Ships Log: Fat Aircraft carrier war games
- Thread starter UtahJoe
- Start date
What a month April was in terms of working.
50 activities between Weight lifting, biking, rowing and swimming...not counting PT time.
61 total hours
35hrs on the bike
20hrs of weight lifting
3hrs of swimming
3hrs of rowing
That was roughly twice as much working out as I did last April. Of course im not working with the same base as I was last year.....
I had my last doctors appointment last week....he said my bones are healed and im good to go, but recommended I continue PT for at least another month.
Things I can do now:
Walk with only a minor limp....depending on the day and how sore I am. I am constantly working on my leg, so it gets swollen/sore often. I will stand up and limp for the first 10 steps, then I can start walking somewhat normally. I walked almost 12,000 steps yesterday, lifted weights, rode the trainer for an hour.....today im limping...so it goes.
My pedaling is getting better and better....my cardio fitness is for shit right now, but just pedaling along, I feel good. I ditched the flat pedals for my clipless...thank god, flat pedals at wildcat suck giant moose balls....I used to be neutral on flats vs clipless for tech riding...not anymore.
im enjoying just walking again.....anywhere....like it feels nice to just park far away and walk somewhere.
Things that still suck
My planter and dorsiflexion are still off....this affects alot of things. I would say the hardest thing to do right now is walk up and down stairs....When im at the gym I set up one of those step things and in between sets I just step on and off it like im doing stairs....im sure I look like a freak, but im used to that. On the bike this makes going downhill more tricky...Since my right foot is my front foot, not being able to put my toe up sucks going downhill....Sucks turning....At my max dorsiflexion, my foot gets tired quickly, so after a minute of going downhill, my leg gets tired....this is going to take some time to fix.
My left calf is 2inches larger in diameter than my right....which is like alot.....I can just BARELY do a 1 legged calf raise on my right side, while I can do them all day on my left. Its getting better, but still a ways to go yet.
Im trying not to be timid about landing on my ankle...doc says its good...but ill tell you I tried to jog last week and after 3 steps, holy hell, no way....way too painful yet. So im riding wildcat, but im trying not to get myself into a situation where I need to bail/jump off...land on my foot....not yet anyway. Doing steep rollers doesnt feel right yet.
Gym work
I have been hitting the gym at least 4 times a week.....I have a chest workout that I stole from Athlene x that I like, back workout that I do in combination with the rowing machine and pushups...I feel like im doing pretty good with the rowing machine....I can knock out 1000M in under 4minutes as part of my 30min workout....I like to stop every 5 min and do as many pushups as I can....So on sunday this was 140 pushups. Also doing shoulder, core workouts.....Havent done anything crazy yet for legs since I have been trying to make sure im more balanced first. Leg press/calf raises/leg extensions.....trying to get into a squat position, which is really hard right now with my ankle. I did try some light dead lifting the other day just to see if I could get into a decent position. My lack of dorsiflexion right now makes this difficult.
So im continuing to work my butt off.....hoping to maybe be able to jump a bike this month....that still feels kinda weird yet.
50 activities between Weight lifting, biking, rowing and swimming...not counting PT time.
61 total hours
35hrs on the bike
20hrs of weight lifting
3hrs of swimming
3hrs of rowing
That was roughly twice as much working out as I did last April. Of course im not working with the same base as I was last year.....
I had my last doctors appointment last week....he said my bones are healed and im good to go, but recommended I continue PT for at least another month.
Things I can do now:
Walk with only a minor limp....depending on the day and how sore I am. I am constantly working on my leg, so it gets swollen/sore often. I will stand up and limp for the first 10 steps, then I can start walking somewhat normally. I walked almost 12,000 steps yesterday, lifted weights, rode the trainer for an hour.....today im limping...so it goes.
My pedaling is getting better and better....my cardio fitness is for shit right now, but just pedaling along, I feel good. I ditched the flat pedals for my clipless...thank god, flat pedals at wildcat suck giant moose balls....I used to be neutral on flats vs clipless for tech riding...not anymore.
im enjoying just walking again.....anywhere....like it feels nice to just park far away and walk somewhere.
Things that still suck
My planter and dorsiflexion are still off....this affects alot of things. I would say the hardest thing to do right now is walk up and down stairs....When im at the gym I set up one of those step things and in between sets I just step on and off it like im doing stairs....im sure I look like a freak, but im used to that. On the bike this makes going downhill more tricky...Since my right foot is my front foot, not being able to put my toe up sucks going downhill....Sucks turning....At my max dorsiflexion, my foot gets tired quickly, so after a minute of going downhill, my leg gets tired....this is going to take some time to fix.
