlet pipe? Well for safety reasons of course - to be sure it is safe to ride downstream as a water slide!

The story starts with a typical night ride, out the lakeside trail to the New Bonus Loop. It was about 8:15pm when we reached the dam and saw a couple of guys fussing around on the spillway riser. We figured they were bikers so we slowed down to make sure they weren't having some sort of mechanical. It then became apparent they were not bikers (remember it was dark with this point) as there were no bikes, there was a large duffle, and there was a LOT of rope on the ground. Oh, and a couple of empty Hop Devils.

They explicitly asked we not use their real names so we will call them Ben and Jerry (Mike knows that's my traditional after-ride snack). Ben explained they were planning to ride through the outlet pipe, like a water slide, but first needed to recon the pipe to be sure there were no abrupt turns, protruding metal fittings, or underwater traps along the way. They had already run a lightweight fishing line through the pipe and measured the distance at 430'. And they were now busy feeding about 500' of climbing rope down that same pipe, with the intent of climbing up from the other end using the rope to assist.

We marveled at their safety consciousness and good taste in beer, and then told them we would be back after finishing our Bonus Loop ride. And so we rode the Bonus Loop - which was seemingly endless and most excellent at night I must say. Within 45 minutes we found ourselves crossing the dam on our return leg, hoping for the best.

When we arrived there was nothing to be found at the riser. No duffle bag. No piles of rope. No Hop Devils. But a rope was tied to the railing of the riser, and it ran down through the spillway and disappeared with the rushing water deep into the bowels of the dam. I tugged on the rope and it was taught. Very taught. We briefly considered the implications of untying the rope, but that's not how we roll (but it was funny to think about).

Ok, so clearly we had to hoof it down the bottom of the dam to see what was at the other end of the rope. When we got there, we could hear Ben and Jerry yukking it up inside the pipe. They were probably 20' in, just getting their bearings, taking some photos, putting on wet suits, and strapping into their climbing gear. Ben came out for a final photo, said good bye, and in he went. The yukking it up continued for a good while, but soon started to sound more distant. So we climbed back to the top of the dam and over to the riser. And to our surprise we soon saw a faint light shining inside the riser. Ben had made it!

Within a few short minutes Ben emerged into the bottom of the riser, whooping it up pretty good. Jerry had taken the easy route (our route) and took some pictures of Ben in the riser, Ben on the riser, Ben posing with us, and Ben and Jerry together.

High fives all around.

But this was apparently just the beginning. Remember, this was just the recon mission to setup for THE BIG SHOW - a high speed water slide attempt! Alas the attempt would not be tonight because apparently it will require a considerable amount of additional gear:

• Body armor
• Full face helmet
• Welding gloves
• Hiking boots
• Athletic cup
• Butt protector of some sort TBD

We chatted a little about water slides, mountain biking, wished them luck, and were on our way. I'm not quite sure how to sum this up. I mean I think we've done some crazy things - mountain bike fire jumping, kayaking the brandywine at flood stage, more fire jumping, and sending Mike across the tram - but this was off the charts by our standards. Just glad it worked out (I gave it 15% chance of having a really bad outcome). And thrilled we were out riding and had the good fortune to stumble into this most unique spectacle.

Now I can't guarantee one of these on every night ride, but I can guarantee your not going to see anything like this sitting on the couch at home!

Chris

"Go big or go home"

-- unknown

Have You Forgotten?

Have you ever forgotten how much fun this is? I mean, it's never not fun but you get into a groove with your riding routine - riding the same bike, or the same trails, or both for couple of months - and you lose that pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming-because-this-is-too-much-fun feeling that you got all the time when you first started riding a bicycle in the woods.

Well today Andy may have felt like puking, and he may have blown his front fork in the process, but he took us on one sick tour of French Creek State Park....if it wasn't some gnarly root infested lung-buster climb, it was a white-knuckle-rock-garden descent where I was well outside my capabilities but it was too-late-to-bail-so-buckle-your-chin-strap-and-hang-on. In the zone kinda stuff.

Oh and there were some sweet stretches of buff single track in between. But mostly ups that had us gasping, and downs that had us whooping and hollering like in the old days.

