"WTF" - 11/28/10 - Swansea, MA

- Riders: T, OMMB
- Weather: clear
- Temp: very chilly 40 degrees

What do you do on a day that ended a week of house cat issues like, one with chewed feet requiring surgery, one that had a seizure believed to be caused by an enlarged heart, and one that just died out of nowhere?  Well...go for a ride I guess.  It was nice for Teri to relieve some stress by riding a few miles of trail.  Even though it was quite chilly, we had a good little ride.  And still can't make that damn hill!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Saturday Morning Brain Fog" - 11/27/10 - Swansea, MA

- Trailhead: library
- Riders: Bob, Matt, Jack, Greg, Denny, OMMB
- Miles: 8.5
- Weather: clear, breezy
- Temp: 32-36

Notes: I got over to the bike shop around 8am and sat there.  Bob's truck was there so I figured he was getting ready.  5 or more minutes went by, so I knocked on the door...nothin. Sat for a few more minutes.  Peered through the store front windows, nobody there. hmmmmm.  Then, DUH, it hit me...I must have just missed them and they were already at the library.  Yep.  I managed to meet up with the group, missed only about a 1/2 mile of trail. Warmed up real nice and had a great ride. 

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Matt's Playground" - 11/23/10 - Swansea, MA

Rode the Kona with the Bikeworks gang this morning.  Along for the ride were Bob, Matt, Al, and Dan.  Damn the weather was crazy nice for November...60+ degrees.  Quite a dew formed overnight, due to the warm temps.  Made for a slippery ride, but I was actually able to almost keep up with them!  Got to be the bike.  Matt and I broke off and he showed me some new trails he cleared...log hops, rock climbs, zig zags...real fun stuff. 

Tidbits:
- Somebody Turned 29 (again) yesTerday! 
- Bikeworks is going to start carrying Kona bikes...nice!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Rattle me once, rattle me twice" - 11/21/10 - Swansea, MA

Adjusted Teri's Kona 29 to my liking and took it for a ride.  After a few tweaks it was feeling pretty comfortable. The bike rolls really fast...so quick, that because of the hardtail, the result is huevos revueltos.  Not something I'm accustomed to!   Gave it a run up the stupid hill I haven't mastered.  I haven't mastered the stupid hill. 

Tidbits: Coyotes the size of German Shepards eating pets in South Swansea... if they get to the size of Germans, I'm going to strap my Swedish fishing knife to my Camelback (again)!!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Hit the wood!" - 11/18/10 - Massasoit State Park - East Taunton, MA

- Riders: Matt, Al, Jeremy, Eric, OMMB

- Miles: 9.4 grueling miles

- Weather: mild, some moonlight

- Temp: 50 and dropping

- Trail Conditions: plenty of steep climbs (see the spikes on the map), some rooty and sandy parts
- Technical Level: uuuuhhh...I held up everyone else, nuf said
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets:  well yeah, there was this mud hole....

Notes:  Night ride!  Damn these guys are fast...even at night!  If you see the Race Across The Sky 2010 movie, watch for the guy that says "fuuuuuuuuuuuck".  Well that's how I feel riding with this group..."fuuuuuuuuuuck".  I'm holding them up but they have assured me that it's not a problem, they don't mind stopping to chit-chat (while WAITING for me!).   I took a few wrong turns in the dark but could pick up the trail by looking for their lights.  Al was gentleman enough to stop and wait for me at a few intersections.  He was even good enough to yell "hit the wood!" over a mud crossing.  Well by the time my mind registered what Al was referring to, my front wheel was already half buried in mud and due to the fast rate of riding, I was sailing off into the lovely mud hole.  hmmm...that was fun.  I missed the wood.

Tidbits: Just like the last time I rode here, lots of hike-a-bike.  But I have to remember, any ride is a good ride!

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Better chance on a lawn tractor" - 11/16/10 - Swansea, MA

- Riders: Bob, Matt, OMMB
- Miles: 7-ish
- Weather: light rain
- Temp: 55
- Trail Conditions: a bit slick
- Wildlife: just a friendly little Jack Russell...decided she didn't like Matt's socks and nipped at him, pulling his sock down...little bee-atch.
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: Matt said he was having a bad day (some minor whoops) and I had a couple of slide outs.  Blame it on the wet conditions.

