Haywoodja?

30th year of Jack Frosting

2011-12-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

I headed over to West Virginia with a load of wood and lots of anticipation to see friends at the White Grass Jack Frost party. I decided to try "Corridor H" otherwise know as Rt55/48. It is a bit of a hassle getting there from Harrisonburg. I went through Fulks Run, Matthias and then Lost River. I picked it up in Baker. It is a highway with gorgeous scenery and not many curves. There aren't many cars on it. I guess that will take some time and before we know it, there will be too many cars on it. It goes all the way to Knobley Road and then stops.You can see construction of the next sections in the distance It will go to Davis one day soon. I get that bittersweet feeling between making life easier and then destroying beautiful mountain land. It doesn't make the drive quicker from the burg, at least not yet.

We brought wood into the basement for our "cross training"...squat, load, lift, squat, lift. To bad, it was all split because using an axe would definitely give my core some sore! Donna and Brett are new iceboxers and they like "sleeping cold" so they will be great new additons to the co-op.

Tomi and I had skifever, so we went over to White Grass where the snow is there and it has to be used. White Grass where it is always skiable. White Grass where if your sliding, your smiling. White Grass where they farm snow. We got some rounds in on the snowfarm. Sliding and skating on a ribbon of snow, with brown all around us. It was fun to get back to that ever entertaining idea of kick and glide.

The Jack Frost party is the opening party for White Grass. It is always a big party because the fun of nordic skiing and Chipper are infectious. Chipper and his family are american nordic royalty with genuine mountain hospitality. It always great to see old friends at the party and then see them later in the winter after a big dump.

The crew went biking the next day. It was wild with snow on the ground and us in short sleeves. The mountain biking in canaan is so fun and very unique. It has something for everyone. It was wet and muddy, though. What do you expect with 75 inches of rain so far this year!

And of course, riding a fixed gear mountain bike up in Canaan is a blast!

Oh yea, I'm 40, too!

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000-04:00

I turned 40 on October 9. It was a great week(s) of partying and celebrating a great life and super fun friends. It is a little daunting turning 40 but I never want to be one of those people who complain about being old. It sounds so negative. Its way more fun to think about possibilities and experiences.

Happy Birthday Tim!

2011-10-07T10:39:00.000-04:00

Tim and Ruby

He can ride some hairy lines

He is super smooth

He has won one Six Pack Invitational

He loves me lots

And he is a real good dresser

Matt and Katy's Wedding

2011-10-03T15:03:00.000-04:00

Matt and Katy walk in to the party

They danced

And people danced

The cake was yummy

The bride can dance!

Kyle was en fuego

Fresh D and White Wine

Things got hazy

It was so fun to celebrate with these two sweet people. Stokesville Campground has been the place for so many great memories. Including this weekend's annual Shenandoah Mountain Bike Festival.

September luck

2011-09-16T10:56:00.000-04:00

Shine On!

Elk River Touring Center offers awesome Ladies Singletrack Weekends

Canadians are funny and fun to ride with

How a Canadian washes his hands

WOW!

People are already complaining about the colder temps...but I love the seasons. Change is good and it fuels progress. Enjoy!

Summ, summ, summertime synapsis

2011-08-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

The summer of 2011 has been really awesome. Obviously, since I haven't posted since June and the Tran-Sylvania Epic. Its been sad not having my dad around to tell about all these cool things. My mom has been really strong and staying healthy in body and mind, so that is really inspiring.

CANAAN MTB FESTIVAL

The 3rd annual festy was a great weekend of riding. The friday Ladies Day had over 20 female riders laughing their way through skills drills, tough singletrack, a lovely lunch and more singletrack. It was a big group and that is how we like it when it comes to women and mountainbiking.

We had some really nice folks come out for the group rides. We had three different rides go out: The Nature lovers ride with Chip Chase, The Moon Rocks loop with MR jeff and Rob S and then the Adventure Ride with me and Chaga. Epic ride with a lunch stop at the Trail Mix.

Sunday was split between work and play. We did trail work in the am and built a bridge and then the chaotic Bike Hash. It was nice to see more folks come out for trail work and our leader Ken Dzaak was very impressed with what we got done. Thanks to Luke and Catherine for the awesome bike specific scared vessel.

Tim and I got to go to the BEACH at Emerald Isle and hang out with special friends. I love the beach!

TOUR DE BURG

What a crazy, cool, tough, funny, hot, cheap, epic blast of an event. Put it on your bucket list. Its that good and that intense. Since our Director was out with a bad back, he put the screws to us with lots of tough climbs and burly singletracks.

BETTER RIDE CLINICS

I've been teaching a few Betterride.net clinics this summer. These 2 day mini camps are a great way to learn to mountain bike, as well as unlearn some bad habits that you probably have picked up over the years. I like Gene Hamilton's curriculum and his website has great tips, videos and resources to expand your mind with regards to mountainbiking. I'll be teaching another one in Harrisonburg on October 22 and 23rd.

RACING AND RIDING

I got to do some cool races like the IRON MOUNTAIN 100k in Damascus, Virginia. This southwest part of Virginia has some bigs mountains and beautiful rivers. This race has some good singletrack and hometown feel. The Blackwater Epic was a muddy one, but so fun to race over the moon rocks, not once, but twice!
And I even got to do some road racing at the Tour of Page County. I got to mix it up a little with the strong roadie girls who were very friendly.

A couple of us rode to Spruce Knob from Harrisonburg and back. There are so many epic back roads and big climbs around here, the road riding can get really big and rough.

There isn't a ton on the slate for the next couple of weeks, just lots of riding and still working the Landscaping Gig with Great Outdoors Landscaping. We had a great outing on the mountainbikes on day when we played hookey from work.

And even got out with the Local Tuesday Ladies Ride.

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I'll try to write more. Ride on!

TRAN-SYLVANIA: NOT EXOTIC

2011-06-12T09:10:00.001-04:00

I just finished the Trans-Sylvania Epic Mountain Bike Stage Race in State College, Pennsylvania. This race made me think about all the history of mountain biking and the good things about our sport and those good things boil down to people(community), bikes and terrain.

The promoters of this race are Mike Kuhn and Ray Adams. They run the race under their company The Outdoor Experience. They are Pennsylvania born and bred mountain bikers. They are family men and have done their share of racing, wrenching, coaching and promoting and bike touring. This was a big dream idea for them and they made it happen. They made it happen with hard work and the help of their family, community and mountain bikers who are interested in these type of epic events. They chose State College because of the diversity and depth of trails, the strong cycling community there and the sweet Seven Mountains Boy Scout Camp location for base camp.

These are a couple of quotes taken from www.cyclingnews.com

Adams: The scout camp with its lodges, food, pool, pond, tent sites is our current headquarters. It would be tough to beat that, and it can house 300 or 400 people if we ever get to that level, though I don't know if we want to get to that level. It'd be hard to find another place as good as State College and the Alleghenies.
Kuhn: The Nittany Mountain Bike Association (NMBA) and the cycling community in State College are phenomenal. They are really active in building trails in the Rothrock State Forest. The work done at Raystown Lake has been incredible - it's been touted as some of the best purpose-built trail. In addition, there is an active moto community, and the leader of that community is interested in working with the mountain bike community to create more trails that are sustainable and can be used by mountain bikes, too. They want to build a long-term relationship. This area is a fantastic place to be hosting a mountain bike event.
Kuhn: More stages starting and finishing from the campground will build the community atmosphere of the event and people will have more time to hang out in the morning before the stages.
Adams: As we grow, we don't want to lose focus on the individual aspect of the race. It's about customer service. We don't want the race to become so big we can't make everyone happy. We want to run a quality event.
It seems to me that the driving force in stage racing is the enthusiast-level racers. It's important to cater to them, too. I want to balance fun and challenge. I want to err on the side of fun while still keeping it interesting for the pros.

I loved the fact that Mike and Ray's parents were there making cookies, making prizes, being course marshals and providing support for their sons. It was a cool atmosphere that they created. It was homey and fun. There were kids playing, dogs running, music jamming, slide shows nightly, pool, pond and creek swimming and nice prizes, too.

It was great to see lots of locals supporting the event. I use that as a measuring stick. Local businesses like Stans No Tubes, Freeze Thaw Cycles and Lizard Maps were sponsors. Locals like Vicky Barclay and Rich Straub and Richie Rich were fast podium finishers. The volunteers were young, local and vocal.

I also like that I could set up my tent and camp and cook for myself. I slept so good under the stars every night and it was easy to wake up with the sun filtering through the trees. The showers and bathrooms were close. The food at the cafeteria looked good with vegetarian and gluten free options. There were no laundry facilities, so Erin Bishop was sweet enough to do mine. Freeze Thaw Cycles helped me with any bike issues, but Tim had my bikes dialed in before I went up. Buck was there for massages.

There were seven stages and each one was a little bit different. The general lay of the land is gentle hills, springs, sandstone rock bars and smooth gravel roads. I was in my big ring lots more than in my granny gear. I liked the rocks and struggled on the gravel roads. I literally felt like I was going backwards when the gun would go off. The girls were hitting it hard on the gravel roads starts. Thankfully, I felt like I was flying when I was on the singletrack or rugged doubletrack. Mentally, I was refreshed by the singletrack and physically I was drained by the gravel. But in the end, like I said before the race, fitness matters more than technical skills. My fitness was lacking to capitalize on my skills, but I was pumped up by the singletrack so that left me happy. I had poor starts that left me a big gap to make up, which I never did. And since I was a little "undertrained", I came out of the race stronger instead of super tired.

And I had time to think about my Dad and his positive impact on my life. Someone suggested that I win the race for him and that would of been great but didn't happen. The main thing is that riding in his memory helped me keep the creeps out.

The average person can totally do this race if they train some for it doing 3-5 hour rides. I think doing a handful of cross country races where you really push yourself at the start will help. Doing some very technical mountain biking on some sundays with friends will get your body and bike ready for the roughness of Coopers Mountain, Rothrock and Tussey. Going to the pump track once in a while will help with Raystown and RB Winter days. And putting in the road miles and occasional group road rides will get you ready for the Coburn stage and the in between. And if you are a serious racer, there is very good competition there and seven days of racing is great to do that time of the year.

Some stage highlights:
Stage 1 Prologue: Riding some local's moto trails. Riding up a false flat through a fern forest that had a hot tail wind like a hair dryer blowing on me. Going hard for the first time in a while...ouch.
Stage 2 Coopers Mountain: Some very nice singletrack with only a couple of big gravel climbs. Watching Vicky Barclay wreck when she thought that I said Vicky and I said Dicky. Losing the group of girls when I stopped to let air out of my tires and being never able to catch back up. Stopping a getting water out of a spring because I was dying of thirst. Never got gauardia so there are some clean springs up there. Amanda started to show her strength today. Selene is super fit too.

Stage 3 Coburn: Started out missing a turn and going off course for 2 miles. Being pleasantly surprised with how fun this day was after that, when on paper it looked like a roadie day. Having a high speed wreck five minutes from the finish that totally wrung my bell. It crunched my neck and scraped my face, chest, stomach and knees. I was frustrated and scared but my friends and doctor at the finish made me feel better. Sadly, stage one winner, Karen Potter, drops out with the cabin flu that is going around.

