Big Mountain Riding

Top tips for riding your mountain bike in a heat wave

Are some days too hot for riding?

Words, photo and video: Randy King

Temperatures in the eastern U.S. shot past 100° F (38° C) last week and have been cooking in the nineties for a month. Mountain bikers are forced to cope with this heat wave. Over the weekend, the Big Mountain Riding crew hit the trails in Danville, VA, for 2.5-hours of riding on one of the hottest days yet this summer. Between sweating gallons, drinking more than 120 ounces (3.5 L) of water each, and hating every climb, we hammered out a few hot weather riding tips … and survived the ride!

The bottom line: Be cool … or as cool as possible. The warmer the weather, the more challenging it becomes to adequately cool your body. Cooling is vitally important, because heat kills. “People don’t realize the severity of heat on health,” said George Luber, an expert on heat at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the Washington Post. “It’s the number one weather-related killer in the United States.”

1. Drink enough water / fluids. Obvious, right? Um, more on that later. Start upping your water intake several days ahead if you have a hot ride planned. On ride day start drinking water early so that you’re fully-hydrated when you clip in. Water alone is OK for rides of less than 45 minutes. On longer rides in hot weather, add sport drinks to your fluid intake. Jenny Hadfield, author of Marathoning for Mortals, recommends about 8 ounces (.25 L) of sport drink every 15-20 minutes during prolonged hot weather exercise.

Believe it or not, how much water you should drink during prolonged exercise is an ongoing debate. While the word used to be to drink a certain amount per hour, whether you were thirsty or not, your own body seems to be the best indicator of how much you should drink. Your body will tell you if you’re drinking enough, either through thirst or by slowing down.

“[Thirst] is the only system used by all other creatures on this earth. Why should it not also be ideal for humans?” says Timothy D. Noakes, M.D., a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town, and author of The Lore of Running.  Recently Dr. Noakes and his colleagues researched cycling performance during an 80 kilometer time trial, finding that drinking less than thirst called for negatively affected performance slightly and drinking more than thirst dictated had no effect.

Your body also lets you know it needs fluid by loss of power or speed. Riding hard, you will sweat 1 to 2 quarts an hour. If you lose more fluid by sweat or urine than you take in, you will experience dehydration.

“Body weight losses in the 3 to 4 percent range impair the body’s ability to efficiently utilize oxygen. When dehydration causes more than 4 to 5 percent weight loss, your power will deteriorate tremendously,” says Active.com expert Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D.

Your bathroom scale can clue you in. “If you gain any weight [exercising], you’re taking in too many fluids, but if you lose more than two percent of your body weight on a single outing, you probably need to drink more,” says Sally Wadyka in Runners World.

A random video that has nothing to do with this article, except it was very hot on that ride!

2. Get acclimated: It takes about 14 days for your body to adapt to summer heat and cool itself more efficiently. In the meantime, slow your pace and intensity and get your ride in rather than pushing it and risking injury. Listen up, weekend warriors: Riding hard one day a week is a bad idea in the summer, unless you are used to the heat. If you have a race or an important ride coming up, plan ahead and put in the training time.

3. Timing is everything … work with the heat. Good news for the early birds: 4-7 am is coolest time of day. The heat increases later and air quality diminishes. Early morning may be more humid, but you should try to be off the trail and indoors by the time the afternoon rays really heat up. Consider switching your group rides to the hours right after dawn. Additionally, stay cooler by riding in the woods and on trails that are frequently breezy. The temperature difference between shaded areas and sunny areas can swing greatly – think double digits – and wind further cools down b0dy temps. Finally, build cool down breaks into your ride, where you slow your pace for a few minutes.

4. Ride smart: Know the signs of heat-related health problems. The Red Cross shares the following

- Heat cramps: muscular pains and spasms. They are an early warning signal. Take heed.

- Heat exhaustion: a form of mild shock. Signals include cool, moist, pale flushed or red skin; heavy sweating; headache; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; and exhaustion. Cool person off, get them to a cooler place.

- Heat stroke: the temperature control system, which sweats to cool the body, stops working. Signals include hot, red and dry skin; changes in consciousness; rapid, weak pulse; and rapid, shallow breathing. Call 911. Quickly cool person off any way you can.

5. Get a little help from your friends. Ride with a buddy – watch each other for heat problems and hold each other accountable for calling time for cooling down. Let someone know how to contact you / where to find you and your expected return time. This is always a good idea, and even more so in extreme temperatures.

Resources:

Red Cross Heat Safety Tips

Active.com’s cycling heat tips

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Drawn from Human Kinetics: The information-leader in physical activity and health.

When you've mastered the basics, you can go for style points

Most of us learned how to ride a bike when we were in elementary school or before. And as avid mountain bikers, most of us have kept riding our bikes much longer than our friends who learned how to ride at the same time we did. However, how much actual training or revisiting of basic bike-handling skills have we done since then, to learn how to get the most out of these high-tech machines we love so much?