My left calf is 2inches larger in diameter than my right....which is like alot.....I can just BARELY do a 1 legged calf raise on my right side, while I can do them all day on my left. Its getting better, but still a ways to go yet.
Im trying not to be timid about landing on my ankle...doc says its good...but ill tell you I tried to jog last week and after 3 steps, holy hell, no way....way too painful yet. So im riding wildcat, but im trying not to get myself into a situation where I need to bail/jump off...land on my foot....not yet anyway. Doing steep rollers doesnt feel right yet.
Gym work
I have been hitting the gym at least 4 times a week.....I have a chest workout that I stole from Athlene x that I like, back workout that I do in combination with the rowing machine and pushups...I feel like im doing pretty good with the rowing machine....I can knock out 1000M in under 4minutes as part of my 30min workout....I like to stop every 5 min and do as many pushups as I can....So on sunday this was 140 pushups. Also doing shoulder, core workouts.....Havent done anything crazy yet for legs since I have been trying to make sure im more balanced first. Leg press/calf raises/leg extensions.....trying to get into a squat position, which is really hard right now with my ankle. I did try some light dead lifting the other day just to see if I could get into a decent position. My lack of dorsiflexion right now makes this difficult.
So im continuing to work my butt off.....hoping to maybe be able to jump a bike this month....that still feels kinda weird yet.
So another update.....
Just shy of 6 months since my SLIGHT mishap....Can't believe its been that long. I still need to limp whenever I get up....usually for about the first 30 seconds of walking, then my foot loosens up to the point where I can walk normally. Except for downstairs...this is still pretty tricky as my lack of dorsiflexion is keeping me from lowering myself on my bad leg. Really, the two main problems I have now
1. my eccentric leg strength is not there yet....so i can push weight away...or push down on my pedals, but lowering myself down is hard and my leg can get shaky. One side is way weaker than the other. This causes all kinds of issues....riding down steep hills...or riding up the ramp of a jump for example...my leg wobbles or tires out quickly
2. my dorsiflexion is pretty much non existent. So I still cant squat or really do much of anything to get my knee over my toe. Im working on this every single day....pretty much everyday since mid January....really, it hasnt improved much.
However, the gym has gotten me other improvements. My upper body has gotten much stronger. In Februrary, I did 3 pullups.....This week I did 3 sets...11, 9 and 9. Not saying this is great or anything, but im a former fat man who didnt do his first pull up until I was in my 20s. The best I ever did was 17 when I was in my 20s and only going to the gym....as a 46 year old, 185lbs mountain biker, ill take getting over 10 and be stoked lol. I did 6 dips when I started, now I can knock out 20, no problem. Everything I have been doing, I have been steadily increasing the amount I can do since I started....Which I think is the point and stuff. I should probably ask for a spotter when I bench press, but I never do...which in turn means, I dont really do anything heavier than ~5 rep max.
I have started doing full on leg workouts now. While I would like to do squats and dead lifts....I just cant get my ankles to bend...Ill do goblet squats, but thats about it for now. Been using the leg press machine, which I dont love, but its what i got for now. Calf raises, one legged wall sits, etc. I actually tried some box jumps last week and was able to get up on the 24in box....the next size up was 36 and that looked like a bridge too far
As far as the bike goes....
Been riding as much as I can.....did a tech ride at Farny with @JimN and @Meatball Mia maybe 10 days ago....This is about as hard of a loop as I can think of....Toss up with fugawe...less hills, but more raw tech I think....Many big logs to hop which I cant do as well at the moment....Mia got to see me wipe out attempting one. Not doing this stuff as well as I used to at the moment, but it was good to get out there and get beaten up. And Mia and Jim certainly did that.
I hit some of my favorite downhills at wildcat for the first time last week at like an "enduro" pace.....First few, not very steep....felt pretty good, times werent terrible. When I moved to a steeper run, my leg got tired much quicker. My lack of dorsiflexion means I have to stand differently....anyway, after about 2min, my leg was really hurting. I think its a combination of not being to get my toes up on my front foot (my bad leg) and my eccentric strength being weak. But whatever, it was a start.