Stage 4 Raystown Lake: This was the easiest day by far. I thought that I would be cramping and going backwards in the heat and with all these tiny climbs. But it was the only time that I rode with Amanda and rode away from the other girls. It was just fun. Then a swim in the lake and a trip to Boxer's Pub for burger and beer made the day complete. Also, on the way out to Raystown stopped at an Amish Garden stand and got a couple pints of amazing strawberries and tender asparagus.

Stage 5 RB Winter mini xc: I didn't really know what to expect with this day. I thought that they were super d's even though the profile showed some climbing. The first stage had the most climbing and I lost the most time on that one. I rode the downhills well, but the lack of fast at the start made it hard to win. Plus, the amazing turbo of Selene Yeager made everyone else look like molasses. So happy that I never flatted. And even though we were out there a long time and got really thirsty, I liked this day. Of course it would be nice to have more downhill.

Stage 6 Tussey: Yes, it lived up to its name as the Queen Stage. Mind blowing beautiful ridge riding with laurel, fern and an old forest fire. I rode that ridge perfect and I'm sticking with that story.

Stage 7 The girls agreed to have fun and parade. It had all been sussed out in the previous 6 days. There were gaps of at least 15 minutes between everyone and that was not going to be changed in a 22 mile xc day. So there was lots of chitchat, some beers and a local winner. Those chicks are cool and so fun. A big highlight of the whole week was hanging with my buddies.

Stage 8-(optional) Beer crit. sloppy and funny. My beer chugging skills have gotten better since living in Harrisonburg but I still am tight lipped around those cans. That Maple Syrup drink, I'm calling it Green Mountain A-mish mash, was strong and got me more than a little silly. Reba and Greg helped me to bed in my minivan, thanks friends.

Stage 9- drive home and clean up...almost the hardest and saddest stage of all.

I ended up in fourth place overall and won $800. I was on the podium three times and got some cool swag including a sweet engraved buck knife which is way cooler for an east coast person than a belt buckle. I had a lot of fun, saw a bunch of friends, made new friends, got some bruises, went through some electrolytes and tires. I am a lot fitter now and can't wait to keep riding throughout the summer. I recommend this race if you like bikes, community and good terrain. I was thinking that they were going to have a tough time making Pennsylvania seem like an exotic adventure. I mean you can't ride an elephant or up a volcano or get caught in a june snowstorm at 10,000ft. But you know what, TSEpic is not Exotic...Its Homey and Intimate and I like that a lot.

better.

I

A shot of whiskey, a shot of courage

2011-05-28T14:48:00.000-04:00

What an emotional last couple of weeks! We laid my dad to rest yesterday close to where he spent his whole life near the Brandywine River. Hearing taps at a cemetery is probably one of the saddest sounds in the whole world. It was touching all the family and friends that came out to pay their respects. I just never realized what a positive influence he had on other people's lives. And that is the upside of a funeral, that you get to hear all those things and you get to see lots of people that you don't get to see too often.

After the funeral, lots of food and booze and great company helped eased the sadness. Cases of Yuenling and bottles of Scotch whiskey brought out the stories of "Big Al" before the cousins made him "Uncle Al" and then the grandchildren made him "PopPop Al". It warmed my heart to see my mom take a shot of whiskey in his memory. She has been a rock, so focused in her faith, that his faith will carry him on to golden shores. He will suffer no more where he is going. His death has made me think a lot about what happens after this crazy life.

Getting ready for a seven day stage race(www.tsepic.com) is a bit daunting on its own and burying your dad two days before is far from ideal. But I'm not going to use that as an excuse, but rather a source of focus, inspiration and energy. I thought about not doing the race, but I know that he would of wanted me to race because he was my biggest fan and supporter. Plus, his timing of when he died, made it possible for me to attend his funeral and do the race.

Now, things are easy, I just ride. When it comes down to it, its the easiest thing in the world. And at times I make it way harder than it needs to be. Tim reminded me of that in my pre race pep talk. KISS...Keep it simple stupid and have tons of fun.

And by the way, at my funeral, I want this song by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole Somewhere over the Rainbow.

Respect to Poppy

2011-05-23T18:59:00.000-04:00

Albert Joseph Haywood 1932-2011

My dad was laid back, smart and loving. He was a family man that raised three daughters and one son. He had eight grandchildren that he loved very much. He adored my mom to whom he was married for 54 years. He played golf and enjoyed computers. He went to church his whole life. He still had some friends that he met in kindergarden. My dad bought me my first mountain bike and was always my biggest supporter.

He was sick a lot at the end of his life and suffered the last few years. He always maintained his sense of humor and kind heart.

And even though I'm so glad he doesn't have to suffer anymore, It is still really sad that he's gone. My heart is heavy. I'll miss you, poppy!

SDS 2011 photos

2011-05-12T08:54:00.000-04:00

38 Days to the Trans-Sylvania Epic MTB Race

2011-04-21T09:13:00.000-04:00

It was a great weekend. David and Erin got married between crazy downpours and gusty winds. The weather was a total non issue as the Steel Wheels Band jammed under cover of the beautiful restored barn on Crusher Run Farm. The bride and groom were elated as they danced, laughed and ate pie. There was no wedding cake, but rather blueberry, apple and peanut butter pie. David was on cloud nine. Erin looked beautiful.

Then the former men's leader, Ryan Fawley(www.fawley.wordpress.com) rallied me to go up to the WVMBA Big Bear race. Even though he is the former men's leader, I think this might be his year to get the title back. Ryan is riding great and his head is strong this year. Of course, its pretty tricky to win a race when Nick Waite(www.Nick-Waite.blogspot.com) shows up. You could hear the grumbles of the locals when these pro show up. There were so many familiar faces there and some blasts from the past as well. WVMBA has an amazing thing going on.

The Big Bear XC race is held on an awesome course. There was a 6 mile prologue and then on to the bigger 14 mile loop. I love the starts at WVMBA races because they are fast, aggressive, crazy and usually a little bit technical. It was good practice for me. Since, I've "retired" from high level racing, the starts have been the thing that has suffered the most. There is just no quickness or power to my starts. And I get caught back and its slower. But having great singletrack always keeps my focus.

I got smoked at the start by my competition, friend and coaching client, Cassie Smith. Cassie had a great start and collected the $30 prime sponsored by Benji's company for the prologue. She actually had to physically grab the money, which I thought was funny. I saw Cassie several times, just seconds ahead, but could never close the gap. Whether it was messing up on the "Crack" trail, hitting a tree on a muddy road, or being a sissy on the creek downhill, I was not as smooth as her, nor as fast.

But I have to say how stoked I am that an athlete that I coach is making so much progress and is so strong on her mountain bike. She is a dedicated athlete who does all the workouts that I give her and that commitment shows and makes me proud. Also, her husband, Jeff, whom I coach as well, won his race, too. They are one fast family.

With the TSE(www.tsepic.com)

only 38 days away, I'm getting more excited. It still feels early for a seven day stage race, but as Sue George said last night when I rode with her, "There is a pretty short window for summer in State College". But Sue got me psyched up for the race by telling me how much she absolutely loves the riding there. She loves both the variety and the rocks. Its her favorite.

The main issue, well besides the fitness thing, is the bike and tire choice. I'm really torn over the 29er. I just might be one of those freaks that don't think 29ers are the holy grail. For example, I am so much slower on my 29er on the downhills. Now, that is not scientific, but its a feeling. I don't feel as fast and thus I feel uncomfortable. Its strange because everyone says how the 29ers roll over everything. I feel like they are a truck instead of an suburu. The feeling I get on my Flux, which is set up as a 650B front and 26 rear, is fast and confident. I can flick the bike. I can jump the bike, I can do log hops, I can do manuals, I can rail the corners. On the 29er, I just hold on. Now, I love the 29er on the roads. But how much road is there actually in the TSE? And how much actual downhill is there in the TSE?

So, I'll race my Flux at Michaux and ride the Sultan 29er at Stokesville-Douthat-Stokesville and I will continue to debate which bike to use on which day at the TSE. And I know, its not just about the bike, but a bike you love can provide a greater measure of fun, which is what its all about.

Oh! and its Ramp time...get some King of Stink.

If you want to be a good...keep the creeps out!

2011-04-04T18:12:00.000-04:00

This has to be my mantra for tough bike races...Keep the creeps out. What I call the creeps are the dark thoughts that I get when I'm struggling during a bike race. I call them that because they somehow creep into my thoughts even though I'm doing something that I chose to do, paid to do and love to do! The creeps go something like this..."These tires are slow and sticky, that is probably why you are so slow on the road right now." Or " You really need to start training seriously if you don't won't to feel like this." " You shouldn't of had that bag of potato chips and that BLT with extra B." Or the worst of all, " You are going to suffer so much and get your butt kicked up and down the state of Pennsylvania at the Trans-Sylvania Epic if you don't do some real training!" " Then you are so off the back with your training, there is no way, you can catch up to those other girls training base"

I just have to yell, " SHUT the FUCK UP" and it works. I finished the Dragon's Tale race in 5 hours. It was amazingly beautiful and I did fine. I pushed through the overcaffinated belly, the sticky tires, the endless hike a bikes and a very sore neck and upper back to win the race. I was so very tired afterwards, but know that a positive frame of mind has the power to keep the creeps out. The creeps are persistant and pernacious but with positivity, I'll prevail. And I know that I'll be suffering my ass into the saddle at the Trans-Sylvania Epic, but with the right attitude, I accept the suffering and smile and get that adventure vacation that I seek.

My next adventure vacation...Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic

2011-03-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

I know that I just got back from vacation in Sedona and Baja, but vacations are just about the coolest thing on earth. The Sedona and Baja trips involved a lot of mountain biking and some moto riding but this was all on the chill side of things. There was tons of beer drinking, margarita sipping and a general over consumption of chips. I rode bikes, but I wouldn't call it bike racing training. It wasn't bike racing training, but I guess it could be considered 'vacation training'.

So its mildly ironic to me that my next "vacation" is a bike race in Pennsylvania. And least that is the theme of the Trans-Sylvania Mountain Bike Epic Race. Its a seven day race that is going to dish out plenty of fun and awesome riding, but isn't there going to be some pain and suffering involved as well? Should vacations really involve days upon days of driving your ass into your saddle and racing against girls who are much more fit and driven to win? Should it involve grinding up hills that you don't know where they end and flying down rocky gnarl that you hope is mostly benign? I guess that is the adventure part. And since I do love adventure, and vacations...I'm really looking forward to this experience at the end of May.

And if you are considering doing the race, sign up... and mention my name and I'll provide you with a quart of my homemade Piquin pepper Salsa that will light up your day.

Baja biking and backroads

2011-03-03T11:44:00.000-05:00

Baja

2011-02-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Yes, We are alive and well in Baja!

This is a cool spot in the world, so close to the U.S. Its also cool enough that there is a lot to do so cell coverage and internet access don't matter that much. But I just wanted to say that you should go to Baja!

The highlights are: moonscapes galore, pacific ocean and Sea of Cortez, sand moto riding and a friendly windy hamlet for mtbing down south

and the best margaritas that I have ever had.

