Attendance: Myself, Sarah, Cheryl, Lisa, Karen, Benson, Secret Steve, Kevin, A/C, and New Chris.
Weather: A bit chilly, but no rain and not too much wind.
Trail Conditions: Very good for so early in the season. A little slick here and there and a few downed trees to climb over, but all in all about 90% rideable.
It was definitely our first "real" ride of the season. We had a few stops to negotiate some turns and regroup, but the pace was definitely starting to ramp up to summer speed. The cart path climb back up to the 95 acres was just as brutal as always. Our collaborative pasta dinner was an excellent way to round out the evening. Next weeks WNR is still up in the air. We're going to do some scouting this weekend and see how much of the remaining snow we lose during the forecasted warm smell coming up. I'm sure Benson will send out the invite on Monday, and I'll try and post it up here once we decide. Also, I'm planning on a longish 3 hour ride for Sunday, so give me a call if you're interested in the details. Over and out.
4.07.2011
4.01.2011
The Long Way Home
After breaking down at the WNR (I figured out last night that that crankset is toast :(), I had some training ground to make up for. So yesterday I did the 8.5 mile ride to work and then took a hilly convoluted route home to the tune of 15 miles and 1,100 ft. of climbing.
This morning while I was riding into work again it dawned on me that one of the things I like most about being on the bike and not in the car is disconnecting just for a short time. There's no Sirius radio reminding me of how fu**ed up the world is. There are no calls on my phone or text messages to answer. I don't have to get frustrated with the car in front of me that is SO holding me up. All I have to worry about is pedaling my bike and taking in the views. As the old Poi Dog Pondering song says, "you get to know things better when they go by slow". Have a good weekend.
This morning while I was riding into work again it dawned on me that one of the things I like most about being on the bike and not in the car is disconnecting just for a short time. There's no Sirius radio reminding me of how fu**ed up the world is. There are no calls on my phone or text messages to answer. I don't have to get frustrated with the car in front of me that is SO holding me up. All I have to worry about is pedaling my bike and taking in the views. As the old Poi Dog Pondering song says, "you get to know things better when they go by slow". Have a good weekend.
3.31.2011
WNR # 2
Attendance: Myself, Sarah, Cheryl, Karen (sp?), Lisa, Benson, Racin' Rob, Kevin, Chris, and Action Chuck.
Weather: Sunny but chilly. 33ish.
Trail Conditions: I wouldn't know.
As soon as we set out down the path I realized my drive side crank bolt was loose. After a brief pause to attempt a fix, I sent the rest of the group on up the road and said that if I could get it fixed I'd start riding our proposed loop in the opposite direction. It was not to be. I went to McLean and Eakin to see if Matt had a full sized set of hex wrenches, but they did not. The hardware and the bike shop were both already closed. I briefly considered calling Secret Steve to see if he could help me out, but I thought better of it since they had their baby boy yesterday morning. Congratulations on little Secret Turner! I eventually figured out that my multi-tool did have an 8mm attachment, but try as I might I couldn't get the bolt to turn in either direction. Ugh. I thought singlespeeds were supposed to make life easier. Anyway, everyone else finished up just fine and we regrouped at the Mitchell St. Pub for post ride grub. It was good. Next weeks WNR at the HQ. Sarah will be in touch on dinner assignments. I'm planning a long ride on Sunday if anyone is interested give me a shout. Otherwise, have a good weekend and we'll see you next week. I promise at least a small portion of singletrack. Over and out.;
Weather: Sunny but chilly. 33ish.
Trail Conditions: I wouldn't know.
As soon as we set out down the path I realized my drive side crank bolt was loose. After a brief pause to attempt a fix, I sent the rest of the group on up the road and said that if I could get it fixed I'd start riding our proposed loop in the opposite direction. It was not to be. I went to McLean and Eakin to see if Matt had a full sized set of hex wrenches, but they did not. The hardware and the bike shop were both already closed. I briefly considered calling Secret Steve to see if he could help me out, but I thought better of it since they had their baby boy yesterday morning. Congratulations on little Secret Turner! I eventually figured out that my multi-tool did have an 8mm attachment, but try as I might I couldn't get the bolt to turn in either direction. Ugh. I thought singlespeeds were supposed to make life easier. Anyway, everyone else finished up just fine and we regrouped at the Mitchell St. Pub for post ride grub. It was good. Next weeks WNR at the HQ. Sarah will be in touch on dinner assignments. I'm planning a long ride on Sunday if anyone is interested give me a shout. Otherwise, have a good weekend and we'll see you next week. I promise at least a small portion of singletrack. Over and out.;
3.29.2011
Sunday Services # 1
Got out on the bike for close to the planned two hours on Sunday. It was so fu**ing cold I didn't even bother to see if anybody else wanted to tag along. I cruised some dirt to check out the woods, and we're not quite "there" yet for off road adventuring. I ran into quite a few patches of ice an snow; and where the snow had melted, it was pretty soft. But all in all it was a good day on the bike. My route from HQ took me north and down Lamkin Drive below Good Hart. Then it was up the singletrack at Readmond TWP and south to Middle Village. Up Middle Village to Townline, and then back to Terpening via the old Deli Sauce Factory hill (Boynton). Then it was down 5 Mile Creek Road and up to the 95 acres courtesy of the PMS Farm and the home. Check out the details below. WNR # 2 is set for tomorrow, and it looks like we should have some decent weather. Meet at the Petoskey waterfront for a 6:30 start. Be there or be square.