I also headed out on the road for some more workouts...im thinking @Cassinonorth is about the only one left on this board who is into power numbers
I havent done intervals since probably June of last year...I think....Monday I did 3x5 hill repeats....When I was in tip top shape I could usually do 4x5...first one ~400w, rest usually keep it in the 390 range. I mean tip top xc racing shape. This week I did 377, 360, 372.....Funny, I actually felt really good on the last one. Then yesterday I did 2x15 on the road. 323, 315...I think I could have done over 320 on the second one, but I have 4 different times traffic made me stop or let off, which fouls everything up. For start of the year? Not terrible...usually I start the year in the 320 range.....I think at my pinnacle I could do 3x15 all close to 360....but not really trying to do that anymore. That was big training blocks for XC, dont really need all of that for enduro. The speed and skills are more useful for me. But the cardio engine needs work, so im trying to get in at least a couple road bike workouts in every week.
In other news....
Robert got his cast off and we wasted no time getting back on the bike after nearly a month off. Kids are amazing....breaks his arm, cast for a month....takes it off and he is back to do Nina warrior class in a couple of days....meantime 6 months later im progressing like a land tortoise.
We had out first creek outing last week. This was great bc not only did he pick up hitting the jumps he left off with last year for the most part....he also met up with some kids who we had met over the winter at Rays....so they had a blast riding together
We have also been hitting the tourne, hes getting pretty good at the newish orange loop around the mountain...He can't clean it yet, but id say most of it.
Just shy of 6 months since my SLIGHT mishap....Can't believe its been that long. I still need to limp whenever I get up....usually for about the first 30 seconds of walking, then my foot loosens up to the point where I can walk normally. Except for downstairs...this is still pretty tricky as my lack of dorsiflexion is keeping me from lowering myself on my bad leg. Really, the two main problems I have now
1. my eccentric leg strength is not there yet....so i can push weight away...or push down on my pedals, but lowering myself down is hard and my leg can get shaky. One side is way weaker than the other. This causes all kinds of issues....riding down steep hills...or riding up the ramp of a jump for example...my leg wobbles or tires out quickly
2. my dorsiflexion is pretty much non existent. So I still cant squat or really do much of anything to get my knee over my toe. Im working on this every single day....pretty much everyday since mid January....really, it hasnt improved much.
However, the gym has gotten me other improvements. My upper body has gotten much stronger. In Februrary, I did 3 pullups.....This week I did 3 sets...11, 9 and 9. Not saying this is great or anything, but im a former fat man who didnt do his first pull up until I was in my 20s. The best I ever did was 17 when I was in my 20s and only going to the gym....as a 46 year old, 185lbs mountain biker, ill take getting over 10 and be stoked lol. I did 6 dips when I started, now I can knock out 20, no problem. Everything I have been doing, I have been steadily increasing the amount I can do since I started....Which I think is the point and stuff. I should probably ask for a spotter when I bench press, but I never do...which in turn means, I dont really do anything heavier than ~5 rep max.
I have started doing full on leg workouts now. While I would like to do squats and dead lifts....I just cant get my ankles to bend...Ill do goblet squats, but thats about it for now. Been using the leg press machine, which I dont love, but its what i got for now. Calf raises, one legged wall sits, etc. I actually tried some box jumps last week and was able to get up on the 24in box....the next size up was 36 and that looked like a bridge too far
As far as the bike goes....
Been riding as much as I can.....did a tech ride at Farny with @JimN and @Meatball Mia maybe 10 days ago....This is about as hard of a loop as I can think of....Toss up with fugawe...less hills, but more raw tech I think....Many big logs to hop which I cant do as well at the moment....Mia got to see me wipe out attempting one. Not doing this stuff as well as I used to at the moment, but it was good to get out there and get beaten up. And Mia and Jim certainly did that.
I hit some of my favorite downhills at wildcat for the first time last week at like an "enduro" pace.....First few, not very steep....felt pretty good, times werent terrible. When I moved to a steeper run, my leg got tired much quicker. My lack of dorsiflexion means I have to stand differently....anyway, after about 2min, my leg was really hurting. I think its a combination of not being to get my toes up on my front foot (my bad leg) and my eccentric strength being weak. But whatever, it was a start.
I also headed out on the road for some more workouts...im thinking @Cassinonorth is about the only one left on this board who is into power numbers
I havent done intervals since probably June of last year...I think....Monday I did 3x5 hill repeats....When I was in tip top shape I could usually do 4x5...first one ~400w, rest usually keep it in the 390 range. I mean tip top xc racing shape. This week I did 377, 360, 372.....Funny, I actually felt really good on the last one. Then yesterday I did 2x15 on the road. 323, 315...I think I could have done over 320 on the second one, but I have 4 different times traffic made me stop or let off, which fouls everything up. For start of the year? Not terrible...usually I start the year in the 320 range.....I think at my pinnacle I could do 3x15 all close to 360....but not really trying to do that anymore. That was big training blocks for XC, dont really need all of that for enduro. The speed and skills are more useful for me. But the cardio engine needs work, so im trying to get in at least a couple road bike workouts in every week.
