To Monticello and Back

How many showed up - I dont think these pics show all.

Big group - warm day with strong head winds from the west. That means one thing....to Monticello and back. That stretch of 10 miles from Monti to Otsego was a BLAST! I could not pedal fast enough - wore out with only a 42 chainring on the front....I will leave the story to Neil but I will spoil the story with the pic above....yes the crowned champion of said BANANA!

had to add a teaspoon of effort

Who woulda believed it? - Jens Voigt and Raul Alcala
joined us on the ride today

Fun Ride - Perfect Weather - Great Group!

The advertised ride was 100 miles....and from my home to the shop - the ride and super prime and back home I had 95 miles.....so I finished 100 by heading back out Hwy 144 for 2.5miles and back to get my Hundo. 85 deg, NO wind, rolling hills, severe tan lines reinforced.

Neil had this weird - go figure - thing going on as he was emulating the color commentary of a sports announcer...I think he said his name was Richard Johnson " covering the highlights of the Big Banana Race series...." Well, if it wasnt the sports announcer, it would have been Neil Karaoke for 5+ hours...actually - we did 95 miles in under 5.5 hours didnt we?

Sign racing was in effect - super prime....Mark C. Hemmi and I had a few in there...Not sure about who else was in on them. I do know for sure that I was running out of steam at mile 80....despite the electrolyte pills and food - thank GOD I had them - I was not doing my best. It was a good reminder as to how difficult Cheq will be.

GREAT DAY, GOOD PEOPLE...Fast Big Banana TEmpo!

one hump or two?

got a camel pack today from the shop...they are kinda cool. I had visions of last year loosing water bottles at cheq 10 miles into the race...and then finding some on the side of the trail and using them. the backpack thingy will work great.

easy rider

Had about 2 hours to kill before my family would turn and kill me....anyone else have that same kind of story? yeah, its the curse of having a desire. Anyhoo - where else can you kill an hour or two and still have a great ride, work-out etc.... Elm Creek. Close enough, far enough and as we all know it can be tough enough.

Did the Claflin loop starting at the north end horse camp - to the swim pond on trails...back up on trails with a double mtb TT and a run through the single track course. I did opt to not take the mud trail - and gut the WUSS brand from Rotach...I figured I didnt want to deal with the alien bugs from hell. It was nice. I did intervals the entire time - one mile hard, 1/2 mile easy...on the trails even the easy isnt easy cuz one gear means easy is faster.

It was perfect - great night and then got home to finish arranging the crap in my garage, fixed Maria's bike, Peter's bike and two neighbor kids bikes...one was a complete tune up...I should open a dirt bike shop. It was fun to see them ride off glad that the bike worked again. I was told that three more kids will be by tomorrow for brake and wheel alignment issues. funny.

After which, I went to a neighbors house where he just put in a pond and my kids were fishing for bullheads and crayfish in that pond - it was a blast.

ac

spiiiinnnnnnnn

well - i am waiting for my computer to defrag, waiting for help desk to allow me to get my network drives going - i read through an old post from Pre-Cheq last year....when I was looking for a gear to use. I ended up using a 38x17 on my 26" bike....58.1 gear inch. This year on a 29" - I have a 36x18 (2:1) and it is 58.0 Gear Inch. I have a 17t rear cog that would warrent me like 4 more gear inches. That is my goal - to get into that gear for this years Cheq. What I need to do is calculate my ability to carry the speed on each hill. The hills in Elm Creek mimic Cheq BUT Cheq hills tend to me smoother - less ripped apart so a bigger gear ( speed) might be fine if I can get a clear shot up the hills. As most know - getting bogged down behind a group can stop your ability to climb without a dismount.



So, I give the 36x18 this week for riding then will switch to the 17t and fire it up. I have some big goals for Cheq - beat 2:59 - which is what I did last year....2. beat it by 20 mins 3. to finish without numb hands/fingers.... 4. to somehow finish 2.5 hours 5. if i think of any other monster goal - i will let you know....like top100....LOL - that would be funny. I think the only way that would happen is if the group ahead of me all run into trees and break their bikes or they all get flats or something like that.

out

like gunshots in the @$$

clever huh? well, as previously mentioned - the bugs are interesting in the park. Especially in the low, wet areas. Today I did the normal loop with a few extras here and there and came up to the muddy section - however it was a bit more muddy since it just poured rain the other day.