Special props to AD who rode the single-speed all-rigid like it was [insert high school prom date joke here]. He pretty much owned the park except for one death-cookie early in the ride which left him wide eyed and a little bloody.

TP also shared his trick for getting the last minute clearance for weekend rides of this sort...you float it past the wife at about 5:45am. It pretty much guarantees a green light.

Great ride, miles of smiles, thanks guys...

Girls Happy Hour

I gave it a 50% chance. I was wrong.

We decided to try a happy hour ride with the girls. For Sydney it would be the second, and perhaps last, attempt. Searlait and Zoey are both accomplished bikers. We hoped the dynamics of the pack would be too much for Sydney to resist.

And we were right.

We rode the Lakeside, the Sole, and the little stretch out to the mill. She was on my rear wheel the entire time, muddy feet, and tongue wagging, diving into the lake or the creek whenever the opportunity presented itself. She finally bonked a few hundred yards from the boat landing.

I am thrilled beyond words, a new riding buddy! Never out of town on business, never stuck doing yard work. Always eager to ride!

Mixed Results

Six of us ripped up White Clay this morning - from the park office to the half pipe and back in under two hours. And that's with quite a few protracted stops as a couple of us geriatrics were suffering off the back. Jim and Neil (new guys) showed us some new trails, including the tunnel and the Goat Trail. Some pretty nifty bikes in our group as well - a SuperFly, brand new Niner SIR, and a Lynskey Helix with a Hammer Schmidt crankset making it a "dingle-speed." I thought my Rig was a light bike until I heft a couple of these bikes. Now I know I am riding a tank.

After lunch I went out with the family for our weekly training ride (gearing up for next month's Europe trip). We entered the park and with about 25' of pavement to go before we would have hit the glorious (and soft) dirt trail, Sara did her first official endo. There are few things that will make your heart sink as quickly as hearing your 13-year old kid hit the pavement at 15mph. Luckily there was no permanent damage and within 20 minutes we were back home recapping the mishap and immortalizing the gore (see photographic damage assessment).

She doesn't want to hear it now, but this is the classic case of "climb back on that horse" because in less than five weeks we are heading to France for a week of biking. Are cobblestones softer than asphalt?

Chris

"Pain is Temporary, Glory is Forever"

-- unknown

Bonkers

Other than the bonk and the bike parts littering route 30, it was a spectacular day of riding at Fair Hill. An overnight spritzer kept the dust down on the trails. The clouds parted 5 minutes before we arrived at the Appleton parking lot and we were treated to a mostly sunny morning on fast trails - we logged about 16 miles of single track in 3 hours.

Regarding the bonk...the nauseating mixture of Gatorade, rum, and stale beer sloshing around in my stomach may have been a contributing factor, but really I think it was just a garden-variety-early-season BONK. What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger.

Oh and the bike parts littering route 30 had something to do with Riley's fancy-schmanzy new bike rack. Luckily only cosmetic damage was sustained (minor miracle thanks to light traffic).

Hopefully this will be the last blog post for a while regarding bonking or bike parts littering the highway.

Chris

Breakfast Ride

Breakfast was delicious.

We started with a MTB road ride on the Struble. The trail into town was clear but still as flat as ever, so we decided to tack on a climb to the top of Skelp Level. It had the desired effect and by the time we were back to the bottom, we had worked up a pretty good
thirst
appetite and well, Chelsea's was open and it was almost noon in Halifax Nova Scotia, so we decided to duck in to drink eat some breakfast.

Half an hour later, fueled and rejuvinated, we headed back out into the spring-like weather for some more riding. We weren't the only ones enjoying the mild weather. We saw a couple of foxes during our ride - a reddish one streaking across an open field by the lake, and a blondish one sniffing around down near the creek. The second one might be rabid as it was showing a distinct interest in our lead rider, so be careful out there.

Chris

"Bikes, babes, and beer. Whenever life gets you down, return to the fundamentals."

-- anonymous

Crossing the Line

Mike and I rode White Clay this morning. It was mid-week and mid-teens so it was pretty quiet. The mud had frozen to the consistency of granite so the trails were fast and treacherous.

