JB's Adventure Blog: November 2004

Hey thrill seekers.

I am reporting on location from Winter. Yeah thats right Winter. Up here in the land of high Appalachia in WV they got an inch of snow when we got rain on Thanks Giving.

Yesterday Nick Wait and I embarked on an epic pilgrimage from the mountain bike capitol of Virginia (home of team Huge Ass), Harrisonburg to the hinterlands where it all started Davis WV birth place of 24hr racing and site of one of the first ever norba nationals.

Nick and I have been talking about this ride for years and we finally got the logistics figured out. Nick lives in Aroura about 18 miles north of Davis. So in order for us to ride together Nick had to be droped off on his way back from a visit to Grandma in Richmond VA.

We were encounterd by brisk temps in the morning in the upper 20's. Yikes! We have been blessed with really nice weather the last few weeks and I was not looking forward to the 100 miles of cold headwind we where shure to face heading for the high country.

We were cooking pretty good though once we got started. Average. wattage of 210 ish. Punching with the force of two we cut thru the head wind to make better than expected time to the bottom of the 1st climb about and hour and 9 mins in. This bitch of a route took us over 6 big climbs of the Allegany highlands, North Fork mountain, and Shenandoah mtn to name a few and the work was taking it's toll on me. A strange thing happens when you put alot of effort to cover ground and then you have to face huge mountains tired. My pace was definitly survival on those last mountains. Our last climb went right past Sue Haywoods house. She is in Hawaii probably basking on the beach while we freeze our balls off riding into icy roads of Cannan Valley. We where cutting it close for time and had to pull out the tail light for the last 15 mins.

The sunset was unlike any I had ever seen. Peaches and increadible purples I had never seen a purple sunset and to see while climbing the last climb of an epic like this was remarkable!

Gotta run it's time to ride back!!!!

Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 6:55 PM 0 comments

November Man Hours!

November 18th

So here we are in the middle of no where deep in West Virginia hollow (pronounced ha-lla by the locals). We have just started our toughest ascent of the day a hours category rough run climb back to Virginia. Over a half hour and nearly 1500ft into the ascent we start hitting the steep stuff. Nick and I haven't said much to one another in the last half hour. We just keep focused on convincing our legs to turn over the insufficient gears on our bike. A 39-27 is usually enough for anything we will hit on our training rides but this climb is long, 3 1/2 hrs in and has pitches that made us look at one another in disbelief. The dirt road turns sharply to the right and switches back like a bend in a giant snake, "here's the tough part" I say between breaths. We keep digging in as the hill grinds towards the sky. Nick's like "this is what it's all about". I didn't have to ask what he meant. Surely he was referring to the MAN HOURS. Where almost there. "uh sorry Nick only a few more switch backs" and we finally top out and immediately begin our decent of big bear holler.. I mean Big Bear HOLLOW fire road. Sick descending with view of the the road several miles below wrapping around the next mountain in view. After the thrilling curve decent we head for the village of fulks run for junk food and chocolate milk.

This time of year is nice ride big eat what ever the gas station stocks and go back on the bike like a gorged lion. We get back on the bikes and press for home we only have and hour and a half left and one small mountain. That's kinda like a jumbo shrimp eh? At this point..Climbing the mountain the miles and the climbing catch up with me and my legs feel like ghost appendages I think they are moving but I have to look to check. Nick and I arrive back in the burg tired and hungry but more than the expected energy level of such a quest. We had just logged our first big off season ride and man it felt good.

Erin greeted us with smiles, she motivated us to move our asses so we could go get some food.
We showered up and zipped down to the Little Grill (a lovable local favorite of the bike crew) Breakfast night rocks almost as much as the Man Hours!

Enjoy the ride: Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 9:03 PM 0 comments

North Carolinian Style

Yo Hunter!

I hope you are having a great time spreading the gospel of power!

Your going to ring my neck. Yesterday I did a one lap 3 1/2 hour 45 mile mountain bike race in the huge mountains west of Brevard NC! I won the Swank 65 and my teamate Todd was 2nd in what I would call a religous experience/backcountry survival test . I was a little sick at the start and had done 2 stages of the Georgia tour prior to setting out on our extra tourture.

I was running late and allmost missed the start so I couldn't get the sensor on the bike in time. I had to use my hard tail on wat many would consider the anti hard tail course. I got passed at MOCH 8 by Willow Koerbers little bro' Sam on this north shore looking hard core down hill. Holly shit... I allmost killed myself trying to keep up on my hard tail. I guess it's good for character. I pulled thru to win and XXX Todd got second despite the bad brownies he ate!

So to the good news I have a HOUSE!!!! I am just getting the details figured out for a dec. 3rd closing. WOW things are going quick.. I guess thats the way I like it. Get it done then I can focus on training again.

Things are starting to settle down so I will get my system back in swing. I prommise to keep more in touch this week.
I have the SRM now and I hope to get some files to you!

I will start tomorrow!

When are you back in Bedford?

Thanks Jeremiah

posted by Jeremiah Bishop # 3:10 PM 0 comments

Harrisonburg to Davis Epic

November Man Hours!

North Carolinian Style

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