In other news....
Robert got his cast off and we wasted no time getting back on the bike after nearly a month off. Kids are amazing....breaks his arm, cast for a month....takes it off and he is back to do Nina warrior class in a couple of days....meantime 6 months later im progressing like a land tortoise.
We had out first creek outing last week. This was great bc not only did he pick up hitting the jumps he left off with last year for the most part....he also met up with some kids who we had met over the winter at Rays....so they had a blast riding together
We have also been hitting the tourne, hes getting pretty good at the newish orange loop around the mountain...He can't clean it yet, but id say most of it.
Looking back and seeing you walk down a hill that I rode down was by far the highlight of that ride. Overall you did pretty well for a recovering cripple though.
wait wait...ride down??? what hill did you ride down that I didnt? The derailleur killer?
The downhill with the log on it that I never rode on the fat bike but ride on the Hightower.
I messed up clearing the log, but I got back on and rode it as I recall....I think i did anyway.
Cassinonorth
Well-Known Member
Proud to wear this crown. 🤣
Pretty solid baseline numbers there to build off. Would more short VO2 workouts help more with enduro? 30-60 second spurts rather than longer efforts.
I'm sure you did, but I looked up and saw you walking and it was great.
yes,
Last year when I had a much better base to start with I was doing this workout that @Norm used to call 6 murder IIRC......20 sec sprints, 30 sec rest, over and over for 6min...then do like 3 or 4 of those. Ill get back to those in time.
Highland camp + kingdom with the child...
So for the second year now I signed my son up for Highlands summer ride camp. Last year this was a fabulous time....While Robert rode with the other kids, me Fred, Jdog, Frank and Mark did laps at the park all day. Robert and I both learned alot and had a great time hanging out with everyone. From Highland we spent the rest of the week at Kingdom. This year my plan was mostly the same....Robert is a year older and this year we got seasons passes at creek, so I feel like he was a little better prepared. Although with my broken ankle and his broken arm (soccer injury) in the spring, we were both a little behind.
So the drive up was uneventful outside of my son throwing up in my back seat... This was bc he was on his tablet...So bc im a nice dad I went to home depot and bought upholstery cleaner and simple green and made him scrub the back of my car/floor mat.... Then I permanently banned him from all electronics in my car forever. (we drove 1100 miles on this trip 😂)
Fred and his boys got to the hotel and they proceeded to turn the pool into class 5 rapids... These three together are nuclear power plant level of energy
So the camp....The kids get broken up into groups of 6 or so...Their coach rides around highland with them and they work on jumps and other skills. They ride all day Monday thru Wednesday....Meantime Fred and I do laps and try to improve our jumping skills without dying.
I would say some kids are just gung ho to do any jump that has a name.....if it has a name, they want to say that they did it. And EVERYTHING at highland has a name. Robert is a little different.....Hes a little more like me....I think he has my same fear of heights at random times. Hes more calculated like I am and he is at least aware that he can get hurt and he doesnt want to. So he doesnt seem to get pressured into jumping things that are over (what he thinks) is his head. So in his group there will be the gung ho kids who just want to hit the biggest jumps all day, then my son who is not there yet....and in the group setting with the other kids, I think it gets into his head a little more....When we go to creek together he trusts that if I think he can do something, he'll be ok....and even then, sometimes it takes a while. So on the first day they all did this drop called thortons....I have done this one a number of times...I mean in the setting of a DH park, its not big...out on a trail, it would be a big drop.
Anyway, Robert did this drop and landed it... But whatever happened, it scared him and he didn't want to do any drops this size for the rest of the week. Fine with me, this will work itself out in time. He knows how to do it, he just needs to have it click in his head.... Kinda like me wuth drops... I do one... OK well I did that one so that means I can do this one... Usually that's all I need.
Last year Robert and Paul were probably the better kids in their group, this year they were with older kids and were getting pushed more and riding the harder trails. We would see them alot throughout the day and they were having a blast telling us what they just did.
Meanwhile Fred and I didn't have jdog to lead us down the jump trails. I feel like I Fred and I are similar in jumping ability... We both struggle with the big/steep tabletops... We kept it pretty chill the first day. I was a little in my head... My FAVORITE part of the week is Wednesday afternoon where the boys get out of camp and I get to do laps with Bob and see what he's learned... Getting hurt would really fuck that up... So at times I'm just like... Whatever, who cares what jumps I do...
