SpartaBard
Well-Known Member
Here is your motivation:
#CXisComing
#CXisComing
IGVENTURE
- Thread starter pooriggy
- Start date
JP^ IGGY^Woody^
Capers, when is the house party? I'll be happy to come over and tell you what to do with your yard.
BardCX you guys are like jehovah witness followers out to save the world. but aren't only like 10,000 jehovah witness followers going to be saved? Why would you decrease your odds by telling more people about your religion.
So my plan is to have fun on a bike, for me that involves riding with people. Wednesday I met Norm at his house. We rode out to RVCC to meet his wife and a roadie group. It seems there is no shortage of people who want to get together to ride bikes these days. While waiting in the parking lot to roll some dude pulled up in his car asking about joining the group the following week.
I rolled with these folks for only a short while before heading for home, as it was I did over 60 miles in my travels. This was fun since I met some new people and got on some roads I've never ridden before...or don't remember riding.
Thursday I met Woody and Pearl at CR. I was surprised not to find this place loaded with mud after the rains from earlier in the week. We did 2hrs at a medium pace. Doing the new High Tech trail is work in either direction, this is the hardest section at CR. There is no room to rest once you hit the hard section, its steady climbing over loose rock and obstacles. Woody is the fastest guy I know who doesn't race. Also my ass hurt when I was done after putting over 3hrs in the saddle the day before but it does feel better today.
I'm about to head over to the pool, then eat pizza with family later. No bike riding on Fridays. The plan for tomorrow is to meet Chilin and Woodyee at TOS? I'll let you know how it goes.
FYI, the last message I heard was bottom at soccer fields not TOS. But I'm still 50/50 so I might be working off old news..
Put some cream on that butt if it hurts, ask Chilling to help..
Regatta de Tos
does anyone get that reference?
[/url]DSCF2780 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
As I was typing about my ass hurting after a ride I was wondering who was going to put the ball in the net. Assist Iggy, Goal Kevin.
I think I have a better shot at taking 165 days off the bike verse riding for those many days. I am pretty good at moving my bowels every day, maybe I should go on a shit streak?
And the reason I don't do cx is I'm just not feeling it. Thats not to say I won't ever feel it, but for now I'm sticking to what I feel. You feel me now?
This was a really solid wknd for me. Having off from work gives me the energy to do stuff. Yesterday I met Chillin and Woody at TOS. Woody is youger then me but when we mtb he feels like my older brother. He always knows which way to go and if I fuck something up he can fix it. This is the one loop that stays pretty consistent every time we ride it, because its so fucking good. Woody did throw in the new trail(white?) and we found some newer new stuff along the way. I think the loop we did yesterday is going to be the new standard. We ended up doing 25 miles. I like to do TOS at least 4-5 X/ yr or when I feel the need to HTFU.
[/url]DSCF2781 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
The trail work the Whites/Jorba & crew do there is awesome. Its a combo of tech & flow using indigenous rock that blends so well that it appears to be something that has existed for 1000's of yrs.
Today I met Woody at Stephens. This is a good follow up to yesterday’s ride, more flow then tech here and not too much climbing. This would be a great place for an endurance race. I’m thinking we could put together at least 8-10 miles of fast flowee trails without too much climbing. This would be in the 1ish hour range for lap times. Stewart up in NY it still the tops for flow & speed but in NJ Stephens is pretty good, plus it’s in NEW JERSEY.
[/url]DSCF2784 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
I had to switch over to Word to type this, MTBNJ keeps going down on me.
After two solid rides this weekend I still had energy to come home and tackle my drain project. My bathtub/shower drains slow as shit. I usually end up taking it apart to clean it out at least 4x/yr. I’ve had enough of this and decided to update the J-trap to PVC. The hardest part was getting the old metal pipe apart. After some heat and a 6’ breaker bar…Success. You don't want to see the inside of that nipple, I don't know how plumbers can work with this shit every day. I guess thats why there so expensive.
Now when I’m standing in the shower peeing it goes right down. Watching water run is as much fun as watching fire burn.
does anyone get that reference?
As I was typing about my ass hurting after a ride I was wondering who was going to put the ball in the net. Assist Iggy, Goal Kevin.
I think I have a better shot at taking 165 days off the bike verse riding for those many days. I am pretty good at moving my bowels every day, maybe I should go on a shit streak?