On the return leg, we stumbled upon a granite marker that Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon used to help settle a border dispute between a couple of young colonies. Pretty cool. So we paid our respects, snapped a couple of pictures, and were on our way.

Mike navigated us back to our favorite stretch of single-track - the Whitely Farms Trail from Nine Foot Road to Pleasant Hill. That trail is down hill, fast, and has awesome flow with lots of perfectly timed twists and rollers. It's the type of trail where you just get totally absorbed and let'r rip. When it's over you don't know if it lasted 2 minutes or 20 minutes, but you are totally exhilarated.

Sort of like Willow Koerber's Uncle Doug.

Willow is an Olympic mountain biker who was interviewed in Outside Magazine. She was asked about her crazy family and she mentioned her Uncle Doug who "drank and entire bottle of jalapeño sauce just to prove he could." When they asked him why he did it he replied (frothing at the mouth, eyes burning, coughing) "At this moment, nothing else exists."

So I guess that stretch of Whitely Farms Trail is like our own little bottle of jalapeño sauce.

Chris

"At this moment, nothing else exists"

-- Uncle Doug

Clydesdales CAN Dance!

This year's event kicked off with a record 17 riders. Ridership dipped momentarily to 16 at the top of the bobsled run due to SM's "leave'm for dead" math but in the end we managed to avoid any major mishaps. Of course there were a couple of close calls, including an impromptu nose-wheelie-bailout that prompted one rider to comment "Clydesdales CAN dance!" In the end, all riders returned safely to base camp where we proceeded to ignite the bonfire and to see what surprises the post-ride festivities would bring.

They did not disappoint.

We'll start with "the contest." Last year's champion took a hiatus this year (sipping martinis with extended pinky finger), but competition was as fierce as ever and the crowd was split on the favorites.

• Entry #1 scored high in holiday spirit, craftsmanship, and creative incorporation of beer into the presentation. Bonus points for incorporation of a biking theme. The burn was only moderately intense but with very long duration.
• Entry #2 received a high score for debauchery, a deduction for a minor anatomical inaccuracy, and received a perfect 10 in the attitude department. The burn, initiated by special guest Henry Kissinger who really took the blowup doll by the ankles bull by the horns, was intense and scored high for leaving no trace except perhaps a couple of broken hearts.
• Entry #3 would normally have turned a couple of heads but struggled to get onto the judge's radar due to the caliber of entries #1 and #2. However points for effort and, yes debauchery.

The judges struggled to select a winner but after consulting the bylaws, were forced to disqualify entry #2 because beer was not physically incorporated into the actual entry (although there were some suggestions). So the panel awarded first prize and a year worth of bragging rights to...entry #1. Congratulations to MRDBS!

The competitive spirit of this group could not be contained as evidenced by this year's fire jumping competition (now an annual event thanks to AS' inspirational performance of '08). The kickoff was weak with a ho-hum corner jump but escalated rapidly into an impressive volley of middle jumps, middle jumps with beer smashes, and even some uphill jumps. And of course the inevitable bicycle-jumping phase ensued with some impressive performances turned in by two bikers and one blow-up doll, and resulted in only one chipped tooth ("Oh shit, I chipped a tooth"). But we proved yet again that there is no bar this group cannot raise (including the stupidity one) as the competition concluded with a first ever tractor-fire-jump that brought the crowd to their feet.

Around 11:00 the crowd had swelled to 20 and the kitchen served up 11 lbs of dead cow in the form of piping-hot homemade chili. Oh my God, this was just the ticket for a bunch of hungry bikers. The warm food calmed the rowdy crowd, we found our seats around the fire, and settled into more cerebral pursuits like "rip a new a-hole for anyone stupid enough to open their mouth" and getting all misty-eyed and sharing our fleeting memories of "J."

The group hung strong with very little attrition occurring before the first snowflakes fell around 2am (beginning of a nor'easter that dumped about 14" on us over the next 24 hrs). It was pretty cool - you could actually smell the snow. Things eventually started to unravel with a few disappearing acts (and a couple of reappearing acts which were met with much fanfare) and finally the dwindling group threw in the towel shortly before 4am.