On day 2 Ben came along and gave us a tour... This was good... First we hit some tech and I'm good with the dh park tech... I'm on the ground so I'm far more confident... Anyway eventually Fred wanted to do the stepping stone drop... I don't know it's dimensions... Iirc like 6 ft up and 6ft out? Something like that.
this is not me jumping it, I look way more scared....but I did send it right in front of Roberts class....thats right kids...SUCK IT!!!!
It's bigger than anything I have done since breaking my ankle... We went over and Fred's 11 year old was sending it... So I think Fred realized he needed to make it happen too....
So eventually Fred followed Ben off of it... Then Ben towed me off it... It was definitely not that hard, but I hadn't done a drop that big in a while so it got my heart rate up.
Later on we did the exit 19 drop, which to me was harder bc the ramp was downhill.. .. Anyway, at least ONE more year there is something at highland that I did that my son wouldn't... I feel like this is going to end soon enough lol
So two things I didn't do last year, I'll take it...
Finally on Wednesday at 2 I got Bob out of camp and we got to ride together. He was super excited, as was I..
After a couple runs we met up with Bob we linked up with Fred and the boys and did laps until they shut the lift down. Such an awesome day!
From there we drove to kingdom for part two of our trip
So for the second year now I signed my son up for Highlands summer ride camp. Last year this was a fabulous time....While Robert rode with the other kids, me Fred, Jdog, Frank and Mark did laps at the park all day. Robert and I both learned alot and had a great time hanging out with everyone. From Highland we spent the rest of the week at Kingdom. This year my plan was mostly the same....Robert is a year older and this year we got seasons passes at creek, so I feel like he was a little better prepared. Although with my broken ankle and his broken arm (soccer injury) in the spring, we were both a little behind.
So the drive up was uneventful outside of my son throwing up in my back seat... This was bc he was on his tablet...So bc im a nice dad I went to home depot and bought upholstery cleaner and simple green and made him scrub the back of my car/floor mat.... Then I permanently banned him from all electronics in my car forever. (we drove 1100 miles on this trip 😂)
Fred and his boys got to the hotel and they proceeded to turn the pool into class 5 rapids... These three together are nuclear power plant level of energy
So the camp....The kids get broken up into groups of 6 or so...Their coach rides around highland with them and they work on jumps and other skills. They ride all day Monday thru Wednesday....Meantime Fred and I do laps and try to improve our jumping skills without dying.
I would say some kids are just gung ho to do any jump that has a name.....if it has a name, they want to say that they did it. And EVERYTHING at highland has a name. Robert is a little different.....Hes a little more like me....I think he has my same fear of heights at random times. Hes more calculated like I am and he is at least aware that he can get hurt and he doesnt want to. So he doesnt seem to get pressured into jumping things that are over (what he thinks) is his head. So in his group there will be the gung ho kids who just want to hit the biggest jumps all day, then my son who is not there yet....and in the group setting with the other kids, I think it gets into his head a little more....When we go to creek together he trusts that if I think he can do something, he'll be ok....and even then, sometimes it takes a while. So on the first day they all did this drop called thortons....I have done this one a number of times...I mean in the setting of a DH park, its not big...out on a trail, it would be a big drop.
Anyway, Robert did this drop and landed it... But whatever happened, it scared him and he didn't want to do any drops this size for the rest of the week. Fine with me, this will work itself out in time. He knows how to do it, he just needs to have it click in his head.... Kinda like me wuth drops... I do one... OK well I did that one so that means I can do this one... Usually that's all I need.
Last year Robert and Paul were probably the better kids in their group, this year they were with older kids and were getting pushed more and riding the harder trails. We would see them alot throughout the day and they were having a blast telling us what they just did.
Meanwhile Fred and I didn't have jdog to lead us down the jump trails. I feel like I Fred and I are similar in jumping ability... We both struggle with the big/steep tabletops... We kept it pretty chill the first day. I was a little in my head... My FAVORITE part of the week is Wednesday afternoon where the boys get out of camp and I get to do laps with Bob and see what he's learned... Getting hurt would really fuck that up... So at times I'm just like... Whatever, who cares what jumps I do...
On day 2 Ben came along and gave us a tour... This was good... First we hit some tech and I'm good with the dh park tech... I'm on the ground so I'm far more confident... Anyway eventually Fred wanted to do the stepping stone drop... I don't know it's dimensions... Iirc like 6 ft up and 6ft out? Something like that.
this is not me jumping it, I look way more scared....but I did send it right in front of Roberts class....thats right kids...SUCK IT!!!!
