The Whole Enchilada--Auburn Style

Was suppose to ride Annadel with the good guys at the Bicycle Emporium, but unfortunately plans fell through.  It was probably for the best as those guys are all faster than me and I was sick (head cold) which means I am slower, with less energy and strength that normal (and normal is not so great). so I was on my own, yet determined to ride, so why not ride 'The Whole Enchilada'! In Auburn, this means riding from the Confluence up to and around FHDL (Foresthill Divide Loop) and back (on several different trail systems).
My route started on Flood Rd. and I rode these trails in this order: Flood--Stagecoach--Clementine--Connector--FHDL--Connector--Fuel Break--Culvert--Confluence--Stagecoach--back to Car.
My goal for this ride was to only pedal enough to not fall over thus saving everything for the ~5000' of climbing (see Strava to the right). Some of the trails were a tad moist and naturally steep, so I ended up off the bike a handful of times (only for a few moments) due to loosing traction, but what-evah! In spite of blowing snot the entire ride I was able to press on and muscle up the Stagecoach climb at the end for a slow, but strong finish.
A good day.

*This 2nd ride with the Niner Rigid Fork was a real test and it performed wonderfully.  In fact, other than being tired, I feel surprisingly good after the ride.  I honestly might have more elevation gain during the last three months in Auburn that the previous seven months in NC.

The lone pic taken near the start of the ride, on the Flood Trail.

I Am Hard! First Ride With Niner Carbon Fork/Review

TMI? Maybe, but I am pretty excited after my first ride with the new Niner carbon fork.  Hit a night ride led by Travis of 'Bicycle Emporium' here in Auburn.  Forgot my phone, so no Strava, but the ride was ~14 wet, muddy miles with many sections of trail where one moment of lost concentration means tumbling down, down, down...and likely being helicoptered out (if you survive, that is). I set my front tire at 20psi and realized that with my riding style (slow, methodical) I could go even lower.  I also learned that I cannot just grip tight and 'hit' obstacles like I could with suspension.  The front wheel is more likely to jettison left or right.  More focus on the trail is needed and using the arms more as suspension is a must.  I can tell with a few more rides, this will become natural.  I also realized my stem needs to drop ~10mm.  I figured this might be the case when I set it up, but I would rather start out with the steer tube too long than too short. With Niners short headtube (~80mm) the short steer tube may make it hard to resell the fork, but I don't think that is going to happen. I may switch the REBA back on for certain occasions or just use it as a backup for the SIR 9, but I am keeping the Niner fork.

The bike was noticeably lighter when I lifted it onto the rack and toward the end of the ride, it raced up the 2 mile Stagecoach climb with much more ease than before. When back at the shop, after a beer or two we weighed this bad boy and it came in at 19.9lbs. The only item on the bike not normally there was the spare tube (usually carried in a pack or pocket), so we figure under 19.5 lbs at normal riding weight, but whatever, it is light and I am not.  Looking forward to more rides on this bad boy to lighten myself a bit.
Good Times.

You Are Not Hard, Unless You're Rigid!

Well I guess I am hard.  And it did not take porn or a little blue pill, but rather a carbon Niner fork. First 'real' ride will be Thursday night (12/6).  Since I installed this bad boy myself, I am hoping I tightened everything enough (but not too much) and it stays together as I prefer not to eat teeth at any point during the ride.
Went with a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.35 up front with ~19 psi to help take the edge off.  I will give a ride report in the near future.
Dang, I need to get this bad boy on a scale.

Great Day to Ride!

So it is storming outside. I am not missing a ride because of some silly wind and rain. Oh, but I do not want to be ostracized by the mtb community who surely are policing the trails to capture any deviant wet-trail riders, so I dust off the road bike and off I go.  Damn! Not even a mile away and a mechanical!  Got something metal stuck in my rear brake. Off the bike, take off pad, clean it up and reinstall.  Damn, now the wheel is rubbing. Sucks fixing a mechanical during a ride.  Sucks even more when it is pouring rain.  Screw it, I will just get a better workout.
Decide to use the rear brake sparingly (in the pouring rain) and stay close to home just in case.  Ended up with 40 miles (See Strava to the right for the map/stats, though it is just off) while never venturing more than maybe 2 miles (as the crow flies) from my house.  Good ride, good hills, good workout, good times!

 And FWIW I ran into four mountain bikers who said the trails were great.  Next time screw the trail police, I am riding trails damn-it!!!

 **********************************************************************************
HELP!  Trying to choose a name for this bike.  I do like Acronyms, so the two leaders are TIT (Titanium is Tremendous) or DEB (Do Everything Bike).  Any others?  Let me know.

