Mountain Bikes, Bass Guitar, and other stuff I like

Last week's adventure was up in Dawson Forest, the site of the Georgia Nuclear Aircraft Laboratory. They have about 20 miles of trails up there that are singletrack and doubletrack.  Renee and I took our bikes and loaded up the trail map using MTB Project .  It was a really hot day and we went in the early afternoon, so it was scorching.   I will say that the place, given its history, has a weird vibe. They could've filmed an X-files episode here. Also, a woman was also abducted and murdered out there. Yikes! Renee decided to go on foot and leave the bike behind so I went ahead on recon on the Red trail. It was wide-open powerline riding for about a half-mile then Renee decided to turn around because it was too exposed.  The sun was beating down on us so we headed back to the parking lot and did the Orange trail, heading west.  It was a good sustained climb out and plenty of equestrian "evidence" was about.  Trail treasures?  Jungle-like conditions a...

I have finally ventured back out to Pine Log WMA after about 6 years away and getting horribly lost and dehydrated my last time out. It's funny what 6 years of biking will do for your confidence and skill development! Today was the 2nd official group ride for HPEDXC , the name I've given my work cycling club.  I like that the name has Ped(Pedal) and XC(Cross-country). We were originally going to Blanket's Creek but it was closed due to wet conditions. Tom showed up but had a flat tire after about 4 miles so he had to hike it out. I kept on and did 2 clockwise loops on Grassy Hollow Rd, which I dubbed the Circle of Doom route. Not sure why, just like the sound of it.  This is a great place to work on climbing and get some mileage in and is frankly a refreshing break from the local trail systems. It was a relatively cool start at 9:15 and immediately we were greeted with uphill climbs.  I decided to do all jeep-road on this ride and save the singletrack exploration for an...

Despite a nagging right knee injury since February, I have set 2 PRs this week that I am pretty excited about.  1st was a local running route where I placed 3rd overall on Strava.  I am determined to get the KOM for this segment, which is on a fairly rolly section of road. Link here; https://www.strava.com/activities/1024400394 One of my favorite local mountain biking trails is Van Michael at Blanket's Creek.  It is always tough and features a lot of good climbs. Van Michael is nearly always an anaerobic workout!.  Wednesday I rode the clockwise direction and set a PR of 18:56, which I believe was nearly a minute off of my previous time. Frankly, I thought my days of setting PRs were over since Kit got here and I haven't been able to train much over the past year. What training I have been able to get in was mostly Maffetone (MAF), which I believe has helped my overall cardio base fit. Link here:  https://www.strava.com/activities/1026005273 Regardless, I ...

Had a pretty good race last Saturday at the Rope Mill offroad duathlon.  It was a bike-run-bike format.  I've been feeling a little sluggish lately and am about 8 lbs over race-weight so I was surprised to see that I set PRs on the course.  I frankly felt terrible on the run. I had a light breakfast of Kind bar and coconut oil.  I usually do pretty well on this course and it is really Singlespeed friendly.  Was shocked to see that Garmin reported the race as having 1500 feet of elevation. I had a quick start and was in 3rd for a long time on The Mill trail then finally some geared-fasties started to overtake me.  My legs were on fire on the climbs.  Dylan Reach passed me on the loop somewhere but I didn't remember seeing another one-gear bike :) He took the Singlespeed win.  We placed 5th and 6th overall respectively. I suspect that I still may be recovering from the 70.3  I did on Sept. 27th and months of training. My transition was dece...

Around 5 years ago when I began Mountain Biking there was one trail that struck me as one that I must ride one day when I obtained the skills and fitness to do so, that trail is Snake Creek Gap near Dalton, GA.  Just a mere mention of this trail seems to strike awe in bikers and runners alike, for its daunting technical features (roots and rocks ad nauseum) and lung-busting climbs.  This is not a "fun" trail necessarily (although there are plenty of fun downhill sections) but more of a trail to help you discover what kind of person you are.  Call it a vision quest for the modern age.  "The Snake", as it's affectionately called, can definitely teach one a thing or two about themselves.  Some people ask me, "Jonathan, why do you do what you do? Why subject yourself to such torture?"  I don't really have an answer for that except, to see if I can do it.  "Because it's there." 5 years later I finally got up the gumption to enter thi...

