Chilly Gravel

Today started out right. I rode over to Troy's house on the SS for some late season gravel time. It was the first time out on my 40x16 setup. I was a little nervous that I may falter at the tail end of the ride but thought this would be a good chance to test it out. It went very well over 36 miles. I could pedal at a 14 mph pace and still tell that I could go much faster if needed. If I don't get the cyclocross bike in to form by the end of February I think that I will ride the SS for the early season gravel races. I'll probably switch to 40x18 for the ragnarok.
Anyway, the ride through White Bear and surrounding area was fun as usual. I was a little disappointed that we didn't go down to the Arcola Highbridge, but that's alright, it was fun none the less. Hopefully I can squeeze in a few more longer gravel rides before the snow comes but with hockey starting weekend time is getting tight.

New Parts

I picked up a few new parts today for 3 bikes. Got a couple of tubes for the pug, some lock on grips for the SS, and the grand prize, a Thomson stem and Hayes Stroker Carbon hydraulic brakes.

Sunday Runday

Since the Vikings started at 3 today I decided that it would be a good opportunity to get a run in. I usually run about 3 miles but felt pretty good today and stretched it out to 4.5. It is very nice to run outside rather than inside on the treadmill. I started using the nike plus website and it works great for tracking runs and showing details. It also integrates nicely with my playlists. I am going to try and get in at least 15 outside running miles per week. Winter may put a stop to that since I am almost always running with the Burley.
Along my route I kept checking out the creek that runs along side. I think that it would be a great place to ride the Pug. The water appears to be fairly shallow, but any dab would get your foot very wet. I think I'll check it out on Wednesday. I just need to find more time to get out and explore the neighborhood.

Poppin' Bottles

This year I bonked twice on long rides (100 miles +). It is not a great feeling to go through. The mental and physical pains are extremely unpleasant. What did these two rides have in common? In both of them I was using water bottles. Take a look at any pro cyclists, they are never sporting a camelback. I am sure that they have trained themselves to be efficient by using bottles alone. I can see the benefits of using only bottles; easier to clean, no weight on your back, you can use different supplements (nuun, GU Brew), and they can easily be swapped out on a supported course. However my main drawback to them is ease of use. I just can't get myself to reach down, grab a bottle, use it, and then worst of all, put it back. It is a process in mountain biking that I do not wish to go through. They can easily be dropped or shaken loose and when I get to a flat area I really want to hammer down and can't find a good time to "rest" and drink. Uphills are tough as well because your breathing goes up makes drinking more difficult. And who wants to drink on a downhill? On my mountain bike I am more than willing to add the extra 3 pounds to my back to make drinking easy as well as easy access to food and tools. Where the problem really comes in to play is in my ever increasing gravel rides. I don't want to wear the camelback for 100 miles if I don't HAVE to. At this time of year it is not a problem, my body does not require much water and I can just grab a drink at every few stop signs. But for limited support races like Ragnarok and Almanzo, you have to carry an ample supply of water at all times and be properly hydrated throughout. It is going to take more effort on my part but as this season comes to a close I am going to try this off season to get myself to rely more on bottles and less on the camelback. I am sure that for long races I will still go with the camelback for 2012, but as my confidence and more importantly by discipline increase, hopefully I can rely solely on bottles.

Week in Review

This past week was a lot of fun on the bike. I did two adventure type rides. The first one was in Cottage Grove on a dried up creek bed. The rocks were huge and it was a real struggle as we rode our way "up." We cleared a few trees that were in the way and managed to ride almost every section after multiple tries. I have to remember to bring my small tire pump and hand saw along next time to clear a few areas that were impassible or forced us to ride up on the bank. you have to be in a different mind set once you get out there. At most area mountain bike trails the larger rocks are usually the easier route. Since this was not human designed that is not the case and for right now I just have to pick the "easiest" line and hope for the best. Needless to say, I am bummed that Curt found this place so late in the season, but it will be a fun place to ride the Pug in the spring again. Hopefully there will be a little water in there to add to the excitement.


^Curt and one of his 1,354 dabs^


^Might be my 2nd favorite bike now, might^

The 2nd adventure ride was on Saturday. It started under the Cedar Ave. bridge and went along the river, up bluffs, through creeks, bogs, beaches, and mud pits. It was a great day and I am really glad that I made it out there. All these trails are within 5 miles of my house and I feel that I have cheated myself by never going out and exploring these areas. I guess I am too spoiled living so close to Battle Creek. Needless to say, anytime I get a free chance to get out this fall, I am headed somewhere on the Pug. Thanks to Josh for putting it all together.

The 1st

I am thinking more and more that blogging is the way to go rather than facebook updates. It will keep a better record of my thoughts and things that I do. Most of the posts will be about biking and have very little to do with anything else in my life. Maybe I'll include some thoughts that I have while riding from time to time as well. Hopefully I will keep up with it and manage to record more of my biking adventures.