Maybe it’s because I don’t like the sound of my drivechain disolving  in the grit and grime, maybe it’s moving city in the middle of winter, maybe it’s a ride light - leave no trace attitude.

Whichever, I’ve hardly ridden off-road all winter. So now spring has sprung, I’m in a new place and all around me are wide flat bridleway’s like this:

leading to more wide, flat boring trails. Not good.

Thankfully a sunny evening with a group of local riders this week has resulted in a whole new world opening up:

Follow this for narrow - tick. Gradient - tick. Rocks - tick. Roots - tick. All good.

Apparently it’s all thanks to a random pocket of leftover 700 million year old metamorphosed marine sediments of the pre-Cambrian era (slate) hidden beneath the trees.

Local trails. Ace.

Cohutta time has finally come and gone for another year…

Shiny Bike Pre-Race

After a little bit of shivering in the dark and cold before the 7 am start, I rolled off on my Superfly SS in the front pack going up the road climb. However, my legs were not really feeling it at the start, and I lost contact with that group coming downhill during the stairstep road climb. Hit the twisty fast singletrack, and I was immediately undergeared with my 32×20. One or two guys caught me in this section, but I made it through it fast enough. The rest of the ride through old copper road back to the whitewater center was uneventful, save for the always fun rock garden at the end. (more…)

OK, I wasn’t there, but someone needs to note that Fisher 29ers were the unofficial house bike at the NUE’s Cohutta 100.

The Fisher 29er Crew was all over the top of the results. Michael Simonson standing on the podium. Sam Koerber just off. Travis Mullen, Brent Lester also up there. Dennelle Grant represented on the women’s side. Dave Kelnberger on the Masters box.

Dave Holmes and Jon Robbins forgot their gears, raced 100 miles on one gear… and crushed.

In the more “sensible” 65-mile race, Marcelle Vanore was #2. Zdenek “Z” Fiebinger wasted no time on his new Superfly SS, taking the top spot on the singlespeed 65-miler.

And for good measure, Chris Beck, adopted son of the Subaru-Gary Fisher team was third on his Superfly.

Sheesh. By my count, that’s a football team.

So I raced on the road…that meant it was time to drag the girls in the dirt…or should I say mud!! I love to ride with Lori and Lisa. Mostly because they like to laugh and have fun on the bike. The fact that they make me go way faster than I am usually in the mood for is a side bonus!
We decided that we would go and race the Grind on the Greenway last minute. Don’t let the name fool you…it is fast single track with a small patch of gravel road. It rained the night before so there was plenty of mud to make you think twice. They were going to do a duo, Darren (another one of our pavement peeps) and I were going to race solo. We set up the tent, set up our table, checked all of our equipment and we were ready to go.
We took off!! The trail was super fast in some sections and tricky in others. I was the first woman in the woods so I took off to try and make some time. I am racing through a fast section setting a good pace when I see something in the trail. I slam on brakes…its a turtle!! I toss down my Superfly so I can save the turtle when I hear some guy yell what are you doing!! I’m clearly standing there with a turtle in my hand…I decide not to state the obvious.  

After a little turtle saving I got to get in some good riding.  It was a great feeling at the awards ceremony to watch the fisher 29er crew take  first place male solo, first place SS solo, first place female solo and the fisher road team take first place master male solo, and 2nd place duo female!!  I would say that was a good day on the bike…riding fast, riding with friends, and a little turtle saving!

It finally stopped raining in Kansas long enough to get a race in this past weekend. I was a bit worried going into the race considering the loss of skin from a crash the prior weekend while at a criterium. The course at the Gods Country MTB event was flat and fast along the river, ton’s of twists and turns made for a bike handlers dream. I got a decent start and blasted into the lead going into the first turn off the levy. The drag race to the entrance of the singletrack found me chasing local Pro Aaron Elway. Through the lap I was losing a bit of time on the leader but had pulled away from the chasing riders  so it was time to go as hard as I could to the finish of the race. In the end the gaps held and I ended up with a 2nd place. Pretty happy with the result for the first race on the Superfly. Spent a bit of time talking to other riders about all of the Bontrager goodies on the bike as well as answering the number 1 question, “how much does it weigh”?

Hopefully next two weeks I’ll be raceing in Nebraska….if the rain stops!

gravel sunset, nothing finer

Man oh man has it been hot around here. I’ve been thinking of those poor souls that got cooked at the Cohutta 100 this past weekend. When you line up to do a hundy some stuff has to play in your favor. Riding into a blasting furnace is not a card I’d like to be dealt. I know that from experience but I’m sure all had a good time. Good story collectors those 100 milers.

Anyhoo, I’ve been doing a little cooking around the neighborhood. (more…)