This need for updating our basic skills and increasing the efficiency of our riding is  addressed in Mastering Cycling (Human Kinetics, 2010), by author John Howard, three-time Olympian and 18-time national masters cycling champion. Howard says cyclists need to avoid the “Toy Syndrome.” It ain’t a toy, so don’t approach it like one.

Howard encourages riders to polish up their skills in several key, basic skills areas:

Climbing in the saddle

Fast, efficient climbing demands that riders know when and what to do at the key moment to keep going forward and up. “Delaying the decision too long will result in the loss of both speed and momentum,” Howard says. What gear you choose and how you shift depends on how much you have left in the tank – your available power, fitness level, and pitch of the climb. The length of the climb also influences how the rider approaches it.  “If you are starting to climb a long, gradual hill, use a gear that is comfortable and lets you maintain an rpm of about 90,” Howard explains. “When your cadence begins to slow down, downshift to an easier gear. If you are going to stand on the pedals, you may want to shift up to a higher gear so that you don’t waste energy spinning.”

Climbing out of the saddle
Off-the-saddle climbing demands a balance between keeping a reasonable hear-rate (not burning out) and getting that burst of forward umph. “Gravity will win the battle if you surge on the pedals, pull and push your upper body forward or backward, or worse, pull your upper body up and down, disengaging the important core muscles,” Howard says. “The primary force in moving the bicycle forward is generated at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions of the cranks.” Howard says less-experienced riders often mistime their crank surges, so they lose lots of power at the top and bottom of their pedal stroke, since these areas are inefficient in out-of-the saddle pedaling.

Cornering
True cornering skills require fluid, snap judgments on all the aspects of each turn, including camber, radius of the turn, trail conditions and any thing that affects speed. Riders must lean the bike through turns to speed through them.  “A cyclist must estimate how much lean is needed to counteract the physical forces that want to project the cyclist and the bicycle in a straight line,” Howard says. “The amount of lean depends on the speed traveled into the turn, the tightness of the turn, and the degree and direction of the road bank.”

Braking

Howard discusses the two types of braking: feathering and “hot stops.” Feathering is used most of the time, to lightly control speed and ride smoothly through normal terrain changes. “Hot stops” are required when the rider must stop and stop immediately.  “The action is accompanied by an approximate bias of two-thirds on the front brake and one-third on the rear brake,” Howard explains. “Cyclists will have very little time to slip back in the saddle and apply the front brakes. When it is done properly, the bike can stop in half the distance that it would normally take.”

Shifting

“Whether you are a competitive or a recreational cyclist, your cadence needs to be as comfortable and smooth as possible, never jerky,” Howard says. He advises single gear shifts and warns against cross-angled chain lines.  “Cyclists should listen to their bikes and avoid crossing the chain over radical angles, such as the big chain ring and the larger cog in the rear. This will save wear and tear on the drive train and the knees,” Howard adds.

For more information, see Mastering Cycling.

The smooth "on-ramp" makes for an easy entrance to this off-camber log ride.

Liberty Mountain Trail System on Candler’s Mountain, outside Lynchburg, VA, boasts more than 60-miles of trails ranging from wide service roads to narrow hillside singletrack. Please see the Getting There page for a trail map and more details on access, eats and lodging.  The system has grown greatly in the past few years thanks to the work of Liberty’s Lars Larson and his team and willing volunteers from around the region.  Some of the more exciting additions to the trails are the bridges and technical features. Advanced riders looking for something to spice up their riding can hit most of the features the mountain has to offer in this 30-60 minute loop that I’ve dubbed the Tour de Bridges, for a little cycling history flair.

Story: Randy King

Photos: Randy King, Scott Schekman

Park at Liberty’s Snowflex Center (out in the gravel section of the lot) or on the shoulder at the FAA Tower road, about 1/3 mile up Candlers Mt. Road past the Snowflex Center. From the Snowflex Center lot, start down Lake Trail (in the corner of lot). [If you park at the FAA tower, you'll be riding the tour in reverse, starting from and ending at the top of A Trail Too Far.] There are two features on Lake Trail. One is obviously located trail side to the rider’s right after reaching the flat part of the trail and before the first trail junction. It is easier from the uphill side. It’s an off-camber, flat-topped log (about 8″ wide) ride with a very good angled entrance ramp on the uphill side and a straight exit ramp on the downhill end. It is about 18″ off the ground at its highest point, and sloped downhill. Very easy ride, though visually challenging with the off-camber top. The other feature is near the two wooden bridges crossing the creek to the left of the trail at the first junction. It is easier from the uphill end. Cross the creek and take the new trail almost immediately to the right. The log has an angled ramp approach from this, the uphill side, and a straight exit ramp off the downhill side. The log is flat-topped and has traction cross-cuts. It is about 8″-1o” wide and crosses a creek. It is about three-feet off the creek bed at its highest point.  After railing these features, follow Lake Trail all the way to its end, skirting around Hydeaway Lake.