I hit 5 pits prior to the big one - the first big one. I rolled into that pit like usual but wow, my front tire sunk past the axle on my 29er at full speed...I went vertical as the bike pivoted up and forward - thus launching me from the bike and then there I was staring at my bike upside down but it was upside down too...weird....fun. BUT the bugs thought of me as if I myself were starring at Grandma's Cookies at the State Fair....FOOOOOD. I never saw a swarm like this - I grabbed the bike - hurdled the next pit - climbed the hill - and they were still on me. I made it to the low area - climbed the hill to the main trail and I killed 8 deer flies on my arse, no less than 8 on each arm and one in my helmet - that jerk got me a few times.

I hate flies, I hate flies that bite or sting, I hate flies that bite when it is hot and sticky out....but I like to bike so I will put up with it. Found a few new deer trails out there - should be fun!!!!!!



Andy

I got John Rotach beat!

Thats right folks...I have John beat! Well, actually the only thing I got up on John is weight - so - I guess there was no beating John today. Met up with John at the shop at 7 - headed into the park to ride various double track, single track and some crazy deer track things...it was interesting. I would have to say 12-15 miles of riding for me...lots of bugs and flies....

I had an easier time on the double track - my gearing was way off for technical stuff. Thanks John for a great ride today! So did John take super prime on his mt bike?


Andy

MGD

smoooooooth over everything. What a trip! Amazing
how quick this thing rides over the crap. Go Stans!

Less than I wanted...

After boy scouts with Dave - I headed out to the park....ran into the A group on their way back. I found out that the 29er doesnt roll as fast as they do. Rightfully so - that is a no-brainer. I did find out a name for the bike non-the-less....and soon it will adorn the faithful steel horse of grace. Did an even mix of 15 miles between trail and road and really pushed it. My legs burn bad - and that is good. I also found out that black flies and mosquitoes are of the devil and I cannot out run them on the trail. The 8 welts on my rear-end are proof of that. Good day - late day ride and still part of the group for about 1k anyway.

Clipity Clop

Hot day, no horses - full trail loop of the park with a shot over to the shop to fix a cleat....have to drill out a cleat bolt...great. I really love this loop - it has a LOT of steady intense climbs and on the single - it can get your attention. So far, no dismounting required but then again it is rather dry.

I got a stans conversion kit from ebay for a great price and will convert in a day or two - I may need some help (Jay) on this...I am also trying to figure out if the Exi-Wolf WTB tires are a good fit for conversion. Anyone have any ideas on this?

I also got some SIDI ratchets and straps on ebay for a SONG. yikes, I might be a bit addicted to ebay. Ok, for the 3 readers of the blog....and my crew of faithful defenders of freedom in Iraq - I bid you a good night/morning and hope to see you on the trails soon!

Jay - let me know when you want to get out and do some damage to the trails - I am game more than ever with this bike.

andy

Cool 17

Knees are better - little by little. I can tell there is a difference almost every day. Opted to take the 36x18 29er into the park today. Lucky me - no horses...but lots of land mines....and another good thing was that the low spots in the trails were full of water/mud etc....felt good to slime up the bike. No dismounts today as I rolled out the entire west side heading south on the horse trails...I was able to keep the rpms up and each hill was a nice walk up. Met the fam at the swim pool and then headed back up the east side horse trails....so in theory it was around the park on grass. It seems that it is less distance however b/c the trails heading north/south on the east side cut off a lot of the distance...I could be wrong. I did find a large amount of off-shoot trails that would be a blast to try and then I did find some that are blocked off in the middle of no-where....tempting for the next run.

map of today - most of the trails were not totally visable but it is close enough. might be a good tt run huh?

I would have to say 17+ miles - nice and easy...good cool down after the med-hard workout on the century yesterday.

Today was a class-act day.....and who better to lead off with other than Jorge?

Thats right - we can now call him Mr. Morning Lucky Jorge

Absence of the heart....