Notes:  Never fails...when I ride with these guys I feel like a slug.  If I were on a lawn mower, I think I'd have better luck keeping up with them.  Matt provided moral support by stating, "you'll get faster by riding with faster riders". I hope that means I'll still be allowed to join them...so they can rest while I catch up!

Tidbits:  Night ride at Massasoit on Thursdays...6:30. 

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Uno, dos, tres, quatro" - 11/14/10 - Big River, RI

Four days of riding in a row...Life's Good!  Especially considering that around this time last year...I was still walking with trekking poles...Walk Report 11/7/09.

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
- Riders: T, OMMB

- Miles: 8.5

- Weather: just a little chilly at the start, but turned out perfect
- Temp: upper 50's
- Trail Conditions: nice singletrack, not overused
- Wildlife: two horses, four dogs

- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: totally clean for both of us...wow!

Notes: T was inspired to ride BR today...and there was no way I would disincline to acquiesce to her request.  I wanted to attempt a retrace of yesterday's ride, since the GPS had been out of juice. We rode a nice steady pace and had a great time.  It really was a great day to ride. Even though we heard some gun shots, we didn't see any hunters.  This didn't deter quite a few people from being in the woods today.  Hikers, horses, runners, and bikers.  This place seems to be getting VERY popular (all of a sudden).  Yet the singletrack we rode was very secluded. We successfully retraced most of yesterday's ride, but I could not remember the whole route...bailed to New London Turnpike on the south end (trying again would not be a bad thing!) We added our own variation of the segment back to the trailhead.

Tidbits: The hidden loop of single track is T-approved (reminded her of Bradbury)! 

Happy Trails,

OMMB





What the!  You're kidding right...?






...nope!

 

"Hello, here is your ass" - 11/13/10 - Big River - RI

- Trailhead: Burnt Sawmill Rd
- Riders: OMMB, Matt, Alan, Greg, Steve, Alfredo
- Miles: 12-ish
- Weather: frickin cold
- Temp: began at 31, ended at 60
- Trail Conditions: real nice single track, some puddles
- Technical Level: gad dang fast
- Wildlife: ten hunters, one dead deer
- Whoops, Yikes, and Oh Sheets: Alfredo had a rough day.  Bent derailleur and a wipe out on a wooden bridge.  Landed in the thankfully very shallow stream after trying to cross an icy bridge (Caution, Bridges Freeze First).

Notes:  So I decided to join the Bikeworks crew for a Saturday morning ride.  That's "morning" to these guys... as in 7am morning.  After tossing and turning all night, anxious not to miss the ride, I made it to the shop on time (but with no chance to eat or drink anything substantial).  Well....got my ass handed to me.  Right from the start I was off their pace.  Is the difference the fact that they were riding $3500 to $5000 dollar 29ers, or just plain lack of conditioning on my part?  Most likely a bit of both.  I'll know better next time when I modify Teri's Kona 29 to suit me for a ride with them.  And the ride?  Awesome.  You would think after 10 plus years of riding Big River, I'd be familiar with all of the trails....nope.  I tailed them on some of the coolest single track I've seen.  I did notice that the entrance to these trails was sort of "hidden".  Matt says there's a few "hidden trails" at Big River...I'm guessing it's an attempt to keep the dirt bikes away.

Tidbits: Bob and Matt jumped in on the Leadville Trail 100 lottery again for next year...wish them luck!  And see the damn movie when released on DVD/Blu Ray....you'll enjoy it.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Can I have your autograph" - 11/12/10 - Swansea, MA

Another day off from work, so I went for an early (early for this Rebello) morning ride.  At the trailhead, I ran into Bob, Matt, Jack, and another Bikeworks dude just returning from their version of an "early" ride.  I greeted Bob and Matt with a "hello movie stars!", and they said "you saw it!".  Yes we did.  At the encore opening of Race Across The Sky 2010 about the Leadville Trail 100 race, we spotted Bob and Matt on the big screen. Out of the 1500+ people in the race, they actually both got interviewed. Pretty exciting.  Anyway...had a good ride, a bit warmer than yesterday but still quite chilly.  3.25 miles, 0 for 4 on the "hill"...damn.

