Today's Ride

MC2 5678F589 wrote

Anyone going up to NEMBAfest this weekend?

Would love to but have to work and the weather is looking sketchy

The views from Constellation and  All In never get old. Check out the Long Trail at the Ski Bowl for some more.

So today being Hinterlandian day AKA Canuckistan Day, Bonnie and I went for a bike ride...  you’ll never guess what we found lying on the road..  



Of course,  being the serious uptight anal retentive that I am...  

OMG!  It’s about to eat my wife whole!  

That is all for now.  Have a great day y’all.  

This is what your pic reminded me of.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8t4pmlHRokg

that's the best..
youtube Mega Avalanche mountain biking..now those boys have balls

The younger kid got upgraded today. He was having trouble keeping up with his buddies on his bmx

So four of us set out yesterday (July 5) morning at 6:30 am with the intention of doing a 101 mile ride with about 10,300 feet of climbing. Just because.

We started in the hills of Vestal, NY and with humidity around 95% and morning temps around 74 were quickly going through liquids with our first available stop at mile 33. The route was simply torturous with long steep climbs - up to gradients of about 16% in places (some for quite a while). At mile 33 one guy threw in the towel - he's been going to PT for back issues and was in serious pain. He was lucky that after 33 miles we were only about 5 miles from our starting point.

As the heat rose three of us continued on through a bunch of climbs in Endicott to Owego area. We did a lot of waiting due to speed differentials up the hills and it became clear that we would soon lose another rider. He pushed on farther than I thought he would, but the heat was now up around 90 and finally he capitulated. He still had a good 12 miles back to the starting point so I gave him some of my water. We found out later he not only flatted but got lost on the way back...one wrong turn just a mile from his truck.

So two of us carried on. Stopped in Newark Valley at the bottom of 38B - a long climb. My buddy had half a turkey sandwich...I coudln't stomach it and ate a fig bar and sucked down a gu. The climb up 38B - about 1.5 miles of 5.5% - was fine and I felt pretty strong but by now the sun was in full force. The temp was about 92 and heat index probably 5 or so degrees higher. My legs felt ok, but I realized my body felt like a furnace...uh oh.

We hit two more climbs over into Maine, NY...about mile 65. On the last one I felt weak and lightheaded. I was ready to call it done, but after a piece of pizza and dousing myself in a bottle of cold water I decided to try the next hill - a 1.4 mile 8%er (with some 12% thrown in halfway up). I felt pretty strong, making it up ahead of my buddy, but once we hit the top my body was throwing off heat again. I was clearly dehydrated and couldn't recover from it - I think the early morning section easily called for 3 water bottles and I only drank about 2 before our stop at 33 miles. Never was able to really recover from that.

So I rode two more hills, stopped at my father's house where I had stashed a cooler...soaked myself in water again, and told my buddy he was on his own for the rest of the ride. It was mile 73, and I had 8 or 9 back to the start. He continued the ride with three significant climbs and 26 miles left. The end of the climbing was near my house so I refilled him with water and gatorade...he was worried about the heat so ended up altering the route a bit to finish 100 miles with a couple laps on the Vestal rail trail so that if he collapsed he would be near people! So one finisher out of four starters.

Here's the ride I did - I think the ridewithgps elevation is overstated by about 700 feet. My bike computer has an altimeter that showed 8,800, and judging from other sources that seems about right. If the temps had been in the low 70's would have finished this ride without a problem - legs felt ok and still do today.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/36853844

Never attempting this one again - it was a ride just to do the distance/elevation combo. There wasn't much redeeming about the ride!

That's a crazy ride when it isn't hot/humid out!!

What an epic. Awesome

I puked just reading it

campgottagopee wrote

I puked just reading it

ha - I only had one almost puke moment when the gradient kicked up to about 16-17%.

This isn't a route I plan to attempt again when the temperatures are lower. Not enough fun factor to justify the pain factor.

billyymc wrote

Never attempting this one again - it was a ride just to do the distance/elevation combo. There wasn't much redeeming about the ride!