Well, in this case it is rather true. I have not been able to group ride for some time - name it: work, family, work, events beyond my control. So when I got the email about the century ride today - I was a bit worried. The last 2 group rides I did sucked so bad...off the back after 20 miles...feeling like a schlep. Not from the group - but from within myself.

Rolled into the parking lot at 645am - big group, good friends, hand shakes and smiles....as it always is. Nervous b/c a century ride is a bit demanding when you are not a pro and when you are out of the loop - riding solo most of the time - you dont know the strength of the group. BUT - this group is ALWAYS together and gracious to everyone - all the time....So I was not worried.


Perfect day - a bit windy so we enjoyed a massive tail wind on the way out and fought like the devil to get back home. Cool route - trails & streets to Stone Arch...Univ Ave to the Gateway...Gateway to Stillwater and some demonic climb and then a series of up and downs back through White Bear Lake and then back to Coon Rapids - the CR Dam and Trailhead. I felt good the entire ride - which surprised me b/c my left knee was bugging me on the climbs. Kudos to Dave, Mike, Bernie for taking a lot of the brunt force wind on the way home...the ride home after Stillwater was a solid definition of group...we NEEDED to stay together to make it home alive - quite literally.
As for me - 6 gears and 100 miles. I tried to keep it in a gear without shifting a whole lot - thinking it would help for my Chequamegon Single Speed Adventure in Sept. I will need to rethink the whole riding in Stillwater with a 42t crank however - that was some solid suffering. I was soooooo glad to get out with and ride with more than just my mp3 player. Fun to talk, laugh etc...it could have rained and an earthquake could have happened and I was glad to be out with good buds.
I took the advice of Btrain in the event of a solid ride - treat yourself to a Baconator - and with that I say..... " It was Wonderful ".

2 2 1

Playing with the mechanical advantage is all about numbers but the proof is in the puddin'. More and more i am adding to the diabolical machine of love - my new bike. That's right - I am addicted once again to the passion of this sport. Rolled into the shop after work and picked up a new chainring for the mono-cog - bigger. Bigger is better right? Well, I have to toy with the different gear ratios here to find a good fit. So - I added a 36 on the front and put the 18 in the back and then headed to the park for 20 plus of trails, spinning, climbing etc. I made it about 5 miles on and off the trail, doubling back and hit the MTB TT course and then went for a spin on the outer loop. I ran into Btrain coming the other direction so I flipped a u turn and we spun the outside loop.

I felt good and I was glad Bernie was spinning light at 17mph for the loop. With my 2:1 on the 29er that felt good. My tires were set low on psi - about 26 and my rpms felt like 90 - 100. I finished the loop and then did about 6 more miles of ski trails, horse trails to test my climbing after that 17 on the loop. 2 t 1 is good - I liked it. I could tell however that I will need to ride this more to get my strength/endurance back up. I can feel it gaining so I wont worry. Sept is long enough away and the cool thing is that I noticed I can keep rpms up pretty good off-road as well.

80%

Great day to put MORE miles on - once again. Boy this feels great. Hot - Humid - Sticky and Rain. I was hoping for a bit more rain if not for the lawn but also for the trails. Goal today: How far can I make it on just trails - well....from the horse camp on the way north you can trail it all the way to where 109th has to turn - by Bernies house area...on trails. And they all kinda suck but it is great training for Cheq. In fact you can - in theory circumnavigate the entire park on trails - has anyone done that lately without getting busted by the park police or the equestrian pre-madonnas? So today was all trails except for going to the shop. I would say that then 80% was on turf. I will then next try the entire park on turf - I will bring a beer to bribe the cops if I get caught.


ac

Double Down

2 fer

Pretty good day - again.
I headed out after the morning service for a ride in the park to then meet the family at the pool in Elm Creek. I took off with a plan to make it a 20 mile ride - done. Lots of trails, loops and other non-sense. I showed up at the pool ready to dive in. I must have looked like a weirdo rolling into the park area clad in spandex and sporting a bike with abnormally huge tires. Who cares. On with the swim ware and made my way to the wife and kids. 45 min later - back to the stinky close - crusted with gnasty gnats and repeat in reverse. Just over 20 for the afternoon. It was hot - really hot and I was sitting at just around 16 with the 17t in the back. It seems like a good gear for all-around - 32/17. I am trying to find a gear for Cheq but I dont think that I am up for LaLonde's 36/16. That is over 65 gear inches on a 29 in tire and that is a huge gear for that race. I am not superhuman so I will ride much smaller.

