The Past and Future

"Traditions are group efforts to keep the unexpected from happening." Barbara Tober

Well, have to say we broke from tradition. NEMBAfest was held for the first time at Bear Brook State Park on October 4th....and it was a great success! There were about 30 vendors, 350+ riders, and lots of fun to be had! Chuck Webster, the local GT rep, was there with the 2010 demo bikes. After the riding, I spent time talking with him about the bikes and even rode the Zaskar.....nice bike, but I still prefer the Marathon. I think this will become an annual event, at least for a few years.

This weekend we will be installing 3 bridges in Bear Brook at part of a Recreational Trails Program grant that I applied for. This grant uses federal dollars to help build and repair trails. These 3 bridges are located on a beautiful trail around a pond by the campground and have fallen into disrepair. The hard part is going to be carrying all that lumber into the site.....about 1/2 mile on trail!

Hoping we get lots of volunteers and have a fun ride and BBQ afterwards!

The End....

"God is great, beer is good, people are crazy."....some country singer

Yes, I've found myself listening to country music again. I find it funny and trite, and typically upbeat, especially compared to pop music. And this got me wondering.....are people who listen to country music generally happier then those that don't? And taking this a step further (follow my logic here), are people who are more conservative happier than those that are more liberal? (this is making the assumption that people who listen to country music are more predominately in the South and those in the South are more conservative). It does seem that more liberal minded people are always worried and predicting doom and gloom. On the other hand, conservatives generally don't think there's a problem and resist change until the problem blows up in their faces! So enough of my ponderings....

There have been a couple of ends this week. On Sunday I completed my final race of the season at the Fort Rock Revenge. Rain moved in overnight and the course was wet and slick. Because of the weather, the race was small. I was once again very pleased by how well the Marathon did in those wet conditions. I finished first overall for the women.

On Monday, when I returned from my morning run, I noticed my horse (Rosie) was down in the pasture. When I got to her she was in obvious pain, breathing very hard, and barely able to get herself upright. I put her to sleep and she is now buried in the corner of the pasture. I've had Rosie for 18 years, and she's seen me through multiple life changes. She was a constant in my life.....I feel as though I'm free falling a bit without her.....

But life goes on, and this week I've been busy working on the organization for NEMBAfest. This is the first time it's been held at Bear Brook State Park, and I'm in charge of organizing volunteers and marking the loops. I have lots of people helping me and I truly appreciate all the effort everyone has put into this. The weather is looking up for Sunday, so I'm hoping we have a great turnout and lots of fun.

And then it's back to the real world.....

A Month of Racing, Riding, and Fun!

"I don't know about you but I was put here to live and love. So, what if I don't do it like everyone else does. They say, I'm out on the edge, I"m too willing to risk every bone, every breath, they say, all I am is a crazy dream. Like it's a bad thing." Gary Allan

Wow, a month without posting.....guess I have been having too much fun! Let's see if this old dog can remember all those rides.....

Holly, Peter, Norie and I went to the Kingdom Trails on an absolutely beautiful Wednesday in early September. It was my first time up this year and they've done lots of work on the wet areas. We rode Tap and Dye and then climbed back up to do Tody's Tour.....and we still couldn't tell which was better! Peter, Norie and I also rode Sidewinder twice. Guess the Marathon Pro makes for easy climbing!

Over the Labor Day weekend, John, Norie, and I met Tammy at Killington to do some downhilling. I rode the GT Force. John and I actually rode to the top of the mountain (only ONCE, thank God!) and did sample some of the black diamond trails. I managed an endo on one that zapped my courage. Norie also went down hard on her head on the double blacks (she's an animal), so I think we're not planning a return trip any time soon!

On Labor Day John, Carl and I (the three members of the Bradbury Mt race team 4 Nuts and a Chipmunk) went to Millstone for some hard miles. Again the trails were stellar! We all did our best to keep up with each other!

John and I then met up with some NEMBA folks for a ride at Leominster the following weekend. We had a great ride until my flex bone on the GT broke while I was trying to impress some guys getting up a steep, long climb! Of course these things always break at the top of the climb! So I nursed the bike back down the hill and then took John's flex bone and put it on my bike. He was able to make one for his bike the next day at work, and then he worked with some wonderful folks at REI to get another shipped for the Bradbury race the following weekend.

