Rain Out and belated Memorial Day Riding Report

Memorial Day weekend turned into a fantastic riding weekend. The forecasted rain did not arrive on Saturday and Sunday allowing plenty of singletrack riding. While I had planned on traveling to French  Lick on Saturday, reports from the ground suggested lots of mud.  I didn’t want to travel to BCSP due to the high traffic on the trails from the holiday weekend.

Instead I went to Versailles State Park in south eastern Indiana. Versailles has 13 miles of fantastic trail but only a fraction of the use that BCSP gets.

 

The bustling Versailles State Park trailhead. All two of us enjoyed the trails.

I saw only one other mountain biker on the entire trail, plus three BMX’ers with no helmets. I also saw several campers in jeans and windbreakers (and no helmets) out for a spin and about to get into some of the more serious singletrack. I tactfully suggested they be careful and wear helmets before trying those trails.

Versailles is also a DINO race later in the year and I wanted to ride the course which runs opposite of 24 Hours of DINO route. I’m glad I did as there were a few places in the trail that I’ll keep in mind for the race. The trail itself was a bit muddy in spots, but generally very nice and the ride was a blast.  I put particular emphasis on pushing any descent that I came to since I tend to be a bit too conservative on downhills.

I ran across these interesting…things near a picnic table on the Grandview Loop:

I’m guessing some sort of mushroom or fungi. Each one was the size of a dinner plate and about five or six inches high.

And of course, the obligatory single track photo:

 

And the remains of the best post ride snack ever:

 

 

I was expecting rain Sunday but the morning dawned cool and partly cloudy but with no rain in sight, so  I took the singlespeed over to Fort Ben for a few laps. The Fort had been a mud pit last time I was there, but trail work targeting the muddy spots and warm weather had mostly resolved this. Overall a nice day, although I saw very few bikers. Heck, I even saw more birders than mountain bikers. Of course, the Indianapolis 500 was that morning so people may have had someplace else to be.
 

Monday morning a heavy rainstorm came through turning the red light on all local trails. Instead, I went for an early ride over to Crown Hill to beat the Memorial Day crowds. The cemetery was beautiful and the weather was perfect for an easy spin. However, I ran into many signs like these:

 

I ride through Crown Hill quite often, but rarely do I see more than one or two cyclists in the cemetery. I chased down an employee in a golf cart and asked why the signs had been posted.  He said that they had been having problems with large group rides and impromptu racing recently (although I suspect they were assuming a group ride was a race). He specifically noted a 20+ group ride earlier in the week which interfered with a funeral procession. He said I was fine since I was riding by myself.

However, another employee in a huge Mercedes (manager?) stopped and said that he had kicked out a group of four cyclists yesterday for riding too fast and cited liability issues related to potential injuries. He also emphasized that Crown Hill was private property. No need for further explanation of that statement. Memorial Day is a busy day at the Crown so I can understand concern for that day, although it sounds like there might be a crackdown on group rides (small ones included) even outside the holiday. Plus the guy driving the German tank seemed to be keen on lecturing me about the problems with cycling and kept talking over me whenever I tried to say something. I got the feeling he was looking for an excuse to kick me out so I wrapped up my ride and got out of there. I actually went back to Crown Hill on Wednesday for a ride, and although the signs were still there, I s no employees patrolling and only three cars from a distance.  Hopefully Monday was a one time experience.

And now the rain out portion of the post. As of this afternoon, the Brown County DINO race for this Sunday has been rained out. Besides being a great race venue, I was anxious to get this season going after the two previous races were also rained out so I am in a bit of a pissed off mood. Is it drought time yet? Anyway, now the race season will begin in French Lick in two weeks. I will be there come hell or high water. Seriously. Even with high water they will still have that race.

And among other things, Bike Week 2013 happened

Whew, that was a long two weeks. Work got a little nuts and last week was Bike Week in Indianapolis which included a busy schedule of events so no time for updates.

