Another overhaul needed...

Who needs a bike stand when you have excess webbing lying around?

Awww hell yea!

Succession Road

Up just beyond where I work lies "Succession" road. A short trudge through deep leaves and fallen branches on an old logging cut, with hemlock and white pine returning it to the forest, then left towards a green tunnel with a copper carpet of needles, and finally after a quick drop, a serpentine road bends left and right around the contours. To the left, a wide, darkened expanse from a controlled burn. The charred blackness in sharp contrast to the blooming redbud trees, rust colored roads, and specks of green from budding saplings. To the right, a downward progression out towards Prather Bridge road, the Tugaloo river, and the rolling hills of South Carolina.

Today I started left, rolling up and around bend after bend, past the burn and clearing my body of a hangover. With inhibitions still gone after the first car bomb last night, I pushed on past the expansive cul de sac at the top of a long climb. The predominantly coniferous forest closed in and another long abandoned lumbering road unfurled before me. Even though in my ears Ben Gibbard was appropriately repeating "there's nothing past this", I kept going until the trail disappeared, becoming a blanket of pine needles all around.

Back the way I came, explored a fire break for a bit, then past the connector trail, down...down...and down some more I rode out. Took the pavement back and spun the legs out.

Happy Legs

Little did I know, I saved the best trails for last out at Lake Russell. I took the Selma towards those trails I was after on Sunday and found mud and happiness. Glad I had the tubeless wheeled mountain bike this time; there were proper rocky stretches, the aforementioned mud, and fast flowy descents that wouldn't have been nearly as fun worrying about flats on my cross rig.

New training grounds for sure.

Lake Russell Part 2 & Fort Yargo SP

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, after a day of barely working, really tired but motivated by the weather, I got out to Lake Russell WMA again. This time I was going to explore the easterly cluster of trails. I didn't realize how tired I was until I pulled into the lot at the check station and lost all motivation to ride. Sat there for a few minutes contemplating driving back or taking a nap in the truck right there. Eventually I pulled myself together and slowly rolled over new ground. A wrong turn took me just shy of the trails I was aiming for, past a redneck camp and their two threatening dogs, and straight through that ounce of energy I was holding onto. So rather than looping back to where I wanted to go, I cut it short back to the truck, to a shower, and much needed, albeit brief, shut-eye in a proper bed.

Today I filled up at a rather excellent indian buffet in Athens with AT friends Travis and Casey then drove through intermittent rain on over to Fort Yargo State Park. Again, with waning motivation and energy, it took some effort to get started. With limited days off ahead, I had to get a long ride in so I told myself I'd do two loops of the 12.5 mile outer loop.

Trails were super well marked and maintained. I was reminded of the trails at Bluff Creek Ranch that I raced on last year in Texas and the Boggy Draw trails in Dolores, CO. There was plenty of quintessential Southeast too, with loose sand and pine needles over hard, red clay.

My first lap was slow, stopping to check the many maps along the way. I wasn't terribly impressed with the flow until I was warmed up and going fast through my second lap. Fast, low tread tires seem to be the ticket there. There aren't many places where you need slow, tall knobs. It's nearly devoid of rocks and what roots exist are easily rolled over. In fact, with the trails as hard as they were, I was fighting against my knobby tires slipping out underneath me through a lot of turns.

It got me wondering what tire/gear setup I'd run at the race there in May, as well as whether or not I want to race there for 6hrs or 9hrs. Nine might be pretty damn boring.

New Training Grounds?

Drove out to Lake Russell WMA today to explore its cluster of trails and gravel roads. I was not disappointed. Three hours of well marked and fun riding. And there's plenty of ground I haven't covered. Trails were mostly navigable by cross bike.

Mostly.

Glad I didn't end up in the creek twenty feet below. The final trail I took, the one I threw caution to the wind to take back to my truck with no water and fading legs, was beautiful all in all, meandering up and through seeps, a narrow bench cut perched above a picturesque stream. It was not, however, in the best shape, with many trees down, or ideal for riding, with awkward drops and bends.

The other trails I rode were wide, relatively smooth, and fast at times.

Only about twenty minutes away, I imagine I'll be going there to ride as much as I can this Spring. There's a good bit more to explore. Finding a route to ride there would be ideal as well...

Georgia On my Mind

Down in Georgia, back in a holler, way up in the piedmont, hoot n'ah hollarin'...so on and so forth.

Been enjoying my proximity to Athens, visiting good friends in my time off. Enjoyed S. Cross last weekend. I was sitting in the top ten for about two thirds, then I flatted and lost several positions as single speeder after single speeder zipped past. I was feeling strong. Short on sleep from travelling and with heavy legs from driving, but strong. 13th SS.