Last weekend was Bradbury. As mentioned, we did a 3 person co-ed team, and we kicked ass! Carl had the fastest team time, but we all were able to get times in the mid-fifties. The course was dry and fast (and dusty!). This is always a great race and lots of fun for everyone who's done it. We shared a campsite with another 4 person team and Norie, who went solo and managed 7 laps! You go girl! I rode most laps with a stuffed chipmunk on my head, so I suspect I'll be seeing lots of pictures of me on the course.....it was a hit with the kids.

Next week is the Fort Rock Revenge and then NEMBAfest. I've been really busy getting this one organzied, but it's coming together nicely. Lots of people have stepped up to volunteer. Now we just need good weather!

Summer Days and Summer Rides

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." Ambrose Redmoon

But sometimes that judgement is wrong, and getting up that big rock face, or riding down that big roller, was better to be feared than ridden!

Lots of good riding since the last post! Went to Mt Holyoke in Amherst, MA for the first time. The trails were dry and very well built. We rode the more technical section off of Batchler Street that at times had me off the bike. Met the CT folks there and Dave Plain was our ride leader.....great job showing us around despite the mosquitoes!

This week I took a few days off and rode at Bradbury Mt in Pownell, MA and went to Backcountry Excursions in Parsonsfield, MA. Cliff has been leading rides out of this place for 15+years and has built some fabulous singletrack! He has an agreement with the timber company that owns 9,000 acres of land abutting his. This is where he has free rein to build the trails. To help preserve the trails, Cliff only leads rides.....there is no self-service riding here like there is at Kingdom Trails or Millstone in VT. But this is exactly what keeps these trails in excellent condition! Well worth the trip.....you can find him on the web....

The Southern NH chapter of NEMBA is gearing up to host NEMBAfest this year. Last Wednesday I met with Philip Keyes, the executive director of NEMBA and Greg Preville, the park manager at Bear Brook State Park, to go over the details of using the pavilion. This is going to be an excellent location to stage NEMBAfest! We're going to have vendors, demo bikes and BBQ....who could ask for more.....oh yeah, and some great trails to ride. Check it out at www.nemba.org. After the meeting, Philip, Holly Carson (friend extraordinaire......OK I'm still trying to win her friendship back after having given her fire away to the guy at the next campsite during Great Glen) and I went for a great ride. After some dry weather the trails are looking good!

There will be a ride this Sunday (August 30th) at 8 AM at Bear Brook (meet at Hayes Field). After the ride we will have a cookout and meeting to discuss NEMBAfest and also get dates for our fall trail days. Hope to see everyone there!

12 Hours of Great Glen

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember amateurs built the arc. Professionals built the Titanic."

And I did try something new. John and I did the 2 person 12 hour race at Great Glen. A couple of year ago I was on a 4 person 24 hour team. Have to admit that the 12 hour was harder. With both John and I doing sub 50 minute laps, there was just not enough time to rest.....but just enough time to let the muscles set up into concrete! I also found it hard to eat. I do admire those solo riders......

The race was great! Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend! The course was full of wildflowers and blueberries. The views to Mt Washington from sections of the course were breath-taking! Because of all the wet weather this summer, the race officials shortened the course and did LOTS of work on the wet areas (thanks for trying guys). But, alas, after so many riders cross a mud bog, it's bound to get bigger and deeper. The "plunge" at the end of the course posed its own hazard. There was absolutely NO braking on this one. I found that I had to come to a complete stop at the top of it and then just point and shoot the bike down it. Of course on the last two laps the deep rut at the bottom posed its OWN problem! I managed to ride it every time.....impressive given that on my forth lap I was sure I was going down. But something or someone (my guardian angle?) kept that bike upright! I vowed that I was going to walk it on the next lap.....but.....it can't be that hard to ride, can it?!?