And the reason I don't do cx is I'm just not feeling it. Thats not to say I won't ever feel it, but for now I'm sticking to what I feel. You feel me now?
This was a really solid wknd for me. Having off from work gives me the energy to do stuff. Yesterday I met Chillin and Woody at TOS. Woody is youger then me but when we mtb he feels like my older brother. He always knows which way to go and if I fuck something up he can fix it. This is the one loop that stays pretty consistent every time we ride it, because its so fucking good. Woody did throw in the new trail(white?) and we found some newer new stuff along the way. I think the loop we did yesterday is going to be the new standard. We ended up doing 25 miles. I like to do TOS at least 4-5 X/ yr or when I feel the need to HTFU.
The trail work the Whites/Jorba & crew do there is awesome. Its a combo of tech & flow using indigenous rock that blends so well that it appears to be something that has existed for 1000's of yrs.
Today I met Woody at Stephens. This is a good follow up to yesterday’s ride, more flow then tech here and not too much climbing. This would be a great place for an endurance race. I’m thinking we could put together at least 8-10 miles of fast flowee trails without too much climbing. This would be in the 1ish hour range for lap times. Stewart up in NY it still the tops for flow & speed but in NJ Stephens is pretty good, plus it’s in NEW JERSEY.
I had to switch over to Word to type this, MTBNJ keeps going down on me.
After two solid rides this weekend I still had energy to come home and tackle my drain project. My bathtub/shower drains slow as shit. I usually end up taking it apart to clean it out at least 4x/yr. I’ve had enough of this and decided to update the J-trap to PVC. The hardest part was getting the old metal pipe apart. After some heat and a 6’ breaker bar…Success. You don't want to see the inside of that nipple, I don't know how plumbers can work with this shit every day. I guess thats why there so expensive.
Now when I’m standing in the shower peeing it goes right down. Watching water run is as much fun as watching fire burn.
SpartaBard
Well-Known Member
Hey I bumped into an oldish guy who ran into you while cross country skiing the day after Battenkill. I forgot his name.
You mention having fun on the bike... CX!!! :getsome:
You mention having fun on the bike... CX!!! :getsome:
Do you know where this is?
[/url]DSCF2783 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
Assist Iggy, goal Brian!
G, Lefty forks are ridden by 9 out of 10 MTBNJ team members surveyed.
Bard that would be Lars, an appropriate name for a fan of nordic skiing. I met him at Prospect Mt in VT the day after Bkill. He recognized me from a Marty's ride we had done a month earlier. He heads up there almost every wknd., my plan is to join him next winter on those slopes. That place is boss for xc skiing, great old time VT mountain with plenty of snow and fantastic grooming. I was on pleasure overload xc skiing the day after Bkill in the beginning of April.
Speaking of Battenkill I have to say that is one of the races I believe in. It gives me the motivation to train, race and suffer. The condtions can be ugly, the climbs can break you but when all is said and done TOB is awesome. Its the only roadie event I do and a great way to start the racing season. I love to travel to this part of NY/VT. When I see all the thousands of cyclists descend upon ths small town it feels like I am taking part in something big.
Me blowing through the schlub class.
No bike riding today, so I fixed the leaky faucet. I think Greg Lemund said it never gets easier, you just do more shit.
[/url]DSCF2788 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
I'll leave you with this.
Assist Iggy, goal Brian!
G, Lefty forks are ridden by 9 out of 10 MTBNJ team members surveyed.
Bard that would be Lars, an appropriate name for a fan of nordic skiing. I met him at Prospect Mt in VT the day after Bkill. He recognized me from a Marty's ride we had done a month earlier. He heads up there almost every wknd., my plan is to join him next winter on those slopes. That place is boss for xc skiing, great old time VT mountain with plenty of snow and fantastic grooming. I was on pleasure overload xc skiing the day after Bkill in the beginning of April.
Speaking of Battenkill I have to say that is one of the races I believe in. It gives me the motivation to train, race and suffer. The condtions can be ugly, the climbs can break you but when all is said and done TOB is awesome. Its the only roadie event I do and a great way to start the racing season. I love to travel to this part of NY/VT. When I see all the thousands of cyclists descend upon ths small town it feels like I am taking part in something big.
Me blowing through the schlub class.
No bike riding today, so I fixed the leaky faucet. I think Greg Lemund said it never gets easier, you just do more shit.
I'll leave you with this.