Props to

• RV for trusting us on his first night ride, the snow-boarder helmet was a nice touch.
• KO for best decorated bike, festooned with tinsel and shiny dangley things.
• JA for best costume, allegedly borrowed from his nightstand "fun drawer."

And an event of this magnitude does not come off without a lot of help, so special thanks to:

• KO for letting us trash his back yard, again...
• MRDBS for his awesome catering, raising the bar yet again...
• DM for letting us raid his woodpile, and for sacrificing his tractor...

...and to everyone who made the pilgrimage. It takes some effort and lots of faith to turnout for an event like this in the middle of December, but the group makes the event and this year was a shining example.

Happy holidays and happy trails!

How do you rate?

The mo7s actuaries just notified me that we're approaching the high water mark for DSLC. DSLC stands for "Days Since Last Crash" and is a metric that we track closely here at mo7s headquarters.

Some highlights:

• Our longest "dry spell" was the 129 days between DC's 12/20/07 Christmas Crash near the Struble and MR's 4/27/08 Plastic Surgery Crash on the Sole trail. That's a long time.
• CD and DC are tied for first (or last) with 4 notables each (notable = potentially season ending) and MR is a close second, but honorable mention has to go to JC for the Showboat Crash which will live in infamy forever.
• DSLC really bottomed out during June and July of last year. The average DSLC during that period was just 9. That means almost one notable crash per week. Now thatis some serious entertainment value but the problem is that the burden was shouldered by a relative few riders (myself included). Don't count on the same guys to carry the load this this summer, we're retired now.

What to make of this drivel? Well you can interpret it in numerous ways:

1. Apathetic - you have no pulse and frankly don't care;
2. Fatalistic - we are doomed to have a crash sometime in the next week and you don't want to be the one so this is just one more excuse to just stay home;
3. Voyeuristic - like fatalistic, except you recognize that it will probably be someone else and you don't want to miss seeing the carnage first hand;
4. Optimistic - unlike fatalistic and voyeuristic, you recognize that we are capable of great things like riding bicycles without falling down;
5. Realistic - stuff happens, I'd rather have it happen outdoors on a bike than indoors staring at the boob tube (or whatever it is people do when they're not riding bikes).

I am wavering somewhere between 4 and 5 (I would say 4.4). Where do you rate yourself?

Chris

"Great things are done when men and mountains meet. This is not done by jostling in the street"

--William Blake

Race Results

Race results for Sport class have been published so I took the liberty of cranking them through Excel (yes I am a data dork).  The results are depicted graphically above (click the graphic to expand).  Note that all times have been rounded down to nearest minute.  

Some highlights for the Sport class:

• 62 riders finished (5 DNFs)
• Average time was 2:08, median was 2:07
• Best time was 1:46
• I would like to point out that the top 5 Sport class finishers were all OLD GUYS!  Those that found ourselves in the bottom third of that age group (45-54) would have placed mid-pack with the youngsters (35-44).  I take a great deal of satisfaction from this.
• Nearly all of the single speeders finished in the top third overall.  Who are these guys?
• There does not appear to be a major sandbagger issue (fairly constant slope to the curve)
• We did not get dusted by the girls.  Some consolation in that I suppose.

A more sobering perspective gleaned from the Expert class split times (their first 2 laps):

• First place finisher completed his second lap at 1:36 
• Last place finisher completed his second lap at 1:57

Finally to end on a positive, following is a piece of anecdotal data that is sure to impress the ladies.  It was posted by a racer to the dtownmtb group on yahoo:

"Here's a quick note on the race that I learned from one of the race officials. Only one racer, in any class, climbed the nasty, slippery trail up from the railroad tracks without getting off and walking at least part of it. 

That rider would be Rob Inforzato! Great Job!"

On another note, great ride last night - first official night ride of the winter season.  Trails were silky smooth from the Sunday race, clear skies (sort of), nearly full moon, and balmy temps in the high 30s.  Data analysis:

• 5 riders (CD, SF, SM, AS, MY)
• 80% of the bikes left the woods with their drive trains intact

Chris

Bonkers

WARNING: There is a lot of leg in this picture, maybe too much.  

