Don't follow Bill. Is that the one where you busted your knee 1 mile from the end?
Your best cycling memories ...
- Thread starter 1speed
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Don't follow Bill. Is that the one where you busted your knee 1 mile from the end?
nah, that was a wed night ride - you,matt,normA heading back
think i got complacent there - had been through it so many times w/o a problem.
if someone would nic that puddle into the stream......😉
or perhaps it was?
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ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Rusty
Well-Known Member
There are a dozen I can think of from trips to Kingdom to Raystown to daytrips with the crew...but the one that came to top of mind was fathers day about 4 years ago where I want out for really long solo ride on a beautiful day. Felt like the day would never end and I got lost without caring. Second would be a solo day at WCC/MR that got epic on the distance and I napped under a tree for a portion of it. As much as I love riding in groups, I do really enjoy some solitude now and again.
One of the rides that defined this rule
Mahlon death march 2009
@Norm was nice enough to demonstrate....Like Ben Franklin with a kite and a key. I got to be right behind norm and watch this unfold...It was like that scene in the matrix when Morpheus jumps to the next building and Neo falls to the ground.
I have way to many rides to list for this thread....But I always loved this ride bc it was one of the hardest rides I have ever done...(I had just won the H2H championship in cat 2 and thought I was a good rider....this ride showed me how totally wrong I was) It was the first time I can recall ever riding with @graveyardman67 @Chris26er @VanDbtRiver and @woody ....While I had met them before at races, I had never gone on a ride with them. I dont ever recall being this miserable and in this much pain for any ride or race since.....And the only thing I could think about after this ride was "goddam I suck at this, im going to do whatever it takes to never have a day like that again." It was like the ride that sparked me to learn how to train. Bill and Norm brought the pain that day.
phillychris498
Well-Known Member
I’ve been addicted to mountain biking for about 7 years now, and have plenty of memories that stand out from specific rides and XC races from across the east coast. But one particular memory on my bike stands out as my favorite.
During the summer of 2018, I lived in London (Covent Garden) for a little over 2 months taking college classes at the London School of Economics. I hadn’t ever lived in the heart of a city like that, and especially not in a foreign country, so I wanted to have a bike for while I was there. I did some research, found a guy on Craigslist who sold cheap singlespeeds, and gave him £100 for one.
I rode the bike all around the city to explore, but it’s main purpose was to get me back and forth from the bouldering gym down in Vaux Hall. The ride there and back was excellent, past Parliament and over the Thames.
One day I was riding back from the climbing gym and noticed a crowd of cyclists on my route home, with barriers on the road and police blocking it off. There were signs for the Ride London 100 KM race that were up... so I took my opportunity, and with my dented single speed, sprinted past the police and joined the race. My gear was pretty favorable for a town bike, but I was sprinting past everyone, spinning my legs at what must’ve been 120+ rpm. Where my normal route goes straight through a roundabout, the race took a left, and there was a crowd of thousands in front of Buckingham Palace cheering me on with my cheap single speed and a backpack full of stuff over my back as if I had done the whole race. Once I finished, there was a line that funneled me towards volunteers, one of whom draped a finishers medal around my neck. I can’t think of a memory to top that
one.
During the summer of 2018, I lived in London (Covent Garden) for a little over 2 months taking college classes at the London School of Economics. I hadn’t ever lived in the heart of a city like that, and especially not in a foreign country, so I wanted to have a bike for while I was there. I did some research, found a guy on Craigslist who sold cheap singlespeeds, and gave him £100 for one.
I rode the bike all around the city to explore, but it’s main purpose was to get me back and forth from the bouldering gym down in Vaux Hall. The ride there and back was excellent, past Parliament and over the Thames.
One day I was riding back from the climbing gym and noticed a crowd of cyclists on my route home, with barriers on the road and police blocking it off. There were signs for the Ride London 100 KM race that were up... so I took my opportunity, and with my dented single speed, sprinted past the police and joined the race. My gear was pretty favorable for a town bike, but I was sprinting past everyone, spinning my legs at what must’ve been 120+ rpm. Where my normal route goes straight through a roundabout, the race took a left, and there was a crowd of thousands in front of Buckingham Palace cheering me on with my cheap single speed and a backpack full of stuff over my back as if I had done the whole race. Once I finished, there was a line that funneled me towards volunteers, one of whom draped a finishers medal around my neck. I can’t think of a memory to top that
one.
knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
What a pleasant thread.