It's bigger than anything I have done since breaking my ankle... We went over and Fred's 11 year old was sending it... So I think Fred realized he needed to make it happen too....
So eventually Fred followed Ben off of it... Then Ben towed me off it... It was definitely not that hard, but I hadn't done a drop that big in a while so it got my heart rate up.
Later on we did the exit 19 drop, which to me was harder bc the ramp was downhill.. .. Anyway, at least ONE more year there is something at highland that I did that my son wouldn't... I feel like this is going to end soon enough lol
So two things I didn't do last year, I'll take it...
Finally on Wednesday at 2 I got Bob out of camp and we got to ride together. He was super excited, as was I..
After a couple runs we met up with Bob we linked up with Fred and the boys and did laps until they shut the lift down. Such an awesome day!
From there we drove to kingdom for part two of our trip
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Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Awesome! It's funny our individual mentalities. I inched my way up from 10' tabletops to150'doubles in motocross over about 20 years. I was good but not great at mx but NEVER crashed. I built consistency kinda like you I guess. I ride MTB the same but have had more injuries on MTBs?! The weird thing is on mx or mtb I can do slow speed 8' drops but add speed to it and I won't go off more than 2'. I don't do blind at speed either. I think we are similar in that sense. I will charge the gnar with everything I have but sending it isn't gonna happen. My oldest Jack is very calculated but has that sense. He can back flip/front flip all day long on the trampoline. Completely confident on the bike. Rides the gnar on his 24" rigid. Cam is the opposite. More like me. Wants to do everything but not willing to get hurt. The next one, Jolene, she aspires to be both but heights bother her. Anywho, they are growing up fast. Enjoy it!
So a couple final thoughts on the kids camp....This same thing happened last year on the wednesday when we ride together after the camp. I dont see the improvements right away....other than I could tell he was going faster speeds for sure....By when we left and went to kingdom and he was back riding with me, the difference was huge. I think the setting intimidates him a bit. Highland is full of big/crazy features and amazing kids.....Like you spend 3 days there and there is an 11 year old back flipping things.....most of the 13 year old groms would embarrass me and most other adults I know.
On wed. night the AYR academy kids (13-16 year olds) had a practice session where they set up the airbag and were hitting this jump called free bird....the amount of kids sending this thing, dam! So fun to watch
The lift operator Jarrell Webster was out playing around too....he's amazing...I think hes backflipped just about every jump in the park lol Check out his IG page, amazing
https://www.instagram.com/jerrell_webster/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
On wed. night the AYR academy kids (13-16 year olds) had a practice session where they set up the airbag and were hitting this jump called free bird....the amount of kids sending this thing, dam! So fun to watch
The lift operator Jarrell Webster was out playing around too....he's amazing...I think hes backflipped just about every jump in the park lol Check out his IG page, amazing
https://www.instagram.com/jerrell_webster/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Kingdom!
While I love kids camp and riding at highland, I was really excited for the second portion of this trip. I got us a condo on the mountain at burke and the plan was to ride Kingdom and wherever else from thursday to sunday.
After a late night drive from highland on Wednesday, I figured we'd sleep in on Thursday.....but no chance...At 630 he woke me up to get breakfast and go ride.
We played around behind the bike shop on darling hill for a while, then hit new T and over to sidewinder
Bobs commentary always cracks me up....you can tell he watches alot of Skills with Phil and Trail Boss videos. He likes to tell me he wants to be a youtuber when he grows up....whatever, just make money and get the hell out.
We did it a couple of times and headed over and did Jaw, ridge/rim, then marthas pines.....great ride...The tow strap is awesome...he still has to pedal...Like when he stops pedaling hes like an anchor...but in 14 miles/2500ft it takes the edge off a bit....and he'll just keep going...and bonus, now I get a workout. Worth every penny.
Then we got some food and crashed the pool at the burke hotel.
Then got some ice cream and sat by the river
Awesome day!!!
Friday: Forcast said rain all day...but it wasnt raining yet so we got over to black bear at like 8am. With the tow rope I was hoping to get in a few laps....pretty sure bob could do this whole climb now, but it would take a while and id have to listen to bitching...so towing him means hes doing like 50-75% of the work, we go way faster...he thinks im doing all the work so he doesnt complain....its quite nice. Much like me, Robert cannot get enough of this trail...I have to say...Its on my list of best trails I have ever ridden anywhere...The burms are perfect, the speed is perfect, there are fun jumps on it and top to bottom is REALLY long. My best time on it is a little under 7min and I dont think there is one bad spot/turn/feature for a full 7min.....I cant think of many other trails like that. Really is a masterpiece of trail building IMO.
