Something You Don't See Everyday

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. An impromptu Sunday ride yielded another installment of "you don't see that every day" -- a tall blond woman performing her yoga routine in woods of Marsh Creek State Park. Not sure who was more surprised - her or us (it all happened pretty fast) - but no injuries were sustained so all is well in Nirvana/MCSP.

Trails are in excellent condition and will hopefully hold out with spotty rain forecasted for this week. Lots going on this week with rides and weather, so put down your coffee and pay attention:

• Tuesday night 8:30pm LL - no rain until late (10pm) so trails should be in outstanding condition.
• Thursday night 8:30 UL - this is a scheduled Chelsy's ride. Rain possible so we will monitor and consider rescheduling if it looks like a washout. Stay tuned.
• Sunday morning (roadie) - To get things rolling I'll suggest an 8am departure to Fair Hill. Please weigh in if you have other thoughts on departure time or destination, this is not a dictatorship although it may sound like one at times.

Note for those who have not been to Fair Hill, it is superb rolling terrain (no crazy hills) so it will not be a ball buster ride but we will rack up a lot of miles because it is such an awesome location, it just rolls and rolls and rolls...

Please reply if you will be riding on Sunday so I can coordinate xport. If so, please also indicate if you can drive and if so your cargo capacity.

Chris

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live."

– Mark Twain

That Blessed Vernal Equinox

We will celebrate the vernal equinox with a happy hour ride at 4:00pm today. Sun and wind seem to have dried things out nicely and 4PM forecast is balmy 50 degrees and partly sunny skies - should make for super riding conditions and official kickoff to spring. If the early start time is a challenge let me know, maybe we can rendezvous somewhere mid ride.

Sunday is Easter so no Sunday morning ride planned. Possibly a makeup ride tomorrow though, chime in with a proposed time/place if interested. Maybe scout out Hibernia or ride to Sunoco/Harmony Hill?

A big bike week coming up:

• Chelsy's this Thursday the 27th - remember Thursday is now open mike night at Chelsy's. Rumor has it that Ahern can do a pretty good cover of The Boss, Riley knows a few chords on the guitar, and I can play a mean tamborine. It can only a matter of time before we add that to the list of misadventures...
  
• Roadie on Sunday the 30th - return to Fair Hill now that we know our way around, glorious single track of White Clay, settle the score at Blue Marsh, return to the mighty Wissahickon, so may options!
  

Chris

"It never gets easier, you just go faster"

– Greg LeMond

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

Speedos All Around

This evening's conditions were not as bad as you might expect - soft but not soupy. Saturday wet and Sunday dry. We'll depart from Lower @ 10am as usual.

On another note, spring is just around the corner and it is time to set some stretch goals to get into a speedo this summer. Sitting there reading this email won't cut it but the 2008 Hibernia Dualthlon will. The race is April 20th. $50 registration gets you motivation to get in shape and 1.5 months of trash talking capped off 16mi of running and riding, apres race food, drink, and loads of jocularity. The sooner you register, the sooner you are in your speedo! https://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=5507

Finally anyone interested in a HH ride tomorrow let me know. Depart between 3:30 and 4:30 works best on my end.

That's all for now.

Chris

Sunday @ Sunoco

Great ride today at Sunoco. Hard to believe we've been banging around for almost 2 years and never really got our arms around this spot right in our back yard. Lots of twisty single track with some steep climbs and many awesome descents. Thanks to Bob for his guiding expertise - by the look of the GPS tracks (attached) we covered that patch of mud pretty well. Maybe next time Andy "trash-talk-then-split-for-NY" Sokol will be around so we can ride down direct instead of driving...

Don't bother cleaning your bikes - this week looks mild and therefore muddy:

• Tuesday 8:30pm departing Lower
• Thursday 8:30pm departing Upper

Don't let the mud scare you off, it does wash off eventually.

Chris

Chelsy's Goes Hollywood

Live band, open mike, and triple the normal Thursday crowd greeted us last night in our spandex and bike helmets. A few "old friends" were on hand (Cougar, pizza guy, Nate the bartender, and others) to make us feel right at home. Great night all around, and 14 degrees wasn't a problem once the numbness set in.

Our March roadie will be the 30th so lock it in. We will institute a standard roadie schedule soon so it is easier to plan.

This Sunday will be a "Roadie lite" - we'll be taking it over to Sunoco for the normal Sunday ride (10-12). I think we have been there once - parked at Downingtown Bikes. Since the place was overhauled, does anyone know of a better place to park (closer to the action, whatever)? Also anyone know of a decent map of the new layout (I will scrounge around at lunchtime but I figure if someone already has it...). Will plan to leave Lyndenwood at 10:00 sharp, probably puts us at Sunoco at 10:15 in case you want to meet us there (once we decide exactly where "there" is)... Let me know if you are in and stay tuned for more!

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