Earliest memories: riding my columbia cruiser bike in the new construction dirt behind my house cemented my love for bikes and dirts.
Recentish:
Riding South mountain in Phoenix.
All the mtbnj group rides, especially my SS debut at Nassau.
Having Patrick yell out at me "keep pedalling" as I navigate through north Jersey rock gardens.
Earliest memories: riding my columbia cruiser bike in the new construction dirt behind my house cemented my love for bikes and dirts.
Recentish:
Riding South mountain in Phoenix.
All the mtbnj group rides, especially my SS debut at Nassau.
Having Patrick yell out at me "keep pedalling" as I navigate through north Jersey rock gardens.
knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
Looks like so much fun.
Good stuff. Ok I'll play along for real.
Some of you know this, but not anyone who's new in the last 5 years. We used to be pretty hot & heavy in the racing. We were pretty hardcore back in the day. Lots of training rides, races, and so on. Went from MTB racing to road to cross & back and forth and back and forth a few times. So the oldest memories from around here are the racing ones.
* MTB would be winning a cat 2 race at LewMo and having the fastest time of all the cat 2 class
* Winning the SSaP race for NJ in sport. Then @jShort won the next year. Then Ilya. MTBNJ held the title for 3 straight years
* Cross race - I did a single race as a cat 4 racer. Whirlybird 2 venues ago. Lined up in 45,000th position then passed the whole field and took the win. Upgraded to cat 3 after that and raced the whole NJ series with the Bs. Ended up 3rd overall to 2 kids that combined in age to be less than me
* Road racing there are a lot. That sketchy AF crit series up in northeast NJ. First break I was ever in was there. Managed to get away with 4 other guys and I ended up losing the sprint.
* Took off in a 4/5 race at Branchbrook and the field never caught me. Had maybe 4 teammates helping block which helped a lot
* Basking Ridge crit as a 5. After the prime, end of lap 1, I launched out an attack and 1 guy followed me. I led the *entire* race and he sat on my wheel the whole time. With about 300 yards to go I heard him shift down to try to sprint for the win. He was not able to pass me.
* Albany road race. First non-crit with @graveyardman67 which was fun as hell. We had a crit run that year. Would wake up 4-5am and find these random crits to go to
Non-racing, also a bunch of good stuff.
* Mahlon Surprise, as mentioned by Utah up there
* Bill and I also did this absurd 7 hour ride of exploring once. Almost like an Abbot & Costello sketch at times
* All these Kingdom Trips. Our run of 5-6 years in a row will come to an end this year. Super sad about that
* South Mountain in Phoenix
* Sedona, just amazing, earlier this year
* Vale Bras du Nord up in Quebec Province was solid, and I want to get back up there
My racing days are over now, so the second block are more in-line for what I enjoy doing now.
I have a lot of good memories, I'll just post a few a day.
Tymor 2011, my first mtb race. Having been a former roadie, I jumped into cat 2 40-50 class. I met Kirt at the start, who I had seen around Chimney Rock. We stayed together for the whole race, I think he got 2nd and I got 3rd? The guy who was in 2nd wiped out on the last downhill which got me on the podium.
Tymor 2015, I love this pic.
Mooch Madness 2011 OG
I was on the team at this point, I believe this was the first race we hosted? Pending Hurricane Irene which was predicted that night the State shut down Allamuchy, so we had to redesign the course on the fly. We just got the race in and the rains began. I remember how cozy it felt under this tent and the warmth of everyone despite the weather.
Hillier Then Thou 2012
I think this was the 2nd yr I did this event. I'm not sure if they time you anymore or acknowledge the winners these days...back then they did. This is the hardest thing 100 miles you'll ever do, in NJ any way. I can recall turning myself inside out to get 3rd in this sufferfest.
SSaP 2012
My first cat 1 race. This was a shit show, my rear wheel kept coming off, and Single Speed Apalooza was always a mess in April.
2013 the crew is established
These are the guys I ride with just about every weekend. Sometimes there's more, sometimes less, but this is the core.
Tymor 2011, my first mtb race. Having been a former roadie, I jumped into cat 2 40-50 class. I met Kirt at the start, who I had seen around Chimney Rock. We stayed together for the whole race, I think he got 2nd and I got 3rd? The guy who was in 2nd wiped out on the last downhill which got me on the podium.