OUCH, That's Gonna Leave a Mark!

WARNING, GRAPHIC PHOTO'S BELOW 

Wait until just before lunch to view.

Here is the culprit. It tore me up!

So I have heard this saying that life sometimes gets in the way.  Well, when it came to riding, that was rarely the case when living in NC, but living in CA has been a different story.  With us being gone for seven years, it seems like every other weekend we are visiting friends and family, or they are visiting us.  Add to the mix a house that needs a lot of work and BAM! Life just got in my way, and my riding time has suffered.  So, the last thing I needed was an injury to take away further ride time.  Welcome Murphys Law.  So while I am building a deck, I accidentally put a 7/8 inch wood boring drill bit through the soft part of my hand (between the thumb and index finger. While I do not recommend doing this, if you are hard pressed to put a hole in your hand, apparently that is the spot to aim for.  Luckily I only nicked the bone in my thumb and did not sever any tendons or ligaments (always confuse the two). When it first happened, it was gory.  I could see the bubbles from the fat layer and I could see deep into my hand as the skin was ripped away from the tissue underneath.  The photo was taken in the doctors office after the bleeding had stopped and I had been given some numbing shots.  I tried taking a picture in the car as I was driving myself to the doctors, but strangely it did not come out well.  So to make a long story short (I know, too late) I messed up my hand, got 13 stitches (a tetanus shot), and was knocked out of riding for three weeks (though I did do an easy road ride with the stitches, just don't tell my doc.).

 

        

 

My First California MTB Race

The TBF (Total Body Fitness) 50 Mile MTB Race was held in Granite Bay Beach (Folsom Lake), It was a fast flowy 12.5 mile course (x4) with nice elevation and some decent natural rock garden obstacles (plus some soft sand obstacles) tied together with some double track and a bit of paved road.  For my NC friends, I would compare it to a blend of 286 and Warrior Creek with at least one tough single track climb and double track climb that might be comparable to something at Dark Mountain.  Unfortunately I have been sick for a while...first a sinus infection, then some nasty head cold, so basically this ride kicked my butt!  Only one ride in the two weeks leading up to this and it was a 40 mile road ride (Auburn to Colfax and back) that I barely finished.  Still, I paid for the event and I was itchin' to get a feel for the racing culture here, so off I went.  I rode hard my first lap, letting the momentum of the race help carry me (1:07); the 2nd lap I settled into my pace and rode within myself (1:10). I realized I had a serious lack of strength so I focused on spinning hard and going as fast as I could on the flats and downhills while I struggled on most climbs and walked the one steep double track climb as it was just too steep and loose leading to instant spin out. Lap 3 (1:13) was mostly like lap 2, other than a stop to take a whiz off the trail and cramping beginning with ~4 miles left.  The last lap was a constant fight with cramping legs, but I gave it all I had and finished it in 1:11 with a total time of 4:42. Ended up coming 7th in Single Speed (don't ask how many SS riders were in the race please), and if I would have been in the 40+ group, I would have been 23rd (again, don't ask how many riders were in the category please).
So what did I learn? There are fast riders out here, and a whole lot of em at that. Sure, I was slowed by illness (constantly blowing and spitting snot out throughout the race), but I rode pretty well and would have likely been mid pack in previous races. Out here I was that guy that a few people clapped for at the end of my race..."Oh, look at the short, old, bald, kinda chubby, special needs guy finishing...good for him...way to go buddy!"  Am I discouraged?  No, on the contrary, I am motivated. I need to get my butt into shape.  And as always, I start tomorrow!

Feeling like crap at the start of the race...

Feeling even crappier during the race.

Somethin's Gotta Give

Every few months I post about trying to lose weight.  Unfortunately, I would like to do it by exercising/riding more and eating what I want because I like to eat.  O.k., I really would like to loose weight by getting full body lipo, but that is not an option...so I guess I should watch what I eat and excercise more.  Sounds easy enough until human nature kicks in...and for me that means craving anything and everything fattening and unhealthy.  I can eat well for a while and drop 3-5 lbs. pretty quickly.  But then, out of nowhere, I have a couple donuts, some fast food, a sundae at Leatherby's, and BOOM! 5 lbs back on.
Case in point: Friends are visiting a few weeks back.  What to do for dinner?  In-N-Out sounds good, so does Weinerschnitzel...how about BOTH!  Yeah, this one even disgusted me evertime I thought about it...for about two weeks; but then it started sounding good again. I don't thing there is any hope. :(

More meals like this and I will need more than Jenny Craig, I will need a cardiologist!

This is what I had the next night to make up for it...I healthy salad, loaded with cheese, bacon bits and ranch dressing. ;)