Although I don't sped much time on YouTube, I thought this was pretty funny:
Nice.
This week has been mostly highlighted by some quality family time, Josh (Erin's brother ) Erin, Conrad and I went to the Dry River for some relief from the sultry dog days of summer. Conrad loves the water!
PT is coming along, training is up to 5 hrs and I am on track for a return at the Shenandoah 100. I did the Alpine Loop with Keck Baker yesterday. For sure that is one tough road ride! We were totally soaked in a mid-ride downpour. It sure beats the 90s and 90% humidity. It has rained on me the last three times I did that loop...?
Fishing is the next activity on tap. Tinker proves that you can still race fast, have a baby and catch some serious trout too!
Time to plan for InterBike.
There are a lot of cool things just around the corner so I had better enjoy the week at home before it picks up again!
This weekend was an awesome training adventure. Chris Eatough and Chris Beck came down to Harrisonburg for some Cape Epic style training. It was my job to play host, and I mapped out some appropriate courses to simulate the rigors of the Cape Epic. Despite doing a pretty good job of this, we encountered some surprise weather conditions. Friday's temps had been in the forty's and we had some rain, I thought we'd splash through some grimy sections in the mountains. But, Saturday morning, as we rolled toward the mountains for a huge mtb ride from town, we could clearly make out the snow caps on the mountains in the distance.
A look at part of the route.
As we rode, a front was blowing in a fierce headwind. We eventually met the edge of the George Washington National Forest to start our six mile climb into the high country. At the beginning of our ride the grass was green and the roads clear and dry, but as soon as we turned around a shady corner to go up the mountain, there was snow on the side of the road and we hadn't even begun to climb. After traversing sections of shaded snow, mud and even some dry sections up the climb, we were ultimately greeted by winter. The farther we got into the ride, the more vast were the sections of snow.
We descended into West Virginia via Riffle Range, surely one of the day's highlights, this trial reminds me of some trail sections in The Collective, with small rock drops, loamy black earth and much warmer temps. At the bottom of the mountain and in the middle of nowhere, Erin met us with hot tea, fresh water bottles and food. After we refueled, we departed northward into previously untraveled territory. Thankfully it was easier going than the snow and leaves we'd left behind. The dirt road was dry and fast, wtih almost desert-like ground, we quickly made our way toward the final climb of the day up Rough Run. The 2,000-foot ascent and the previous five hours of riding took their toll on our legs, after 55 minutes we topped out once again in snow country. At that point we decided to get out of there before dark, changed the route to make a b-line for home on dirt and paved roads. We sped along racing the sun back the Harrisonburg city line. I'm pleased to say we made it home before dark.
Yesterday's forecast called for early dense fog with afternoon clearing. Dense it was, like a soaked-full rain cloud. It was strange because our eyelashes and the fuzz of the fabric on our cloths were covered with little droplets of water. This was making us extremely cold, because we were wet and clamly, and we sort of struggled to get the ride going. But once we did, it was great.
We planned to go up and do the Ceasar's Head loop counterclockwise, but got lost on the way becase we couldn't see where we were going or our familiar landmarks. After about 15 miles of going in circles, we got back on track with the route and started up the climb known as Bob's Place. There we were surpirsed to see snow on the roadside after climbing only 600 feet. Once we reached the Continental Divide, at over 3,000 feet, there was a ton of snow - probably 6-7 inches in the shade. As we dropped into North Carolina, the air was cold. Luckily, we had a break from the cold when we got down in the valley near Rosman.
There was a section on East 4 that was so steep and has wicked switchbacks and close to a 20 percent grade. Well, Bryan didn't see it up ahead in the fog, and sprinted into the bottom of if like it were a rolling hill. He was in for a suprise! Otherwise, he did really well yesterday, he held his own pace; and Andy was markedly stronger than last year and able to hang tough even at the end of a monster ride like that; and Jeff was hammering. It was a good time, the descent on the front side of Caesar's Head was nuts! Six and half miles, sneaking switchbacks, the road covered in sand. It was still a sweet descent that kept going and going, top to bottom it probably descends 2,500 feet. At the bottom, we stocked up on cookies, muffins, and coffee; we burned so many calories up to that point, from riding in the cold and doing the Blue Mountain climbs.