Bike Week started  on Saturday May 11 with IndyCog’s Two Wheels One City festival which celebrates and promotes bicycling in Indianapolis. The event included bands, vendors, beer, and various cycling related competitions that seem to be won by the same three bike messengers each year. This also coincided with the opening of the Cultural Trail, a dedicated pedestrian and cycling path which loops throughout downtown Indy.

 

SIDEBAR RANT: While I have been using the Cultural Trail for the past two years, the official opening was on Friday May 10. That same day, as I was riding to work on the Monon Trail (which connects with the Cultural Trail), I happened to think how I had not had any close calls with cars lately. Not 5 minutes later a woman ran a stop sign at an alley that crosses the Cultural Trail and I came within inches of going over her hood.  It was the closest call I've had in a while, and my legs were actually shaking afterwards. No way this could happen again right? Wrong. On the way home, not far from the morning incident, a woman made a much too fast turn into a parking lot adjacent to the trail, just as I was passing. Two times in one day was too much and after barely avoiding her front bumper and riding through some trail side landscaping I turned and let loose a string of profanity at her open window. Not terribly civilized, but at that point I did not care about maintaining cyclist/motorist relations.

Anyway, continuing with the Bike Week events was a special showing of the movie Reveal the Path presented by both IndyCog and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association with proceeds from ticket sales going to both groups. The movie was produced by the same folks who did Ride the Divide, and followed a group of mountain bikers as they rode through several countries in inhospitable terrain. While the scenery was nice, I liked the added drama that the racing atmosphere brought to Ride the Divide. Reveal the Path was heavy on deep thoughts about cycling, but was a bit light on the thrill aspect. Still, the event was well attended and I met many new cyclists as I was working the IndyCog table.

The final event of the week was Bike to Work Day on Friday May 17. My wife had been helping to organize this so I had seen this thing from the inside out. Despite the stress in planning and watching the weather, Friday dawned with perfect weather and a great turnout. Here are a few pics from the event.

 

 

 

 I also ran into this little piece of history (excuse the poor photo):

 

 

A 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper. A classic early mountain bike in great condition. In speaking to the owner I had mentioned that I had seen one on Craigslist in Fort Wayne earlier this year and had considered buying it. Turns out this was that bike. Wish I had gotten some more pics.

 

Overall, Bike Week was a great success, although the organizational aspect was at times stressful. However, I do have a few ideas on how to improve the events for next year which hopefully we (IndyCog) can incorporate as we plan for 2014.

In race news, this season is starting out with sort of a whimper. Following the Barry Roubaix, the next race was the DINO series practice race at Town Run. Unfortunately, this was canceled due to water logged conditions from recently receded flood waters.

The next race was the DRT XC Time Trial at Brown County State Park on May 5. But, since the weather gods are not being kind, rain moved in and the outlook was bleak. At first the rain was positioned over Bloomington and seemed to spare the park. However overnight the rain pushed north and that was it. Two weekends in a row with a cancellation.

Fun note, the time trial was rescheduled to the same weekend as the 24 Hours of DINO at Versailles State Park in September. The DINO event is on Saturday, while the DRT race is on Sunday. I'm planning on doing the 6 Hour DINO race on Saturday, which ends at 6 pm. Considering how destroyed I was last year following the 6 Hours I'm wondering whether I will be up for both races.

The next race for me is the Brown County DINO race in a week and a half.  I plan to get several hill workouts in before then, primarily at Crown Hill Cemetery. This holiday weekend I am planning on driving south and hitting the French Lick trails for the first time, with a stop off in Bloomington to ride their Wapahani Mountain Bike Park on the way back.

 

Springtime Singletrack (now with less flood water)

Not much new, but spring single-track is certainly a welcomed sight. The above is from Southwestway Park in Indianapolis. Only about 3 miles of trail now, but construction is set to start on new trails which will expand the system to over 8 miles.

 

I have planned a riding trip for later in May, which is significant since I rarely have time to get out Indianapolis except for races. This past weekend I had a work retreat in French Lick but due to various circumstances, primarily lack of time, I was unable to ride the mountain bike trails. I’m planning on hitting the DINO race at French Lick this year so a pre-ride is necessary.  Over Memorial Day weekend my wife is going on a mini vacation to Florida with friends, so with unfettered use of the car, I’m planning to head back to French Lick for a morning of riding and then hittingthe  trails at either O’Bannon Woods State Park or Wapahani in Bloomington in the afternoon.