Riding the edge - getting all higgledy-piggledy - before getting back on track.

At the end of Lake Trail, turn left and watch for the right onto The Lasso. The Lasso follows a creek for awhile and then starts uphill. The next feature is at the top of the first rise, to the right of the trail. It is a flat-topped, log feature with earthen, angled ramps on each end. Its 6″ wide top is cross-cut for traction and it is easily rideable from either end. The log is about 18″ to two-feet high at its highest point. Follow Lasso to its intersection with itself, and turn left, continuing gradually uphill. The Lasso tees into an unnamed singletrack. Turn left and descend an eroded section through a sharp U to a creek. Cross the creeks on a 2″X6″ skinny to your left and a wooden ladder bridge. Follow the unnamed trail until it leads to A Trail Too Far, to the right at a worn-down log crossing.

A Trail Too Far (ATTF) tracks gradually uphill along a creek valley. Along the way riders will encounter the densest concentration of bridges and features on the mountain. Two “rainbow” ladder bridges, a big log ride with wooden ladder ramp, and three level ladder bridges make the trail a fun mix of weaving singletrack and skills riding. Several log crossings keep riders focused.

The first “rainbow” ladder bridge on ATTF is a Candler’s Mountain classic. About 12″-18″ wide, it curves and arches and is about three-feet above the creek at its highest. The easy route is through the creek to the bridge’s left. Immediately following this bridge is the mountain’s burliest log ride, a large downed natural log (with no flattened top or traction cross-cuts). It features significant ramps on either end, and a 20-foot long log ride. It is easier from the uphill end. The ramp on the downhill end is a ladder with a four-foot long incline and an eight-foot long angled level ladder and then a three-foot down ramp onto the log. The log is a natural surface, and has two recesses that can stop a slow-moving front tire. It is about two and half-feet off the ground at its highest. The ramp on the uphill end is another “rainbow,” an arched, straight line ladder bridge. It is the easy part of this feature.

Shortly after sewing together these two features, riders will cross the intersection of ATTF and a jeep trail. Continue straight on ATTF, to the next two features. One is a simple, low ladder bridge, crossing a wet spot. It is about 18″ wide by 3-feet long and only about eight inches off the ground. Next up is a more challenging feature. Only about a foot off the ground at its highest, this feature’s challenge is in its transitions. It starts off only six inches wide, with a 2″X6″. Eight feet in, it widens into a 10′ ladder bridge that goes from about 10″ wide to 18″ wide before ending with a tight squeeze between two trees. This feature is easier from the downhill end.

The final bridge on ATTF is a 12′ long ladder bridge over a creek. It is about a foot wide and about four-feet above the creek at its highest. It is straight and flush with the trail bed. Only two challenges stand between the rider and the top of ATTF – one foot-high log crossing and a steep climb. At the top of the very sudden and steep (yet ride-able) final 100-yards of A Trail Too Far, turn right on the grassy Lake Hydeaway Rd.

Follow Lake Hydeaway Rd. downhill till it begins to climb. At the top of the first stage of the rise, turn into the woods to the left on the clearly worn, unsigned doubletrack that heads downhill. Descend to the intersection with Lake Trail. Turn left and start back uphill to the parking lot and the end of the ride.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Keeping in front of those one-geared wunderkinds

Eight hours into the gnarly technicality of the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race, I’m feeling battered and bounced into oblivion. My Gary Fisher HiFi boasts almost 5-inches of suspension front and back to “float” over the rocks and roots, and I have 27 gears to get me up those steep trails. Yet, inside, I’m begging for mercy. Then some dude on a single-speed bike with no suspension passes me on the next climb. Actually, that would be inaccurate. Most of those singlespeed riders passed me on the first nasty climb of the race. I’ll only see them back at the finish when they’re collecting prizes for taking most of the top spots overall.

How can a single-speeder be faster?

-Momentum: Single-speed riders rely on momentum to move quickly. Because of their one gear, restarting requires a lot of energy, and may take more time than someone with a working drive train. So SSers like to keep rolling once they’re on pace. This is even more true when paired with 29″ wheels, as many SS bikes are. On climbs, the SSer has incentive to keep the hammer down and maintain his momentum. This is easier the faster he pedals. Think of riding in your big chain ring up front. Geared riders often slow down and try to spin in an easier gear on prolonged climbs. Single-speeders will pass them on these climbs if they are rideable. “Momentum’s key for a single-speeder in other ways; keep your momentum on the rolling hills, especially the short steep ones. And truly I’m only working half the time compared to the geared guys. I work on climbs, but every where else I’m drafting off of them and recovering,” says single-speed champion Fuzzy Mylne.