The grindfest is in the bag.  2+ hours pushing at full throttle on that course was brutal, but I think all the finishers clocked in at or very near their target times.  A shower, four loaded tacos, and a big honkin' bowl of apple pie and I am beginning to feel human again...

The course was in pretty good shape given all the rain this week.  That crazy stretch of bridges, logs, rickety causeways, 4x6 handlebar grabbing posts, mud and brambles that was the gateway to the lakeside trail was transformed to something resembling the Santa Monica Freeway, complete with a chicken wire wrap to ensure good traction in wet weather.  Rob, Jim, and I would like to take credit for it (we spent about an hour working on it on Saturday), but what we saw on Sunday was a definite improvement on our work - somebody was busy late Saturday.

As predicted the race claimed some bonkers on the 2nd lap.  For example I passed one fellow near the top of the quarry climb who looked like he started with some game but at that point was pretty green around the gills and pleaded with me for food.  There were a few others out there in the same predicament.  

The results were impressive - we got a Riley onto the podium!  Father and mother were very proud (yes, it was Mike's young son Sean that had the podium finish).  This took the pressure off the rest of us and respectable times were turned in by the remaining riders (aside from our one fatal mechanical).

Our favorite park ranger was making the rounds on his ATV and strolling the field with his little ticket book drawn and ready.  This was crimping our style until in a flash of brilliance we figured out that that a bike water bottle filled with beer and dangled casually in one hand is the perfect camoflage and allowed us to stroll the after party, choke down tube steaks, and most importantly drink with impunity.  We finally closed down the afterparty around 3:00.  

We now begin a new chapter of autumn riding, doing it just for the fun of it (no more "training" rides), and best of all welcome back a few riders that have been out of the saddle for way too long.  We even have a NOOB climbing on board (got his bike yesterday).  

A day of rest seems in order for tomorrow, but by Tuesday I suspect that rigor mortis will be settling in and the legs will need a spin to loosen up, so I'll go ahead and suggest a Tuesday night ride 8:30pm.

For those of us who have been pounding the crap out of MCSP the last month or so, there is serious interest in a long overdue roadie, sometime this weekend or next.  If you think you might be interested, please chime in with weekend preference if any. 

Chris

"Pedal, b*tches!"

     - anonymous

Relive our (mis)adventures at http://mo7s.blogspot.com/

Keep it SImple, Stupid

By the way I wanted to say thanks to Rob for reminding of Henry David Thoreau's timeless words "As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." I had eagerly taken on a bike wrenching project for a friend (we'll call him Mike Young) who had mangled his drivetrain in that insane stretch of bridges, logs, rickety causeways, 4x6 handlebar grabbing posts, mud and brambles that is the price of admission to the new Lakeside Trail.

The job was not complicated - straightening of a couple of chainrings. I had begun working on disassembly of the crank and discovered that this bike did not use slotted nuts on the inside (as I had seen on every other bike I have tinkered with over the last 47 years). I was now imagining this quickie 20 minute job morphing into a 2hr PITA when Rob happened by. Being one who could never pass an unfamiliar bike without a cursory inspection, he quickly assessed the situation and suggested I employ the crude but effective prybar approach. Which I did. About 6 minutes later the job was complete, the bike fully functional, and I had gained 14 minutes and hopefully the enduring admiration of my friend with the once-mangled drivetrain.

Now this is not to suggest that all bike problems can be solved with a prybar (some call for a hammer) or that I am completely devoid of any imagination or mechanical ability. But it does serve to remind that with bikes simpler is better and that having a neighbor who knows a thing or two about bikes and who walks his dog in the morning is invaluable.

KISS

Slippery When Wet

(Guest blog post from Mike Riley)

When the rains come in the way they have for the last few days, it means wet trails, tricky roots and mud covered bikes.  Reminded us a of a certain Bon Jovi record.  A few riders were game enough to take advantage of the brief respite from the precipitation and sneak in a few miles. 

 

We slip slided out the connector trail, around the bonus loop and back home.  A few root slides aside, the trails were in terrific shape, the rain doing a nice job of softening things up and providing a little grip, except of course for those pesky roots and off camber rocks. 

