Shortened Heartbreak

I met up with a few guys from the MTBR NC forum to do a nice long Heartbreak Ridge ride. My ride ended up being not quite as long as theirs...more on that in a minute. We met up at the Geyser, which by the way is very cool, at about 8:30.

We got changed up and headed up Mill Creek road to the trail over to Star Gap. We made our way up the bazillion switchbacks that is lower heartbreak. 820ft of climbing in 1.2 miles, holy crap. We took a short break at the top before descending off the other side of the gap.

The trails were extremely slick since they were covered with wet leaves. The already rough trails of Pisgah are made even more brutal this time of year. Every leaf hides a sharp rock or slick root, just lying in wait. We made it to the bottom after a few more switchbacks and made our turn onto the neverending grassy road of death. Some call this Jarrets Creek Road.

The four of us were on the doubletrack for about two miles when I hit the ground, hard. I had a momentary lapse of concentration. I was distracted by all the pretty leaves and my desire for a sip of water...unfortunate timing. My pedal struck a rock which sent me flying. I barely had time to get my hands in front of me to stop my face from smacking the trail. The wind was knocked out of me for a good 30 seconds before I was finally able to breathe properly. Matt was the man, he stopped with me, got my hands patched back up and helped me get the bike straightened back out. My hands were bleeding pretty good, and my ribs were throbbing. We continued on our way and I had already made my judgement call of retreating back on the road. We got to the gate at Curtis Creek where I snapped a few photos and headed back on the pavement.

I had about 11 miles or so to get back to the truck. Along the way, all the aching was amplified once the adrenaline of riding on the trails wore off. I got back to the truck and while changing realized that my right leg and right hip were torn up as well. This one is going to take some time to heal up from...I LOVE MOUNTAIN BIKING! So much fun to ride in the woods, even when you wreck!

I snapped a few photos on the road on the way back:

Cool colors in front of a little cabin


Mill Creek

Heartbreak!

Tomorrow, I'll be heading to Old Fort to do a nice long ride with some new (yet to be met) friends from the NC mtbr forum. Doing a big heartbreak loop, and if I have the gas, I'll do a loop of Kitsuma as well. Should be awesome, mid 60's at the base, probably in the 50's at the top...mmm...mountains!

By the way, I am absolutely in love with this bike, and I need to find a way to get one for myself...wonder if Siren is looking for any fledgling endurance racers???

Fishing, Football, New Haircut

Due to a faculty football game at school on Friday, myself and two other teachers (both of whom happen to be going to grad school with me) decided to get a mohawk. Basically, the three of us are always looking for an excuse to do something ridiculous, and this gave us the perfect opportunity!

On Saturday, I was pretty sore from all of the football friday and knew that I would probably be pretty miserable on the bike so I decided to fish. The stream was crazy high, I didn't realize how much rain the high country had gotten the previous day. Because of the conditions, I was only able to manage one rainbow...I'm sure that the lack of fishing had nothing to do with the lack of fishing skills I have....uh....right.... On the way back to the truck, I saw a whole stand of about fifteen trees that had been freshly mauled by some beavers.


A good weekend, followed by a three day school week...what kind of trouble can I get myself into on a four day weekend? hmm...

Hanging Rock Hike!

Tonight was a beautiful night! Lisa met me after school with the dogs to head to HRSP for the evening. After the back-of-the-truck-vomiting extravaganza put on by Lorien, we made it to the visitor's center. I got changed and we headed out to the rock outcroppings. The sun was getting low and all of the colors were just starting to really "pop" on the trees. We hung out, took a few photos, enjoyed the warm breeze and great view. It was clear enough tonight to actually see Winston Salem, Greensboro, and High Point. Usually, that privilege is reserved for very chilly winter mornings. After relaxing for a while, we headed back down the trail and back to the truck. Fun evening spent with great company!

Paceline...out....

Well, it's official...Paceline W-S is no longer. Out of the blue, Friday is the last days the doors will be open. I'm still dumbfounded.

Chillly Fly Fishing

I made it out to a local stream today, 12 or so trout caught; pretty productive. I was able to manage the trifecta (brookie, brown, and rainbow). On the way out Arwen and I saw this little spike next to the road, the thumping in the background is Arwen's tail in between threatening barks. Apparently the deer in the area have lost all fight or flight instincts....

Brown County Breakdown

What an awesome event the Brown County Breakdown was! I can't say enough about how well organized, marked, and run this event is...it will definitely be on my calendar for next year! Brad and I got everything packed up and into the truck on Saturday night since we were going to have to get up early on Sunday monring to make the 30 minute drive.

