EWS Adventure 2022

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Ok, so gearing up to head to Italy for the val di fassa Ews. I leave Sunday night. I’ll have a few days to adjust to the time change before the race. My family is coming out for the race and then we are doing a northern Italy vacation.

We added Cushcor, swapped in new brakes and rotors, new grips, swapped to saint paints that have both metal pegs and spd (on both sides) and swapped shoes to a set of ride concepts shoes. By “we” I mean Lou from Pedal Montclair. He’s the bike-wizard that keeps my bike feeling fresh and riding fast no matter how much I trash it. These changes are an attempt to decrease arm pump and allow my foot to have some grip ont he pedal if I’m not clipped in. 2 big issues for me in tweed valley. I test rode everything yesterday and it felt pretty good. Heading to Mtn creek tomorrow for another run through. And for some more cornering practice. Then it gets packed into the bike bag and we hope the tire won’t unseat and spill the sealant all over again.

I also have a eBike rental for Tuesday to go check out the trails. ;-)

And someone asked if riders are/can do both eBike and the ews- the answer is yes. In fact the legend that won my category did both. there’s the obvious fatigue factor- BUT, most of the stages are the same for the eBike and ews stages, so she may have ridden some stages up to 5 times. (EBike does up to 3 laps on the course depending on what category is chosen) plus the eBike pre ride, plus ews pre ride…. may have to source an eBike to race at burke & sugarloaf!
 

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Ok, so gearing up to head to Italy for the val di fassa Ews. I leave Sunday night. I’ll have a few days to adjust to the time change before the race. My family is coming out for the race and then we are doing a northern Italy vacation.

We added Cushcor, swapped in new brakes and rotors, new grips, swapped to saint paints that have both metal pegs and spd (on both sides) and swapped shoes to a set of ride concepts shoes. By “we” I mean Lou from Pedal Montclair. He’s the bike-wizard that keeps my bike feeling fresh and riding fast no matter how much I trash it. These changes are an attempt to decrease arm pump and allow my foot to have some grip ont he pedal if I’m not clipped in. 2 big issues for me in tweed valley. I test rode everything yesterday and it felt pretty good. Heading to Mtn creek tomorrow for another run through. And for some more cornering practice. Then it gets packed into the bike bag and we hope the tire won’t unseat and spill the sealant all over again.

I also have a eBike rental for Tuesday to go check out the trails. ;-)

And someone asked if riders are/can do both eBike and the ews- the answer is yes. In fact the legend that won my category did both. there’s the obvious fatigue factor- BUT, most of the stages are the same for the eBike and ews stages, so she may have ridden some stages up to 5 times. (EBike does up to 3 laps on the course depending on what category is chosen) plus the eBike pre ride, plus ews pre ride…. may have to source an eBike to race at burke & sugarloaf!
Good luck with the race and the vacation. Some amazing mountains in northern Italy, but Dolomites take the cake, by far. You’ll love the food.
 

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Flight over was pretty smooth aside from not being able to sleep. It's an 8 hour flight - (i had a non-stop - less chance of losing the bike). United airlines food was not nearly as good at the food on British airways - but it sufficed. Have to say the united terminal C at Newark is my favorite - tons of desks with power outlets so i got a few hours of work done and the staff kept the security line moving - taking people out of the economy line and putting them in priority when their line was short.

Flew into Venice airport & stoked my bike arrived with me. :) The car rental place took forever. I had pre-booked, but their system was insanely slow. so i had to wait in line for about an hour (and there were only 3 customers ahead of me). They upgraded me to a station wagon. Then headed immediately up to the Dolomites - which is absolutely imposing and stunning as you approach them - they are just massive - it's hard to express, but i heard myself saying - 'holy sh$t' many many times as the reality that I'll be riding down these monsters set in.

I successfully managed to collect, then pay a toll road ticket - which sounds simple but once I left the airport, there was no English translation on anything.

The drive through the Italian Alps is just breathtaking. I mean, everything is picturesque. It's 100% Sound of music (same mountain range, so I guess that's no surprise) but it's surreal to be in. There was one particular road that went up and over a mountain with switchback roads and cliff drop-offs that was really intense and there are tons of long tunnels that drill straight through the mountains that are dizzying to drive through (particularly on no sleep). I had to stop a few times - once at a grocery store which is when i learned that stores close for siesta mid day.

