Beer, Bikes, and Snow

After taking a week off to race DH and Enduro at Nationals, it's back to work.  This week we had 13 campers, of which 2 were girls (#moregirlsonbikes). Day 1 - Allaire State Park (10.8 miles) Day 2 - Deer Park State Park (8.7 miles) Day 3 - Mercer County Park  (10.3 miles) Day 4 - KVSP  (8.7 miles) Day 5 - 6-Mile Run State Park (10.1 miles) Total this week - 48.5 miles

I started this blog on the Friday morning after my race... I'm sitting in the Village at Snowshoe waiting for the final results of my Enduro race.  While things are somewhat fresh in my mind, it is a good opportunity to reflect. I'm relatively new to the Enduro scene - only trying it for the first time last year.  Up to Nationals, I have five races under my belt.  Most were small grassroots races but I got to try out two Eastern States Cup races this year.  So going racing a two-day, eight-stage Enduro at Nationals was going to be an incredibly challenging experience. Due to the packed schedule and mountain coverage, pre-ride times were limited and tight.  Monday I walked the DH course first thing in the morning.  I then had to hustle to get in some Enduro pre-riding. I had two hours to try to get in as much riding as I could.  I managed to get in Stages 1-3...with two runs on Stage 2.  After freaking out about the entry to the chute ...

Up to Nationals, I've raced Downhill (DH) three times.  Due to the races being far and my schedule, I haven't been able to get to as many as I would like.  So why not sign up to race Nationals? I figured it would be a new place to ride and challenge myself. I registered for the Women's Cat 2/3 40-49 race. My race was scheduled for Tuesday.  I arrived Sunday night in order to get on the course first thing Monday morning.  With the packed schedule and mountain coverage, pre-ride times were limited and tight.  I had to juggle my DH prep along with Enduro. Monday morning I walked the DH course first thing.  The people I met along my walk...so nice and interesting to hear where they traveled from.  Getting to see the course from this perspective really helped for when I got on my bike later in the day.  I was able to see multiple lines - entries and exits.  Yes, there were drops and hits I would go around.  Let's face it, I'm no spring...

This week we return to regular Mountain Bike Camp - where the campers are ages 10-14 and we tend to cover more miles and challenging trails.  We have 18 campers this week - which some I know from NICA, some are returning campers, and a few are kids of parents I know.  It was great group! Day 1 - Patriot's Path and Lewis Morris (10.6 miles) Day 2 - 6-Mile Run State Park (9.1 miles) Day 3 - Mercer County Park (10.2 miles) Day 4 - Kittatinny Valley State Park (8.7 miles) Day 5 - Nassau Trails  (6.6 miles) Week total - 45.2 miles

Our second week of camp is also Beginner Week.  This program is geared (pun intended) towards the newer rider.  Terrain and trails are picked based on their ability. This week we had 10 little shredders.  We were off to a rough start with most of our riding spots closed.  We were frantic trying to come up with alternative places appropriate for our riders.  In the end, it all worked out. Day 1 -  Loantaka  and  Patriot's Path  (12.1 miles) Day 2 - Allaire State Park (10.1 miles) Day 3 - Kittatinny Valley State Park (10.0 miles) Day 4 - Allaire State Park (originally scheduled to be 6-Mile Run; 7.2 miles) This week's total - 39.4 miles