I'm sitting in my sunlit bedroom on one of the coldest winters in recent Georgia memory feeling a little tired due to a measly 6 hours of sleep and thinking about my training and racing to come over the next 6 months.  I'm also thinking about my winter weight gain, at least 10lbs. over my usual 175 race weight.  (Preferably race weight would be 170 but settling for 175.)  I know that I am fighting serious evolutionary factors here with my body wanting to rest and store fat for this harsh winter. This is all juxtaposed with the P90X strength training program that I started in November and I'm wrapping up for this session.  This interspersed with the occasional trainer ride, road ride, and MTB ride.  Not to mention the possibly ill-advised Snake Creek Time Trials, the next of which is next Saturday. My goal this winter was to strengthen up, which I certainly have, and to give my mind and body a rest from the rigors of running and biking.  So far this is go...

Had a great time and an excellent race at my 3rd Rope Mill Duathlon. It consisted of a 6 mile bike, 3 mile run, then another 6 mile bike.  Try to imagine all out effort for nearly 90 minutes.  This race was a beast last year and was one of the toughest races I did.  This year was no different except that I am pleased to report that this year I felt a lot better physically and mentally. My bike to run transition was more "pleasant" and I didn't feel nearly as trashed going up the first awful hill to Explorer Trail.  I was a lot more assertive and in control.   I had rested all week except for a short MTB ride on Wednesday. Also haven't been doing much running to speak of for the past several weeks.  I think I may have pulled a muscle in my right quad as it's been bothering me since the ride on Wednesday. We had a race start in the 30s this morning. I couldn't feel my hands and was having to rest my palm on my bars and brake with 2 fingers.  My feet wer...

So I entered this race last minute. I had no intention of entering this year having done it the last 2 years and I've been focusing more on duathlon and triathlon.  I've also been road biking more and mountain biking hardly at all. I guess I'm burned out on trail riding and need something fresh.   A few days before the race I thought I would enter this race and it didn't hurt that my wife was goading me.  Sometimes, the mere fact that she encourages me pushes me over the top for entering races. I arrived at the race feeling relaxed with a devil-may-care attitude. Payed my fee and set up my pit area. My tent wasn't fully operational so I had limited shade, which was unfortunate considering how blazing hot it was. Layed down in my pit chilling to some old school hip-hop being sure to keep hydrated.  Ate some pre-race food then changed into my kit.  Still feeling relaxed but pre-race stoke was building. Can't believe I was nervous for a "C race." Line ...

5 years ago I decided to make a change in my life.  I was pushing 250 pounds and wore size 42 pants. I was extremely depressed and had little desire for anything.  A black cloud hung over me.   Also, I was pre-diabetic.   If one ever finds himself doing blood-tests to check glucose levels, something is wrong. That would be your wake up call! I remember getting on a basketball court and how my knees and back hurt and how slow I felt.  The agility was gone and certainly the endurance.  I was a shadow of my former athletic self.  10 years before I was a pretty good basketball player  How could this happen ? Slowly and surely, that's how. Bicycling was on the periphery of my life a few years before that, around 2004 or 2005.  Casual rides around the neighborhood or on the Silver Comet Trail happened without much thought.  I remembered what it was like to have fun with exercise and feel like a kid again.  I always had a blast with bike...

Really enjoyed my 1st duathlon of the season although I would've hoped for a better result. I seem to do well in these multi-sport events and I enjoy their dynamic more so than a dedicated bike or run event. Renee even made a comment that I multi-task well.  This duathlon is a tough 5 mile run/11 mile bike course at Blanket's Creek.  I think I finished in about the same time this year as last year, around 1:52. (my watch stopped working mid-race) The time was good enough for 4th place AG.  I am disappointed with the result as I consider the duathlon as my bread and butter. More frustrating is that 3rd was 31 seconds ahead at the finish.  I think I was right behind the guy going in to the bike leg then he slowly pulled away from me over the next several miles.  Weird thing about racing is that you just never know who's in front of you! HA ! I was hoping for at least 3rd. Also, the top 2 guys are monsters.  I know I could've found 31 seconds out th...