It was about a 3 hour drive to my hotel a the jet lag exhausting was hitting strong. Once checked into my room I had to figure out how to keep the lights on. It was commical. first none of the lights work, then i realize there is a card reader inside the room, and when i wave the card by it, the lights come on, but they kept shutting off after a minute or so. There was quite a bit of swearing as I really needed to use the bathroom. Eventually i realized that there was a small slot to put the card into that would keep the power on. Kind of a clever way to make sure people aren't leaving the lights on. lol. My family is coming out on Friday - i can't wait to watch them try to figure this out when they get here.

My room is a comfortable size with a nice desk and a balcony that has an epic view of the mountains. After bringing my bags in, i unpacked my bike and rebuilt it - and the good news is the tires did not unseat this time - nor did the rotors get bent (they had to be replaced after flying home from Scotland as they got bent during transit). I'm not allowed to bring the bike to my room, but they have a locked room in the basement for sporting equipment (with a small bike lock i brought with me).

After sorting out my bike i had to take a nap for a few hours. Then i basically just waited in a jet lag haze for dinner. i didnt' realize dinner is included in the room price, but it is! Like Scotland, it's assigned seating at meals. I was placed next to a lovely German couple and had a nice chat with them. their English was good - not great, so there was a lot of explaining to get meaning across, but it was fun to try. Then i hit the sack.
 

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
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muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Woke up at 5 this morning so i got a few hours of work done before heading to the hotel breakfast. Rented an ebike to check out the area. Absolutely stunning around here. There are a ton of biking/walking paths, gravel, dirt, & paved that feel effortless to ride on the bike. Not a lot of single-track trails open, unfortunately- it's tree-harvesting season, so most of the single track, or access to the single track, is blocked by huge machinery that is impossible to get around (cliffs on either side of the trails) - so that was a bit of a bummer, but i still very much enjoyed the morning ride, and I'm headed back out this afternoon for a few more hours exploring on the bike.
 

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thanks @mattybfat!

it would be awesome to show up to one of these races and feel like I could focus on racing and not just surviving. The stages are extra long here- only 5 stages, and some w lift access so the descents will be longer than anything I’ve Ever experienced — hanging on to the bars for the entire stage will likely be my main focus. Hopefully this terrain will make burke and sugarloaf seem “easy” and I’ll be able to put on a well rounded effort at those races.
 

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Thanks @mattybfat!

it would be awesome to show up to one of these races and feel like I could focus on racing and not just surviving. The stages are extra long here- only 5 stages, and some w lift access so the descents will be longer than anything I’ve Ever experienced — hanging on to the bars for the entire stage will likely be my main focus. Hopefully this terrain will make burke and sugarloaf seem “easy” and I’ll be able to put on a well rounded effort at those races.


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serviceguy

Well-Known Member
If you have a chance don’t miss on Val Badia, Val Gardena and Passo Gardena, Passo Falsarego and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Glad you liked it, hopefully you’ll have a chance at a good look at the Dolomites in the sunset light. Best hiking but challenging. I never rode there. Best of luck for both the race and the vacation.
 
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muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
If you have a chance don’t miss on Val Badia, Val Gardena and Passo Gardena, Passo Falsarego and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Glad you liked it, hopefully you’ll have a chance at a good look at the Dolomites in the sunset light. Best hiking but challenging. I never rode there. Best of luck for both the race and the vacation.
Thank you!
 

muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Storm rolled in and it was an a quality lightning storm downpour. I can’t get over how beautiful the mountains are here. Photos really don’t do them any justice- and the view from my room is awesome.

There was a break in the storm so I was able to get out for another hour of exploring the towns narrow maze-like brick paved streets. I returned the ebike just as another downpour started.

dinner is included in my room rate so I’ve been eating there and it’s been fantastic food. Homemade pasta seems to be a regular offering and it’s sooo good. Not to mention the cheeses. Dinner Is 2 full plates of food - a primo and secondo plus dessert which I sadly have to skip (I can’t digest table sugar and I wasn’t able to bring my medicine that digests it for me)

Put in a few hours of work before bed.

Planning to meet up with Nelson Maldonado on Wednesday (today) and ride some trails. Hopefully the weather cooperates.
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muddybike

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Met up w Nelson, grabbed a lift ticket and headed up the mountain. Such an amazing view! We rode a few trails before the rain started in earnest. The top section was a flowy, bermy jump line only it was pretty darn slick- like maybe there’s clay in the dirt up top. the dirt was grippier once we got into the woods but the roots were not. We passed by some of the stages (closed to riding) so we had to take some gravel and asphalt road back down to the village in a downpour.

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rottin'

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I'm sensing a couple data points of rain and mud from Tweed Valley and here. Another one and it will be a trend! Looks awesome! Good luck and ride good lines!
 
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