Bolton Valley TR 12/09/07

With the amazing amount of snow that we have received in the past week, the mountains are skiing like it is mid-March. Which is sweet, since I really like skiing on natural snow in the woods. But have you ever seen non-natural snow in the woods???

From my trip up Timberline on Wednesday night, Kris and I decided to skin up Timberline Sunday morning to check things out. Few other people rolled into the parking lot as we were starting out, three ladies, all who commented on Kris's Rossignol Rip Ckick Skiis. Mellow skin up, I had enough time to pull my skins and ski back down to Kris. Which confirmed that the snow has got even better. Met back up at the top with a nice view of Burlington in the distance, shared a thermos of coffee/hot chocolate, a homegrown Mocha. As we are having our snack, another group passes us on the way to the top. Another comment on the Rip Chick skis.

We hop back into the skis, drop into the 7-up Woods off of Bolton Valley. It is a tight entrance, until we start our traverse out left in search of untracked snow. This led to a 3 foot rock face when I decided I needed to jump off of it. First try faceplant. Second try stick it. Kris follows suit into a nice powder pillow. From our vantage point the trees open up into a beautiful birch glade, with many rollers and pillows to play on. Kris got the confidence to start dropping smaller drops, and I had a blast using the widely spaced trees as gates to rip around.

All in all a great day to be on the slopes, an do something I would call training!

Bolton night skiing.

And not the night skiing under the big lights, led headlamp lights!

So I went up to Bolton last night with my neighbor and a few of his friends for some nighttime teleski action. In the last storm cycle they totalled about 30 inches of new snow ontop of the base that was up there. With the last foot being nice light fluffy powder, so light when we skied it, the snow would fall like it was just coming down for the first time. Skined up TImberline to the mid-station droppped into the trail on far skiers left, debated and we headed into the woods. Really tight at the top and it sorta sucked skiing that with a small led headlamp with a light beam about 15 feet. Traverse farther skiers left, it opens up into am amazing birch glade, untracked, so we all had fresh snow in these nicely spaced trees. The effect of this super light snow and a headlamp was awsome, total without. The only negative point we had was it was not steep enough with all the snow!!!! Best run of the year thus far.

Next lap, skin all the way to the top of Timberline, drop into lost boyz. One or two people beat us to that, but plenty of freshies to go around. Steeper, with some roller/drops that sneak up on you in the dark. Nothing like big powder turn, to nothing below you to a poof of powder when you land, all in the dark!!! Easily one of the best runs of the year to come. Four super solid skiers just ripping in the dark on amazing snow.

Greatest song ever

Would have to be Run DMC's "Walk this Way," which came on in internet radio I was listening to this morning at work. And no this was not the DMC/Aerosmith version, just straight up Run DMC. WOrd

My Year in Photos

Since the year for me, interms of racing is over, I decided to reminisce about what I accomplished this year. I have seen many people doing this over the past few weeks, which turns out to be alot of words, so I will be doing it in pictures!!!! As you know, they represent a thousand words, so this will be a novel.

The year started with many long cold days on the single speed mountain bike along many rails to trails in Northern VT.

Opener of the year was the Hardcore 24 out near Rochester, NY. It was a long travel to the race, pre ride showed that the course was non-techie climbs, followed by double track descents. Not my cup of tea, but it was fun. Til the race got canceled 9 hours into from a racer having a heart problem out on the course. First time this has ever happened at a race I was at, and hopefully the last. I didn't know the guy, but respect the heck out of him for what he was doing.

Here is another photo from the Hardcore 24. This was taken at about the same time the rider was found on the course having a heart attack. For me, this is how I want to go eventually, racing a 24 with my friends, in an awsome vibe to the event, and this is the last thing I see.

The second race of the year for me was the 12 Hours of Pats Peak, where I learned that you should not race a 12 hour on a single speed at a ski resort without adjusting your ratio!
The 24 hours of Great Glen came and went, with me winning the Single Speed race. My trusty pit person/photographer was racing with the Backcountry Magazine team, so I was racing mostly unsupported and no pictures! Bummer. But here is one from the podium. Notice me looking at the ground, it is scary up there!

This result means alot to me, as there was alot of big talk in early March about me winning the SS race here. I was super stoked to be there with all my friends on the course cheering me on, thanks, Jeff W., Andy S., Thom P., Kris, Lyster, Harry, and the other SS for all the support at the race and the good times, especially the 1 am beers with Mike!!!!