-It’s not the shoes: In Michael Jordan’s heyday, Nike used to run commercials quipping “It’s gotta be the shoes.” Well, those single-speeders that are rocking their way to the podium would be really fast on geared bikes too. Additionally, riding a single-speed bike all day takes a special form of tolerance for discomfort. So does marathon racing. So the SSers are suited to the event.

-The Law of Averages: Successful single-speed riders try to maintain momentum and pace, to make their riding easier. So, if their gearing is higher than the average of your gear switching, and they push that gear to a consistent max, they will outpace you. SSers don’t lose time on shifting, they get up to speed and try to stay at speed. Better single-speed riders adjust their gearing to be as efficient as possible depending on their strengths (spinning versus stomping).

Poor conditions are a chance to gear down to pass up SSers

How to beat single-speeders in an epic event:

-Big Ring – Play to your advantages. One of your biggest is that large chain ring up front. Every chance you have, level trail, slight descent, downhill … run the big ring and crank it hard. Every turn you make in the big ring is an advantage over the single-speeders with their smaller gearing. To win in the battle of average speed, you have to up your average. Pedal in the big ring past the point of pain. If you need inspiration to keep going, look back and see how far back the nearest single-speeder is.

-Granny Gear - Sense a theme? On those long technical climbs, leverage your easier gears to make ground on the single-speeders. Any section that disallows a steady pace (i.e. rock gardens, tight switching climbs, roots) is where you can whip out your granny gear and flog the SSers with it. Soft ground or poor conditions are another place where you can gear down and keep pedaling while the single-speeders walk. This only makes sense if you can up your average speed over the SSers. If you’re spinning away like a mad hamster, and they’re keeping up with you on foot, then you’re not heeding our final tip on beating Single-speed riders:

-Efficiency – Learning to spin efficiently will mean you’re getting the most out of your +20 gears. Shifting at the optimal time leads to less gear grinding and chances for the dreaded chain suck. Keep your drive train in prime condition with lots of TLC. Improve your strength and style so you can push a harder gear on the climbs and save that Granny Gear for super technical and steep stuff.

Thoughts for the trail: Put in the miles, pushing bigger gears and mastering your shifting. Boost your technical skills and stop and start riding skills to take advantage of trail sections that will disrupt SSers momentum. Be ready that local single-speeders will know the trail better than you and will be ready to compensate for the momentum loss. Watch and learn from how they tackle those sections. You can apply it to your riding. Remember, we’re all part of the mountain biking culture, and we all succeed or fail together. So, if you haven’t tried one, get on a single-speed and see what it’s like. SSers, keep pushing the envelope of what we can do on one-geared cycles. I know I’ll continue to see mono-coggers on the podium at epic race events.

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Riding with others is safer, can push you to new heights … or can look a lot like what you went to the woods to escape

Story & Photos: Randy King

Riding at night is best with a group or at least with a buddy

For the first time in my mountain biking life I am part of a regular riding group.  Over the last year I have ridden with these guys in rain, summer’s heat, by blue light of LED’s and on a misbegotten adventure in the snow. The cast of characters shifts around one central figure, Scott, who recruits and bonds with the rest of us.

In the late ’90’s I came out for a few night group rides. However, they were things of pain and suffering, cut with only slightest companionship. So for years after most of my rides were just me and two wheels.

Yet riding with others makes sense for most big mountain riding, both for safety’s sake, and for the companionship that forms when we share a big adventure. It’s also a great way to get and stay motivated. So, how to keep group rides at their best and minimize the downsides that can spoil everything?

Ingredients for good group rides:

-camaraderie – If it ain’t fun, why do it? The best groups get along well. Or at least well enough to stick together and have some fun. In Active.com,  Active Expert Joe Decker, an ultra-endurance power athlete and renowned fitness trainer, says: “Get out of your cubicle, your car or your house and go meet other people that have a common interest just like you. You never know, you might just meet some real friends instead of the ones you find online.”

-competition – If you can’t test yourself against somebody, why do it? Friendly competition is a vital element of mountain biking. It’s a lifestyle where every yard of trail may present a new challenge. It may not matter who gets back to the parking lot first, but great energy will be spent on who can master one log or that 20-foot long rocky section. “Not only are you more motivated to get out of bed and exercise, but there’s the motivation to improve your current fitness level.” says Active Expert, Joe Decker on Active.com. “If you work out with people who are faster, stronger or fitter than you, you are probably going to get in better shape.”

-patience – Group rides are group efforts. The odds are slim of assembling more than 2-3 riders of exactly the same skill level with the same tastes in trail preference. Group rides are about compromise on both ends. The faster riders get to wait for the slower ones, and the slower ones should push themselves to ride faster than they would on their own. Downhill demons will hang out at the bottom for the mortals to descend; climbing freaks get a welcome break at the top while the lung-limited masses claw their way up. A good group adopts the Marine Corps mantra of never leaving a buddy in the field.

