Big Mountain Riding

An informal log of training rides as I prep for the pain of the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race on May 1.

Bomber!

Training Exercise #1 – 40-minute ride time at Blackwater Creek. Orthodox Church, Creekside Trail to bikeway, Sticks ‘n’ Stones, back out on Creekside Trail. Off day, bouncing all around on obstacles.

Training Exercise #2 – 1-hour ride time at Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Saturday Group Ride, Blind Faith, A Trail Too Far, Lasso, lower Lake Trail, Perimeter to Raptor Run to Bald Spot, Peak-to-Peak to Five Points, out on Lower Dam. A day of firsts – First time getting the big log crossing on lower Lake Trail, and first time riding the dam from the downhill side.

Training Exercise #3 – 2-hour ride time, +2,200 feet altitude gain in 12-miles. Sunday Group Ride at Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Lake Trail to Perimeter to the fire road leading up to Power Line. Power Line Loop rocky DH, Horton’s Loop to Oak’s Way, right on Split Decision to the skills area, fire road to Logo Rd. Alternate Flight Pattern to Psycle Pathe, to Racoon Alley to Perimeter back to Camp Hydaway. Out on A Trail Too Far. Firsts – railing the big log ride on ATTF from the lower side, getting the final climb on ATTF, including the final pitch with the log.

Training Exercise #4 - 2.5-hour rambling small group ride, lots of exploration and putzing about in the clear cut area. Upper Dam to Luge Trail. Luge climb to Peak-to-Peak to Horton’s Loop. Down the big sets of switch backs – had brake problems. Aargh! Shredded the little spring clip that holds the pads in. Or doesn’t. When I finally broke the clip, the pads stayed in and worked fine. All of Hortons, back to Five Points. Then, DH trail, back up on the climb, up Powerline fire road side, middle ringed it the whole way up that steepy as a challenge. Rode out into the clear cut on the fire road descent. Hit Perimeter for a bit, then headed off over logging roads. Meandered through the clear cut, finding impossibly steep climbs and rough stuff. Back up to the top of Powerline hill, down the fireroad, over on Flames Rd., cut across country to Split Fork road. Back to the Perimeter at the power line crossing.

Training Exercise #5 - 1.25-hour ride time, Tuesday night group ride at Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Lower Dam to Five Points. Peak-to-Peak climb, to Playground. Playground DH to Horton’s Loop descent. Oak’s Way to Perimeter Loop, turned right, Perimeter to Camp Hydaway. Lake trail around the lake to Lasso, bridge ride on Lasso – a first for Chris, A Trail Too Far with the new and repaired bridges. Had a bit of a challenge with the new skinny to wide contraption, but got it. Out via Candler’s Mt. road and Candler’s Climb. Firsts: Riding the Dam coming from the parking lot.

Training Exercise #6 – 10 lap swim at Lynchburg’s Jamerson YMCA = 500 yards.

Training Exercise #7 – 1 km swim at Lynchburg’s Downtown YMCA.

Training Exercise #8 - 4-mile solo skills ride on A Trail Too Far and Lasso. Practicing my elevated feature work and flow. Videoed some tutorial stuff for elevated features riding. Hope to create a skills video. Modified the uphill entry to the new bridge on ATTF, which I’ve dubbed “EZ Doz It,” because it is best done casually and without getting too aggro.

Training Exercise #9 - 11.3 mile solo ride on a modified perimeter loop ride. 1-hour 50-minutes, brisk pace in the hot sun. Lower Dam out to Five Points, DH trail to perimeter, to the Power line crossing, then off perimeter, on Split Fork Rd to Flames Rd. To Clear Cut Rd., up the climb to Power line hill and a tearing big-ring descent through the clear cut all the way back to the perimeter loop. Continued on perimeter, came out on Lake Trail, riding the off-camber log there from the lower side for the first time. Slipped a cog on the final climb and almost put my bars through my ribs. Came into the parking lot out of water and with an almost flat rear tire. But I made my goal of sub two hours.

Training Exercise #10 – Swam 20 laps in 25-minutes at Lynchburg’s Jamerson YMCA = 1000-yards.

Training Exercise #11 – Swam 20 laps in 20-minutes at Lynchburg’s Jamerson YMCA = 1000-yards.

