5/13 pre-prep
good time to get these things out of the system
put these things in ...
5/11 Mudders Day
good to be
right at home
... this is actually an improvement, till the gravel ran out. The creek crossing and the heavy thunderstorm got the bike cleaned up nicely
shitacky
wheel floppin up blue blaze
Charlotte NC, was nice. Nice to have a weekend race in the middle to tear things up. Nice to sit it a classroom with the shredded legs (for 3 days). Lactate relief on the road bike in the evenings, lapping the empty business park lots. Nice to see some new sights driving the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiking some of the Appalachian Trail for the first and second times, respectfully.
Let the mind rewind.
5/9 Appalachian Trail
on foot
by car
i77 between Bland and Bastian VA - the AT crosses the interstate.
Three miles out and back. It was like a parade of through hikers.
busy little trail.
I was giddy
well good for me
5/4 Middle Mountain Momma!
8:30 AM rolling 220 from the Wilson Creek campsite - shaking out the pre race gitters
Douthat State Park
The XX - double cross county - 40 miles. So why did I start so hard? I guess cause I could. It was a good start But shouldn't a have. Things like this usually tend to bite hard and by the 25th mile the little twitches turned to mighty protests. Chugged a half gallon of water at the Sandy Gap hike-a-bike but by Beards Mt things where reduced to a near crawl to the top. Mind over matter - just ride it out, hold on to the work that inflicted the knarnage. No spots lost, but plenty of time. When will I learn? Do I really want to? ONE minute difference (slower) than last years time at five hours and five minutes. Old age settling in slowly.
t
5/3 Blue Ridge Parkway
80 miles of Sightseeing at 45 mph - tacking at 2K . Fancy Gap to Roanoke VA
4/30 Sabbatical
Going
gueing
gone
I will be back May 10 sometime. no updates till then. On the road - little working riding and some racing.
go on
you go ride
4/26 KT Spring Xing
Crossing of the Kanawha Trace is a ride I try to get in some fashion at least once a year. A Spring weekend is prime time to put tracks to this 32 mile Boy Scout trail. I had my doubts if could be pulled of so soon while my rid cage healed up. Andy was on board as wing man and kept things on track for a Saturday departure, while I down-played the magnitude of the ride. I did take one day off the bike and use that time to chock the fuel tank. The daily bowl of oatmeal (apple, cinnamon, flax seed and peanut butter) 2 egg and sausage biscuits from Hardees (fulfilling 8AM meetings) for breakfast. All of one large $5 Little Caesars' pepperoni pizza for lunch. Rocco's pasta and a big salad topped out the days caloric intake with a late 9 o'clock supper. As I watched the areas only certified broadcasts meteorologist spout of about exactly when the rain was going to be at such and such and how your day was going to be, I thought, bullshit my forecast would be that the rains would peter out, and my day would be just fine. Well there was no rain, not even a drop. I mean those guys get paid a lot to pretend they know what they are doing. Maybe I am a little jealous.
Saturday morning we ran the auto shuttle to Hurricane and started the ride behind Saturn. This left the trail head was 15 miles away along dwindling road surfaces. Up and over to Fraziers Bottom in a hour five enjoying the easy rolling pace while we could. A quick water top off and a snack before we hit the trail for the first 4 mile leg that stutter steps up to Lookout Point. I hoped we could make it thru the 1000ft of climbs in an hour, things looked good with at mile 30 with a fresh reroute from low in the creek to up into the woods.
so fresh you - can smell it
Then the first deflation of the day came at 29 in the countdown of miles. That deflating feeling you get when you realize you may not have a spare tube at exactly the same time your rear tire is going flat. And what if it's going flat cause you rip the valve stem loose, cause that is unrepairable - and that is what it was. Andy only had one 29" spare tube due to the fact I took his 26" spare about a week or so ago and hadn't paid him back. After eating some crow about how I could go so rooky on this ride, I proceeded to jam and fold the 29'r tube into my little tire. Got it up to pressure - no lump no bump no problem the rest of the day. We roll past Lookout at one and a half hours trail time. Four miles of trail in 90 minutes - just 28 more miles! Things pickup as the Trace goes down and back roads; Mount Zion, Guyan Creek, Bear Hollow. Miles start to tick off a little faster now, one by another.
ramps ?
A 25 minute Lunch stop around mile 20 near Blackjack felt like it was five. Didn't want to leave but there was many a mile ahead. Cow fields and gravel and hike a bikes and sweet single track blurred together while they tick by.
4 hours ride time - quite time settles in
where there's bull there's bullshit
The last photo - it was all hump to finish after this.
6:50 KT time
8:00? total ride time
\bike bFAT
Beech Fork Association of Trails
Barboursville's Fun Awesome Trails
bFAT is an informal group of riders who appreciate the land and ride for a healthy well being.
Beech Fork is mostly a single track trail that follows around the lake leading into a combination of creek bed, hill climb, and fast downhill back to the lake. Barboursville's Park has some nice runs from the top with numerous scenic overlooks from the sheer cliffs and steep drops. The flat single track that follows the river and comes out behind the lake - is where the real fun can begin or end. Click on the link at top of page - above (right or left) to see a map! The Kanawha Trace and Adahi Trails are 32 mile and 17 mile multi user trails crossing over private land. Check with the Tri-State Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America for trail information and registration.
bFAT email groupo<----click here Become a part of an e-group forum that will let all subscribers communicate (free!). Send an e-mail with the word "join" in the subject or body and you'll get hooked up with other riders, to do fun group rides, get trail info and conditions, technical advice, etc.
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for
more info
admister @ bike bFAT