My first lap was exciting. After the 1/4 mile run at the start, I had made my way closer to the front of the pack' but there were still points in the first 2 miles that had backups with riders. After the second mile, I could feel my headset loosen. Note to self....do NOT put your fork back on yourself without knowing which way the cups are placed in the headtube! Yes....the top one was upside down! This made the first lap exciting being that I really didn't know if the fork could fall off. But I did finish and immediately made my way to the Red Jersey Cycling Tent for some neutral support. I took the fork off myself and had the guy show me how to put it back together correctly (otherwise they said I could leave it there and they would get to it in a 1/2 hour....not a choice with John already well into his lap!). After that, the bike worked flawlessly! I'm always amazed that the bike continues to shift with all the mud on it!

John and I finished first in the 2 person co-ed teams. After 6 laps I was cooked, so John took a break and went back out at 11 to finish just after midnight (30 seconds after to be exact!). We finished with 12 laps.....if we were really tough....we could have had 14 laps. But hell, we are there to have fun!

Making the Most of Cancelled Races....

Well, it was bound to happen, but the Fort Rock race was post-poned until the end of September because of all this rain. Those that oversee the conservation land that the trails are on actually cancelled the race on Wednesday. And it was a good idea.....over 2" of rain fell on Friday!

But the silver lining is that John and I hooked up with Harold Green, another GT dirt guy, and his son, Matt for a ride at Deerfield Ridge. It was a GT bike fest! I was on my Force, John was on his Marathon Team (aka Matilda), Harold and his son were both on the Zascars. So at 26.5 pounds, I had the heavy bike! Matt, being the conniving soul that he is, managed to have me ride my bike up the big climb, so he could ride it down! Although he did carry my bike up the very steep hike-a-bike section...so I can't complain about that!

Because I was looking for a bit of an epic, John and I then went to Wendall State Forest for another ride on our way home. It was my first time there, and with a little coaching from Harold, we found some great trails! Fun, seemingly endless singletrack (ok, maybe I was tired) that had enough climbing and technical features to keep it all fun! This is definitely a place I'm going to go back to.....hopefully with Harold as our ride leader!

This weekend is the 12 hours of Great Glen. John and I are doing a 2 person team. I'm looking forward to the race, although I'm currently without Marty.....front fork is getting worked on.....just hoping to have him up and running for the race!

Ten Rides in Ten Days!

OK, so maybe I'm not so good at this blogging stuff.....been over a month since my last post! Can't complain. Been busy at work. The ecomony in NH seems to be holding up nicely.

But let's get to the important stuff....the riding.

John and I took at trip down to the mountains of NC and, by stopping to ride on the way down and back, managed 10 rides in 10 days. We found some epic rides on some epic trails. Here are the highlights....

Allegrippis Trails in Raystown Lake PA. Holly and I went here and John and I covered more ground. This place is wonderful swoopy singletrack, but kicks your ass before you know it....and you're about 5 miles from the car!

Dupont Forest, outside Asheville, NC. This place has some great climbs on "eastern slickrock" and some fast, fun downhills as reward!

Bent Creek, Pisgah National Forest, NC. We had a fellow from a local bike shop map out the route for us.....and damn it was good! After 45 minutes and 2000 feet of elevation gain, we had a 2.2 mile (hand cramping, thigh burning, contiuous) downhill! And then after another climb, we descended again for about 40 more minutes!

Tsali Trail. Classic, but still fun. I rode these trails back in 1989 and they haven't changed much. Still a lot of fun!

White Clay Creek Park, Newark, DE. Again, a place I've been to twice before, but always worth a return trip. The trails were dry and fast. John and I were able to ride out further and explore some new trails....along with the stunt park area....the bridge complex with the unknown teeter/totter was the only thing that threw John for a loop! (I rode around the tough stuff!)

So with all that riding, I'd have to say I'm in pretty good shape! This weekend we are supposed to go to Killington for some downhill fun (Did I let you know I'm expecting? ..... a Force Carbon Pro from GT?) Hope it's here in time for the weekend!

Next race is Fort Rock on August 2nd. We've ridden there a lot this year, so I'm hoping to know at least some of the lines....or at least know where I am on the course!