I'll update more specifics when we get back to our over connected normal life.

Above Hemet

2011-02-13T13:21:00.000-05:00

San Diego is a sunny nice place. Its that weird mix of rugged ocean coastline, hip and healthy urbane living, highways, and dry high mountains. We kept getting mixed reviews of the mountain biking prospects. Some said it good and some said it is lacking. And of course after riding in Sedona for a while, the possibility for let down was pretty high.

Luckily we had our buddy, Yo Andy, to take us around. As we all know, you can't beat riding with a local. Andy took us out to Noble Canyon the first day. It was a cool day up there at 6,000ft. The traction of Sedona, long gone being replaced by ball bearings. The climbing was a fun mix of swooping singletrack and downright steep rocky stuff. The downhills the same with rocks jutting out and weird angles and little gaps between those weird angles. There was a devestating fire here 10 years ago. It left some eerie burnt out giant trees standing amidst the lush fire inspired undergrowth. In Noble Canyon there was this section of trail that we kept flushing out all these birds. There were birds coming out of everywhere. Then minutes later, we were in frog canyon. The frogs sounded loud and strong. It was so weird for us to hear frogs in February because they are a summer time thing for us.

Then the next day we did shuttle runs at Steel Bridge. Yea, Nate you didn't miss a thing. I mean it was fun to ride Andy's Turner Highline and all but it didn't float my boat as much as going out on a cool big mountain ride. But, I think it does help to mix it up. I still don't jump well and downhill riding can encourage that. And there is a lot to learn with cornering out here on a trail like that. The weirdest thing was that it was on National Wildlife Refuge. I could never see this being tolerated in Canaan where the rangers see bikes as motorcycles. I have a feeling California has some weird recreational user relationships.

The next day we did the Mission Trails. These trails are the closest to the city and are really fun. They have some awesome steep loose climbs straight up or ones that meander up the hills. The downhills were really fun. And again its all about how fast you can corner to go fast on the downhills.

We have been sleeping in our van in Andy and Laura's backyard under this huge tree. I'm not sure but I think its a Yew. Its massive and we have been sleeping so well. We've been sampling the urban fare and loved the Mission House and El Zarape taco stand. Some of the mexican food is not spicy, its weird. California has such great veggies and great choices for people who are vegetarians and vegans and glutens free.

We are heading out for a ride with a small group including Jamie Dollar who is from Winchester, VA. It is weird how sometimes you have to travel far to see people who live close. I think we are heading out to San Juan Capistrano for a nice xc ride. And then I'm jonesing to go to Mexico and ride our dirt bikes and see a new country.

PHX

2011-02-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

There was a cold snap in Sedona and we knew are time was coming to a close there...for now at least. Our blood has gotten very thin with the warm temps, so 40 degrees felt impossibly cold. We did a last ride on Highline/Baldwin with super nice guy Jimmy who owns the Bike and Bean. It was cool riding Highline again first because its a great trail and secondly because it wasn't scary the second time. It was pure fun.

Tim dipped out on riding to take care of the hiccup with the van. Long story short, sometimes it takes an electrical guru to fix an electrical problem. And that electrical guru happened to live in the Black Hills on the way up to Jerome. It was a simple fix which are the most beautiful kind. So far, the hiccup has gone away.

Searching warmer temps we headed south to Phoenix. It was the band's last ride together as Collin was heading to San Diego, we were heading to New Mexico and Nate was heading back to D.C. Luckily we had a charismatic host in Gabe. Gabe is the head hunter and administrative guru at BetterRide.net He is a big wordly kid and has a pump track around a pool in his back yard. The boys were in heaven.

Good thing for me it wasn't pump tracking only, but we got to get out and do some proper xc riding at South Mountain on the National Trail. What a cool park right in the center of Phoenix. I've ridden there before, but Gabe showed us some local secret trails.

Of course the boys showed their stuff and cleared some things that Gabe hasn't seen anyone clear before. They are good riders and even if they stayed in the hollers of the George Washington Forest and no one ever saw their riding, I would know that they are some of the best riders around. I did pretty good, but struggled making the transition to powdery gray rocks from Sedona's grippy red. I chicken out on some rocky drops.

It was cool staying in Tempe and being able to walk to stores and restaurants which was something I wasn't expecting.

Sedona bliss

2011-02-01T14:29:00.000-05:00

We are continuing to enjoy our Sedona trip. The locals have been taking us on all their favorite rides. Tex said to Tim the other day, "When you first came here I thought you guys were freaks, but then I realized that you were with Sue Heyword" The truth is of course we are freaks and no way could I bring the normalcy factor up in our crew.

The riding is fun, but riding some of the stuff the first time can be high on the adrenaline factor. Like the Hawgs, the first time we rode that it seemed a little scary. The second time was pure fun. Highline was very difficult and I would love to go back to that and give it another go. That is the one that made Jennifer cry and turn around. It was tough.

Ken's trail had that effect on Collin. Ken's trail is a little used trail off of Airport. Later Jimmy said ,"yea, if you don't like that first drop in on Ken's then you won't like the rest of the trail" and I had to take the sneak line right away, so... I actually liked trying stuff that I never try like super loose gravel piles and jumps and big drop ins. I couldn't lower my seat any more, so it was a little sketchy and I did have to walk a good bit. But I did push myself and do some big moves. We rode with Jackie Harmony that day. She is a pro downhiller and it was cool to see her go at some big jumps with speed and go down some super steep loose stuff with some corners. In the end, the consensus was that shuttling is not for us in Sedona. We would rather ride up and down and get in the groove.

I'm loving riding everyday and love my bike so much right now. I'll get up a post of what I'm riding and what my schedule is for this year...its going to be a good one.

Damifino

2011-01-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Our VA crew was lucky enough to get Chewy and Ross to take us on our backyard trails of Cowpies, Hangover, Damifino and Killer Bs. We were all a bit nervous because we kept hearing about how awesome and fast Chewy was and of course we know Rad Ross is super fast. I was a little nervous because I was starting to feel the fatigue of zero riding before coming out. And then the riding is very punchy here. There is always a big step up or a big drop to suck up. Then it is constant up and down. There are some tough transitions here and then add a preciepe and it can get pretty intense. The thing about being tired, is that you make more mistakes and it hurts.

We made our way up to the Cowpies which are these huge Sandstone outcrops that look like big cow pies. It is a great ride up to the saddle. You can also see the layer of Apache Limestone that forms big square blocks before it crumbles below. The boys played around on some slick rock and then made this crazy tough switchback uphill before the saddle. Chewy and Tim made this practically impossible vertical switchback. Their energy to try and retry moves until they make them is very impressive.

It was really windy at the saddle as the boys dropped into Hangover. Jennifer and I took the reach around("easy line"). Hangover starts out mellow and then the rocks start protruding out towards the edge requiring one to gracefully skirt the edge of the trail. There were trees, ice and tough little uphills and of course, non stop drops. Collin has some amazing video coverage of Hangover. Tim had a minor mechanical with a chuncked pully, but was able to keep on.

We intersected Munds again, headed up to Cowpies and then at the saddle took Damifino. Very tricky trail with the same MO...side hill, soft edge, drops and steep little ups. It crossed over slick rock that way out in the open and the wind nearly blew me off my bike. There was a patch of crazy ice that Ross slide down like a penguin. There were so many steep bits in succession and the boys were so fast, it was hard to find the trail. That is another thing about Sedona, if you can hang with a local and follow their lines then your chances of making something are a lot better. Tim and Collin are really good at that. But us girls are getting smoked and figuring it out on our own which is slower and can be frustrating, but honestly I don't care because I really like picking my own line and looking up to find different lines. And the boys and our guides have been really nice about waiting.

Killer B's was really fun and beautiful with all the magnificent cedars. Levitra had a crazy steep drop with a tight turn on bottom of it. I tried it and didn't have my weight back far enough and did a flip OTB. I haven't done a sommersault like that in a while. Jennifer got to see the whole thing. I was really luckly that I didn't fall in any cactus, just some old manzanita bushes. Then as if it could get any crazier...it did. There was this rosebowl....it was a skinny wall ride around a canyon. It was skinny and I was scared. I could here the boys saying just roll it , but I couldn't. Then there were all these bridges and skinnys and non-stop action. We ended up in Oak Creek Canyon and sketchily crossed the creek.

Ross took us under Midlgey Bridge to the Jim Thompson trail. It felt good to open it up at that point and not have to worry about death. Ahhh. It was a good day...big. I was feeling a little fragile after the ride. I was tired, exhilerated, beat up. Tim gave me lots of attention and we grilled food and drank High Lifes. It was another amazing day in Sedona.

Chillaxing in the Vortexes

2011-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Sedona is anodes spelt backwards. They call that a palandrome. Anodes are a term relating to electrical currents. Sedona is considered to be an area of undeniable spiritual vibrations. Sedona is alive with Vortexes. We call them Vorteesees. In fact there are more vorteesees in Sedona than anywhere else on earth. A Vortex is a "power spot" where a great amount of energy emits from the earth. Healing seems to be a theme here.

If there are strong psychic vibrations here they must have a positive effect on the population and the tourists. People have been friendly and open. Especially the other trail uses that we have met. And by the way we have only seen two other bikers on the trails and all the rest happy hikers. We even smelled sage on the trail today while someone was on a healing walk.

We continue to have fun and are for sure charged up. We are eating chips and salsa every day. Jennifer is practicing wheelies morning and evening. Nate is taking good pictures and doing big drops. Tim is getting his Jedi balance back and Collin's world just busted wide open. I'm riding the downhills fast and sporting some big Arizona pinstripes(scratches from cacti and cat claw)

Schnebly and The Hogs

2011-01-25T17:27:00.000-05:00

We are staying at the base of Schnebly Hill so we rode out the door and took the singletrack. Munds Wagon trail is a sweet singletrack climb. Its got some really tough bits, but not tough enough for Collin and Tim. Its amazing the things that they and Nate and even Jennifer and me are riding up. We couldn't find Hangover, so we did Super D training back down and that was exhilerating.

Then lunch and an afternoon ride with our guide Tex. Tex did us Texas right showing us the Hogs. Damn fine, technical riding. By the end I was spent and it was dark. Another mexican dinner and another amazing day in Sedona

Sunday ride in Sedona

2011-01-25T11:59:00.001-05:00

The locals are real friendly and pretty much rabid about their mountain biking. That devotion doesn't necessarily translate to speed, but it can. We were wanting to experience some of the locals rides so we joined the Mountain Bike Heaven Sunday group ride. The boys had taken a liken to Rama Jon, the owner. He is a NOD( gnarly old dude) and has lived in Sedona over 20 years. We've heard he knows all the vortex doors and we believe it because he would be riding behind us and then appear in front of us.

Rama and the rest of the crew were worried that we were racers into a fast training ride. We tried to say that we were on the ride because we wanted some socializing with the locals. The ride did start out pretty mellow and then we got to Special Ed trail. We told them that we had actually already ridden Special Ed, twice, so they generously offered to take us on something else. We were excited.