Tymor 2015, I love this pic.
Mooch Madness 2011 OG
I was on the team at this point, I believe this was the first race we hosted? Pending Hurricane Irene which was predicted that night the State shut down Allamuchy, so we had to redesign the course on the fly. We just got the race in and the rains began. I remember how cozy it felt under this tent and the warmth of everyone despite the weather.
Hillier Then Thou 2012
I think this was the 2nd yr I did this event. I'm not sure if they time you anymore or acknowledge the winners these days...back then they did. This is the hardest thing 100 miles you'll ever do, in NJ any way. I can recall turning myself inside out to get 3rd in this sufferfest.
SSaP 2012
My first cat 1 race. This was a shit show, my rear wheel kept coming off, and Single Speed Apalooza was always a mess in April.
2013 the crew is established
These are the guys I ride with just about every weekend. Sometimes there's more, sometimes less, but this is the core.
MMuller
Well-Known Member
Had a nice weekly cross training thing at a local park that's not everyone's cup of tea. Always fun, always challenging. At Staten Is Cross for 45 + masters we came in 1 - 2 - 3. Took me totally by surprise to come in 3rd. 2nd best podium I ever got to stand on.
Always best when you're surprised. 2011 was doing OK in CAT 2 mtn series. Last race was Wayway, muddy, wet, hell. Came in 3rd, 2nd in state (CAT 1 guy from Philly sandbagged and won) but, walking away to go to car with my wife, Dan Matthews comes up and shakes my hand and says "Congrats, you won the series." I had never done the math but he did and knew 3rd put me in 1st for the season win. Could not believe it. Such a feeling of achievement.
2012 CAT 1, 2013 hit by car on road - recover. 2018 back injury/surgery and I'm done on a bike. What a blast it was while it lasted.....
Always best when you're surprised. 2011 was doing OK in CAT 2 mtn series. Last race was Wayway, muddy, wet, hell. Came in 3rd, 2nd in state (CAT 1 guy from Philly sandbagged and won) but, walking away to go to car with my wife, Dan Matthews comes up and shakes my hand and says "Congrats, you won the series." I had never done the math but he did and knew 3rd put me in 1st for the season win. Could not believe it. Such a feeling of achievement.
2012 CAT 1, 2013 hit by car on road - recover. 2018 back injury/surgery and I'm done on a bike. What a blast it was while it lasted.....
^lol...love that pic @pooriggy ....And one of my favorite memories from the 2011 mooch race was that we marked it the morning of. It was my first time marking a course and I didnt realize how long it would take...so the race was well underway as i was still marking the course....In fact, I think if it was not for @SpartaBard marking the course from the other end, we would have never gotten it done in time...I think we only had a few minutes to spare before the first racer came through.
According to my FB memories, today was a pretty big day in big racing history.....
2015 Single speed apploosa....Man this was a great day...Ron and I left the rest of the group and had a solid battle for more like 2 hours...I cant remember, but if felt like forever...He ended up beating me by 1 sec....First race I ever beat Monte...which I once said to myself...if I ever did that, I could retire happy from bike racing.
2013 battenkill...my first and only "road race" Spent most of the day riding with Lance and Mandel....It had its fun and also its boring parts. Mandel and I spent a while just chit chatting talking about our mountain bike set ups...bc there really wasnt much "racing" going on for alot of this race....@rottin had alot of hair back then 🙂
@pooriggy
I think this race might have started the tradition of me and @Pearl staying at hampton inns....you never seen anything like the line at the wafflemaker the morning of that race lol.
According to my FB memories, today was a pretty big day in big racing history.....
2015 Single speed apploosa....Man this was a great day...Ron and I left the rest of the group and had a solid battle for more like 2 hours...I cant remember, but if felt like forever...He ended up beating me by 1 sec....First race I ever beat Monte...which I once said to myself...if I ever did that, I could retire happy from bike racing.
2013 battenkill...my first and only "road race" Spent most of the day riding with Lance and Mandel....It had its fun and also its boring parts. Mandel and I spent a while just chit chatting talking about our mountain bike set ups...bc there really wasnt much "racing" going on for alot of this race....@rottin had alot of hair back then 🙂
@pooriggy
I think this race might have started the tradition of me and @Pearl staying at hampton inns....you never seen anything like the line at the wafflemaker the morning of that race lol.