After this weekend, there was one last thing to do.
Bike tour! A nice overnight to the Champlain Islands. This was moments after we found that the ferry we were to take was on wind hold. So the 20 mile ride with a ferry turns into a 40 mile ride, across a big ole bridge, the getting caught into the most fierce rain storm I have seen since Montana. Thanks for the use of your porch, to the house that was for sale in South Hero.

Thats about it for the year. Afew solo 24s, a handful of local xc events, 2 cross races. Note to self don't try to race cross after training for solos, they don't work.

Enjoy the ride.

That time of the year

Since it is finally starting to look like fall here in the great north VT, my mind is slowly switching from bike riding to skiing. This is always a really hard time of the year, my body is beat, my mind is tired, but the trails are great and are calling me. I want to go roll all the singletrack that is out there before the snow falls. Sneak those last few rides that get ingrained in my mind. But my body is tired, I am trying to avoid getting sick, but the call is too strong to miss out.

Then there are days like this when I want to crawl into a hole and go to sleep. What really sucks, is I ate all the food I brought with me today by 10:30am. So it was loads of apples and coffee for the afternoon to keep me going.

I actually can't wait til November when we have the cold rain, so I won't want to ride more than my commute, but the snow will still suck so I won't make it to the mountains.

November, my one month of rest before the ski into bike season that I have been chasing the past few years.

Gratifying

is what it is to build some trail on Sunday, then go out and ride it in on Monday. Helped to add to the Mo-Flo trail on sunday with the Fellowship of the Wheel, a nice rolling piece of singletrack, that adds some more fun to the Flo trail.
When I went back to ride it on monday, a light rain was falling making all the leaves extra slick and the mud nice and slippery. Dabbed a few times around some corners that I shouldn't have, lowered the pressure in the front Kenda Nevegal, and helped alot. Running in the high teens, plush.
But as I feared, the cold and the rain caused me to practice for my Great Divide Race hopes and crap in the woods off the trail. Always fun thing to do in the rain.

Can't wait to head back with the Earl's crew and little David Diamond.

24 hours of Great Glen

A short little write up of the 24 hours of Great Glen that happened last weekend. This was the race that I was putting all my marbles in with, the race that I said in early spring that I would win. Those statements ussually bite me and people in the ass pretty hard, but as it turns out I could start being a fortune teller, as I was able to pull it out and race long and hard to take the win in the solo single speed category.

The competition was amazing. Dave (insert name) was never more than 45 minutes behind me and was somewhat of the slave driver that kept me riding though the night, when I ussually break down in a 24 at 10pm. Knowing he was there kept me motivated to keep trugding through the night. I was also that guy, who on Sunday morning was running the technical sections, and I mean running in the literal sense of the word also, which may have some reason why it is Friday and I am still spent.

All in all, everything worked great, no mechanicals, loads of positive vibes given and received, and no lookng back thinking I could have done something different, other than heading out at 11:55am Sunday for lap number 21 to be one up on second.

24 hours of GG

Passing my nemesis at 11:15 am sunday morning when he was going out under the tunnel to the other side of the road and I was heading back from that section where he told me I had it and to enjoy the last lap. Which is what I did, this was the lap that I had worked so hard to finish, the last lap of Great Glen withmy winning the solo single speed class. My nemesis was this guy Dave from the LIttelton Landsharks, we had a gentleman's race going from about 4pm saturday when we both were a lap up on everyone else, until the early morning time when we were within 30 minutes. There was not so much attacking, but slugging away at the course, me with a 34:20, him with a 32:24. Two polar opposite gear ratios, both suited for the course and the race. Without this competetion I highly doubt that I would have gotten my desired 20 laps in

The real surprising thing, and something that I learned alot about myself was that this was mostly self supported since my loyal pit crew was racing on the backcountymagazine.com team. So I was left up to my own demise of remembering to drink, eat and change some clothing, basically I was more in tuned with what was going on. With all that, no problems at all.

It was awsome to ride with everyone out there, Jeff W., Andy S., and Harry who won the solo 19-35, all those who I met at the Jay Challnge in 2004, where all this endurance stuff started. What sealed the deal for me was, going out at 12:30am for a night lap with Kris, since it was her first night lap ever, this was after my 30 minute rest, getting out there and putting this relaxed lap in put me one lap up and allowed me to sleep another 30 minutes.

Hardcore 24

So it has come and gone, too quickly some might say. The short end of it, the race got canceled at 8:58pm saturday night in response to an incident on the race course that took the life of another racer. There was no racer rage, noone got chopped for a line, no dangerouse performace inhancing drugs to be found, just another average guy like the rest of us, challenging his limits. Only thing was that he had a medical condition that made his limits much greater than the rest of ours, he faced his limits and unfortuanlly lost, or beat them as he was out there racing his bike having a whole blast of a time. I send condolences out to his family and Park Ave. Bike who was putting the event on, where he was a manager.