-organization – So it’s about compromise. That being said, somebody has to line up the dots to pull the thing off. Especially if it’s an out-of-towner. Ideally the load of logistics will get spread around. And the rest of the group should comply by being on time for rides, bringing along their own food, common repair items, and adequate clothing, safety equipment, etc. On the trail someone has to pick the route – if you’re blessed with a trail system with more than one loop. Share the load, or keep the complaints to a minimum.

-variety – shake things up a bit. Go for out-of-towners, ride the same-old loop the other direction, mix in night rides. Invite new folks. Few mountain bikers enjoy doing the same lap every time. Have somebody else lead the ride if the normal leader is feeling burnt out. We don’t ride mountain bikes because we love predictability. If you’re getting burnt out on mountain biking, than I say drive somewhere – it doesn’t have to be far – and point your knobbies down a trail you haven’t rode. It will remind you of why you love this fat-tired fad. And, if you have a strong group that likes riding together, start planning your trip to a mountain biking Mecca. When my brother and I were in Moab in 2007, we shared our campground with a big group from CO. They were a Tuesday night ride group that had grown and bonded and now made multi-day trips to places like Moab to ride together. Those folks knew about camaraderie! Watching them jump their blazing bonfire to the tune of their own guitar music made me envious of such a tight-knit riding group.

Spoilers for group rides:

-selfishness - Group rides are not about stomping the rest of the group into submission or surrender. Nor are they about being the center of attention. They are about the group and everybody having a good time. Riders who are always dragging the group along at a lung-searing pace, or those who are dragging the end of the line all the time should consider finding another group. If you’re all friends then you should ride at a compromise pace. That’s what friends do.

-unfriendliness - Nobody likes a jerk. Just because someone’s the best rider doesn’t mean they have the right to rebuff the rest of the group. These are the people who may be carrying you out of the woods if something goes wrong. Save the attitude for race day. Be friendly, get others interested in our sport. Like we learned in grade school, it takes less effort to smile than to frown.

-unsafe practices – I know, it’s an unsafe sport, so what is an “unsafe practice”? It’s relative, but riders who put others in danger don’t belong in a group ride. Danger comes in many different packages. Consistently riding beyond personal abilities, riding poorly-maintained equipment, not wearing a helmet, taking the group on trails that exceed the experience of group members, not waiting for the slow riders, bailing out without telling anybody, etc. A good group ride depends on the right people. If you’re in with the wrong folks, find yourself a new group. If you’re guilty of some the above, then now is the time to turn over a new leaf.

-poor planning – No big deal, right? And so it might be on a 1-2 hour friendly. However, it gets serious fast when somebody has a mechanical failure or breaks a bone several miles from the nearest road and nobody has any tools or a working cell phone, or has told anybody where they are or when the ride should wrap-up. When it comes to planning, the old proverb rings true: a stitch in time saves nine.

I definitely recommend riding with others as part of your time on two wheels. When you’re out with a bunch of amigos, remember to have fun and be safe. Patience, organization and variety are keys to making that happen. Happy Trails!

Group rides in Lynchburg, VA: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday @ Winngate Inn on Candler’s Mountain Road. Park in the lot to the right of the entrance. Usually a 2-2.5 hour ride, medium pace.

Group rides in Roanoke, VA: Roanoke Outside

©2010 Big Mountain Riding

Come up for some air and solitude - See the high country in a different guise

Story & Photos: Randy King

Winter is not a wonderland for most mountain bikers. The altitudes we love are prone to snow and wicked winds. Bicycles meet their match in crusty snow or on icy rocks. Fortunately, winter doesn’t have to mean we all transform into pudgy sofa pilots or pasty-skinned gym rats. Here are five activities that will keep your trail riding skills sharp when the weather turns cold and wet:

Alpine skiing – Hones your skills through speed, line selection, and leg strength. A day on the boards will work out your quads and sharpen your eyes for reading terrain. The speeds involved (up to and over 60 mph) exceed those of downhill mountain biking, and your friendly terrain park will give you more chances for air than any mountain bike trail. A true carved turn will haunt you with its beauty and flow. Tips: Spring for a lesson or two. It is worth it. If you fall for the sport, used equipment can help you save big. Downside: expensive both in equipment and pay per play.

