2011 Year in Review

Goodbye 2011,  it has been one good year of riding.

What a great year of riding!  I achieved my goal of 2500+ mtb miles and 1000+ road miles.  Unfortunately, I did not achieve the goal of losing weight, and maintaining that weight loss, but hey there is always next year.  Now back to the riding...
Recently, another rider (we will call him Jack) made a crack about all the Umstead Park (double track) miles I “allegedly” ride, I thought, “That’s a bunch of BS, I don’t ride that much Umstead.”  So I gathered all my miles to prove it.  What did I find?  I ride a crapload of Umstead.

My total miles for the year were 4097 miles.
Single Speed mtb: 2854
Geared mtb: 95
Single Speed road: 1092
Geared road: 56

I hit Umstead 36 different times for 864 miles, most of any “trail”.  Throw in one Duke Forest ride and I rode over 900 miles of double track to go along with  ~1950 miles of single track.  For the record, I rode solely Umstead only 4 times (due to wet trails or snow) and the hills in Umstead are one heck of a workout! 

Other notable trails:
Nine different “hush-hush” trails 51 times for a combined 746 miles (most at 286).
Harris 20 times for 389 miles.
Wilkesboro Trails 4 times for 231 miles.
California Trails 8 rides for 202 miles
Crabtree 10 times for 143 miles.
San Lee twice for 49 miles.

Ate 9 full racks of ribs, hit Buffets (hard) ~15 times, ate too much fast food, ate too much ice-cream and drank just the right amount of beer.

Unfortunately I lost ~6 weeks of riding thanks to a strained knee, sliced knee (PMBAR) and broken hand (Shenandoah100).  So, for 2012, my goals are more of the same but without the injuries; and I want to drop ~20lbs (no more 'full' racks of ribs, 1/2 the Buffets, and a whole lot less ice-cream and fast food).

Looking forward to a good year. 

SUPA' FLY!

On a impulse, I purchased a 2009 Gary Fisher Superfly frame to build as a geared bike (thanks for the deal Kelly).  Picked up the frame Thursday after work and had it built up and test ridden (up the street) that evening.  Amazingly, the 'magic gear' for this bike is my normal gearing of 32:20.  Took it for it's first ride today (Sat.) for `22 miles of tight, twisty single track (in Holly Springs) and it rides amazing!  You can really feel how light the bike is when kicking it sideways to avoid a slippery root or going over logs etc.  Still, I probably will sell the frame.
 1. The top tube is ~1" to long.
2. The stand over is ~1" to high.
3. The bike is so light, I am afraid to jump it, drop it etc.
4. I need to purchase a new rack as I cannot clamp the frame with my current rack.
5. I am not good enough to ride such a lightweight, fast rocket of a bike.
Still, it is one sweet ride.

I did get word that the Soul Cycles Dillinger 29er frame will be here in 2-3 weeks, so hopefully that will work out as it can be run geared or SS (so what if it is 1.5 lbs heavier) :(


UPDATE: Sold the Supa' Fly two weeks later.  Sold the Dillinger as well...now I am all Niner all the time.

Going For 4k

So, I just added up my total miles for the year and as of the beginning of the month I have a total of 3,672 miles (mtb/road combined).  Pretty surprising considering I have not ridden much since September.  So, I need 328 miles in December to break the 4k mark.  I have not had a month with over 300 miles since August, but being this close, I am determined.  First, it will set a personal best, and Second, lord knows my gut and legs need the workout.  Luckily December is a long month with 3 weeks left, so I now need ~73 miles each week to accomplish that goal.  Barring disaster, this is in the bag baby!

Getting Old, Fat, and Out of Shape!

Trying not to end up like this!

So, at the start of 2011 I was motivated in training for my first every 24hr (Burn24) and first 100 (Shenandoah).  I was motivated and riding, a lot.  After breaking my hand at Shenandoah, I went from riding a lot to riding a little.  Dang it is amazing how quick you lose it.  I went from riding 350-400 miles a month to 200.  I use to feel pretty good after a 60 mile mtb ride, now I am hurting after 40 miles, oh, and I gained ~10lbs.  Funny, after weighing myself in November and realizing I gained 5 lbs, I set a goal to do the impossible: lose weight between Nov. and Jan., well, turned out is was impossible as I gained ~ 5lbs.  Thank god New Years is right around the corner, just in time for a resolution to eat less and exercise more!


ps. Note to self: Bobby does not like flatulence jokes during a ride...especially when actual flatulence is involved.  Sorry, Bobby, but sometimes when you get older, you just can't help it. ;)

The Man With No Bike Shoes

Un...(wait for it)...Believable!
For the last few Thanksgivings, the mtb brother duo of Mark and Jack have lead a series of rides over the Thanksgiving Holiday.  The first ride (on Thanksgiving day) was going to cover two trails of Old Reedy Creek rd (ORC); let's just call them the rocky trail and the numbered trail.  I show up motivated to ride hard as I have put on a few lbs and am eager to start burning calories.  I get the bike ready, helmet on etc.  Oh wait, where the %#&* are my shoes?  You Have Got To Be Kidding Me!!!  Left them on the garage floor.  I look down at the Crocks on my feet and say outloud, "My ride is over."  Fortunately, Alex H. was willing to let me wear his kick around shoes (black leather, lace ups with rounded toe...think Popeye shoes).  They were a half size to big, and the thought of using these regular shoes on my SPD's was a bit daunting, but whatever. 
Now the rocky trail is one of the toughest in our area with many endo causing roots, rocks and holes.  All the leaf cover did not help either, but thanks to some strategic cyclocross like moves, I was able to make it through the 6+ mile course, albeit with very fatigued feet/legs as the shoes did not stay on the SPD pedals well causing major supination (opposite of pronation, duh).  After 6 more miles of the more flowy numbered trail, my feet had, enough.  We went through a couple river crossings and the wet rubber soled shoes did not want to stay on the wet SPD's so I short cutted it ~2 miles out to give me ~14.6 miles of riding.  Finished the ride almost 4 hrs ago and the feet/ankles are still sore.  I'm thinking I will remember my shoes next time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Finding Time to Ride

I just don't want this to be me!

It is getting more and more difficult finding time to ride.  With my daughter breaking her arm and needing surgery, work expecting more (while paying less), the house needing a lot of upkeep/repairs and spending time with the family, ride time is difficult to come by.  Still, the plan is to get a good ride in during the week (likely at Harris Lake) and one good ride on the weekend (mostly at the Umstead area trails).  Add that with two or three commutes to work on the single-speed road bike and hopefully I can keep from getting fat and keep from losing endurance, all the while keeping warm while riding in freezing temps.  Yikes, I may have to do something desperate, like break out the trainer!!! :o

 

Birthday/Veterans Day Weekend

What a way to start a weekend.  A night ride at Harris Lake, followed by hanging out at "My Way Tavern" in Holly Springs with Ben, Chris and Brandon.  Enjoyed suckin' down beer n' brats while watching the Raiders beat the Chargers on Thursday night.  Along with some family time I also took a state teaching exam (boring, but necessary), had a rack of ribs, and went for yet another bike ride.  The last ride was over some fantastic single-track in N.Raleigh with Kelly, Jeff and Jay.  Good times with the three F's, Family, Friends and Food...doesn't get any better than that!

It was a magical birthday as the ribs and beer simply disappeared!