I wanted to do a race recap, not what I feel like writting tonight, more on that later, sometimes your personal goals and achievments have to be put on hold to think of others.

The one high point I want to share, last part of the lap, last lap, climbed to the top of the climb with a 12 year old kid, doing his first night lap, of his second 24 hour race ever, on a 29er. Plus the fact that he schooled me on the fire road decent.

j.

Getting it all ready

Been taking it really easy on the bike this week. Just commuting from Kris's house into town and my normal riding around town on the MTB to get the fit all dialed in.

Spent the evening getting the final things together, grocery getting, repacking the clothes. Eating the pre-race dinner, beans and franks and scotch. What a way to build some fat stores.

Lets get this all going!!!

Its Comnig

It's on. After the past 6 months of training, countless hours geeking out and deciding on gear, bikes and food, I get to test the waters this weekend with The Hardcore 24. Weather looks great, resting hard, but the legs feel the strongest ever, hell even riding a gear hardtail with a suspension fork, thanks George at bike29.com.

It is great when you are feeling it going into a race, knowing that you are prepared and looking to throw down. There is the looming goal of 200+ miles, did just under 150 in Georgia this fall on a hard ass course and a single speed.

We shall see, thanks to all that are helping, Kris, bikeman.com

Clothing is on the way

Big news for the day is that I just checked my checking account, and looks like my new Bikeman.com clothing is paid for and on the way to mi casa. Looking forward to the new stuff on two accounts. One I need some new bib shorts. Two, a whole new round of motivation wearing the colors of a new team. This year was interesting for me in that respect, I had options for bikeman.com and a spot on the Gary Fisher New England Regional team. Took some thinking but I decided on bikeman.com since I was able to choose the componentry I want to ride, not just the stuff from the Trek giant. And I really like my Independent Fabrications race bike.

Another long block of training on my days off this week. Just over 5 hours friday, wth about 2 hours at tempo thrown in.

Got Kris to do her first gap ride on saturday, up to the top of Middlebury Gap, super fun climb. Nothing like climbing to 3k feet to feel like you are in the Alps. Decended back down to Ripton to cruise the forrest service trails down there. Defenetly the place to get back to after the snow melts all the way. I am thinking this will be part of my off road century later this summer.

Sunday we got up early, little road ride before Kris went to work, then I met up with a group ride before I had to head to work. Nothing to fast but always an effort when everyone else is on road bikes and you are on the mountain bike. Resistance training at its best.

Topped it all off with lots of meat and some of the best beer around, VPB!

Season Focus

There has been some talk out there of folks heading out to ohio to race this weekend, and some have even started racing out west and in the deep south. For me, racing starts on the 20th of May with the flower power, where I will be lite up.

Wait afew more weeks then time to get hardcore, well the Hardcore 24, first 24 of 3 of the year. Reasonable goals for all of them, podium of the open men.

That and the wednesday night race series over at catamount (www.catamountoutdoor.com)

Soo hard to get focused to ride with races spread out to august, but I am hoping that my new copy of solo24 comes in soon to create that drive, that and the sun comes out in vermont again this week, which should help.

First things first

Ok, so i decided to start posting on a blog, why, well i want to keep better track of my training, and this could be an interesting way to keep me in check. So here is a recap of the past few days, friday, afew hours of teleskiing, followed by some compu-trainer time at Green Mountain Rehab. 30 minutes on a TT course, 270 average watt, topping out at 554 for abit. Followed by about an hour on the bike path.

Saturday, I wanted to die. Planned on meeting my lady out at smuggs for some skiing after a ride out there, but got rained and iced on an hour out. Decided to change plans and do 4x5-7 minutes hill climbing, all seated. All intold 4.5 hours of real real cold riding, 40 degree rain, right.

Today, worked some, had a relaxing morning at home making breakfast. Sat on the trainer for about 30 minutes, while we are having a nor'easter out. To recap the indoor riding this year, started in NOVEMBER, comtinued on til April. That makes 6 months of riding indoors. Afew 5-6 hour rides thrown in outside, but that is 6 months of riding the trainer for 30-1.5 hours. Most of those days were after tele skiing or a nordic workout. It really sucks at this point. But northern VT has to have some positives, oh yes, knee deep powder days in april, that makes it all right. Plus I realized my race for the year, the one I want to podium at, 24 hours of Great Glen is in August. I got it, all in time, got the base now time to focus.