 

To our historian, the clock on the crash counter must be reset as one rider suffered what appears to be a broken "bird" finger attempting the flattened log obstacle.  It has now blown up to the size of a golf ball and turned the shade of a purple tootsie pop just before you get to the sticky center.  Always appealing in the tone of your indexes.  Oh man, so close to the end, and then spectacular failure. 

 

And although his timing could have been better as he interrupted what was sure to be a interesting look at the local wildlife on the dam road, we were treated to a surprise mid-ride visit from a former regular sidelined by a minor surgical procedure.  It was not Ali-like and it was not the ring, but it was nice to see him back in the game. 

 

-MR

Showboat

Good intentions were yet again overtaken by alcohol and debauchery when Riley failed to answer the bell Sunday morning. I feel like piling on more Irish references but that would be too easy so I won't. Thanks Bob for carrying the torch when our red headed immigrant from a small European beer and whisky drinking island nation couldn't.

We have a LATE BREAKING STORY -- the 2 year string of no-biking-related-trips-to-the-emergency-room has finally been broken (so you can relax). Summary - the incident occurred on Saturday, it involved a possible equipment malfunction (click here for illustration), no helmet, and perhaps a touch of show-boating. There are many more details, some possibly embarrassing, that add considerable color to the story and of course you are wondering WHO -- but as you know you have to show up for a ride to get the full report!

Now if THAT doesn't drive up attendance, I don't know what will...

Chris

"Pain is temporary, Glory is forever"
–Anonymous, but we heard it first from Rob

Fleet Footed Fifth Graders

We rocked the Hibernia Duathlon today thanks to a couple of fleet footed fifth graders (Sara and Rebecca). They both turned in blistering times for both running legs of the race. The fact that they ended with ear to ear grins after 4.6 miles of trail running suggests that they may be destined for the podiums in the not too distant future. Their Dads are also thrilled because that means we have a lifetime "get out of running free" card for events of this sort. Everybody wins.

Steve strong armed his sister Christine into assuming the running duties for him (brilliant move) and he kindly offered to take her to Dunkin Donuts in appreciation (consensus was that maybe Le Bec Fin or equivalent would be more appropriate given the performance she turned in). Jim Taylor and his buddy Cliff had to leave before the awards ceremony but both turned in podium finishes in their respective classes (guys, I have your medals). Cliff also wins the "travelled farthest" prize coming all the way in from Colorado (I guess there is no good mountain biking in Colorado). Riley even broke every rule in the book when he brought his ride into MRDBS the day before the race. Fairly amazing that the bike survived the race with no mechanicals, maybe a first for an 11th hour MRDBS project.

The bike course was wicked fast with plenty of passing lanes (yes, we did a considerable amount of passing), very few real climbs, and some rockin' downhills. The weather was perfect - warm and slightly overcast with occasional sun and no rain until the drive home. What a great way to start out the season.

Weather looks perfect for this week, Thursday is a Chelsey's ride. It should be interesting to see what surprises are in store for the return trip on the new trail while we are carrying the "Chelsy's handicap" (this will be our first):

• Tuesday 8:30pm depart Lower
• Thursday 8:30pm depart Upper (Chelsy's)

It is almost time to flip one of the weekday rides to a morning ride. I am thinking Tuesdays at 6:15am for the following reasons:

• Keeps Thursday a night ride (I don't think we're ready for a Chelsy's morning ride)
• No conflict with Tuesday night Brickside
• Some guys have early starts at work. Set the alarm for 6:00 and be in the saddle at 6:15 (setting alarm for "five-something am" just sounds nuts).

If you are interested in morning rides and have other thoughts on day or time please let me know. I did a morning ride a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely beautiful out there - I highly recommend making the effort, you will not regret it.

That's all for now,

Chris

"I brought my birdbook"

-- Steve McLaughlin (prerace banter explaining how serious he was about the race)

Hibernia Vibes

Solid ride tonight, trails are steadily improving. Ride did include some drama - high speed impact with some local wildlife. No harm done - rider and owl are both doing fine.