Due to our taking too long of a route on the way out and still committing to what was a really long ride made for 120 miles for Bryan and I, and close to 130 miles for the suckers who are staying on the other side of the bridge that is out and has a detour route around it.
To quote Bryan, he says "that ride was epic! I got nervous when they started talking about eight hours. I mean, I know I can suck it up and survive through seven hours, but when they said eight, I was like 'oh man.'"
This is all part of the big adventure and why we come back to Clemson each year; having a great group to ride with makes the miles go by and lets us laugh even when we get lost.
Yes, it's that time of year for the slush-bottle rides.
Yesterday Chris and I met up for an awesome mountain bike ride at Gambrills State Park in Maryland. It was a classic winter day. The sky was streaked gray with high cirrus clouds. It was 28 degrees and the ground was frozen like hardened concrete with rocks sticking out of it. The fallen leaves and dusting of snow added an element of skill to the already super techi trails.
Got a chance to spin on the prototype 2009 full sus race bike. "HOLY CRAP" is all I have to say. Sorry, no pictures... you'll just have to dream of bat mobile meets mountain bike! The ride was just awesome; we chased each other around and rode different lines thru the maze of prehistoric rocks, berms, turns, boulder rides and drops! It was sweet!
Thanks for the comments. I was thinking of another good cold weather trick. Some days we head out under dressed and have hit the big road ride with just a pair of shoes covers when full booties are called for. One day my feet were burning from the cold, so I stopped and got a grocery bag that had blown to the side of the road. I tore it in two and covered my feet with it and put the covers back on. Works like a charm. I have also used tinfoil, it works even better. There was another less proud moment when I was caught off guard by a winter cold front and the temperature dropped like a rock. I used a piece of roadside trash as a wind block for my chest. It's amazing the difference a piece of cardboard can make. If you are unlucky enough to resort to this type desperation remember never call some one to pick you up, it is a sign of weakness. Just kidding. ;)
Go prepared, tell someone where you're headed and when you will expect to return.
Thanks for reading and keep the cold weather riding ideas and tricks coming...
It's me, Erin, stopping by JB's blog again. You might have noticed the new photo gallery. If you've yet to explore this, click on the Gallery link to the left. There should be some new albums added today, and frequently throughout the year. Also, be sure to check out the Sponsors page, it's been updated with links to some of the great companies and organizations that have teamed up with Jeremiah for 2008.
In the coming weeks, there will be great new features coming to JeremiahBishop.com, including an awesome promotion with long-time team sponsor JBL. It's going to be so cool, I'm having a hard time not spilling the beans right now. (In the meantime, JBL has a special portal where cycling fans can access discounts on products. This helped me out when I was doing my Christmas shopping. Now, instead of blasting his iPod headphones while riding on the trainer, Jeremiah can pump out great tunes courtesy of a new JBL Radial.)
Lately, there's been a lot of excitement in Harrisonburg. We've hosted family and friends, including some of Jeremiah's favorite training pals. Our local crew enjoyed celebrating at the annual solstice party. If you're talented at Boolean searches, you might find some photos online. Christmas and New Year's Eve were both enjoyable holidays for us, and hopefully for you, too.
Now, it's time to make plans for the year ahead. The coldest days of winter are about to move into the 'Burg and I see a trip to Clemson in my near future.
It seems like most people have a few little tricks to staying warm, or at least fooling themselves out the door on the coldest days. Other than the usual warm winter wear, I treat myself to those tiny foot warmers and mix my Cytomax with warm water. Sometimes, Jeremiah will use Climitts over his handle bars. Do you have any special tricks? Do tell!
Ok, it can get cold if your trying to train in in the winters of North Dakota. Slush and ice? it can get old. Here in Virginia we get much less snow and when the time is right we put on the fat tires and head for the hills!
SNOW! We had our first real snow last week and Nick and I headed out for some adventure in the high country. The Shenandoah Mtn Trail is some 3000 ft higher and 15 degrees colder than town it can be a winter wonderland!
As we set out for our ride snow was falling and the air was in the 20s. The powerder was great, it was light enough to find some grip at the bottom. Perfect!
This guy has plenty of extra fat so he never gets cold. Good thing! :)