Cross-country skiing – Builds muscle, endurance and cardio strength. Did you see the Nordic ski competitions at the Olympics? This ain’t your granddad’s way of getting to the one-room schoolhouse. Pain lovers can build phenomenal strength and endurance on the skinny’s. Buy a pair of skis and the special boots and find a snowy forest service road or field. You’re making the rules. No lift lines, no lift tickets, and you have to make it up every hill under your own power. Or get involved in local races if you need the competition. Tips: Packed down trails are easier for the beginner. The buddy system can save you (0r at least your toes) if something goes wrong far from home. Downside: Only practical where the snow stays on the ground for awhile, and it ain’t as glamorous [or easy] as it looks

Cyclocross – To paraphrase Jack Nicholson’s Dr. Buddy Rydell in the Adam Sandler masterpiece Anger Management: In Europe as many as a hundred men often race their skinny-tired bikes through the winter woods in a cyclocross event. Most of us would voice Sandler’s sentiment verbatim: “That’s why I’m proud to be an American.” However, this masochistic sport will get you outdoors on a bike in winter, and will force you to consider traction and bike carrying in a new light. Not for the faint of lung or legs. Tips: You can get the flavor of the sport using your current ride by racing a Mountain Cross event, or see if a cyclocross event will let your compete on your mountain bike. Downside: Hard to find local events, may mean buying another special-purpose bike.

Floating atop VA's Little Rocky Row Mountain

Snowshoeing – Like XC skiing, snowshoeing is easy enough to learn. A pair of big feet, some snow and you’re on your way. You push yourself as hard as you want. If you live in areas with deep snow, a pair of snowshoes will open up a whole world of exploration. A great way to seek out solitude. I’ll never forget ’shoeing down a gentle ridgeline atop two-feet of drifted powder, in the silence of a snowy day on a side trail. What a peaceful sensation. Downside: Need sufficient snow to make it worth the effort. ‘Shoes take up a lot of storage space.

When Quinn the Eskimo gets here ...

Winter biking – When all else fails, get on your bike and ride. The roads are cleared first, so you can risk your life and limbs road riding on narrow roads. Or you can try to make your way on your local trails. Your success will depend a lot on the type of snow that covers your trails. Studded tires and tire chains may help with forward momentum and turning, but it’s not going to feel like the same thing as flowing a nice packed single track trail. Downside: wear and tear on your drive train, hard on you.

However you chose to do it, just do it. Get outdoors and stay active. You’ll be glad you did when you get back on the trails and begin prepping for the season or your next big adventure.

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Story: Randy King

Photos: from internet sources credited

We can agree that the best training for riding your bike is to ride your bike. And for big mountain riders, practicing for events that are often 80 to 100-miles in distance, and require more than 10-hours of saddle time, putting in many hours on the bike is a requirement. But for large swaths of the country, it’s no-go weather outside right now.  How do you stay fit and strong without burning out on riding in the cold, or when the weather and the early winter evenings refuse to comply with your plans for a two-wheeled workout?

If you have access to a gym or to free weights, you can not only stay in shape, but build muscles that will have your back on the big mountain rides of the warmer months coming. Here are a few of my favorite cross-training activities, and how they apply to mountain bike riding:

From Livestrong.com

Swimming

Swimming is a whole-body workout. If you think you get the munchies after a few hours of hard trail riding, wait till you swim a half-mile or more. You will be craving carb’s. The water can help you build cardio endurance with underwater swimming, exercise your whole body with different strokes, or burn fat with low-intensity laps. Using just your legs, you can isolate those pedaling muscles. When back floating, you can mimic the exact movement of spinning. I like swimming the length of the pool in one breath, and the crawl stroke – the first for building cardio and mental strength, the second for burning calories and a whole-body workout.

However, for cross-training I focus on muscle groups that may not get worked out every ride. These include my upper body and arms, and core muscles. For all of the following exercises, I go for higher reps with less weight, since I am aiming for more endurance and muscle tone than for bulk. I usually do three sets of 20 reps of each exercise.

Upper body

Many cyclists don’t dwell on upper body strength. However, those muscles that have probably embarrassed most of us the most over the years are important to technical riding and to big mountain riding, with its long hours and laissez faire trail conditions.
◊ Shrugs – using dumb bells or bar bells, stand up with your arms hanging straight down. Lift the weights by shrugging your shoulders. Try to lift with just the shoulder muscles, not your back. You can work your way up to more reps as you go, or to more weight. Works the trapezius muscles and is great for helping heave the bike over trail obstacles, or to snap the front end back on line during sketchy descents.
◊ Lat lifts – Your Latissimus Dorsi muscles or Lats, contribute to lofting that front wheel over an obstacle at speed, or to pumping your bike through the trail. You can work them out by using two dumb bells and raising your arms straight up from beside your thighs to shoulder height. My favorite though is to use a bar bell and, grasping it at handlebar width with arms extended, hold it just slightly lower than straight out from my chest. Then I pull back till the bar almost touches my chest near shoulder height.

Arms

Forearm curl: Pull up on those bars!

◊ Forearm curls – Your forearms are the nearest muscle of any size controlling your handlebars. They also are inline to take the shock of many crashes. Working with a dumb bell, curl your arm at the wrist, contracting and extending. Do reps in both directions – working the top and bottom of your forearm. See illustration.