We crossed 89 and headed over to Ledge and Airy(Ledgnedairy) Wes was amazing showing us the lines over fun rock jumps and up steep little grunts. We loved this trail because it had crazy exposure, tiny loose tread and big rocks. It was gorgeous and gave me some good adrenaline. There was a crazy steep roll in rock that was an awesome view spot.

The mbh crew then took us up Tim's wash. This was the most technical trail that we have ridden because you had to keep it rolling and do step ups and gaps. The trails was mostly flat and some sand spots. The boys did great, playing around on tough spots and session spots they just found fun. Wes played around a lot and Johnny and crazy Dave liked to do some hucking.

We had another great day in Sedona. It feels so good to riding daily again...like a pro.

89B on the outskirts of Sedona

2011-01-24T11:19:00.000-05:00

We made it to Sedona and our entourage has been camping out in National Forest on 89B. It is a beautiful spot. One morning Tim walked up on the hill with Ruby and saw some hot air balloons flying over head. It was a magical moment. Craig "mountainbiking in all 50 states" Bierly turned us on to the camp spot. The moon rise over camp and the stars have been real "out west" moments.

Craig took us on a good ride in Carroll Canyon, Pyramid, Special Ed and Ridge. He has GPS tracks of all his rides, so he has the cool trail beta. Collin, Tim, Nate and Jennifer are a blast to ride with. We have adapted quickly to the ledge and drop riding, as well as the exposure combined with the cactus. We are loving mountain biking in the warm weather and meeting fellow bike riders.

We have moved in to our new diggs down by the river. We are at the base of Schnebly Hill by Oak Creek. We are missing our sunny spot in the wild, but we can ride right from here and get on singletrack. And that is one of the best things about Sedona is that there is so much singletrack that is all accessible from town by bike.

Pics from Syllamo, Arkansas

2011-01-24T11:01:00.000-05:00

We had a ball in Arkansas with great trails, some tasty food, interesting thrift stores and friendly folk. Mountain View is pretty far out off the beaten track, but worth a stay or do the NUE race there in May.

15 hours of Syllamo

2011-01-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

We are in Arkansas! Syllamo to be precise. Say it like Sillamo. It is the Folk music capital of the world. We must be encountering our first vortex of the trip. The pull to get here was strong...driving 15 hours through the night on lots of straight roads. We made it and met with Andrea and had a good breakfast at Country Time. There were photos of Folk Music heros and me and Nate had a country Bologna Sandwich Platter. The bad road burn continued.

Andrea dealt with our bad road burn and let us sleep for a couple hours and then woke us up to ride. When she knocked on the door, I got a flashback of being in Europe at a race and having our manager wake us up to go training. Jet lag is for real and the pull of sleep after a sleepless night on the road was strong. But getting to see a bit of the Syllamo MTB trails was the right thing to do.

Situated on the banks of the White River, this is a mountain bike specific trail system. Andrea was on her Niner singlespeed and is a good rider. The rest of us were brought back to life with the first downhill on the Bald Scrappy loop. That orange blaze downhill was awesome. Its been too long, and it felt awesome to be back on the bike.

There was a nice mix of rocks and smooth singletrack. There were nice short climbs and fun downhills. There were some rocks and what made them so difficult was if they were wet, they were like ice.

Andrea made us some homemade mac and cheese with sweet potatoes and the sleepy eyes are on. Time for bed to get ready for tomorrow's adventure in this part of Arkansas.

7 degrees felt like 15

2011-01-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

There was a good group of daytrippers over to White Grass today. It felt so good to get a long day of skiing in. We got second tracks(thanks chagakhan!) on the slope and warmed up with 5 or 6 up and downs. Then off to the pipeline for some nice powder runs and xcing up the Nordic National, over to the Breakfast bowl Flatrock Bow, Springer Meadows, and more slope turning.

I recently saw an ad for Madshus skis that advertised for their cross country downhill ski. I love that term because even tough I love to make tele turns, I still consider what I do to be cross country downhilling...kinda like super d or all mountain.

Its amazing how warm going up hill can keep you and then the thrill of going down keeps me warm, too. So when is 7 degrees out, it really feels like 15!

2010-12-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

I had some magical days skiing up in Canaan. I love skiing from the front door of the Icebox, seeing what trails have been tracked in, searching for deer and bear tracks and listening for nuthatches and chickadees. I was sad when Ruby wouldn't go with me. I know the snow sticks to her paws some, but maybe she doesn't love it as much as she used to and maybe with her bad vision its scary. She was content to sit on the couch.

The skiing at White Grass was awesome. Big giant thanks to Chip, his staff and his volunteers who clear the glades so tele crazies can ski fast through the trees. Little Wing, Jack Frost Glades, Robert's Woods, Blade Runner, Steeps of Baldy, Cathedral Woods, Sauna Holla, Flatrock Bowl, Anita Steeps, The Nose, etc. So many woods, so much snow. I'm psyched that my leg is feeling better than last year for making turns. It still gets wobbly, but now I'm turning with more confidence. Plus, getting to ski with some of the legends of Canaan who can make good turns on the lightest of gear stokes me up. Seeing Charlie and TP shred the woods with skimpy stuff reminds me its technique. But I was stoked about my set up...Karhu 10th Mountain Skis, Rottefella 3 pins with risers, Asolo Snowfields and Black Diamond Traverse poles. This is a White Grass classic set up and you'll see lots of folks ripping on variations of this. I still don't see the need for plastic boots on this terrain, but to each his own. I will say that the better skier you are, but more you should experiment with light gear. Its a great challenge.

I love making turns, but also love sweating going fast uphill and the best thing for that for me is skate skis. I have some fast Atomic Beta Skates that I like to put on for ultimate glide. It gets kinda old slogging around on backcountry skis, so when you put on fast, skinny skis, its like going for a fast road ride. But technique counts for a lot as well as grooming. I was lucky enough to get to follow Lester in the Piston Bully going up Three Mile trail. Perfect fresh packed powder. It felt good. I'm no nordic snob, so I think White Grass has the best of all worlds down pat.

Also, consider taking a lesson to improve your technique and thus increase your fun. Morgan Chase teaches tele lessons to kids as well as to adults, look him up the next time you are at White Grass.

XXX

2010-12-13T18:23:00.000-05:00

Finally posting some pics of the Six Pack Invitational Downhill Party. It was fun and wild. There was a custom mini bike ramp, kegs, crazy costumes and two Team Turner winners! After a two year drought, I regained the title. That felt good, because the term "former champion" or another example, "former men's leader" or the "artist formerly know as Prince" just doesn't feel as good as WINNER!

"

For Adults Only

2010-11-30T17:09:00.000-05:00

Harrisonburg gets crazy the first weekend of November. These are pics from the Fixed Gear Universal Championships in the Rock Garden. I'm mean you could be riding around in circles in a skinsuits with a bunch of fags at a cyclocross race or you could be with your dude friends drinking beer and pushing big gears...no coasting, no comprimises. Extreme Joel won the title.

Doll Ridge

2010-11-23T14:59:00.000-05:00

I haven't been riding much lately and badly needed to get out and experience this the joy of exercise. But it doesn't feel like exercise per say, but I have to say how much I love the mix of adrenaline and endorphins. I panted and sweated and muscled my way up Bear Wallow. I was riding Tim's Turner 5 spot. It took some getting used to the super slack head angle on the uphills. On the downhills it was friggin awesome. When you have 160mm of stiff Marzocchi on the front and an uber capable Turner chassis you can ride some really crazy stuff.

No better spot for some crazy technical mtb trail than Massanutten Mountain. So after climbing up and over Bear Wallow, you cross over the fire road of mud hole gap. You then climb up to the Doll Ridge and start your churning and burning over some knife edge rock fins. There are some tall rocks that just seem to lean in one direction and you have to ride between them, or on the top of them or often times cross over them. All this requires big cohones, core strength, balance and big grippy tires. I took my share of spills landing with my clipless pedals still attached. I was much more confident on the 5 spot than I was on the Sultan(more on 29ers later). It was hard, but so much fun.

Its also so fun to see such an amazing group of riders tackle this type of terrain with such conviction and style. This is very picky, ballsy riding. Tim, Collin, Nate, Jennifer, Matt and Foodles all rode so many amazing things. I felt in the presence of mtb greatness. A trip to Jalisco's in Strasburg put the icing on a perfect day.

Bike for Sale

2010-11-13T08:13:00.000-05:00

In an effort to raise some dough for a big bike trip out west this winter, I have to sell an old favorite. This is a Trek USPS OCLV 54 cm with Race X Lite Wheels with DT 240 Hubs. 9 Speed with Dura Ace 170 cm cranks, Front and Rear Dereailleur. Bontrager seat, tires and 90mm Stem. Pedals not included. She is a great ride and super light. I'm asking $1300. Email me with questions or interest. If you are in the Harrisonburg area, you can take it for a test ride. suzehaywood@yahoo.com

Looking East Towards Virginia

2010-11-05T19:01:00.001-04:00

I'm back!

2010-11-05T16:35:00.001-04:00

I know I suck! I'm so sorry. I'm not going to lie...just call me LAZY SUSAN.

So many cool things happened this summer that I'm going to just skip right to October. October is the best month ever. I love it.u

HooHaHaHa

2010-07-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

Harrisonburg and Massanutten did a fine job at the HooHa. The courses were really great and the competition very fast. I surprised myself and won the Super D. I didn't think that I had a chance against Kelli Emmett, but home course advantage paid off. JB was second to Sid and Carp was a hot fourth. Its hard to believe that Sid can win a rocky Super D on 1.9 tires pumped up to 40 lbs, but I guess that is what it means to be a pro. The Short track was unbelievable hell. How can I be blown after 5 minutes? I used to be good at short track? It was exciting seeing JB and Sid tangle. Sid is the type of guy that you ask, "Oh you are from Australia?(since he was wearing the Australian National Jersey) and he says rudely, "No, I'm not...I'm from Tasmania" WTF, mate! It was great to see JB and Nick put him in his place in the XC. I got put in mine by Kelli and new comer Anina. But honestly, I had tons of fun and rode well. I won $215 dollars for third place in xc.

Happy 10th Year to SBC

2010-06-05T12:54:00.000-04:00

Tim and Thomas started The Shenandoah Bicycle Company ten years ago this week. As crazy Tom said today," They started on a shoetring and look at them now!" They have contributed enourmously to the cycling community here in Harrisonburg. They make their work fun and are so generous with their time and energy. Plus they have employed some good friends over the years.

Thanks SBC for the all the years, keep turning the over the gears and now its time to drink some beers!

Johnny Giro 2010

2010-06-01T19:06:00.000-04:00

The Giro d' Ville is one of three Grand Tours that happen for my biking crowd. This is the first, then Tour de Burg which starts when the Tour de France does and then the Fall tour for the Vuelta d'Espana. This is a four day tour/race on mountain bikes. This year the theme was John Deer riding a bike being Johnny Giro and "I love it when you call me big poppa in honor of freshie baby Avery Quinn, daughter of Jordanna and Marty(Il Director). This year we were based out of Montebella Campground right off of the magnificent Blue Ridge Parkway. The Giro is all about style. And styled we were with showers, flush toilets and beautiful leaders and DFL jerseys. The only thing that was missing was lattes in the morning, but there was plenty of bacon.