 

First things first though, as there is a race at BCSP on Sunday. We’ll see if this gets rained out.

And one more just because.

Race Season Delay Brought To You By Mother Nature

Mother nature decided to make up for last year’s drought in the span of one week. So far Indianapolis is on track to have one of the wettest springs in history, with most of the precipitation falling in the past 10 days.

The shenanigans started last week with a short burst of rain, which was then followed by a longer, train like system, which just parked itself over Indiana for over a day. Flooding ensued, which unfortunately, included Town Run Trail Park, the site of the first DINO race of the season this weekend.

While the race is billed as a “tune up” and would therefore not include awards or series points, I was still looking forward to getting into racing for this year. Well the aforementioned flood ended up cresting at almost 18 feet, while Town Run floods somewhere between 9 and 10 feet. So yeah, a lot of water.

Luckily, over the weekend the rain moved out and the water levels dropped quickly. Some dry days were ahead and HMBA planned multiple work sessions to get the trail ready for Saturday’s race. In another unfortunate turn of events, a chance of showers Tuesday night turned into another massive train like storm which laid down another 1.5 inches of rain and caused the river levels to rise, again flooding into Town Run, and resulting in the cancellation of the race.

Sort of a letdown, as I was anxious to see how the bike and I would handle what is usually a fast race. Next up is the DRT XC Time Trial at Brown County State Park on May 5. Other than the descent down Hesitation Point, which I will take with my typical conservative style, I am looking forward to tackling the many climbs on the course.

Hmmm…..no photos of note. Well, I did get some new parts including a new PG-990 cassette and PC 991 chain.

Shiny.

I also got a new front wheel, a Stans XTR Arch laced to an X7 hub.
 

Kind of goes with my rear wheel which is the same rim laced to an X9 hub. Problem is, I had a heck of a time getting a Maxxis Ignitor mounted. While I will likely try tubeless this year, for now I am running tubes and I punctured two while trying to mount the tire. Interestingly the rear wheel mounts very easily.

Spring Has Sprung And Low Back Pain

How do I know spring is here? No, it’s not the warmer temperatures, new plants sprouting, or stocking up on Zyrtec D. Actually the telltale sign is the line to get in to Fort Ben Harrison State Park on a weekend afternoon.

Often I’ll just ride to the park from my house along the Fall Creek Greenway, but I took the single speed out and frantically spinning for 10 miles on pavement is not exactly fun. So, drive I did.

Having a state park pass does help, although the alternate lane for pass holders starts about 100 feet from the gate house while the backup was around a ¼ mile when I queued up. All in all it was a nice ride, despite a few muddy spots that have been holding water since the thaw.

My new sock monkey socks (an xmas present from some friends in NY....possibly as a joke gift) got a baptism by fire. Appropriately enough, the sock monkey seems to be frowning in this photo…..

I want to emphasize that the trails were 90% dry with only a few muddy spots.

Unfortunately, I seem to be developing some low back pain during my recent Moncog rides. First at BCSP, and then this weekend. Each time the pain seems to wane later in the ride, but then I wake up stiff the next morning. Never had this issue before, although I did install a new fork which lifted the handle bars a bit for a slightly more upright position. Maybe I just need to get used to this.

Lastly, I signed up for the DRT Brown County XC Time Trial on May 5. I figure I will dawdle down the Hesitation Point descent, get passed by the rest of my class, and then attack on the climbs. Or something like that….

Singlespeeding Brown County State Park

Brown County State Park nearly broke me this weekend.  Nearly.

Actually getting down to BCSP this early in the season is out of the norm for me. But, a free Saturday and sunny skies made such a trip mandatory.  Plus, I actually haven’t done much in the way of single track riding so far this year. Since the first races start in less than a month, training on trail seems to be a good idea to reawaken technical skills that were of limited use this winter.