◊ Bicep curls - The old standard. True, if you’re built like most mountain bikers, you’ll never have guns big enough to grab attention in public. But the biceps are key to controlling and powering the front end during rough downhills and through rock gardens, or when you need to lift the bike in one hand, etc. When the going gets rough, it’s time to put the guns to use, and you’ll be glad that you have paid attention to your biceps. This exercise can be done free-standing or with a curl bench to really isolate the biceps.

Core

Because of its central location, it is important to properly develop your core both for overall strength to allow you to work the rest of your body, and for balance and control aboard your bike. It’s hard to overwork the core muscles.

It's even called a "bicycle" crunch - of course it's good for riders!

◊ Bicycle crunches – one of the best according to the American Council on Exercise’s study to determine the most effective ab exercises. A personal favorite.

1. Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head.
2. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck.
3. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
4. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a ‘pedaling’ motion for 12-16 reps.

Prepare for pain! The Captain's Chair

◊ Captain’s Chair leg lifts – another great isolator of the ab muscles. As you gain strength and control, you can pump this exercise up with a medicine ball held between your feet or knees, or by slowing down your lift and extending the hold time. I try for a five-second hold at the top of the lift.

1. Stand on chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest.
3. Don’t arch the back or swing the legs up.
4. Slowly lower back down and repeat for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

These are just a few of the many exercises that you can do at home or in the gym to improve your riding. Watch for a future article on mountain bike-specific calisthenics, or workouts without weights. Meanwhile, stay fit, get strong, and dream of dryer days when the trails flow and you have the endurance to ride all day and night!

© Big Mountain Riding

Get dressed for fitness at

Story & Photos: Randy King

A simple, shocking fact is that, all too many times, one second makes all the difference. Sickeningly, we are usually never aware which second is that second until it’s too late. We say we’d love to go back and relive whole chunks of our lives, so that we could make different choices. Yet really, if we could relive less than a minute or two of key seconds, we could change so much.

Cold creek crossing on Candler's Mountain

This was brought home yet again for me on Saturday’s friendly at Liberty University’s Liberty Mountain Trail System. Mid-ride, we headed back to Five Points for a rendezvous with a friend.

Our amigo Ricardo, ever searching for the perfect bike, immediately asked if he could try out her 29-er Specialized hard tail. He jumped on her bike and took off up Rogues Gallery trail while the rest of us chatted about where we’d head next.

A minute may have passed, and then Richard began yelling from around the bend in the trail. We were bemused. However, his tone grew more strident, and Scott said “We’d better go find out.”

Just as I approached the log crossing and saw the bike lying twisted on the other side, Scott rode back and reported, “He says he broke his arm.”

As indeed he had. Broke it in such a way that he needed surgery to ensure it would reset properly.

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In the late ’90s a friend and I were visiting family in the hilly suburbs of Knoxville, TN. We borrowed two mountain bikes and as we rolled them out of the garage, I thought to warn my friend of the powerful grab of the V-brakes, but then I remembered that she had a bike with V’s. We started off down the hill and within seconds she was lying on the ground, bleeding from deep cuts to the face and hands from a too-hard brake pull.

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The summer following my senior of high school my dad and I were putting a new roof on a lake house and our boss left us in the evening with the instructions that we didn’t need to finish off the job that day. Dad kept on pushing, though, because a storm was rolling in and he wanted to get to a certain point before the rain. Tired, teen-aged and harassed by the onslaught of pre-rain mosquitoes, I badgered him for his stubbornness. Finally the rain arrived, and we struck the scene. I scrambled off the roof, and had to grab at the eaves as the ladder slid a bit on the slick deck below. Eager to depart, and angry that we had tarried so long, I didn’t offer a warning of the precarious ladder, and moments later I heard the crash and yell of pain. Broken ribs and bruised lungs resulted.

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In both of these cases mere seconds made the difference. However, two things can help us better the outcomes of these crucial seconds. Read more…

“Even with speed it is essential that the mind does not stop.” Takuan Soho

“If a man strikes at [the beginner] with the sword, he simply meets the attack without anything in mind. As he studies … and is taught … where to put his mind, his mind stops in many places. … Later, as days pass and time piles up, in accordance with his practice, neither the postures [or ways] are weighed in his mind. His mind simply becomes as it was at the beginning.” Takuan Sōhō, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.

On a recent group ride, I tackled a local legend – the eponymous feature on the Liberty Mountain Dam Trail. I had concluded that it was pretty straightforward from  one side at least. It required only full commitment. So I said to Scott as we bypassed the one end, headed up the ravine. The blue sky peered through the leafless canopy above. The 8″-wide concrete wall stretched across the ravine from trail to trail, reaching a maximum height of  4′ on the uphill side and maybe 5′-6′ on the other. Checking my head as we rolled closer, I slowed, turned onto the line and went for it.