We arrived at the park before sunrise, and were greeted with temps in the 30's. Frost on the grass, and starting a long ride just after sunrise makes for a great day. After much deliberation, we chose to hit the trail with the second wave of riders. With all the rain on Thursday and Friday, we knew that some of the trails were going to be sloppy. The first trail, Pine Loop, was a little wet...but as a testament to HMBA's prowess there weren't any big mud holes.

Great Fall Color


We made our way through the Brown County State Park mtb trails, and up towards Hesitation Point. Along the way, music could be heard through the forest. There were a fiddler and a banjo player staked out at different spots...cool! At Hesitation Point we were met with a great little sag...great view, dulcimer and homemade baked goods.


Descending off of Hesitation Point was a fun time, first Walnut then Limekiln. Holy crap, I felt like I was going mach 5 on Limekiln! Somewhere along the way, Brad told me to go ahead and ride my own pace to get in the 60 miler. He had a couple wrecks early on and had ridden a good portion of the Schooner (the new expert trail) the day before.




The next section I knew was going to be a slog. Horse trails, after rain...nuf said. 6 or so miles of slow going. Arrived at the cabin in the hollow...great sag! Cool bluegrass/folksy band playing on the front porch.



I picked up some of my stuff, left enough for the return, and left for Nebo Ridge. This was my first experience with this trail...it reminded me of Turkey Pen in Pisgah, just tamed down (both elevation variation and steepness, but the same feel). Onto the next sag, Maumee. Can't find my bag here, crap! I was able to nab some cookies and a couple gels from the crew at the stop, bonus.

I rode out with a few guys from the area, good to meet you Greg and friends! Up Combs Road (demoralizing hike a bike for me by this point). A little more Nebo Ridge, and then back to the cabin sag. I took my time the second time around, mostly dreading the return trip on the horse trails which I knew was going to take me up from about 550' to about 1050'. Finally, I left the sag and was feeling very low on the horse trails. To my suprise though, at about mile 48 or so, I got a second (or eighth) wind, and felt good. (this second wind was probably due to having someone to suffer with, Thanks John from Bloomington). I was excited to get back onto the mountain bike trails.

I was feeling really good now, back on the fun fast flowy trails! I caught up with Mike from Cincy and we rode together for the last few miles. I think the idea of getting something to eat was incentive enough to push the pace by this point. Jug's Catering (BBQ, fried chicken, beans, yummmmmmmm!) is awesome!

Overall, I felt pretty good, wished I had done the 75 miler, but still happy with 60. I took about 8 hours to do the ride. I think with ideal conditions, not taking a whole lotta time at the sags and pushing a quicker pace, I could do this same ride in 6 hours...maybe slightly less. 58 miles, 6k feet of climbing...yes, Indiana has hills!

Brown County Breakdown...

is in the books, 60 mile variety, much mud...fun. Write up and photos tomorrow!

Indiana Part One!

I arrived here in Indiana late last night after a drive mostly in the rain. As I got closer to my destination, there was more and more standing water...a sign of things to come! Up early and working on the bikes, Brad and I got everything set up properly. We both swapped tires with hopes that the new ones would perform in the mud that seems to be in our near future.

After hanging out and deliberating for a while, we decided to do a short ride even though it was raining. Brad has a pretty ideal situation. Ride from his front door, on a road for about a quarter mile, and onto a greenway. Ride on the greenway for about a mile and a half, and you are at Wapehani Mountain Bike Park...nice!

The trails were in surprisingly good shape. After about a mile on the trail (maybe less) Brad had an unscheduled dismount off of a bridge.


He was quick to laugh it off and hop back on the bike! The creek was very high, sometimes it is just a dry bed, but today it was definitely rushing.

After riding for about an hour, we headed back to his house to get showered up and get some serious pasta action going for dinner...mmmm, Maggiano's!

Getting Closer....

I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon to head to the Hoosier state. Can't wait, going to at least do the 60, but am hoping for the 75...we'll see if the weather cooperates!

Fall...Fun!

There was a relatively small crew for today's Paceline ride. There were eleven brave souls who were willing to ride through the fog and chill. Once we got out to Courtney-Huntsville there were eight of us left to finish the ride. Smaller numbers equals more time in the front equals more work! We did a big loop, but I have no stats because I forgot to charge the Garmin...newman! On top of that, I have no idea where we were either. I just remember seeing many counties; Yadkin, Davie, Iredell, and Forsyth. The ride stats were 67 miles with an average of somewhere between 19.3 and 19.7 mph. My best guess for elevation gain would be around 4000 to 4500 feet. Needless to say, I am tired, and a bit sore!