The first stage was shortened due to a lightning storm. It packed a wallop anyhow dishing out 12 minutes of real uphill pain. My effort was good enough for the White Women's Leader's Jersey! Goldmember took the win and cast his bid for Pink. We then foot traveled up to Spy Rock Overlook. If you ever get the chance to go there, do it. Incredible 360 views of all green mountains. I forgot the camera that day, unfortunately.

The basic gist of the Giro D'Ville is Pleasure Pace(PP) ride to a destination where the timed section will start. The fastest people take the watches and then time themselves and all who come after. There aren't course markings or anything was you have to pay attention good at the pre race meetings or try and hang on Buschi's wheel. The racing is fast, but not too intensely crazy. Then we regroup, chit chat, fix flats, eat snacks and then PP to the next timed section.

I don't remember all the timed sections but the highlights were: climbing up Torry Ridge...brutal, brutal singletrack climbing. Racing across Whetstone Ridge, Flying down rugged jeep roads with nasty rocks and very poor visibility and the TTT. The TTT was a ladies team with one day poachers Fudala and Carpong. This was a mostly flat road time trial which typically would be boring, but for some reason this was a cool bonding experience. I was very impressed with FOOF A beating out an on paper winner of the JV squad. It must have been Brian Hall's effort. He is so uber fit.

Then to finish off the weekend we PP up Vesuvius which is only Catagory 1 climbing home to a barbeque. Goldmember was resplendant in pink, T-pain was in pain in DFL, Young Nick Pence was in red(climbers jersey) Pistol Pete in sprint jersey(watch out Collindish, he is coming to the Tour de Burg) and me in my dirty white bella donna jersey(Yes ladies lets have a rematch at the Tour).

Even though Il Director is moving to Golden, CO he says He'll be back for the Giro next year...what class, what style.

Women's Weekend on Spruce

2010-05-19T09:41:00.000-04:00

PULP smoothie bar is opening!

2010-05-14T00:10:00.000-04:00

The smoothie bar is a reality. Grand opening this weekend. Plus the bike shop has expanded too. Its all very exciting!. Tim did a creative build out and its fun and modern. So go by and get an acai bowl or quality Chinese tea.

I'll miss the opening because its a Girls gone wild weekend on Spruce Knob(grassy mountain) Three days of riding and chillin with the ladies.

Going big

2010-05-07T16:24:00.000-04:00

This weekend is Chris Scottistan's annula STOKESVILLE-DOUTHAT-STOKESVILLE trip. Its about 100 miles a day for two days. It ends up being about 18 hours of riding with about 25 hours of trip time. It is trail and road with lots of climbing. We overnight at Creasy Lodge in Douthat State Park. Some sweet girls do lunch and dinner support. Its about 18 folks with lots of out of towners.

Here's a couple pics from last year. I still don't have my camera cord, so I don't know if I'll get pics this year.

This sums it up right now

2010-04-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

Beside the Point Stephen Cushman, from The Virginia Quarterly Review

The sky has never won a prize.
The clouds have no careers.
The rainbow doesn't say my work,
thank goodness.

The rock in the creek's not so productive.
The mud on the bank's not too pragmatic.
There's nothing useful in the noise
the wind makes in the leaves.

Buck up now, my fellow superfluity,
and let's both be of that worthless ilk,
self-indulgent as shooting stars,
self-absorbed as sunsets.

Who cares if we're inconsequential?
At least we can revel, two good-for-nothings,
in our irrelevance; at least come and make
no difference with me.

Come ride with me in Slatyfork,WV

2010-04-22T13:37:00.000-04:00

The Staff at Elk River has been offering women’s specific clinics and tours for over fifteen years. We have been fortunate to work with several of the top women racers and instructors in the sport. In a classroom of lush eastern singletrack, we’ll build on basic techniques, confidence and having fun!!

Dates: May 21-23, 2010 and September 24-26, 2010
Sue Haywood and Meredith Erlewine will lead these fun, challenging and pampering weekends!

Day One - Arrival Arrive in time to ride by 3pm
Arrive at Elk River in Slatyfork, shake the highway out of your system, and settle into one of our charming B&B rooms. If renting a bike, you will be fitted at this time. At 3 pm, we’ll get together to meet the rest of the group, swap a few stories about how, why and where each of us got into the sport, and try to learn each other’s name. We will check bike and helmet fit, and then try some instructional exercises: fun, informative techniques practiced to make the more complicated skills simpler. Then we’ll head out for a short ride nearby (6 miles) to put our newly learned skills into practice, and then back to the inn to clean up and socialize before dinner.

Day Two
Coffee and breakfast at 8am, and then we’ll load the van and shuttle to a local trailhead. We’ll ride a total of about 15-20 miles today, taking several breaks for rest and instructional tips. Lunch will be packed and carried so that you may snack all day at your leisure. We’ll finish out the trail and come back to the center by 4-5 pm, leaving you free to hot tub, nap, chat and clean up for dinner on the deck. Either before or after dinner we’ll discuss some of the basics of bike mechanics.

Day Three
Another tasty breakfast starts our day out right, and we’ll load the van to shuttle part of the way up the mountain. Climb up, drop in, and we’ll hit the singletrack. A fun downhill and ride back to the center will put us at about 10 miles today. Clean and pack up before getting together for a sumptuous lunch buffet, exchanging addresses and snapshots. We are usually finished and saying our goodbyes between 1-2 pm.

$359-$409/person double occupancy
15% discount when you sign up with a friend!
Call 866-572-3771 to register

Note: Due to the technical level of some of the trails, this tour is not suitable for complete beginners. If you have some biking experience and are game for challenge, it is for you. Please have your bike in tip-top shape when you arrive for the weekend. We have a mechanic on staff for any problems which may arise during the tour. You should have a tire of at least 2" to even consider giving it your best.

*Ride routes may vary due to weather, group ability, and trail conditions, etc.

To register, or for questions, please call 1-866-572-3771

girls love bikes!

2010-04-14T13:54:00.000-04:00

Goodbye skiing

2010-03-24T08:50:00.000-04:00

Of course there is still skiing to be done, but I'm pretty much done. Having gone up to White Grass just about every weekend this winter, its time to stay closer to home and figure out my next move. It was really great working up in Canaan and seeing so many good folks. And skiing was great rehab for my leg, even though it was really hurting making turns.

I got to watch the torchlight parade and fireworks from Canaan Heights. From where I was viewing it, it looked very smoothly executed, but on the ground I heard it was a drunken swarm. The fireworks were very pro and my neighbor had some going on too, so that made it really cool, too. On Sunday, I got to make two runs on my snowboard which was rad. I miss that.

Sunday was the best day ever. I got to ski with great friends whom all happened to be incredible skiers. The doggies got to go along, too which was a rare treat. Even though Ruby was the fun police barking at the whooping and hollering and biting people's skis. I guess that is what you get from a heeler. We skied all day and then had the White Grass staff party that evening.

What a good crew of workers and characters. The guests chefs were Scott and Kyle Weiner, who cooked authentic Indian food. The Fish curry and Bamboo salad were my favorites. The time that must of gone into the prep because each vegetable was cut so thin and perfect. The Chadka went great with everything and is my new fav party drink. Chadka is strongly brewed chaga tea and good vodka. Good for you, too.

The next day, I went into Davis and Thomas and made the rounds. It was great to see Roger from Blackwater Bikes. He is getting very involved in all the trail work going on up there. There is considerable buzz about this "Heart of the Highlands" trail that will connect Davis to the Valley and back around to Davis. Good things are happening there for recreation. The Canaan MTB Festival will happen again this year in support of Tucker Country Trails. So if you are in the area June 25, 26, 27 come out and ride and do trail work.

I saw Laird at the Flying Pigs. He is so bummed he had to cancel the 24 Hour National Championships at Black Bear. The economy is really tough for races like that right now and he just didn't have enough racers. Another sad thing is that he said people have been so mean about the cancellations. In one way this doesn't surprise me, because in general racers can be such a selfish bunch, but on the other hand I'm appalled. Usually, mtbers and the nicest people ever. I wish Laird the best of luck with whatever he decides to get into now. He has a lot of energy for things that he is passionate about.

I got a pizza at Sirianni's to bring home to Tim and ran into the bank. I got out of the bank and realized that Ruby had just devoured my fresh pizza. I was so furious at her. She knows better, but did it anyway. I was so shocked that I must have put my wallet and my checkbook on top of my car and drove away. Thankfully the next day a good citizen from Aurora found it and gave me a call. Thank you world. Ruby had to spend the night tied up on the porch as punishment. I don't doubt she would do it again if given the chance, though.

I also found some baby ramps. I scraped away some leaves and there were the little white fingers sticking up. They were really tasty, but not as good for you as when the green leaves are on them.

I'm considering going to one of the Virgninia Off Road Series this sunday. It looks fun and is a fundraiser for World Bicycle Relief.

Friday at White Grass

2010-03-13T08:54:00.001-05:00

White Grass

2010-03-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

I really like working at White Grass. Too bad there is not a summer White Grass. I'm going up the next two weekends and then winter is a wrap. Chipper and the boys head up to the Tele Fest at Mad River Glen in Vermont next weekend. But the snow will still be fun and hopefully we will get corn conditions for god-like tele turns and good morning skating. I'm looking forward to the staff party with guest chefs, Scott and Kyle Wiener who are doing South Indian cuisine on the 21st.

The skiing was really good again this weekend. Its still mind blowing that the snow pack is 3 ft at my house at 3700ft and then up to a foot more above 4, 000ft. That 3 ft is equivalent to almost 10 inches of rain. There is worry about the upcoming warm weather and rain that it will cause flooding in lower elevations. I hope its a slow melt. Its going to be an epic boating season as well.

Heading out for a nooner ride...

March madness

2010-03-02T14:38:00.000-05:00

How can people think about biking, basketball and even 'The Bachelor' when there is snow much more skiing to be done. I know I can't. I'm still dreaming about skiing and itching for more ski time on the snow. Kyle asked me today, How the snow at White Grass was handling the warm weather. Its hard to explain to someone who lives in Harrisonburg, that it isn't warm in Canaan and its still snowing there. But you can't fault him. Humans like warm weather and sunny days. Its in our DNA. And there is absolutely no stopping mother nature's forward push into spring. Here in Harrisonburg, my tulips and crocus are coming up. College kids are walking to class in shorts. Before we know it the grass will green and we will be in the corn fields.

But this past weekend was full on winter. Rt 32 between Davis and Harman was closed all day, even White Grass was closed. The kids in Tucker county have barely gone to school all winter. According to my neighbor, Dave, there has only been 11 days since Dec 1 above 40 degrees with the high in december being 48. And even when we had that high , there was still snow on the ground. That makes 3 solid months with snow on the ground at 4,000ft. There is still 60 inches at that elevation. Everything looks like a glade and nothing is too steep.