This chutzpah stems from my new focus on the bike, wood work. Fortunately for my health and finances, I live in the Blue Ridge and not the Northwest. Yet the key to survival and success is the same on bridges, skinnies and “up-in-the-air” riding of all heights. Oh, I hear your skepticism. I remember reading about this free-climber (those who climb massive rock faces without ropes or attachment) saying that most people can walk across a 2X4 set up between two cinder blocks, ergo most of us could walk across the same board 100′ in the air. In both cases it’s a question of would not could; we have the necessary ability.

Focus on the end goal to ride elevated features

Look at the singletrack that you ride regularly. Do you often veer off the trail because you are unable to follow that thread of dirt? This is important, because I’m not suggesting a “Just Do It” or “No Fear” outlook. I am suggesting that if you’ve ridden singletrack for years, advancing your skills, then you have what it takes to ride contraptions and obstructions when you encounter one. They are just elevated editions of the challenges you ride on the ground.

“Technique and principle are just like the two wheels of a cart.” Takuan Sōhō, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.

Fear, that old fox

Right, you say, but I’m not riding onto that log or that bridge. Right, I say – the next time I rolled up to the Dam, I wouldn’t do it. Por que no? It may be that old fox, Fear. Sneaking around whispering vile lies about how you’ll never this, and who are you to try that?

“(Come in under the shadow of this red rock), and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning striding behind you or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland

So, how do you defeat fear? You don’t. Fear is a natural reaction to things perceived different and dangerous. That gives us two points to with which to work.

1. Fear is not be feared – just because you’re scared doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Think in cardio terms. Many people stop pushing themselves when they are out of breath or when their heart is hammering. Bikers know that we can keep pushing further. In fact, we will need to if we want to achieve our cycling goals. This applies to fear too. Accept the fear and ride through it. Following my backing away from it, I approached the dam on another ride and rode across it again, fearing the entire time that I would not make it. I rode through the fear.

2. Features are not different than technical trails – The technicality of features is not any different nor much more dangerous than a challenging singletrack section. It is only in our perception that they differ greatly. And in the level of commitment required – like a steep, sketchy downhill. Focus on the end of the feature and onto where you want your front wheel to go – not where it is currently.

“The gnarlier the line is, the more speed you need and the more you must commit. … When the going gets really steep and silly, braking screws up your bike’s handling, and you can’t really slow down anyway. You just have to surrender yourself to the hill.” Mastering Mountain Bike Skills.

I can tell you, from personal experience, that the reward of pushing your personally-set-limits is immensely satisfying. And once you succeed a few times you will begin to see the trails and places you ride in a new light. New options will appear to you and it will spice up your riding. As you continue practicing pushing yourself, you will move past methodically thinking it through, and like the warrior in the opening quote, you will find yourself riding these features without even having to think about it. Happy Trails, amigos.

Don’t miss – Of Zen and Mountain Biking Part I & Part III (Coming Soon)

For Stanley, Christa, Darren and Dig, who tolerated my early bike-borne Zen ravings.

© Big Mountain Riding

Se llama "flow," mis amigos

“When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of its red leaves, you will not see the others. When the eye is not set on any one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in  mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit.” Takuan Sōhō, The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom.

By: Randy King

Photos: Doug King & Randy King

Yesterday I experienced one of those signature moments in a mountain biking year. Descending LU’s ruff-n-tuff Pscycle Pathe in duo, I rode the rough line most of the way. Bouncing over exposed bedrock and dicing through eroded leftovers, I railed the thing. This alone is a great sensation. However, as I hit the run-out at the bottom, my rear wheel struck a loose rock at high speed. The back end vaulted up, swung right and came forward fast. In the split second interval before a spectacular crash, I realized what had happened, evaluated what was to come, and changed my fate. Slamming my chest down to the handlebars, I twisted the grips to the left slightly and leaned into the carving front wheel. The back wheel landed almost perpendicular to my front wheel and miraculously, the bike straightened out and I rode it out.  I shouted out a great “Whoa!” and heard my companion yell “nice save.”

“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” Newton’s third law of motion.

Bridge work

At the bottom, waiting for our third amigo, I basked in the thudding-heart glow of having created art-in-motion – a glimpse of greatness. A glimpse of the Zen state No-Thought-No-Mind.

I believe it is why we, grown adults, ride bikes in the woods. It is for moments like these, and for the spontaneous mash-up of skills, luck and improbable execution that can carry the day when all seems lost.

“When you elevate your gaze, you literally elevate your perception of the trail. Instead of noticing individual objects – little round rock, big pointy rock, huge wet rock – you sense the overall flow of the trail – left, right, up and down.” Brian Lopes, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills

Don’t miss – Of Zen and Mountain Biking Part II & Part III (Coming Soon)

For Stanley, Christa, Darren and Dig, who tolerated my early bike-borne Zen ravings.

© Big Mountain Riding