In a couple of months, I bet you guys start talking about doing it again. You can't just quit on a challenge like that (especially with 4 guys egging each other on). Do it again in the fall when your legs are stronger and the weather is nicer.

Quick pic from my ride Sunday morning:

MC2 5678F589 wrote

billyymc wrote

Never attempting this one again - it was a ride just to do the distance/elevation combo. There wasn't much redeeming about the ride!

In a couple of months, I bet you guys start talking about doing it again. You can't just quit on a challenge like that (especially with 4 guys egging each other on). Do it again in the fall when your legs are stronger and the weather is nicer.

Nah - I will never ever attempt that route again. It was just a poorly designed route with climbs that were too steep spaced too close together. Yesterday my buddy and I did 48 miles with about 4300 feet of climb and probably over half was dirt and gravel roads and we had gorgeous interesting scenery the whole way.

So I mapped out a 108 mile ride on similar terrain, with 10,000 feet of climbing. Going to try it when the weather is cooler in Sept. The biggest problem with the route is lack of places to fill water and get food. Goign to have to carry a lot, or even stash some things along the way - I"m sure we can find some good samaritans who will let us stash a cooler at their house or something like that.

Here's the planned route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30544126

Maybe I can pay my kid to drive SAG for us...haha.

I always like the Teddy Roosevelt ride, start at Tahawus, ride to North Creek, then the Blue Mtn Lake, Long Lake and the back to Tahawus. I have done it in a few years.

Rode Mt Creek on Sat..95 deg , but riding a lift wasn't so bad...It was National MTB Day..Creek was giving out free 2hr private lessons.. Worked out the kinks on big drops and clearing table tops..

Went out for 69 miles and 5000 feet of elevation gain today, the majority of the actual climbing in the first 35 miles.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/37868804

Wasn't particularly fast - back was hurting and limiting my ability to really put down power, and the wind hindered the first half and seemed to disappear when I expected some help in the last part heading east.

Hit a new gravel climb that I wanted to check out - Jenksville Road in Newark Valley, NY - and it was killer. The ridewithgps stats show it maxing at 13% but my gps showed about 16% as I was climbing (the app smooths it based on distance). Plus it was a steady 8.5% on loose gravel, double track forest road...500 feet in a bit over a mile. Not terribly hard on tarmac, but it was a rough one on gravel.

And the descent was a bit sketchy. I should have put some wider tires on for the ride, or even run my pressure a bit lower (was on 28x700 wiht about 90psi). But I didn't, and here's what I got for it - a 1" hole in my Campy Zonda rear wheel!!



Noticed it when I was working on changing a bunch of shit about my bike fit that's been pissing me off this year. Time for a new wheelset and it's getting hard to find road wheels with traditional 130mm quick release. So I used that as an excuse to get a dedicated gravel frame that i'm going to build up

Fairdale Rockitship in kelly green - can't wait to get this thing on the road with some nice 700x40 tires

https://shop.fairdalebikes.com/collections/fairdale-frame-fork-kits/products/rockitship-gravel-frame-and-enve-fork-kit

The "road" bike I"m on now I picked up on Craiglist for $900 in 2009 (it's actually a cross bike - Tricross Comp) and I've put 24,000 miles one it in that time so I think it's time for a new whip! Once I get it build up I'll put some pics up. I"ll keep the Tricross with some skinny tires for regular paved road rides which I do fewer and fewer of - most of my road rides these days include at least some gravel and dirt.

Did you rent a bike there or ride your own?  If you rode your own, what kind of bike is it?

I've been wanting to make it up to creek for a while, never been.  Wondering if I should bring my bike there (Devinci Troy).

Also, been wanting to make it back up to Sterling Forest to ride the recently completed full loop - any regular group rides up there?

Mike
hit me up when you want to ride sterling or the creek

I ride a 130 mm at the creek no issues..

The new whip...getting it out for a 62 mile loop near the Pepacton Res tomorrow. Can't wait!

I don't love the natural color bar wrap - thought it would like good but it's meh. WHen it comes time to replace I'll put some black wrap on there. Besides that happy with everything else.