Last edited:
SpartaBard
Well-Known Member
Yep it was Lars. Good stuff, ok I will go back to my cx hole now.
5:30 am, still feeling kinda peaceful.
The best part of the day is my ride into work. It lasts about 45 minutes, heading south to Upper Freehold. Its so easy to be at peace at 4am when there are very few people awake and on the roads. I listen to music and daydream, my mind wonders and I ponders things. The start of the day I feel like I can accomplish anything and can solve any problem. Once I get into work and the problems start that feeling begins to fade. Well at least I had 45 minutes of bliss, maybe I should extend my ride time into work. My wife works with special need kids as a teacher, I work with special needs adults on a golf course. Actually when it comes down to it we all have special needs, some are just better adapted then others.
I rode my mtb Tuesday illegally somewhere with Woody. The highlight was discovering new trails, the suck was flatting and taking 30 minutes to fix said flat. I have special needs when it comes to fixing flats.
Wednesday I met Kirt, Woody, Glenn and a few other people you don't know at CR for TM. We hacked back the vegatation along the white trail. If you don't partake in TM you should. Its a good way to give back and feel good about yoself. It adds to the balance in our life that we all need to feel happy. Plus it keeps my arms from getting cut up by the sticky bushes.
^dats a big can.
Yesteday I met Woody and Jeremy at CR to ride MTB's. Woody showed up with a flat and bailed so me and J rolled for 2 hrs. We hit the high tech trail in both directions, I have determined I like going down the switch backs better. I'd rather climb the tech stuff at the end. Going downhill over the tech stuff I always screw it up. When we were done I gave J one of the last 2 Carton 077XX beers I have. This seems to be the saught after beer these days, I find it to be too hoppy. I cracked a founders IPA while Jeremy drank the Carton. I wasn't too worried about a cop coming into the lot while having a beer, two words; DAVE CARSON.
Thanks for the philosophy of Iggy! and the TM - took advantage of that today. The raspberries are ripe, and the blackberries are not far behind.
open spaces are very soothing................people with clubs coming across them can really screw them up. FREEDOM!
open spaces are very soothing................people with clubs coming across them can really screw them up. FREEDOM!
Jamie loosing the battle to look pissed.
Vacations don't suck, unless your 16teen then everything sucks. Its hard to please my younger son Jamie. Actually its hard for him to show that he is pleased, teenagers like to walk around pissed off and there favorite word is no. I'm not sure why kids are pissed, I think its their raging hormones. Summer vacation is wasted on the young?
The ocean is awesome, they are always coming out with new ways to enjoy life on the water. Yeah there are your tradtional things like boating, fishing and swimming. But now there is paddle boarding, kite sailing and para sailing. Remember wind sailing, whatever happened to that. I like kayaking, its kinda like biking in that you set out on an adventure using your own skilz and know how. There are things like current and wind that can F with you as well as other boats creating wakes for you to navigate. Its scarry being on water thought. If I fall off my bike I can just lay there till I feel better. Being on water brings in the element of drowning which kinda sucks. This thought crossed my mind as I was kayaking all week without a pfd. For this reason I kept it conservative and stayed away from the current of Barneget Inlet.
What makes the tide go out and come in and why does it do this? I'm not sure I care why. I am more amazed that it does it like clockwork. Nature has a way of perfecting things over eons, it just cool to watch the tides in the bay flow, the same way its has always done.
Flying Paddle
VT Adventures
In an effort to figure out exactly where I was over the weekend I put this map together. While Woody was doing all the driving, Utah was navigating, Kirt was looking for good restaurants on google and I was staring out the window like a clueless 6 year old. I like cows and old barns.
Early(6am) Friday morning me and Kirt met at Woody's, loaded bikes and bags then went to get Utah at his house. We loaded up his stuff and headed off but first I pruned Utahs tree in his driveway which was threating to take out a brake line on the bikes on top of the car. Utah takes care of his property like I take care of my Toyota Camry. Ignore it until something falls off.
We made it to the trail head of the Hinesburg at 12:30, the ride there always goes fast. We met Woody's brother, Kevin here. We left his huge bike van at this point and loaded Kevins bike onto Woodys truck and drove to the starting point. This way we didn't have to do a loop and were able to cover 3 good areas in a point to point ride. We started at Sleepy Hollow to Hinesburg to Carse.
