Moronacity Cycling Journal » Mountain Biking
I Had Fun
Saturday was a most excellent day. I woke quite early so I could prepare for an 11 a.m. ride at the Tech Trails. Driving was not an option. I was to prepare for a four to five hour ride and go by bike. I rode down and met up with the Copper Country Cycling Club folks for what turned out to be a somewhat easy and fun ride. We rolled around the Tech Trails like a bunch of kids playing in the woods. We then headed back to the C4 house for burgers. I couldn’t pass up food since I had to ride home. I’ve made that ride quite a few times with a growling stomach and little energy left. It’s … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Therapy
Most students are relieved when Friday rolls around. Their busy, weekly schedules come to an end. Saturday brings free time – time to play, time to catch up on homework, time to just do nothing. Things are a little different for me. With Saturday and Sunday comes more time already spent. I have a lot of reading to do over the weekend, but my obligations and commitments are presenting a bit of an obstacle. Throw in finding time to ride, and time management turns into a jigsaw puzzle. I’m not very good at those. Today, I woke up to a bright, beautiful morning. I was quite pleased to see the sun shining and the temperature quite near to 70 degrees F. One … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Fat Tire Festival Begins!
Fat Tire tomorrow! Today, I stuffed and numbered more water bottles for the water bottle toss. The next thing I helped out with was registration. I sat at the registration table from 3:00 until 5:00 taking care of pre-registrations. This was a new experience for me. I actually enjoyed it and decided that I’d be more than happy to do it again next year. Sam decided to begin the Fat Tire Festival tonight! He called up the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge and set up a reservation for a pre-race party. Quite a few people showed up for three hours of beer and a one-man acoustical jam that got quite interesting as he got quite drunk. Fun times! … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Race Pace
Sunday Trail Day It’s the week before Christmas . . . er, Fat Tire, and I have the anticipation that a child would have for presents. I have a great week planned, and it has started off properly, considering the climactic event. Yesterday was the weekly Copper Harbor trail day. I showed up early to assist Rachel with providing breakfast for the trail crew, then I headed out with Sam, Sam, and Ann for some pre-race trail cleanup. Last year, this highly motivated kid and his mom showed up for trail day. We all remember them because the kid’s name is Sam, just like Keweenaw Adventure Sam, and they were working together building new trail. I was surprised to see Sam and his mother join us, again. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Decapitations, Scalpings, and Flat Tires
My rides and races are usually quite uneventful. Aside from a few loose skewers, I haven’t had any issues for a while. I haven’t even had a flat since last summer. I decided to ride my bike to the Michigan Tech Trails, today. I planned to be gone for four hours and decided it was best to prepare for the worst. I had my usual little bag packed with: * Multi-tool * Spare tube * … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
I Feel Free
A poetry thread broke out on the Michigan Mountain Biking Association forum. Unexpected, but not at all unusual. We’re a different bunch, one might say. I decided to join in on some poetry action in my small, white-flag effort to keep the thread on topic. I wanted to create a representation of what mountain biking is to me on that perfect day flowing through perfect singletrack. This is what I came up with: I Feel Free My free heart flutters with excitement Swooping through long, flowing singletrack My senses are alive and guiding I launch off rocks and hop fallen trees The matte sound of my rolling tires I hear and feel the rolling rhythm My free heart leaps with joy and laughter As the wind dances with the treetops The cool breeze sweetly kisses my … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Bikes, Berries, and Bugs
As mountain bikers, it is imperative that we eat. Well, it’s imperative that anyone eat, but we need more energy than some, or many. Pat arranged a Copper Harbor Fat Tire pre-ride for this morning. I started the day off right by making some buckwheat pancakes topped with raspberries picked in my yard and Upper Peninsula maple syrup. Yum. Let me tell you – yum. I drank some iced tea as … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Bike Doctor Appointment
I took my bike into The Bike Shop for repair, yesterday. I dropped it off, drove home to get the old bike, and returned for a brake swap. They currently have both bikes and a list of things to do. The Hayes brakes from my Trek Fuel EX7 are going on my Trek Fuel EX8 and I’m getting new front pads. The loose skewer situation is getting checked out on both bikes. The front derailleur situation on the EX8 is also getting checked out. You see, the derailleur was never really adjusted properly. Every time I would come to an abrupt stop, either by braking hard or hitting a rock or root, the chain would come off. This hasn’t been too common, recently, but … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Copper Harbor Grrls’ Ride
The Grrls’ Ride hasn’t had a large showing, yet, but Rachel and I kept it alive, this week. I really wanted to back out, but she managed to entice me into riding by suggesting a shuttle run to the top of the hill. Trash drove us to the Mountain Lodge and we took the Mountain Lodge trails down Here We Go. Here We Go is a fun, downhill trail, consisting of a tread mostly of bedrock. It switchbacks down the hill and offers incredible views of Copper Harbor and terminates at the top of the “Stairway to Heaven” – a long series of boardwalks leading towards town. We rode the Stairway down and headed back to the Harbor. I was happy to hear Rachel say that … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
Challenge
There is a rock on the Red Trail that I have yet to ride. I’m sure it looks worse than it is, but I haven’t got the confidence to try it, although Trash got me thinking about it. Trash and I did a fun ride, today. My legs were screaming and weak from the busy IMBA weekend. His – not so much. Fortunately, we’re both slower climbers. We started the day with a little motivational ritual of cleaning our drivetrains and lubing the bikes. You know – the usual stuff that we should theoretically do all the time. The nice part is that it got me motivated to ride. We headed up Garden Brook, took the Blue Trail over to the Mountain … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mountain Biking