Off to church activities for the evening - all I can think about is riding the new bike so with that I hustle the fam out quick - bite to eat at Mac n Dons and on the bike again. With light working against me I had about 2 hours to ride. I head out to the horse camp and no trailers so I head to the park by way of horse trails all the way to the top of the hill past the turning wood bridge - not the big one by the chalet but the other one. I was impressed with the 29er on these unbearable trails - 30 psi and big wheels - easy ride - well, easier than the rat bike with no numbness of the hands. This is a good thing. I stopped by B-trains home and he was in a hurry to mow and weed whip. Headed home on the paved trail and I would say about 13miles for the night ride.

Time warp

All in all - the 29 er is fun to ride - easy to ride and smooth over everything. Glad I bought this beast and I LOVE disc brakes to death. Disc brakes when wet work even better...I like having more control. So now I can say I have just over 110 miles on this bike in 4 days and my back is NOT sore. The only thing that is sore is my left knee - just under the cap. Any suggestions. Maybe it is a new geometry or position that I have to get used to but I am open to suggestions at this point. What do I do?

AC

Frost

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I was reading a bit tonight after my long day on the trails. Thats right - finally some hours (plural) on the bike - and wonderful day it was. I will get to what I was reading in a sec. I was granted the option to spend some serious time on the bike today - glad I was. I had to first find some gears to make it worth the ride. Trail Head it was. The road bike isnt done and thats okay - I wanted to ride the new one anyway. Larry came up with some cogs - 17 and 18t. Perfect. Enough to get going. I headed out to Elm Creek - stopped by the horse trail head and found NO one there with horses - headed into the woods. I had to decide what gear to use - so glad I have options - I went with the 17t - but for some reason I was urged to take the ninja cog - didnt fit.

So, with Sheldon as my guide and my new bike as my steed, I lowered the psi a bit, turned up the tunes and enjoyed the hours. Trail after trail, asphalt when needed, single track loop many times, MTB TT 3 times ( I ended up lapping a guy out there ), headed to the shop and then did the exact same in reverse. I was beat and there was no rest. On the ride, I came to an area I was not familiar with and thought of Robert Frost. I stopped for a drink and thought - hmmmm, where does that trail lead off to? What "is" down there - I found out as I took the road less traveled. 3.5 hours of solid riding on the 29er (google maps said it was just over 40 miles).


So when I got home - and messy I was - I had some protein, mac and cheese, salad and a good read of Robert Frost - i felt a bit connected and I cant wait to get more time on that great bike. Maybe the bike should be called - Frost.

Anyone up for some trail riding?


ac

kill-joy

Like a tough guy bartender when you've just started to have a blast- my good times were cut short by my 18t cog on the new bike today. Here is the story - my bike came with a 20t cog in the back and that is really light when you consider the front is only 32t. I searched for a solution to have a touch of speed and I found a brand new 18t from a cassette I had purchased...should work....right? well, not really. I am not new to Single speed but I am new to a "real" single speed. If this thing isnt lined up right - no dice. The cassette cog is really thin and when I put in on - the chain hopped off the back. Okay, add a thin spacer to the back and then I could ride but once I hit bumps while pedaling - off the chainring. I tightened, loosened, swore, and then rode home on the road.

I ran into a mt biker - ss - on the "secret trails - where I turned around " and he stated that YES you need to have the SS cogs - not ramped thin cogs. Well, it was worth a try - but its the fourth and all is closed so tomorrow I head out to up the chainring to 36 and get a few cogs.

29

And so it is

The purchase was made and the ride was done


Today I picked up my monocog 29 from TRAILHEAD.
My thanks goes to Larry
My congrats go to Steve on his purchase today.

Upgraded to brakes to disc and headed out for a spin. The factory 32x20 was a bit "spinny" but that's okay. It was easy on the trails but I will need more gear inch. On my way to super prime I met up with the Wed night group just prior to Prime and then headed up into the park for some more illegal mud and good times.