In the coming weeks I hope to explore the National Forest I'm near and the other trail networks within a stones throw. Chattahoochee NF, Lake Russell WMA, Stone Wall Falls, Victoria Bryant State Park, to name a few.

Overhaul

Clean rims, remove old bar tape and brake pads, clean frame & brakes, replace cables and housing, re-set brakes...at least a two beer operation. In this instance, it took three.

Trans-sylvania Epic

Yet another warm winter day. Still focused on Southern Cross next week, I took the nature boy out to Sal's to gingerly hop and weave through rocks. Not too bad without the snow, but certainly slower goin' on skinny tires.

Looking forward, I'm super excited to be signed up and committed to the Trans-sylvania Epic stage race. Come May 19th, I'll be returning to PA to help with, then race 7 days on the hallowed grounds I learned how to mountain bike. A fully supported event, I'll wake up everyday to a different course, each one under 50 miles, encompassing some of the best singletrack in the area, or even country. No doubt, it will be a serious feat of fortitude to complete, but the way I figure it that's what this here body is for!

More Snow. More Rothrock.

Before I made it back to a bit warmer Bethlehem, I got another cross ride in Rothrock, this time with my friend Matt and a snow squall or two. Essentially the same route, but we went up Gettis Ridge Rd, instead of Greenlee. It probably took just as long, with the new accumulation slowing us down.

Top of Bear Gap Rd; vista down below was a whiteout

See, Matt's smart. He wore glasses. Towards the end my eyelids were freezing shut.

Return to Rothrock

This week I returned to State College to see old friends and ride old routes before I take off to Georgia. I'm making it a bit of a winter training camp, minus teammates and much of a schedule. Yesterday I tackled a decent distanced gravel road cx ride. The snow made for challenging climbs and sketchy descents.

Up Bear Meadows - Across Wampler - Down Gettis Ridge - Up&Down Beidleheimer - UP Greenlee - Down Bear Gap - Up&Down Laurel Run

@ John Wert, about to start final push up Bear Meadows Rd

At first the roads were in great condition. Enough petro-pioneers broke through the fresh snow and made pressed tracks to follow. As long as I kept within them my wheels kept turning and I didn't have much issue with grip.

It wasn't until Wampler that things got messy, with patches of mud being exposed, and slippy slush forming.

I made it to the bottom of Greenlee, the legendary grunt that crushes many-a-soul near half-way of the Wilderness 101, without much trouble. Even when all white, the snow was a multitude of textures, melting at different rates and keeping me alert.

At first I opted to continue out to Whipple Dam State Park and push the entire way up Laurel Run Road, but I was feeling good and a nearly all melted Greenlee seemed to beckon me towards it. I easily forgot the rather common knowledge that it's colder at higher altitudes and pushed up the hill I used to curse. The exposed road was by no means a faster surface, feeling at times like the home experiment of cornstarch and water. Then of course, further up there was all snow making the steepening pitches a bitch to pedal.

Descending Bear Gap was slower than hoped for. The well-traveled tracks gave way at random intervals, having me go for the untouched, deep center snow. It slowed me down some, but I subsequently lost most braking power with iced up brake pads and constantly snow covered rims. Then I forgot even more common knowledge: If you think about falling, chances are you're going down. Luckily there was soft snow to slide and land into.

All in all a great loop. It reminded of how beautiful and fun exploring Rothrock is.

Soon snow rides will give way to whatever the Southeast has to offer.

First race will be Southern Cross, soon after I get down there.

Unseasonably warm road ride

Though today was supposed to be an off day, with temps in the 5o's, I had to get out. Trails too sloppy, to the quickly drying roads I rolled. This is a vista on Lehigh's campus looking out on Bethlehem.

winter cross ride

A road ride was on order initially, but with the snow and cold I opted for a exploratory fixed gear cross ride instead.

Trails usually a bit rough for cross riding, now softened with a few inches of snow: Check.
Hand me down winter mountaineering pants and recycled bread bags (waterproof and wind-resistant): Check.
Whiskey in the...um, bottle-o *insert James Hetfield "yee-ah" here*: Check.
All made for a great winter ride.

Golf or Ski

A total waste of resources most of the year, when it snows, golf courses are rather brilliant for xc skiing.

Is it still breaking trail if you're following rabbit tracks?

Food needn't be complicated

Avocado, kosher salt, local honey on a flour tortilla. Aw yea.