Friday, I had the pleasure of getting faceshots all day! That is when the powder snow hits you in the face as you make a turn. Keep it clean. Curtis, Ian and I shredded the Dial Down 6 times. I was pooped and happy eating homemade food with some of the members of the Canaan Heights Collective. The next day, I got to work at White Grass. I have to say how happy I am when people come out and "use" the snow. There is nothing worse than having all that snow to be enjoyed and have people stay at home and wait for spring. Skiing is a joy that should be shared. Sunday was really nice snow for the women's ski day. We had a really nice group of women who were into learning and laughing. Later I did a night ski for the full moon with some staffski. We gladed out in Double Trouble woods, Sawmill, Plum Orchard and then barn runs. Burritos at Hellbenders was the end to a perfect day.

Monday, I got to ski with Carp on Dial Down, BladeRunner, Stonecoal Steeps, Weiss Woods and Sauna Hollow. Skiing through the trees is the best.

Now today, feeling a little post powder let down. My leg is hurting me,too. I guess its the barametric pressure change. Will it ever be solid again I can't help but to wonder. I also am wondering if I'm going to find the motivation to do some bike racing this summer?

photo essay of day in the life of a rocktown ski bum

2010-02-09T18:44:00.001-05:00

The Snow Superbowl

2010-02-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

Last night while watching the Superbowl, a friend said I'm so sick of this winter. I was speechless. I felt sorry for him because he only go to experience the work part of this snowstorm like shoveling, cancellations, ice. He didn't get to experience the play part of snow. As we skied around Harrisonburg from our front yard, I was happy to see people skiing along. It was mostly everyone I knew though. But I can't help but to wonder why isn't cross country skiing more poplular than it is. I mean so many more people should own skiis. Americans and Harrisonburgers can certainly afford it, but the ski culture isn't here. It hard to for me to fathom. But I'm totally biased because I love it so much. I mean this winter alone should make people want to run out and at least get some super cheapies.

Anyway, Collin's Birthday party started out the weekend with a candy and pizza party. It was fun to see him so happy and all our friends trekking over in the storm via skis, bikes, feet and four wheel drive made the house warm and steamy. Tim got a new mixer and his pizza dough has such a great consistency. A night ski evolved(of course) and this time it was in our local rockgarden!

The superbowl ski was epic. Meeting at Mr. J's as usual and then heading out in the best trucks we had. The snow was deep out to the dam, but since Reddish Knob is a mecca of big trucks and jeeps we weren't the first to have passed. We made excited turns on the dam and then set out to earn our turns climbing up the road to Reddish. We climbed for about 40 minutes and then some trucks and jeeps started coming up. I don't know how it happened , but the next thing I heard was "grab on" . We then had a joyride up the mountain. I haven't laughed this hard in a while. Joyful, childlike laughter. The sketchiness, the snow spray, the defying of gravity was awesome. I fell off one and hopped on another. It was like cold water skiing with ruts. There were some great wrecks making powdered donuts of those that lost their balance. More peals of laughter.

So since we could get up quicker, we could now go further out the ridge to Flag Pole knob where the annual picture taking spot is. Then we went to Meadow and Pond. We came down Pond and darn it was steep and tight. It was pure struggle with not picking up lightning speeds. I was a lightweight ski wimp. But adreneline maximized. Some of the big boys found some awesome tree shoots and big vertical drainages. It was one for the ages.

Groundhog says Six to eight weeks more of winter!

2010-02-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

According to Tucker County groundhog, Cabin John, its going to be at least six more weeks of winter and possibly eight! The annual ground hog's day ski out of White Grass was really fun. Its a long ski... about six hours and of course its mostly uphill. We got into the sods on Dunkenbarger Trail. It is tight skiing with lots of laurel and rhodies. There were 13 for photo on top of Cabin Mt. It was a good crew who brought snacks, beer, wax and scrapers. It was a sticky snow that made for some slow going and great butt muscle building.

I also got to do the Mountain State Marathon Ski race. It was a 20 km effort on the small hills of the lower trails of White Grass. Whoever says the snow farm is totally flat has not done this race. The climb out of the snowfarm can be brutal. I considered doing the 10km instead, but the racer in my insisted on doing the longer distance. I was nervous considering I had only skated once this year and my left leg was still just not strong enough to be even with the right. But Miss Charlie waxed me right and I got an ugly second. My form fell apart in the wake of Hop's wax and technical prowess. I did get the hole shot, but in the end Hop got me by 6 minutes which is huge in a skate race. Regardless, I am stronger and now remember how fast a flat ski is.

I also got to teach the Women's Ski Day on saturday. It was really fun meeting all the women in the clinic. Some were first timers and others ready for tele turns. Its was a bitter cold morning of learning good fundamentals. A delicious White Grass lunch warmed us for our afternoon tour and downhill control drills. There is another one February 28th.

Its not all skiing these days. There were two days on the bike as well. One three hour road ride that left me chuffed. Its amazing how long my loops take me this time of year and how easily I get bonked. Then went out with Trevor to preview the Superbowl Sunday ride. I was in my granny gear going up Reddish on my mtb. That is pretty bad! It was pretty warm, but very windy. When we got up higher there was snow and ice. This part makes me agree with my friend Jenny who says winter biking is stupid. But going down where the snow was perfect for biking made me very happy. So I think I'll conclude, Winter biking can be fun and stupid. Biking when out of bike shape is hard.

Congrats to SBC for finishing the concrete floor in the bike shop and getting the Ascend system. They are a full service bike shop.

Old Farmer's Advice

2010-01-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered…not yelled.

Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.

Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

Every path has a few puddles.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.

Don ‘t judge folks by their relatives.

Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

Live a good, honorable life.. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.

Don ‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.

Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.

The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in

If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.

Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

2010-01-24T21:05:00.000-05:00

It was another awesome week of skiing, albeit some weird, changing snow conditions. We saw above freezing temps that made the snow "change" or granulize. One morning, I could barely walk down the steps to my car without slipping and sliding and then floundering on all fours. If anyone saw me they would of though no way was this girl once a professional athlete and also , no way was this girl going to be able to ski today.

But warming temps brought some of the best hero snow ever. I was a tele goddess for a 3 hour window. By dark it had set up again and the trails were lightning fast and loud. Skating on it this morning was okay, but scary fast on the down. My bum leg hates doing "power wedges" down the hill, so its lots of parallel turns and holding my breath.

I got to ski with the tele teacher guru, Dickie Hall. If you want to learn to tele, this is the man to learn it from. He gives great advice like if you want to know what ski length to use, try one size on one leg and the other size on the other leg and you'll know right away after an hour which is the size for you. But he also says everything fun in life is done with the hips, so use your hips to tele ski.

I also loved making turns with Mikey, Stroski, Spencer, Chaga, TP,Charlie, Geo and Chipper of course. What a cool group of XC nords. Thank You Friends!

Snow Coma

2010-01-18T10:50:00.001-05:00

January has been one awesome snow month. I love skiing.

More Hashing and lots of night skiing

2010-01-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

Wow, what an awesome week of super cold temperatures and snowy days. It was great to be up in Canaan to enjoy the deep freeze and purple powder alerts. I'm working at White Grass this winter and not going anywhere warm. I've been seeing so many friends and people from my skiing past, it has been really social. Working those busy days means lots of night skiing, which I love. Especially on my wooden skis with my buddies.

There was a large, raucous crew of iceboxers this week and for New Years. The toilet couldn't handle it, but the house was cozy warm. Even baby Ethan thought it was great.

There was a dress up blue moon hash with speed buck and sparkle horse as the oh so fast hares. How do they do it. Franco, Mandy and Me rounded up the rear , but did the whole thing. The singing and the fries at the brew pub were both tasty. These are really fun things to do even when its raining.

I have to say, I'm so glad that I don't have to train outside on a bike in these temperatures. XC skiing is just so fun and a great aerobic workout that I'm happy, happy!

Birthday Ski Hash

2009-12-22T16:05:00.001-05:00

Frederick Watershed

2009-12-17T11:15:00.000-05:00

We had a great ride in the snow at the Frederick Watershed. We especially loved the Iceberg Trail. I look forward to riding it without snow because the snow made it a little easier.

Then we went to Chris Eatough's retirement party. That was great to see him so happy. He said he is too happy and busy to miss bike racing. With two kids, a beautiful wife and the commuter coordinator for the city of Arlington, VA and coaching, he has his plate full. There were some great pics that all his friends brought to view. Good times. He set the bar high with his meticulousness and consistency in training and racing.

I got to train with JV Squad one day this week and that was very fun. JV Squad is surprisingly fit for December! And very on top of it with their new faggy kits.

Happy 50th to Charlie Waters and Ruth Melnick! I can't believe it and I'm sure they can't either.

Jack Frost likes skiing

2009-12-07T16:56:00.000-05:00

AM Riding

2009-12-04T12:17:00.000-05:00

Getting up early to ride mountain bikes on a chilly morning with friends is awesome. Thanks for the cafe crew for getting me up and sweating up Chimney Hollow and down Heartbrake. That climb is like doing 500 leg presses to me. It takes some strong levarage even though the traction is good. The downhill was sketchy fun, too.

I got a nice crash sequence of the Men's Leader. He is riding good, anyway, and has a new sponsor. But we'll have to wait for the press release.

For some reason, Kurt (or the artist know as K-Art) got a triple collection of flats. He thinks its him, but we all think its his equipment.

Poison Ivy and more

2009-12-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

Who gets Poison Ivy in December? I do! I've gotten more poison ivy this year than ever before. And I'm a scratcher. This time, I think it was still on a pair of pants that I wore when we were cleaning up the yard a month ago. So now I have it all around my waist band. Ugh!

But Jack Frost party is this weekend and hopefully a little sliding around, too.

Congrats to Harrisonburg for winning the Blue Ridge Cup Cyclocross Series and winning this sweet trophy.

November

2009-11-23T11:33:00.000-05:00

I never remember November being this fun and flying by so fast. Starting off the month with the stellar marriages of four of our friends set the vibe for the month...Indulgence! Then the crazy Invitational race and party left me feeling too much like a party girl with me lamenting, "I'm ready to be an athlete again." And I am, but I still shaking off this lack of focus that has engulfed my life. But a couple of rides on the ridgetops of the beautiful mountains around here and a couple of night rides(one planned, one not planned) have me loving November.

I even was inspired to go running, but with no success because even 16 months after my broken leg after running a couple of minutes it hurts. I'm hoping that will go away and I will jog a little and then walk a lot for the up coming Nordic skiing season. I'm so psyched to ski I could scream. The almanac is calling for the first snow after Christmas, but you it seems like Jack Frost party is always good for a little bit of the white stuff.

Got to see Chipper and the White Grass crew dialing in the finishing touches for another ski season. Rolling up the driveway to White Grass just gets the good vibes pumping. I got a pair of the Tenth Mountain Skis last year and haven't even skied them yet. Mikey says they are collector items now because they will no longer be making them. Karhu was bought, I guess and things are going to be changing. I'm contemplating a plastic boot for some downhill telemarking this year. I'll be going uphill a lot, but the downhilling would help my balance and leg strength, too.

Collin, Freshman Dan and I rode up to Kennedy's Peak and had some lunch. We continued North on the ridge up to Milford Gap. It was incredible riding and tricky, too with the slippery oak leaves. I had to walk two downhills that I normally ride because the leaves threw me off. I dumped the bike a couple of times and it got beat up pretty good. I actually crashed hard in the same exact spot that I've crashed hard before. When will I learn to correct my mistakes?