Bob cam for a part of the top section....this is when I noticed he was riding WAY faster...like ok, im not just sleeping behind him anymore...and I was super happy he noticed a couple of jumps that he could double.
@Meatball Mia met up with us as she was in Burke for the ESC enduro. Bob loves riding with Mia...Its too bad she wins tons of money racing bikes and never needs any, she'd make a great baby sitter for Robert. I love when we ride with Mia bc Robert instantly stops acting like a little bitch when shes around. No complaints ever. Anyway, Robert can get cocky, so I very much enjoy when Mia drops him and reminds him how fast he isnt.....I can do that to, but it doesnt have the same affect.
We did some laps up top and a couple of full runs...then the rain rolled in so we just chilled out in the afternoon
While I love kids camp and riding at highland, I was really excited for the second portion of this trip. I got us a condo on the mountain at burke and the plan was to ride Kingdom and wherever else from thursday to sunday.
After a late night drive from highland on Wednesday, I figured we'd sleep in on Thursday.....but no chance...At 630 he woke me up to get breakfast and go ride.
We played around behind the bike shop on darling hill for a while, then hit new T and over to sidewinder
Bobs commentary always cracks me up....you can tell he watches alot of Skills with Phil and Trail Boss videos. He likes to tell me he wants to be a youtuber when he grows up....whatever, just make money and get the hell out.
We did it a couple of times and headed over and did Jaw, ridge/rim, then marthas pines.....great ride...The tow strap is awesome...he still has to pedal...Like when he stops pedaling hes like an anchor...but in 14 miles/2500ft it takes the edge off a bit....and he'll just keep going...and bonus, now I get a workout. Worth every penny.
Then we got some food and crashed the pool at the burke hotel.
Then got some ice cream and sat by the river
Awesome day!!!
Friday: Forcast said rain all day...but it wasnt raining yet so we got over to black bear at like 8am. With the tow rope I was hoping to get in a few laps....pretty sure bob could do this whole climb now, but it would take a while and id have to listen to bitching...so towing him means hes doing like 50-75% of the work, we go way faster...he thinks im doing all the work so he doesnt complain....its quite nice. Much like me, Robert cannot get enough of this trail...I have to say...Its on my list of best trails I have ever ridden anywhere...The burms are perfect, the speed is perfect, there are fun jumps on it and top to bottom is REALLY long. My best time on it is a little under 7min and I dont think there is one bad spot/turn/feature for a full 7min.....I cant think of many other trails like that. Really is a masterpiece of trail building IMO.
Bob cam for a part of the top section....this is when I noticed he was riding WAY faster...like ok, im not just sleeping behind him anymore...and I was super happy he noticed a couple of jumps that he could double.
@Meatball Mia met up with us as she was in Burke for the ESC enduro. Bob loves riding with Mia...Its too bad she wins tons of money racing bikes and never needs any, she'd make a great baby sitter for Robert. I love when we ride with Mia bc Robert instantly stops acting like a little bitch when shes around. No complaints ever. Anyway, Robert can get cocky, so I very much enjoy when Mia drops him and reminds him how fast he isnt.....I can do that to, but it doesnt have the same affect.
We did some laps up top and a couple of full runs...then the rain rolled in so we just chilled out in the afternoon
I was up there around the same time with @Cassinonorth and a few others and we did a couple of laps of black bear. Totally agree. The whole flow trail/trail that's "like a pump track" thing is kind of a cliche at this point but it really is one of the most enjoyable trails I've ever ridden. I don't think I'd ever get tired of it.
You need to buy another GoPro for the BobFollowCam.
Loon
So with the race going on at burke, they only had 2 trails only on at the DH park....I had heard about loon mtn and when I looked, it was only an hour away.
Loon is pretty new as a DH park....whats awesome is that they installed this 8 person monstrosity of a chairlift
This is by far the best lift I have ever seen at a DH park. The ride was 6min long, it was super easy to get the bikes on and off, really comfortable, 0 line all day on a saturday (ok more a function of the park, but still)
The park itself reminded me of killington, maybe without the tech trails. They had a couple, but they are pretty tame But a couple of fun blue trails with tabletops that moderately sized....Like as big as the ones on jump start at killington....which is about where im at....ill do those, but black magic tabletops are too big/steep for me anyway. but the trails were REALLY long. Like a run down cats paw at highland might take 4min, these runs were 10-12min.