So it's been a crappy week at work. Meh. Oh and for some reason I also thought it would be a good idea to take off this week from my bike training.  I think I could take off for 6 months and I would still be tight in places and have nagging tweaks.  That said, I really don't need to take off that long from biking because it really keeps things in perspective when it comes to work.   Renee, when you read this, if I ever decide to take off 6 days from biking again THEN go up to the N. Georgia mountains to bike, you have permission to slap the ever-lovin' snot out of me! Today was absolutely brutal.  I have owned those climbs on previous rides just a few months ago but today I was hiking up them for Pete's sake!  Gasping for air and heart rate at 175. Jesus.  This was definitely a visit to the Hiott pain cave.  Trails were sloppy from rain night before so I kept mostly to jeep roads. It was almost like a road ride.  Unending climbing up jeep roads ...

The greatest video game you'll ever play is with your heart pounding in the woods.  I'm talking about riding a bike through rugged terrain through a forest. Yes, mountain biking.  Preferably with hills for both punishment and reward, downs and ups. This sport beats an Xbox any day. Believe me I know.  I used to be sedentary and play Xbox all the time. Take today for example: I had poor sleep and had a lousy day at work and a crummy attitude in general by the end of the day.  One person looked at me and asked "Are you lost?" In a philosophical sense perhaps.  It was a smarmy question but one that made me think. I could've not gone riding and stayed in the apartment and moped but I knew better.  This is nothing new. I know how good it is to be done with a grueling ride. It's my medicine.    It was an absolute beating that I desperately needed.  I'm telling you folks, this is good therapy.  It was such a grueling ride with seemingly un...

Drove the long way up to Ocoee, TN through Chattanooga which took us about 3 hours to arrive at Ocoee Whitewater Center. Definitely taking 411 next time which was about 45 minutes quicker on the way back. Have another sinus/respiratory thing so I wasn't feeling my strongest plus my legs were begging for a break heading in to my 9th hour on a bike this week. I was so glad I brought my geared bike today. This will be the most hours I've put on a bike in a week, which is about 11 hours. Hit the trail and immediately started climbing on Bear Paw loop. This was a good 10 minute sustained climb. So much for a warmup! The trails are fairly well-groomed and nothing overly technical. Next on to Chestnut loop which reminded me a lot of Tsali with plenty of single and doubletrack mixed in a big,beautiful forest. I couldn't tell it was 95 degrees outside because of the canopy. Everyone had told me to ride Thunder Rock Express and I can see why. It had some of the most fun downhi...

Went back to Pine Log in search of singletrack and boy did I find it, except it was mostly uphill and unrideable. Out of the 5 hours I spent out there, I estimate 2 hours of it was spent hiking. One would have to be an absolute bike-beast to make these climbs and the climbs just don't end. It's like Pinhoti with rocks. So I began clockwise on Pine Log Gap Rd again and pedaled out to the cornfield again, about 7 miles out. This is a mostly uphill fire road with a sustained 10 minute climb at one point. Then on to the singletrack at the edge of the cornfield and then an insanely steep climb. This was mostly hiking. The topo maps say it's about 1600 feet at the top of this climb. Left onto Pine Log Mountain trail for a brief downhill run then came across acres of rock gardens that went uphill what seemed like forever. This began the climb up to the radio tower and unfortunately, mostly hiking. I think I could've biked some of it but I was in conserve-energy mode. The g...

Amazing ride this morning at Blanket's. Did 2 VMTs and a Dwelling in about 83 minutes. There is a tree down on VMT. Everything was flowing and I could do no wrong. I only wish I had gotten out there earlier before work. Did the first VMT in 23 minutes and some change on the singlespeed. That has to be one of my fastest times ever. Amazing how that happens some days, just feeling like everything is great on the bike. I suspect part of it was just me being happy to be back on single track after the Pine Log fire road odyssey on Saturday.

