http://cityloopmafia.blogspot.com/2010/03/best-ride-of-year-so-far.html
So fun...
BoOk CLuB ReDuX.
10 years ago
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Given the weather, it would seem the perfect night for a trainer ride. Toss in a few intervals, maybe some sprints and call it a night. Boring. I like a bit of adventure so I decided to ditch the trainer and take the Cerv out to Salem Lake. Yes, it was getting dark and starting to rain, but hey: who knows how the weather will be at the Battenkill in a month. I would hate to miss a move or be surprised by my limits on dirt simply because I didn't ride in nasty conditions during training. It's easy to ride when the weather is nice.
The lake has a 7mi gravel and dirt (mud) double track loop that usually accommodates walkers, bikers, and occasionally horses. Tonight, with rain and fog sliding in and darkness descending, I had the trail to myself apart from a few frogs and some deer.
The sand/dirt/root/rock track is so variable that getting into a rhythm is tough. The Cerv has Conti Gatorskin shoes right now, so I wanted to check their durability off-road. The first lap was all about learning the tires' limits and trying not to crash. No sweat. Only a few times did I get really squirrely and that was usually when going from fast hardpack into mushy mud.
Lap 2 was more sketchy as the fog rolled in. Even with nice lights, the glare from them caused some problems seeing more than 15 feet in front of me. I decided to call it at two laps for a few reasons, not the least of which was the awful sound my drivetrain was making. Hopefully a little wash will clear that up.
Once back to the truck, I had to literally strip naked and change clothes due to the mud. Calm down, unless a few pics show up on Facebook later, I was surely the only person out there.
Data is hard to provide, as the rough terrain shook my speed sensor out of line. It took about 50 min for two laps, so I assume a speed of around 16mph. But really, this ride was all about the experience.
The lake has a 7mi gravel and dirt (mud) double track loop that usually accommodates walkers, bikers, and occasionally horses. Tonight, with rain and fog sliding in and darkness descending, I had the trail to myself apart from a few frogs and some deer.
The sand/dirt/root/rock track is so variable that getting into a rhythm is tough. The Cerv has Conti Gatorskin shoes right now, so I wanted to check their durability off-road. The first lap was all about learning the tires' limits and trying not to crash. No sweat. Only a few times did I get really squirrely and that was usually when going from fast hardpack into mushy mud.
Lap 2 was more sketchy as the fog rolled in. Even with nice lights, the glare from them caused some problems seeing more than 15 feet in front of me. I decided to call it at two laps for a few reasons, not the least of which was the awful sound my drivetrain was making. Hopefully a little wash will clear that up.
Once back to the truck, I had to literally strip naked and change clothes due to the mud. Calm down, unless a few pics show up on Facebook later, I was surely the only person out there.
Data is hard to provide, as the rough terrain shook my speed sensor out of line. It took about 50 min for two laps, so I assume a speed of around 16mph. But really, this ride was all about the experience.
Monday, March 8, 2010
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