We got down to Fort Valley Rd with the sun sinking down pretty quickly. We were all pretty tired, but what can you do? You just have to ride on back to the car. It was sketchy because we didn't have lights even though we could see, but cars didn't have a great view of us. Collie and I had to wait a while for Fresh D after a big hill. He said he was in Slumville. The next not so big hill we waited for him for 10 minutes and wondered how he could ride that slow. We didn't want to turn around for him, but we were picturing him in a ditch getting hypothermia. We saw his bike propped up against a mailbox. We went up to the house and knocked on the door hoping Fresh D was in there and okay. He was great...sitting in an easy chair scarfing down PB&J sammies, hot chocolate, milk and fun sized snicker bars. The very nice family said that the intersection to our car was only 2 miles away. No problem... Me and Collin wanted to get back on the road and went to leave. Fresh D says he can't make it and the family is going to give him a ride back to the car. This is a kid that rode his bike across the whole country, but couldn't make it another 2 miles after getting warm and getting his belly stuffed. Collin and I just laughed the whole two miles in the dark back to the car. Its funny!

Tim and I are heading to New Mexico for Thanksgiving to visit his family. It will be a quick trip, but we love going out and we are so Thankful to have our families. My mom has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She is out of the hospital and will do outpatient chemo. She is doing tons better with the swelling in her legs going down and the hope that the chemo will blast the tumor in her stomach. She is strong and has a great attitude and God on her side. We'll see her at Christmas.

Six pack season has ended

2009-11-17T20:48:00.000-05:00

It was a great year of friday afternoon downhilling. We rode. We did trail work. We partied. What else can I say, but good times.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T16:04:00.000-04:00

Some of the Winners of Pisgah

2009-10-20T13:29:00.000-04:00

I'm home and feeling relaxed, a little tired and happy. That is one thing that I love about stage races and 24 hour races, is that after a couple of days, I forget just how hard they are and remember the fun parts. I had fun at the Pisgah race. It is a beautiful area with really fun trails. The weather and the gravel roads were the hard parts. But , I would do the race again and recommend it to others who are looking for an adventure. Its not expensive compared to other stage races, but you don't get housed or fed like the other ones. And I would say they are missing a little group atmosphere stuff. Everyone just goes back to where they are staying to wash bikes and eat. At Trans Rockies and Cape Epic they make a big deal out of dinner and then the slide show of the days riding and then a big course desciption and fly over of the next day's riding. But those races don't have singletrack either.

The last day was cold and fast. There was a lot of fireroad, but with views of looking glass rock and waterfalls and so many leaves on the road. I was feeling tired, but motivated to win the overall. I had a great lead of over 30 minutes so I just had to watch the other ladies. I rode with Churtle most of the day. She was killing the fireroads on her light bike and racing tires. Plus, she was racing into second place and that always gives you better legs. I passed her just 3 miles from the finish for the stage win and pushed my winnings up to $1150!

I love the trophy. Over the years, it has been rare to get a nice homemade trophy from a race. It was nice hanging out with the other racers in the sun eating a burger. Also the race provides each racer with 30 minutes of free massage, so I took advantage of that and the sponsor beer and all was good. There was a great after party a Square Root in Brevard complete with jaegerbombs and an old dude serenading Todd with an original version of Freebird.

I want to thank Shenandoah Bicycle Company and Tim for getting my bike in great shape for the race. Also, Turner Bikes for a sweet Flux that is a great endurance bike and made me smile flying down Pilot Rock . Also, local Asheville company, Industry Nine Wheels for fast, light and stiff race wheels. My Uvex helemt, Syntace bar and stem worked great. As well as my Ibex clothing, which was perfect for the Pisgah conditions. Thanks go out to Park for letting us have his house for the weekend and to Churtle and Harlan for being fun racing companions. And to Todd for putting the race on.

Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race

2009-10-17T17:45:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the land of waterfalls, white squirrels, barbeque and retirees. I'm here in Brevard, North Carolina at the first annual Pisgah Mountain of Stage Race. This is the East Coast's only stage race(right now, not ever). It is put on by Blueridgeadventures.net main man Todd Brahnam. Todd has been an adventure mountainbiker for a while now and knows these Pisgah trails really well. He is a great rider, too, winning a Super D National Champion title a couple of years ago. I don't know how long this race has been in his brain, but kudos for making dreams into a reality. The race is pretty small with about 70 racers. It has a laid back vibe and kegs New Belgium after the stages. But the main draw is the trail system here in Pisgah National Forest.

The first stage Thursday at 6:15pm on the campus of Brevard College. The format was a short track. It wasn't your typical start to a stage race. The recent rains had made the 1- mile course muddy and slippery. I hated getting my bike so dirty! I love my Turner Flux so much that I feel so bad when I get it really dirty. And living in Virginia, I've gotten used to a clean bike after rides. But dirty bike aside, it was way more fun than I expected. There was a switchback climb with baby roots that was just tricky enough to get us primed for the next days. Plus, since things were running late we only had to do 4 laps! And very dirty bike aside, I beat the other 4 women and got the leaders jersey. Churtle was second, Carey third, Janel fourth and Brenda fifth. Its a cool pink leaders jersey! Jeremiah Bishop won the men's pro. With Harlan in second!

The first "real" stage was a doosey. Some were saying it was going to be the hardest stage. Others said it was the most singletrack. Todd's beta said that it was 22 miles of singletrack with a total mileage of 37 and 9500ft. It was extreme. Or what it just hard? Or was it just Pisgah? Classic Pisgah. It was a mass start with the three leaders jerseys on the front. It wasn't a fast start, but I got dropped pretty quick. Starts hurt. The seven mile soft gravel climb hurt , too. But the singletrack was nice, nice. Buckhorn was smooth and fast and just a good way to start to get in the mood for skinny wet singletrack. Carey was hammering on this section. Maybe she was in the big ring. Then we turned and rode squirrel gap trail and welcome to off camber roots! It was a half track in spots and lightly undulating. There were a few small creek crossings. I liked this trail. It was challenging, but not scary. It was tricky and rideable(not all of it for me!). It was picky. Then a sweet downhill off of Laurel Mountain where I got a small gap on Carey. She said she saw me on the soul crushing second gravel road climb up to check point two at the twenty two mile mark, but then lost me. There was an out of character gravel downhill, and then a climb to a sweet trail along the South Mills River. This river is gorgeous!

At one point a dude marshall said, "Its all downhill from here!" I said "No, really? He said, "Well there are a few little climbs and then its all downhill!" This is a recurring scenario in my racing career. Sometimes marshals lie. They don't mean too. They just don't know. He didn't know. Mile 32 was the start of the hike a bike up Black Mountain. It was a pretty long one with roots, rocks, switchbacks, skinny singletrack and lots of wet leaves. It was a bit brutal. Then finally a little sketchy downhill with wet logs. Then another hike a bike and another fun, sketchy downhill and then a sweet ride back on Black Mt. complete with hugh banked turns. So ending with a fun feel good trail made me feel good. But I still stand by initial claim that it was a bit extreme. Of was it just hard? Like Jeff from I-9 Wheels said," Finally the drought is over here and classic Pisgah is back". And maybe that is why the logo for the race is 'The Lion has Risen'. The Lion likes it slippery and wet.

So I have another leaders jersey! But the women's race is tight, as is the mens. Its raining as I write this and the third stage on paper looks like a 22 mile uphill. Sam Koerber who was 35 seconds back of JB today and who knows every root out here, warned us about the cold water creek crossings tomorrow. We cross Mills River again like 6 or 7 times. Regardless its going to be an adventure!

STAGE 3

Apparently it rained all night, but I didn't hear it. I slept well after an incredible meal of lentil soup with an organic ham hock. It was so nourishing. Eating often and eating healthy is a big part of stage racing and here at Chez Park we were eating great.

It was hard deciding what to wear on a day like today. The rain subsided by the start, but it wasn't balmy. It was in the 40's. We started at 2200ft and would be climbing up to 5200ft. I wore the leaders jersey with an ibex wool bra and wool undershirt and ibex wool arm warmers, knee warmers, wool socks, and a plastic rain cape with the sleeves cut off. At first it seemed like a lot, but it ended up being perfect.

What a crazy day! We had to ride highway 191 for about 3 miles with serious water spray from eveyone's tires. But it wasn't too bad because all but a few stayed in the pack. My tires were craving the dirt and my legs felt like blocks but I was warm. There was some awesome singletrack in a laurel tunnel that led to the first of 7 creek crossings. The water was so cold! It almost took my breathe away, and the numb toes began. One of the crossings I dipped my front wheel into the current and tipped to the side. Yeeha...cold chamois! But the good part was that we got to warm up with the soul crushing gravel climb that we did yesterday, but today was a bit softer. I made it to check point one and then to Laurel Mt. trail. I glanced back after a while and saw that Churtle was not far behind. She was having a great day probably after eating all that lentil soup. I felt so slow and was having trouble getting on top of the gear. But the all the getting off and on the bike was helping the numb digits. And then thank god there was a hike a bike to warm up even more.

The amazing thing was that it started to sleet and then closer to the top there was snow! It did look amazing, especially on the ferns and with all the colored leaves. My core was never cold, so I just kept going. Its funny, at times I felt hardcore and then other times I felt soft as jello, thinking that I'm not getting paid to do this crazy shit anymore...so why am I doing it? But I can do it and I do like challenging myself and look at all of the other people out here doing it with a lot less ability or experience than me and how much fun they are having. So I just kept riding.

And I was rewarded with an awesome downhill...Pilot Rock trail. It was so fun and energized me so much. Maybe it was a little more of a Virginia downhill or maybe it was just fun. Maybe the Lion was giving some love out. Then at check point 2, I got some more drink and food and dumond lube and was good to go. Club gap and Avery creek were both really fun. Talking about the tenacity of mountain bikers, Tennessee Brad broke his nose yesterday and was still out there today. I was thinking he was crazy, and all he said is that it hurts a little and he couldn't breathe out of his nose. Geez, that is tough.

I now know why the last check point is so close to the finish. I'm sensing a pattern. The last several miles of the race are pretty hard. There was a bunch of never ending climbing on a gravel road. And then we did the last couple miles of Black Mountain again. There was some hiking involved again. But I did nail some of the things that I didn't from yesterday. But the fun feel good feeling was only there because it was the end of the race.

I won the day by ten minutes over Churtle who is locked in a tight battle with sweet Carey. Carey has her by about 4 minutes. Well, bikes are washed, we have had our lunch and are going over to Sam and Trish and Lucy's for dinner. Sam had some bad luck with a broken chain and a flat tire and got third. His dad, Bob had a bike incident and fell on the corner of his eye.

We are all whooped. I have some serious deep gluteal soreness and need to keep it together to win the race. Tomorrow sounds burly. There is some talk of taking out some of the singletrack that is at the very top of the mountain and there is talk of ice on the rocks. I want singletrack because the gravel roads are killing me, but I also know that as we all get tired, wrecks can happen.