Pine Log WMA is a wildlife management area between White, GA and Canton, GA open to biking, hunting, and equestrian use. I had heard good things so decided to check it out. The place is really remote and has an almost primordial feel too it with barren landscapes and craggy trees where one could imagine a vulture perched upon. I started out going counter-clockwise following this map I spent about 90% of my ride time on fire roads, which was disappointing. I managed to find all the awful uphill trails where you could only hope to hike your bike. I'm not exactly sure if I even know which route I took. After about a 90 minutes I wound up back at the parking lot so I at least had some bearings. I think I climbed/walked Davis Trail then circled back on Grassy Hollow Rd. I imagine Davis Trail is much fun going the other way! If I had taken a right somewhere I would've gotten on Route 5 but I never saw a gate with a 5 on it. I remember passing 2 cement bridges crossing a creek on ...

Renee and I arrived at Mulberry Gap mountain bike getaway on Friday around 3pm. It isn't too far of a drive and we could easily do a day trip there but it was nice to get away for the weekend regardless. Settled in to our cabin which was really nice then biked up forest service road to Pinhoti 2. There is a lot of climbing here. In fact it's the most climbing I've ever seen. A lot of climbing right out of the gate on FS 90 then more climbing on FS 90 and 90B. Supposedly the elevation gains is about approximately 2000 feet on this particular leg. Finally on to Pinhoti 2 and more climbing, then one hell of a bombing descent down the rest of Pinhoti 2 and back to camp. Finished off with a huge meal of pasta and meatballs then carrot cake for dessert. I gorged! Hung out with Marsha Hauck and Lynn Daniels from Florida who are cool ladies who really dig their biking. Slept well Friday night then woke up to a huge belgian waffle breakfast with eggs and fruit. Again, ate huge...

Biked 30 miles today at Jackrabbit in scenic Hayesville, NC. It is a beautiful mountain setting bordering Lake Chatuge. This trail is like Tsali lite, which is a longer more technical trail to the north near Bryson City. There are some climbs and a few technical features but it's mostly fast,flowy wonderful singletrack. The singlespeed did well and it was mostly easy to maintain momentum. Continued to be impressed with singlespeed efficiency and fun. I'm beginning to see what they say There was one climb going up High Point that I thought I wouldn't make but the quads and hammies had a little something left. The Suntour fork on the bike is garbage and I can't wait to get something better, like a Reba. The Suntour is actually a downgrade from the Dart 3 on my Cannondale 29er. The climb up High Point was grueling and extended, not to mention technical with plenty of rocks and rooty climbing. The singlespeed really challenged me here. A few times today I want...

Bought a Trek 29er singlespeed today and promptly went out to Blanket's to let the bike break me in. I have been considering this purchase for about a month debating whether or not to convert my current bike to a singlespeed or just buy a new one. What attracts me to singlespeed is the simplicity of the bike and from what I've been reading, an almost zen-like experience when riding. I loved how quiet it was with no chain noise to speak of really. It is a pure bike and hopefully will deliver pure biking bliss. Weather was threatening today so I waited in the parking lot for 15 minutes but no rain. It began raining as soon as I hit Dwelling and it was flowing streams of water down the path. Not much fun! I felt horrible for bringing my brand new bike out on its first ride and it turned out to be a slop-fest but that's life in the outdoors. I also forgot my gloves so I had a deathgrip on the bars and they were slick. I also wore my clipless shoes on flats! Ha, that was ...

Another satisfying ride at Chicopee . This place never leaves me for wanting more. There are about 30 miles worth of trails with something for everyone, featuring fast,fun, and flowy loops and also rocky/rooty loops with punishing climbs. I rode about 2.5 hours at a relatively slow pace only covering about 22 miles. Carrying the 15 lb pack really weighs me down but it's good for strength and endurance. I also tried to stay in the middle rings on front and back, around a 2-3. At least it gets lighter as the ride goes on with the loss of fluid. Today I was focusing more on good cornering, especially downhill cornering. Not rushing things at all and riding at a rather deliberate pace. Good thing the trails were deserted. It's difficult to keep my weight back through a downhill corner yet push down on the inside bar to give the front tire more bite. Ran the tires at about 30 PSI which seemed to be an adequate pressure for today's trail conditions, which were mostly tacky and...