After our first run, another kid hopped on the lift with us. By himself....I was waiting for maybe parents to get on the lift too....but no. So I said hi....his name was Chase, he was 11 and he was there riding by himself....his parents were at the park somewhere with his sister....I think zip lining maybe....Anyway...I can't picture sending bob off to ride a DH park alone, but ill revisit this statement when bob is 11.. Anyway, chase was a really nice kid and imo, looking for some people to tour the park with. We decided to join him and this could not have worked out more perfectly. Chase is a GREAT rider, and in no time Robert was super comfortable following him off jumps. Right away robert was clearing the biggest jumps I had ever seen him do. Whatever it was, this kid just gave Robert that boost of confidence he needed.
It started with this step down that was up down....Robert was so stoked to do this one.
Roberts cam the first time he hit it.....the STOKE is awesome lol
https://gopro.com/v/zbbEyrXRwOBBX
after a number of laps on thew blue trail, Chase wanted to hit the black diamond trail called kingpin. the only black diamond trail there....I feel like it was a proper black diamond with jumps that people like @Ryan.P would enjoy.....and again, it was LONG.
Chase is 11 riding a 24in wheeled bike....fucking kids lol
There was at least SOMETHING that I could do that these little shits wouldnt go near. This drop was taller than me...maybe 7ft? Whatever, I did it...it made my ass pucker a bit, but the landing was really perfect. Both boys were like NO WAY...HA! suck it groms! Im going to enjoy that as im sure in another year or two bob will be jumping over my head and laughing at me.
Chase couldnt find his parents so we got lunch
Then we turned lap after lap all afternoon......ending up with ~40miles and like 14-15 runs? What a day
So happy we ran into Chase....I told his parents what a great rider he was and good kid...I dont know that they had ever watched him out on the trails....I didnt get the sense that they did from the conversation I had. Hes supposed to come to Creek in the fall, so we made plans to ride with him again.
So with the race going on at burke, they only had 2 trails only on at the DH park....I had heard about loon mtn and when I looked, it was only an hour away.
Loon is pretty new as a DH park....whats awesome is that they installed this 8 person monstrosity of a chairlift
This is by far the best lift I have ever seen at a DH park. The ride was 6min long, it was super easy to get the bikes on and off, really comfortable, 0 line all day on a saturday (ok more a function of the park, but still)
The park itself reminded me of killington, maybe without the tech trails. They had a couple, but they are pretty tame But a couple of fun blue trails with tabletops that moderately sized....Like as big as the ones on jump start at killington....which is about where im at....ill do those, but black magic tabletops are too big/steep for me anyway. but the trails were REALLY long. Like a run down cats paw at highland might take 4min, these runs were 10-12min.
After our first run, another kid hopped on the lift with us. By himself....I was waiting for maybe parents to get on the lift too....but no. So I said hi....his name was Chase, he was 11 and he was there riding by himself....his parents were at the park somewhere with his sister....I think zip lining maybe....Anyway...I can't picture sending bob off to ride a DH park alone, but ill revisit this statement when bob is 11.. Anyway, chase was a really nice kid and imo, looking for some people to tour the park with. We decided to join him and this could not have worked out more perfectly. Chase is a GREAT rider, and in no time Robert was super comfortable following him off jumps. Right away robert was clearing the biggest jumps I had ever seen him do. Whatever it was, this kid just gave Robert that boost of confidence he needed.
It started with this step down that was up down....Robert was so stoked to do this one.
Roberts cam the first time he hit it.....the STOKE is awesome lol
https://gopro.com/v/zbbEyrXRwOBBX
after a number of laps on thew blue trail, Chase wanted to hit the black diamond trail called kingpin. the only black diamond trail there....I feel like it was a proper black diamond with jumps that people like @Ryan.P would enjoy.....and again, it was LONG.
Chase is 11 riding a 24in wheeled bike....fucking kids lol
There was at least SOMETHING that I could do that these little shits wouldnt go near. This drop was taller than me...maybe 7ft? Whatever, I did it...it made my ass pucker a bit, but the landing was really perfect. Both boys were like NO WAY...HA! suck it groms! Im going to enjoy that as im sure in another year or two bob will be jumping over my head and laughing at me.
Chase couldnt find his parents so we got lunch
Then we turned lap after lap all afternoon......ending up with ~40miles and like 14-15 runs? What a day
So happy we ran into Chase....I told his parents what a great rider he was and good kid...I dont know that they had ever watched him out on the trails....I didnt get the sense that they did from the conversation I had. Hes supposed to come to Creek in the fall, so we made plans to ride with him again.