Ring of Fire/ Orange Loop

2009-10-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

We got another attempt at the orange loop up on Massanutten north. This isn't a long distance ride, but very technical and picky terrain that makes the going rather slow. It was Tim's and my birthday week, so we psyched that Pat Miller, Kyle, Nate, Jeremy and Capraro could join us in the fun.

After a fitful night sleep and realizing that I forgot the waffles that I spent hours making, we somehow crammed 6 people and 6 bikes in Pat's Forester. We parked at Steven's trail and commenced climbing up to the ridge. Stevens was very dry and churned up from the horses. The weather was perfect and we continued north on the ridge passing all the side trails. We went through Veech Gap and back up to the ridge. This section to Shawl is pretty tough, but some of the most fun as well. I was in awe watching Tim and the rest of these guys try impossible moves that became possible. Nate and Tim did the big switchback move on Shawl!

Our Lunch stop was Elizabeth Furnance. The orange soda, doritos, and reeses left our stomachs angry as we climbed up the uber technical Signal Knob. It was tough going, but dry as a bone. We cut the ride a little short, cutting out bear wallow and instead hitting the mine road out to Little Fort. We had pesto pasta and Tim had a homemade German chocolate cake for his birthday. We were all pretty dehydrated, but Tim's birthday case of Miller Lite helped.

We were moving a little slow on day two, but we could ride right out of camp up to Woodstock Tower and then south. This was fun, easy riding compared to some of the stuff from the day before. The wild thing was seeing Capraro ride with a chainsaw on his back for cutting out trees. Its not just the weight but the awkwardness of the blade. He is super committed to maintaining trails in that area. And what a strong and capable guy to be able to ride that shit with a chainsaw.

We had a Samazon stop at an overlook and could see short mountain, our next part of the ring. Short Mountain is by far the most difficult riding that I have ever done. It is relentlessly technical with rocks, big moves, and lung busting climbs. I cleared some tough stuff, but had to walk a ton, too. Again, everyone made some incredible moves and kept trying things even when exhausted. We opted out of Jawbone this time...this kind of riding really takes it out of me, but is so satisfying to me right now. I can't imagine passing up on rides like this to ride around in circles somewhere.

Hopefully this was okay preparation for the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage race that I'm doing this weekend! Probably not, but its going to be good.

Monday recap

2009-10-05T11:43:00.000-04:00

Life is pretty sweet right now...going to weddings, riding Big Schloss, Cyclcross races, Moto rides, Birthdays and shenanigans. But mainly being with friends and enjoying each other and the sweet Fall.

ROTR

2009-09-25T13:33:00.000-04:00

Sadly, I'll be missing the Revenge of the Rattlesnake for a happy reason...Adam Childers wedding. Congrats Adam and Kristin!

But, I did get to go up to Davis and do some of the course including the new downhill Rocky Point trail. I also got to do the ride at five out of Blackwater BIkes, eat a Hellbenders Burrito and see music at the Purple Fiddle. These are the must do's when in Davis. The course is in incredible condition being the driest that I have ever seen in Canaan Valley. Folks are saying it is a terrible year for apples and mast is down some 50%. There are going to be a lot of hungry animals up there this fall. But ride while you can.

I also got to Leaf Peep. The purples and red are magnificent. The ferns are changing colors and the cotton grass is exploding. We saw Chaga on many Birch trees, but didn't harvest any.

six pack this Friday

2009-09-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

Come on out and support a community event. Meet at the Food Lion on 42South at 3 pm.

Not everyone is as weird as this, but the fast ones are.

Blue Ridge Cyclocross Cup

2009-09-20T12:49:00.000-04:00

And the winner is... Fooftown, I think? Foofers came out in droves to race their hometown circuit. While they had a great showing for the racers, I would say spectators and after race partiers was pretty poor. Sketchy Bruce provided some great fodder for spectating with his brakeless skinny tired fixed gear. Kudos to him for hosting the party, too. Didi is a foofette and a very fast one. She is national champion in her age group, I think? She adds some legitimacy to the Charlottesville team.

Nickyboy won the race, I think? It was really hard to tell. For some reason JB gave everyone a head start either on accident or thinking that he would have no problem chasing down everyone. So things got mixed up. But we think young Nick is back especially beating everyone on his mountainbike. Collindish is adding another cycling discipline to his quiver. He is pretty much very fast already at it. If he starts beating Mckeegan, then we are going to have to start taking pro, you know? Also, Misty got a new bike and it was great to see Martinez out there on the dirt.

I rode Tim's fixie and went so hard that I almost puked. It was a great fixie course and the remounts are so much better on a fixie because the pedals are always in the right position. And there was only one dismount/remount so that made it easy, but those 20 stairs were brutal, brutal, brutal.

Queen City didn't have the numbers, but they do get the nice guys award with Mark and James.

Next race is in H-burg not this tuesday, but next at Westover. Be there! And if you race you have the chance to buy one of you hometown iconic t shirts

a couple of pics from Shen 100

2009-09-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

Photos by Bob Popovich

Shenandoah 100 2009

2009-09-08T14:33:00.000-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpYZKUwV1aA

550 people isn't the biggest race that I have ever been in. Chequemegon has over 1,000 and Cape Epic has a ton, too. But this video gives you an idea what a thrill it is for both racer and spectator. I see myself go by in a yellow jersey and white helmet and I'm pretty far back. In years past I would just go to the front of the line and start there. I wasn't feeling was amped to do that. And it turned out I got to chat with Danielle, Carey and Karen. Besty was , as I suspected, scrambling to get herself and bike ready and just made the start.

I can't believe it either, but I had good legs and the race was really, really fun. There were only about 15 miles total that were pretty hard. The conditions were so fast and dry, but not hot. Pretty much the ideal conditions because sitting in a fairly dry chamois for over 8 hours is much more comfortable than a soaking wet one.

The downhills were so fast and I felt like I was flying. This was the first race on my DW Turner Flux and my I-9 wheels. I can't believe how fast the bike is on downhills and how much more efficient and accurate it is on the uphills. I waste so much less energy on this bike. I have to think that is why my time this year was only 9minutes off my recored when I was really fit. Yes, conditions were faster, but the downhills were a bit more dangerous because of the scree sides, sandy corners and ball bearing surface. I also put race tires on and felt fast and strong on all the road sections.

I was graced with good fortune when the Men's Leader pulled me and Tennessee Brad, up the death climb. Yes, he is nice. But hopefully, he doesn't want to really be a superdomestique and will stick to the mtb(right Nickyboy?) I owe him a Sambazon.

As usual Mumbles put on a great race with an uber volunteer staff(is the Men's Leader paid or volunteer, or maybe has just bought some stock options in SMT?) lots of Dogfish beer and the best homemade Scud Fries. Plus, how bling is it to have the big bottles of champagne for making the victory spray.

Stay Classy Shenandoah!

Six pack downhill Chimney Hollow

2009-09-05T12:12:00.000-04:00

Round 2 of the sixpack season was on a perfect friday afternoon on Chimney Hollow Trail. Joel, Trevor, Tim and I went out a little early to get a pre ride in, but that never happened as we are slow, its a very tough climb and we spent a bunch of time working on a big log jump. I didn't hit it, but some of the dudes did, including young Collindish. Of course, Collindish has no trouble clearing big jumps, but since he was the winner of the last round he had to ride the Navigator(a non-performance hybrid). He beat me by seven seconds, but at least I beat Nick Pence by 1 second.

And the winner was....Joel Maynario of the caveman clan. Second was Tim, which is really the best place to be because then you don't have to have the party at your house. And Kyle naysay was third on his high performance hybrid even walking both drops. That is some fitness! Joel was very impressive not even hesitating to have the party at his house in the backyard and getting shitfaced as well. That is some good daddy rage.

I'm nervous for the 100 miler tomorrow. No denying its going to be tough. There is a ton of climbing and I just hope I have some better legs than at the 101. Rumor is that the churtle won't be making the trip down. That is a disappointment, but one less strong woman to contend with. The women's field is looking good with Betsey and Carey...the nicest fastest women ever.

Motolicious

2009-08-31T10:52:00.001-04:00

Tim, Franco and I did some exploring on our motos. While the rest of the mtbers were doing long rides on their bicycles getting ready for the Shenandoah 100, I was out twisting the throttle. I want to be hungry when it comes to next Sunday, at least that is what I'm hoping for.

It was great to get some time on my Kawasaki. Its a great bike for me and very choked down. I got pretty tired at the end, but look forward to doing some more gravel roads in this incredible area that I live in.

Six Pack Downhill Season has started

2009-08-29T18:27:00.001-04:00

And the winner of the first round was...Collindish! Yes, Collindish has shown his lightning speed this season on the road and on the dirt. He was 10 seconds faster than last year's invitational winner, Tim. Trevor was third. Whitney and I dominated the women's podium. I rode the death chute no problem and was singing the praises of my Turner once again.

High Knob trail was in great shape and is one of the steeper downhills around. There were just a couple of newbies and they gave it their all giving blood and licking pepperoni thongs in the parking lot. Chase broke his bike(bound to happen) and Basil of course flatted. Kyle had a stellar run on his performance hybrid.

The Party was fun on Rock st. and roll and a decent crew got up early to do trail work on Dowell's.

Moto ride tomorrow.

Shenandoah 100 Trail Prep

2009-08-25T13:27:00.000-04:00

Big long races need big long trail clean-up days. Its fun to go with a group of buddies, hang out in the woods and cut some stuff up. The men's leader/guitar hero was there as well as race director/mumbles, the grand contrarian, and sneezy, too. I got to run a weed wacker and a brusher for the first time in my life. It was fun, but of course I have some sore arms today. But its a good feeling to work on the trails, especially for how much that I use them.

Six pack downhill season starts Friday with High Knob in WV. Its a scary first round. And remember if you win you have to have the party at your house...including you Fawley, Chaz michaels michaels, nick pence, JB and etc. And if you want to do the Invitational you have to have 2 days of trail maintenance under your belt.

August riding in WV

2009-08-17T12:53:00.000-04:00

Matt Smith, Churtle and I rode our bikes over to Canaan instead of doing the century ride out of Snowshoe. Sorry, I wanted to support the WV Cycling Foundation's effort, but in the end the free ride over to the icebox was really epic. We went over Shenandoah Mt on 33 West. Then through Fort Seebert over Siple mountain to Upper Tract. Then through the Smoke Hole to Rt 28/55. Then the big gigantic climb up Jordan Road and Forest Road 19 into the Dolly Sods. It was the road to Wilderness. The climb took about 1:30 and was pretty brutal. Churtle didn't have a compact so she was doing some power training. The road off of the Sods was also pretty brutal on a road bike. We spend the day out there...all day and the funny thing is that it was only 94 miles!

The the SBC crew had a bike shop gathering at the icebox. What a good group of people and riders they are. Tim and Whitney, being the compassionate people they are, walked their bikes all the way down Lindy and some of plantation trail with a lost doggie. It turned out the dog was 14 1/2 and deaf. It had been lost a day already. The amazing thing is we called the park to tell them and by the time the doggie(Brandy) got to the Lodge, the grateful owner was there.

We scarfed down some Sirianni's pizza and Glen Plake extreme garlic chips and then went out for a State Championship loop.

It was a great summer weekend.