Hibernia is shaping up nicely with lots of positive vibes from the gang (see below). We even have a couple of family-relay entrants (great way to get out of the running part of the event). You still have almost 6 weeks to work up to a 2x2 mile jog in the woods (the bike part is easy - it's basically a Sunday ride with a sense of urgency). So snap yourself out of that winter funk, plunk that money down, and show your kids that the old codger still has some game. Current status:

Positive vibes, money plunked, officially have some game:

• JimT - first in class last year, obviously needs some more competition
• Chris - trying to set a good example

Positive vibes but money not yet plunked, TBD if they have game:

• MikeR - relay with wife Kristin (Kristin is marathoner)
• Andy - relay with daughter Megan (Megan is fired up)
• Steve - bought new bike for the event, so has skin in the game
• JimA - scheduling conflict, feverishly working on it
• MikeY - ready to jump in, just needs a push (or pull)
• Sebastian - ready to jump in, just needs a pull (or push)
• Bob - said it "sounds good" which I think means "all in"
• Jamie - says he is game, impressive since I don't think he has his bike yet

No vibes, no money, may be on life support:

• DaveC - it's time my warm weather friend...
• Matt - hello, anybody there? Where is that golf-outing game-face?
• DaveM - dude, do the relay with Kelly...
• Rob - time to rebound from the double-flat last year and show off those USTs
• Chris Dougherty - the perfect brother-in-law bonding experience
• Sean - didn't rule it out, but didn't rule it in either

No vibes, no money, no game -or- has a pretty good excuse:

• Kirk - family commitment (Sean's first communion)

click me now ==> registration <== click me now

Ride Schedule - I am traveling Saturday-Wednesday but I'll throw it out there: Sunday depart Upper @ 10am. Standard weekday ride schedule next week is Tuesday 8:30pm Upper** (**change) and Thursday 8:30pm Upper. Anyone feel free to amend (i.e., take Andy up on his Hibernia race course tour offer).

MO7S: Finally if you'd need to relive the fun of the past couple of years or read the banter from the last few races, I have archived some of our old emails in the form of a blog at http://mo7s.blogspot.com/. The first person to figure out "MO7S" wins a free pat on the back. Sebastian to review and judge all entries.

Chris

Return to Fair Hill

Our much anticipated return to Fair Hill MD paid off for 8 riders yesterday with a 3 hour outing covering 16 miles of twisting rolling single track with the occasional log hop or rock garden thrown in for good measure. Thanks to Bill for his excellent guiding services, it was nice to just ride and not worry about maps and playing rock paper scissors to choose which fork in the road to take. He set a vigorous pace from the start (i.e., kicked our asses) which was most impressive given that he was on a rigid frame single-speed. Highlights included a couple of dog sled teams, the fox pen (not very sporting IMHO), and the Crackhead Bob trail. Also the valet service was a nice touch (ask Jim Taylor about his keys). Kirk your secrets are still safe (for now) as Drew did not make the ride - apparently he is a Wissahickon guy so we'll have to plan a trip down there soon - keep your calendar clear.

This week is our monthly not-to-be-missed Chelsy's pilgrimage. Standard ride schedule applies:

• Tuesday 8:30pm Lower.
• Thursday 8:30pm Upper. This is the Chelsey's ride, sluts for everyone and Mike is even hoping the cougar will be on hand - don't miss the reunion!

Also if you are interested in the February roadie let me know what weekends you cannot make it so I can tabulate and get it on everyone's calendar.

That's all for now.

Chris

Race Results

Saturday was a perfect day for a bike race. We set up camp at 8:30 am and promptly put few Lyndenwood kids on the podium for the kids race - good omen for many (but not all) of the Dads.

Between seven racers we had 3.5 mechanicals (busted derailleur, single flat, double flat, and inoperable front brakes). Turns out that it's possible to ride w/o front brakes, but riding with no air in the tires was a real problem for 2 riders - DNF.

At any rate, times were considerably better than last year (work paid off). Instead of bringing up the rear in sport class, we were mid pack and one of last year's beginners even demonstrated sport class podium potential!

Thanks to Dave Calvaresi for use of his hot tub for the post ride soak, rehydrate, and debrief.

Night rides this week:
* Tuesday 8:30 upper
* Thursday 8:30 lower

I am out of town - questionable for Tuesday.

Chris