3.26.2011
Bikepacking
What is bikepacking you ask? Given my total inexperience with this particular niche in the sport of cycling, you can find a ton of info. and ideas from this site.
I also stole these pictures there to give you an idea of what a "bikepacking" set up looks like.
Sarge touched on this topic over on his blog yesterday, and it's something I've been thinking about trying for the last couple of years. Think about how cool it would be to do overnight trips on the NCT. Just pedal until you can't pedal anymore, find a nice out of the way spot to set up camp, eat a simple dinner (or gourmet if you're willing to carry the extra weight), sleep, wake up and repeat. The High Country Pathway also seems like an ideal area for bikepacking exploration. From what I've read about so far on the internet and in some magazines, the set-ups seem to run the gamut from super cheap ghetto style to full on lightweight, high tech., and expensive. One of the first things you need to decide on is some form of shelter. Some people seem quite content with a tarp and some anchoring lines and stakes. Apparently you can use your bike and front wheel to finagle some sort of semidry shelter. Others use one of those small and light weight bivy sacks. This seems like a slightly claustrophobic way to spend the night, but at the same time I do seem to be able to sleep just about anywhere so maybe it would work for me. Once you start thinking about everything you might need and figuring out how much weight you're willing to carry, the possibilities truly become almost overwhelming. Trial and error seems to be the only way to figure out what works best for you, and this season I just may find out what bikepacking set-up works for me. Have a good weekend.
I also stole these pictures there to give you an idea of what a "bikepacking" set up looks like.
Sarge touched on this topic over on his blog yesterday, and it's something I've been thinking about trying for the last couple of years. Think about how cool it would be to do overnight trips on the NCT. Just pedal until you can't pedal anymore, find a nice out of the way spot to set up camp, eat a simple dinner (or gourmet if you're willing to carry the extra weight), sleep, wake up and repeat. The High Country Pathway also seems like an ideal area for bikepacking exploration. From what I've read about so far on the internet and in some magazines, the set-ups seem to run the gamut from super cheap ghetto style to full on lightweight, high tech., and expensive. One of the first things you need to decide on is some form of shelter. Some people seem quite content with a tarp and some anchoring lines and stakes. Apparently you can use your bike and front wheel to finagle some sort of semidry shelter. Others use one of those small and light weight bivy sacks. This seems like a slightly claustrophobic way to spend the night, but at the same time I do seem to be able to sleep just about anywhere so maybe it would work for me. Once you start thinking about everything you might need and figuring out how much weight you're willing to carry, the possibilities truly become almost overwhelming. Trial and error seems to be the only way to figure out what works best for you, and this season I just may find out what bikepacking set-up works for me. Have a good weekend.
3.23.2011
Forcefield
There seems to have been a forcefield surrounding us all winter repelling almost all snow accumulation. It appears as though it is still operational. The forecast last night called for 3 to 5 inches, and we got a very slight dusting. So it looks like the only thing standing in the way of WNR # 2 is the arctic temperatures and a fierce wind out of the NE. We'll see how the weather looks this afternoon, but with our crazy bunch I'm willing to bet a couple of us will brave the elements. I stole the below video from bikerumor.com. Enjoy.
2011 so far from ryan n on Vimeo.
3.17.2011
WNR # 1
Attendance: Myself, Sarah, Benson, Racin' Rob, Action Chuck, Cheryl, Kevin, Karen, and Lisa.
Weather: Cold, but not too windy. About 40 degrees.
Trail (road) Conditions: M-119 is really pretty clear, a couple of puddles here and there but not too much sand or salt leftover from the winter. The driveway proved to be the most treacherous part.
For WNR #2 next week the plan is to meet at the waterfront in Petoskey and ride the bike path towards Charlevoix for a bit and back. Dinner at the Pub afterwards for those that are hungry and don't want to go home. On the slim chance that some trails open up by then we may change venues, but that seems highly unlikely given the foot or so of snow still in the woods.
3.16.2011
It's Just Like Riding A Bike
Seriously. It's so nice to get back out on the bike. I only rode for an hour on the shore yesterday, but it was awesome. The views of the ice breaking up on the lake was enough to almost cause an accident. Fortunately there was virtually no traffic, so riding around the two or three huge puddles along the way wasn't an issue. Tonight's WNR # 1 should be even better. I think we've got something like ten people coming out for the kick off of the riding season, and I just tapped a fresh keg of Short's :) Also, I just signed up for the Mud, Sweat, and Beers cross country race. They only have 150 spots out of 700 left; so if you're interested, I suggest making the move. I think last year was the first running and I didn't make it, but I heard really good things. And it's close enough to sleep in my own bed the night before which is always nice.
3.15.2011
A Day Early
Here's a cool video I stole from the DC website this morning. These guys are fast. They start speaking English about halfway through, and then you get to see a super pro bike swap from Paris-Nice. Also, I had the best day of the year skiing Sunday morning with JT, Sarah, Marcus, and Matt. Three hours of fresh powder and blue skies, a great way to close out the season. I'm on the bike this afternoon :)
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