These trails were a little more techincal then Kingdom but not nearly as tech as Millstone. This place also had the most climbing but the downhills were a great reward. After the ride Kevin brough us to a swimming hole and we cracked some Dales. The cold water and tasty brew felt great, my head was boiling with the humidity. It felt weird for northern VT to be this hot.
After cooling off we went to dinner in Waterbury center. We parked in front of a liquer store and my radar went off when I saw what looked like the shiny aluminum cans of Heady Topper in the cold case. Now the locals may laugh at tourist's coming in an paying $14 for 4 cans of beer but hey...when the situation presents itself. We could only buy one 4 pack each so Kirt asked Utah to buy him another 4 pack. I wish we had a video of Utah buying beer, he looked so disqusted.
Saturday we woke up at Kevins place and headed to the Kingdom Trails. These trails are the equivelant to Heady Topper. I'm not saying they are the best trails in VT but they are the most sought after. People from all over come here for mtbing goodness. My favorites are Moose Alley, Tap n Die, Troll Stroll and Sidewinder.
We tried to get an early start Sunday but I don't think we began riding Millstone until after 11. Whatever, it felt good to have a leisurely breakfast in Waterbury. The technical stuff at this place is really a blast, great features built out of granite with some wood bridges to make it interesting. When you buy your trail pass inside they call this tech area the dessert. Since we were pressed for time we headed right for dessert, these trails include Rock n Roll, Holy Roller, Harrington Ridge, Vortex, Screaming Demon and Angry Gnome. These are the must do trails when you go here.
This is the parking lot of Kingdom. The skys looked ugly, we ended up getting rained on in the last hour of riding here. I'm not sure if Woody will ever get rid of the stink we created in that truck.
woody
Well-Known Member
Fun weekend!
The stench in my truck this morning was obscene. All windows down and heat cranked for drive to work.
Kingdom=Heady Topper, perfect analogy.
The rides:
http://app.strava.com/activities/190869078
http://app.strava.com/activities/190869129
http://app.strava.com/activities/191263629
The stench in my truck this morning was obscene. All windows down and heat cranked for drive to work.
Kingdom=Heady Topper, perfect analogy.
The rides:
http://app.strava.com/activities/190869078
http://app.strava.com/activities/190869129
http://app.strava.com/activities/191263629
More VT Adventures
I had an extended wknd, starting on Thursday. Spent 3days in VT, using Killington as my base camp. Base camp had a hot tub, so camp was not like tent camp more like Hot tub camp.
Going on the advice of Mitch I hit Pittsfield(Green Mountian Trails) and Pine Hil, the last day I rode Killington, since I was staying on Killington Rd.
[/url]DSCF2912 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
^gay pic at top of Pittsfield.
Day one; Pittsfield started out with a of long gradual switchback climb. Eventually you came to Fusters which was a great downhill with ramped turns to keep flow over the tight single track, I ended up doing this run 2x. Mitch says Fusters is the top of the mtn but I felt like I climbed more to get to the little cabin at the top. Warman and Labrinth flowed really well, even uphill. They had a race here early in September and painted arrows were still visible on the ground. Overall I found this place to be very flow, with very little rocks.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/600309187
Day two; Pinehill This place was in Rutland, the closest thing VT has to a city. Even though your in this rural city you still have mtns all around you, so even if your pissed sitting in traffic the scenery calms you down.
[/url]DSCF2918 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
Pinehill gets my vote for the best maintained trail system I've ever scene. Its a trail system designed for mtbing, with endless twists, turns, and burms. There are also countless nicks along the trails to shed water. The trails are somewhat sanitized from rocks so gingerhead would mf the builders of these trails, I guess you'd have to let the locals show you where the raw stuff is. This place was buffed out fast. I like to call it a mini-Kingdom Trail. ^ Halfpipe was a lot like KT Sidewinder but on a smaller scale.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/600309199
As a side not Mary was with me at all three parks hiking/trail running and she liked Pinehill the best.
Day three; Killington
Ok, so after mtbing a total of 30+miles the last two days lets climb to the top of Killington. It was close to a 7 mile ride from Hot Tub Camp but I kept a steady tempo pace and made it to the top in a little over an hour. I remember pedalling to the top on a downhill bike I rented with flat pedals 13yrs ago, that sucked. It seemed much easier on my xc mtb, however going down was not as much fun on my hardtail. Although I must say there were a lot more interesting xc trails on my way down then I remember hitting years ago.
