Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I like riding rocks.  Wet rocks.. not so much.  I watched the weather forecast leading into the race.  Just like last year , they were predicting rain the day prior to the race. I picked up my number and warmed up on part of Warthog.  I watched some of the Cat 2 race and talked to others who went out on the course.  Just as I expected, roots were slick and slimy and I was warned about the pavement. Today was a day I would have to relax and let the bike do it's thing.  I set my goal to follow the wheel of my long-time mentor since she can pick awesome lines and rides smoothly. All of the Pro/Cat 1 women lined up together.  I lined up in the back.  The whistle blew and we all charged up the pavement and into the woods.   The three ladies in my category were in line with each other, passing some of the other riders.  As we came into a drop, there was a bottleneck and ladies were off their bikes, including me.  The...

This year I've been drifting away from XC racing and looking to try new things, including enduros.  I knew a little about enduros - that they were timed stages (like time trials) and the lowest cumulative time was the winner.  I heard they could be more downhill than climbing and sometimes the stages were gnarly. I bailed on racing Ramsey's Revenge the day before the Pocono Enduro due to a busy week.  This gave me the opportunity to go up and preview the course with some friends.  It would be the first enduro for both myself and my friend, and we wanted to make sure we were ready for this. We joined the group ride lead by Pocono Bike Club and climbed to the first stage.  We talked about some of the features in the trail, including a moss-covered rock (I called it a turtle shell) that we could roll over or go around.  As we traveled down the first stage, I felt good and was cornering in the "berms".  Until a loose one grabbed my front wheel and I ...

Are you still looking for something for your kids to do this summer? If so you may want to consider sending them to mountain bike camp!! The camp is run out of the Morristown-Beard School by myself and Brad Turner  and we travel to parks anywhere within an hour of Morristown. Here is the  weblink . If you are interested and have questions feel free to  email  me.  We run two different camps:   Beginner Mountain Bike Camp (weeks of 6/27-7/1 and 7/4-7/8) :  With an emphasis on Mountain Biking, this camp for boys and girls ages 9 and up offers attentive instruction and a low camper-to-counselor ratio. Riders of all abilities will learn the basics of mountain biking and safety while making new friends and exploring great trails. Campers should have some experience riding a geared bicycle. We will introduce trail etiquette and bike maintenance and basic trail riding skills to the campers. We will be riding approximately 8-10 miles each day. Regu...

The forecast was looking grim for Sunday's race.  The morning of the last day to pre-register, the forecast was calling for rain showers and temps in the lower 40s.  I really didn't want to race.  But I registered anyway. Maybe my attitude going into the race was a sign of how the day would play out.  I wasn't feeling that "competitive" edge I usually feel before a race.  I was thinking about how wet the course would be - how slick roots and rocks could get.  And how some of my worst crashes (and longest recoveries) were during wet, slick conditions. I knew I needed a good workout and this was the motivation I needed.  I arrived at the race knowing there would only be a handful of us racing Cat 1/Pro.  I reminded myself not to blow myself up on the road prologue, to relax, and race my race. I adjusted my saddle and rode around a little before we lined up.  I was already wet and muddy at the start.  I told myself "this is CX weat...