Anyway, a friend and I got to BCSP around 9:15 am with the main parking lot already filling up. His bike is a low 20lb Niner (the titanium one) with full Sram XX. That thing looked like it was about to fly off the bike rack by itself. Very fast ride. My bike, which is probably why the ride nearly broke me, was my Monocog 29er with a 32-18 ratio. Tackling the best single track in the midwest with a single speed has been on my cycling to do list for a while.

Tackle it I did. Or maybe it tackled me. Either way, it was a solid ride, and I got some great climbing and technical practice.

We made sure to ride the Green Valley since the rumor is that it will be included in the DINO Brown County race this year.  I was happy to make it up Hesitation Point in one piece, although I had some trouble with two rocky sections where I lost my forward momentum and couldn’t overcome the rocks. Momentum is one of a single speeder’s best friends, but no big deal. A bit of hike a bike didn’t hurt. Same situation on Walnut, although the trail was actually kind of crowded so some of my stops were due to others picking their way through the rocks. Once on the south end of the park, we turned around and did it all backwards.  Here is our track from the ride:

During the return ride on Green Valley I started to feel a cramp in my left calf. I had been doing a lot of out of the saddle climbing on the bar ends (I love bar ends) and my legs were about spent and my back had started to ache.  Luckily the cramps held off until the downhill to the parking lot and we ended with 26 miles and a lot of climbing.

My thoughts on single speeding BCSP? Perfectly doable, although I’m wondering if a 20 t rear cog would make the climbs and rocky sections more manageable. I think next time I will make sure to bring my geared bike unless I am riding by myself. I felt like I was holding up the party due my slower pace.

Also, I think the addition of Green Valley to the DINO course will be fun. The loop has a series of descents and climbs; basically a little bit of everything for everyone. I’ll lose time on the descents but the climbs will play to my advantage.

After destroying my legs I intended to take a rest day on Sunday since the weather indicated rain. Well no rain showed up and the day was perfect. With a high near seventy and sun, a ride at Town Run was in the cards. Having enough of the single speed for one weekend, I replaced the cyclocross tires on my geared 29er with my proposed race tires, a Maxxis Ignitor 2.1 on front, and an Aspen on the back. I kept the carbon fork on the bike as opposed to my Reba to see how the rigid handled single track. 

Despite my legs feeling a bit tired, the ride was very fun and the bike did very well. I did not miss the front suspension at all, and the Aspen performed very well. Even in the dusty and sandy sections, I had no slippage and it seemed to roll quite fast.  The DINO tune up race (practice) is held at Town Run on the 27^th, so I think I will keep the rigid fork on until that race

First ride on the full suspension MTB = Meh

The recent warm and ice/snow free weather meant I finally dragged my new to me full suspension bike out for a test spin. For a refresher, I recounted my build of this bike in a post back in January.

So, how was the ride?

It was weird.

I’m not sure what it is, but I did not feel comfortable, or very stable on the bike. The steering was very twitchy, which I attributed to the smaller wheels. Also, when I got out of the saddle to pedal, I felt like I was going to fall over the handlebars. Not sure why this is, since the cockpit is actually a bit larger than on my 29ers. I think part of the problem is that I haven’t been on a 26 inch wheel bike since early 2009 and I’m just used to the 29ers. Hopefully these problems will fade with more rides. Oh, and the thing climbs like it has an anvil strapped to the back.

As for the positives, it was fun to take the bike off curbs and down stairways (apologies to the Butler students who  happened to wander into my test course). The suspension felt just fine, although the rear shock may need some tweaking.

Test rides will continue….

In other news, I will be going to Brown County State Park to ride this Saturday. This is the earliest I have ever had an opportunity to ride BCSP since…well, ever. The chaos of life over the past few years has allowed me to get to BCSP all of four times, twice of which were for DINO races. Actually getting there in April puts me ahead of the curve for 2013. Only question is what bike to ride. The Access 29er with the rigid carbon fork or the Monocog with its brand new chain and fork (and same ol’ 32 x 18 gearing)? I’m leaning towards the single speed…