[/url]DSCF2935 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
^Following these arrows down was a blast, it was mostly tight single track with roots, rocks and gravity. I was somewhat reluctant to take my hardtail down expert diamond trials at Killington however I was glad I did. I was afraid of killing myself or my bike, however I found these trails to be tame compared to TOS in NJ. Also toward the bottom I found many runs similiar to KT with well designed trails that are sure to please xc mtbers as well as the downhiller's. But I must say Killington is more of a tourist attraction, yeah there are some really hardcore DH guys but its mostly beginners, especially on the wknds. To sum up I'll say that Killington was surprisingly fun, they had quite a bit of xc stuff here.
Random notes
[/url]DSCF2937 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
JP, name your first child Datsun. The name is unisex, do it.
Also I found Fiddlehead IPA.
And stopping at MOK on the way home I found my Battenkill number still hanging prominently above the bar. Thats as good as a podium imo.
[/url]DSCF2939 by Pooriggy, on Flickr[/IMG]
I had an extended wknd, starting on Thursday. Spent 3days in VT, using Killington as my base camp. Base camp had a hot tub, so camp was not like tent camp more like Hot tub camp.
Going on the advice of Mitch I hit Pittsfield(Green Mountian Trails) and Pine Hil, the last day I rode Killington, since I was staying on Killington Rd.
^gay pic at top of Pittsfield.
Day one; Pittsfield started out with a of long gradual switchback climb. Eventually you came to Fusters which was a great downhill with ramped turns to keep flow over the tight single track, I ended up doing this run 2x. Mitch says Fusters is the top of the mtn but I felt like I climbed more to get to the little cabin at the top. Warman and Labrinth flowed really well, even uphill. They had a race here early in September and painted arrows were still visible on the ground. Overall I found this place to be very flow, with very little rocks.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/600309187
Day two; Pinehill This place was in Rutland, the closest thing VT has to a city. Even though your in this rural city you still have mtns all around you, so even if your pissed sitting in traffic the scenery calms you down.
Pinehill gets my vote for the best maintained trail system I've ever scene. Its a trail system designed for mtbing, with endless twists, turns, and burms. There are also countless nicks along the trails to shed water. The trails are somewhat sanitized from rocks so gingerhead would mf the builders of these trails, I guess you'd have to let the locals show you where the raw stuff is. This place was buffed out fast. I like to call it a mini-Kingdom Trail. ^ Halfpipe was a lot like KT Sidewinder but on a smaller scale.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/600309199
As a side not Mary was with me at all three parks hiking/trail running and she liked Pinehill the best.
Day three; Killington
Ok, so after mtbing a total of 30+miles the last two days lets climb to the top of Killington. It was close to a 7 mile ride from Hot Tub Camp but I kept a steady tempo pace and made it to the top in a little over an hour. I remember pedalling to the top on a downhill bike I rented with flat pedals 13yrs ago, that sucked. It seemed much easier on my xc mtb, however going down was not as much fun on my hardtail. Although I must say there were a lot more interesting xc trails on my way down then I remember hitting years ago.
^Following these arrows down was a blast, it was mostly tight single track with roots, rocks and gravity. I was somewhat reluctant to take my hardtail down expert diamond trials at Killington however I was glad I did. I was afraid of killing myself or my bike, however I found these trails to be tame compared to TOS in NJ. Also toward the bottom I found many runs similiar to KT with well designed trails that are sure to please xc mtbers as well as the downhiller's. But I must say Killington is more of a tourist attraction, yeah there are some really hardcore DH guys but its mostly beginners, especially on the wknds. To sum up I'll say that Killington was surprisingly fun, they had quite a bit of xc stuff here.
Random notes
JP, name your first child Datsun. The name is unisex, do it.
Also I found Fiddlehead IPA.
And stopping at MOK on the way home I found my Battenkill number still hanging prominently above the bar. Thats as good as a podium imo.
Sounds like a great 3 day get away. Glad you got to hit all that fun stuff they have there in such a short window. Vermont is just a great place to bike period, MTB or road. Thanks for not sharing the hot tub pictures that Mary sent me..
By the way, Fusters is at the top, just not the very very top. Just about 100 yards from overlook shed. Thanks for the beer handup too.
By the way, Fusters is at the top, just not the very very top. Just about 100 yards from overlook shed. Thanks for the beer handup too.