Snow rides are always fun, this was 2014 at Chimney Rock. I think Jeremy has a video of Lou sliding out in front of him.
Battenkill April 2014. I've done this race 3 times? It's had it's day but man, what an event. This gravel race drew about 1,500 racers that would go out in waves of 100. My most memorable was when I lined up Saturday to race, stayed over and XC skied Prospect Mountain the next day. My race number is still hanging in local bar(Man of Kent) up there.
We used to do rides out of Capers barn, but again, those days have come and gone. Pearl and Ben moved, Lance jumped to cross fit podcasting, Capers don't have the barn anymore...so the band broke up.
Woody and I used to ride SoMo every week, like going to church. We lost our religion and each other. The trails are not great but the memories are better.
Somewhere along the way we lost Schilling but we found this rock. This is the top of Ice Cream at Allamuchy. I have a lot of good memories here, we'd trek over here after Short Track races or prepping for Mooch Madness.
Battenkill April 2014. I've done this race 3 times? It's had it's day but man, what an event. This gravel race drew about 1,500 racers that would go out in waves of 100. My most memorable was when I lined up Saturday to race, stayed over and XC skied Prospect Mountain the next day. My race number is still hanging in local bar(Man of Kent) up there.
We used to do rides out of Capers barn, but again, those days have come and gone. Pearl and Ben moved, Lance jumped to cross fit podcasting, Capers don't have the barn anymore...so the band broke up.
Woody and I used to ride SoMo every week, like going to church. We lost our religion and each other. The trails are not great but the memories are better.
Somewhere along the way we lost Schilling but we found this rock. This is the top of Ice Cream at Allamuchy. I have a lot of good memories here, we'd trek over here after Short Track races or prepping for Mooch Madness.
2019 mooch madness.
Cat 2 45+
First place by over a minute and a half.
Cat 2 45+
First place by over a minute and a half.
6mile 2009? My first time at 6 mile, @jdog offered a tour and it turned into a group ride. Oh yeah, it was 3 degrees in February.
2015 Blue Mountain Race, slugfest with @Dave Taylor I got a ride with Kirt and raced the SS class. Me and Tony Fontana were off the front sitting in 2nd and 3rd. I blew up from my effort and Tony dropped me. He went off course and I flatted, the whole field passed me as I frantically tried to get air in my tire, after about 5 minutes I got it to seal. The race was 3 long laps, by the last lap I caught up to Dave Taylor who was 2nd. He didn't want to see me and with a mile+ to go until the finish line, this turned into a battle royal. Along the way we came upon the race leader walking his bike out that he flatted. So now this race turned into a slugfest for 1st place. I remember elbows in corners and aggressive riding from both of us. The tech,length of this race and competition made this one of the hardest races I've ever done. I ended up edging Dave out, he faded on the climbs before the finish line and I drove it home.
2015 Blue Mountain Race, slugfest with @Dave Taylor I got a ride with Kirt and raced the SS class. Me and Tony Fontana were off the front sitting in 2nd and 3rd. I blew up from my effort and Tony dropped me. He went off course and I flatted, the whole field passed me as I frantically tried to get air in my tire, after about 5 minutes I got it to seal. The race was 3 long laps, by the last lap I caught up to Dave Taylor who was 2nd. He didn't want to see me and with a mile+ to go until the finish line, this turned into a battle royal. Along the way we came upon the race leader walking his bike out that he flatted. So now this race turned into a slugfest for 1st place. I remember elbows in corners and aggressive riding from both of us. The tech,length of this race and competition made this one of the hardest races I've ever done. I ended up edging Dave out, he faded on the climbs before the finish line and I drove it home.
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
That was a good one but it was 2017. I think I had better tech skills and was on a rigid but you definitely had a better engine. I rode everything while you unclipped but you were still able to run up everything. Not that I was going to repass you but that was the first time I experienced your wide bike taking up every inch of the trail when you unclipped. Good times. Port Jervis that year was great too!
Dave Taylor
Rex kwan Do
Whoop whoop!
Wow. This is why I love you Dave, you put your own spin on everything. We went back and forth, you'd fuck up a section, I'd get around you, then I'd fuck up a section and you'd come around me. And don't even talk about elbow block, you are 2x the size of me and are the master of the elbow. The battles made racing with you more eventful.