Training Exercise #12 – Saturday Group Ride at Candler’s / Liberty Mountain trails. 2.5-hours ride time, I had 11.7 miles on my GPS. Scott measured 15+ miles on his cycl0-computer. Struggled with mechanical problems – mine revolved around my Crank Bro’s cleats. Firsts – Made the Dam ride on a roll through from the South. Swung wide, dropped into the fall line next to the tree, bounced around the roots a bit, only straightened it all out once I was out on the thing. Rode across. E-Z. Firsts – Made the final switchback coming back Lower Dam Trail to the parking lot. One time out of six or so, but it was a go.

Training Exercise #13 – Sunday solo in the ‘hood. Wind sprints on the hill by the Y. 4.2 miles of up the 50-foot vertical gain climb and back. Did it in leap frog fashion, sprinting up a 1/3 of the way, back down, sprint 2/3 of the way, back down, sprint the whole way. Good work out, though boring.

Don't let 'em tell ya it don't hurt!

Training Exercise #14 - Solo on Candler’s / Liberty Mountain trail system. 13.4 miles via an extended version of the Perimeter Trail, reversed – starting with Candler’s Climb and down Lake Trail, back up to the top of A Trail Too Far, all the way down and over to Camp Hyde-away lake to pick up the Perimeter. What a tough ride. Bit it on the big log ride on A Trail Too Far. Freaked out on the next bridge. Then, on the cut-across on Split Forks Rd, I rode through a limb and tore the derailleur off my bike. Luckily I had a spare hanger along. Glad when this one was over!

Training Exercise #15 – Group ride on Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Fast-paced reverse perimeter extended. Hit the bridges from Lake Trail to Lasso, only missing the skinny on ATTF. Put the hammer down for the last bit, racing gravel road against singletrack back to the parking lot from the end of Dead End Rd.

Training Exercise #16 -Friday solo on Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Rode till I had heat exhaustion. An even more extended Perimeter loop, with the Powerline Loop and one of Split Decision’s climbs thrown in for good measure. Rode till I was ready to drop.

Training Exercise #17 – Sherando Lake State Park with my race partner, Randy Lewis. Despite a few mechanical issues (chain break and flat tire), and Torrey Ridge trail being even rougher than I had remembered it, we made it through 20 some miles. Don’t consider it a good sign that we were both at the end of the tank when we got back to the truck for a late lunch. The Mills Creek trail with its huge climbing switchbacks put a nail in our coffin. Went over the bars in the big rock garden, but landed on a soft spot.

Training Exercise #18 – Solo frontside ride on Candler’s / Liberty Mountain. Stuck to the front side, riding Upper Dam out to 5 points, DH trail to Boblsed up to 5 points again and then the Powerline Loop. Climbed Peak-to-Peak all the way over two peaks to Monorail Trail, and then out on Lower Dam.

Higgedly Piggedly but rubber side down. Yee-ha!

Training Exercise #19 – Solo hill climb up Candler’s Climb from Wingate Inn to the ATV trail to the powerline to top of the FAA tower hill, then down to Lake Trail via rogue trails and climbing Lake Trail back to Snowflex. Met up with Scott. Rode casually all over the mountain, hitting Lake Trail again, Lasso, to ATTF, branched off on a rogue trail or two and looped back to Lasso. Then up past Hydaway Lake and up that hill to the old jeep trail coming down the back of the Snowflex mountain. Over to Racoon Alley and up the new, soft climb to the fire road. Split Decision to Rogue’s Gallery and up past Horton’s Loop to 5 points. Lower Dam out to the parking lot.

Training Exercise #20 – 15 laps in the Jamerson YMCA’s pool. 750 yards.

Training Exercise #21 - 1-hour solo ride at Lynchburg’s Peaks View Park. Enjoyed riding the newly cleared (love trail gnomes!) trails at this fun, tight and twisty park. Nice small jumps on Squeeze Trail. Still can’t get the big log ride. Doh!

Training Exercise #22 – 3-hour ride with Randy Lewis, my team mate for the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race. Rode the 2008 Assault on Liberty Mountain race course at a moderate pace. Humid and slick conditions. Wore out my rear break pads. Time to mend and tune the bike, pack up and get ready for the big ride. It’s on like Donkey Kong!

