Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I live in beautiful Hunterdon County, New Jersey.  Call me a snob, but I believe I have some of the best roads to ride i n the entire State.  And it seems some also agree - as the Hell of Hunterdon  incorporates a good portion of these roads I call home. I've known about the Hell of Hunterdon for a few years now.  I've had plenty of friends who've completed the ride, including Lance.  Although I was curious about the ride, I had never done it.  In the past, I was nervous about riding dirt roads, riding with groups, and the distance.  This year something changed, and I signed up for the challenge.  I signed up the night registration opened, knowing that it has a history of selling out quickly.  Now I was committed to this. We were lucky to have a mild winter here in NJ with only a few days of really cold temps and one mega snow storm.  This provided me with the motivation I needed to put in miles outside in preparation for this ride. ...

How do mountain bikers deal with the "winter blues"?  Some people are fortunate enough to get to warmer climates for a week of riding.  I'll admit, when I see photos people riding dirt in abundant sunshine, I'm super envious.  As a teacher, I can not take off from work to travel far for training.  So I need to be creative with riding and training.  Thankfully there are places to hide from the winter cold and have fun. I had heard of  The Wheel Mill and Ray's Indoor Bike Park  (the world's first indoor mountain park, built in 2004) and knew of some people who had been there and raved about their experiences.  It was on my bucket list of places to visit - so when Ben mentioned he was heading out to both places for long weekend adventure, I jumped at the opportunity to go. The Wheel Mill , located in Pittsburgh, was about a 5 hour drive from home.  We arrived later in the afternoon plenty of time to get in a few hours of riding.  ...