© 2010 Big Mountain Riding

Debriefing the Big Mountain Riding 30 ‘n 30 Challenge

"They's folks as ain't come back from them hills, sonny."- From ride 23 'n 23

I haven’t been on my bike in a week and a half. I’m taking some time off following December 30. That’s when I rode home in the light of the full moon, finishing off the 30 ‘n 30 Challenge. The next day we hosed off my brother-in-law’s bike and gave it the TLC it had long needed. The day after that I arrived back in Virginia, to freezing temps and snow on the shaded side of everything.

Happy cows come from California

The Big Mountain Riding 30 ‘n 30 Challenge threw down the gauntlet for 30 rides of at least 30-minutes in 30 days. Unfortunately, the challenge started on Nov. 30. I pedaled in the snow; I pedaled in freezing rain. I pedaled in the dark and against the wind. I pedaled on Christmas Eve and Christmas. I pedaled on opposite sides of the country, in six trail systems and two neighborhoods. By traveling to California to see family for Christmas, I dodged the biggest snow in 10-years at home. I rode with my 50-something friends, I rode with my 12-year old nephew; I rode a lot by myself. Animals encountered included deer, rabbits, turkeys, buzzards, hawks, owls, cows and coyotes. I rode pavement, sidewalks, gravel roads, drainage ditches, doubletrack, singletrack, cow trails and cross country. I broke a few regulations along the way, and alarmed a few cows. Damages incurred included a new fork for my bike Jack Rabbit Slim, brakes for my brother-in-law’s bike, poison oak and a head cold for me.

In the 30-days, I rode +/- 150 miles and put in a work week on the bike, logging 39-hours in close proximity to my trusty steeds. Among my California relatives I’m the guy who rides bikes, and this holiday season solidified that stereotype.

Moments I will remember include: catching a coyote on his way home from a night of naughtiness in Hayward, CA’s Garin Park, railing the teeter-totter at Danville, VA’s Anglers Ridge, taking my nephew on his first mountain bike ride, encountering a red-tail hawk on the hillside at Lynchburg’s Blackwater Creek, the eye-watering full-speed doubletrack descent into Garin Park from Bailey Ranch Road, soldiering through the ice rain at Candler’s Mountain at dusk, the final ride home with my moon shadow stretching behind me like the 30 ‘n 30 challenge.

"Some of dem trails down in der woods is's slick as snot." - From ride 17 'n 17

This challenge provided a hearty serving of both learning and self-awareness.

1. It takes time and willpower to ride every day. Sounds obvious, but as the daylight bleeds away around 5 p.m. in December, procrastinators will run out of time. And time aside, you’ve got to push yourself to go out and ride. Nike has it right. Just do it.

2. Bikes are beautiful. What an instrument for speed and harmony. It’s an extension of your body, but not part of you.  And on a sweeping curve of a narrow trail through the woods … what could provide more feeling of flow?

3. We’re trashing our planet – even if we aren’t killing it. Ironically – given that I was only able to access these hills for 30-minute sound bites because of all the roads and cars – I was saddened by all the garbage and scars we leave on this land. Roads reaching into every solitary place, litter lining even the smallest of foot paths. We are creatures of destruction.

4. Mountain bikers live on variety, so vary your rides. Riding every day means some duplication. However, most of us would quickly lose interest if we continually had to ride the same trail in the same conditions. Seasons change, leaves and trees fall, rain makes mud, sun makes dust. All this and so much more means that even the same trail differs on different days. I sought out various trail systems and different routes, yet I wish I would have ridden even more places, like VA’s Sherando Lake SP and CA’s Lake Chabot RP.

5. Take care of yourself and your stuff to extend the miles. One of the biggest lessons of the challenge was when we looked up the manual online and took apart the Manitou Axel fork on my brother-in-law’s bike. With a few hours of time and a $10 bottle of fork oil, we revived that fork and saved a couple hundred bucks. A little more frequent cleaning and more lubing can cut down on those costly repair bills. In the same way, stretching, eating right and cross training means more and more enjoyable miles. This was brought home on my first day in Garin Park after a year of eating better, more exercise and more time on the bike. I immediately noticed the increase in skill and power.

Now that the 30 ‘n 30 Challenge is complete, I am already thinking of the next challenge. Initially, I had thought of just letting the 30 ‘n 30 roll into the 365 ‘n 365. However, I chickened out and am looking for something different. Hmm. Ideas anyone?

"Must think it ain't hard enough as is, 'cause they done built a bunch of crap in the woods." From Ride 13 'n 13

© Big Mountain Riding