Tidbits: Bob and Matt spent a few hours blowing leaves off the trails later in the day...looking forward to checking out their work.

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Good Day Sunshine" - 11/11/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Today was one of those days that make you wonder why every day can't be like one of these days.  We slept late, we brewed some coffee, we went for a ride, had a beer with lunch, took care of some work around the house, took a nap, made nachos for dinner, and settled down for TV on the couch.  If the need to work wasn't in the way, every day could be like today.  But remember...today is Veteran's Day.  Without our Veterans, none of us could possibly have days like this.  Thank a vet, today and every day...

Happy Trails,
OMMB

"Just one pinch is enough" - 11/06/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

Just got back from a quick ride out in the coolness... 50 degrees but felt much colder with a wintry feeling in the air.  And damn, it's getting dark real early, had the lights on from the start.  Clocks fall back an hour tonight so it's gonna get worse!  Plan was to ride the time trial loop in 30 minutes, but a blow out on the rear tire thwarted that attempt.  Not sure what happened, but it was bad enough to kill a Slime tube (must have pinched a rock or something).  Veered off the loop to attempt the hill I failed on last ride, still failed.  Not sure what it is about this hill.  Got about 3 miles in.

Off to the pub for some grub, and music by Patrick....

Happy Trails,
OMMB

P.B.S. - A couple of bike films to check out...


Life Cycles OFFICIAL Trailer from Life Cycles on Vimeo.



Race Across The Sky 2010 from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo.

Road report - Solvang Prelude - 11/6/10 - Santa Ynez Valley, CA

Ride: Solvang Prelude (Metric Century)

Riders: Hector, Ron, Sara, and Carlos
Length: 63 miles
Elevation gain: 3000+ ft
Duration: 3hrs 45 Min
Temp: 60s, overcast, summy at the end
Humidity: low
Rating: A+

For the last many years, the last regional road cycling event for the season is being the Solvang Prelude (for the organizers of this event it's the first ride of the next season - "Prelude", go figure!). Usually 2-3 thousand riders do the pilgrimage to Solvang, a small quiet Danish town 120 miles north of LA.

It's a beautiful hilly ride thru the Wine Country of Santa Ynez Valley (hard to enjoy in years past when riding at 20+ mph in a paceline or trying to concentrate on the climbs). This year for the first time, the event started in the nearby town of Buellton. This resulted in the removal of the longest climb of the event usually right at the end of the ride. Well, I paced myself during the event to leave something for the last climb that never came - may be next year.

The day started overcast, dark, and damp in some sections but it never rain; fortunately, the sun came out for the last 10+ miles. The downside this year was the lack of sag support (lucky for us we didn't need it) and the first sag stop was 33 miles into the ride, the lines to the porta-potty were longer than the ride - almost.

Like last year, Ron and I wore the Channel Island Bicycle Club colors. Three major improvements from years before, we started slow vice going hard and finishing wipe out, so we actually got to enjoy the view, and the last and most important, we had the company of two new Club members, Sara and Carlos "the poet" (additing beauty to the group...I'm talking about Sara, sorry Carlos...). Missing in action was Dave "the diesel" Simpson.

After the ride, we followed tradition and crashed into the Firestone brewery for brewskies and sliders. Also, we enjoyed the company of two civilians, Sara's parents that came for moral support and for some wine and brewskies as well.

Looking forward to do it again next year!!!

Note: Beware of weirdos everwhere. While in the first rest stop, a big fat bikerider approached Sara and told her that she had a smutch (Hector meant "smudge") in her back. She looked for it then she look at me, I looked but we couldn't find it. Then "the Creep" finally after insisting that it was a smutch (again..."smudge") somewhere in her, point down between her butt. Sara didn't know what to said (thanks for noticing or thanks for looking at my butt) so she and I got into our bikes and left. We stopped few yards to recover from the "creepy" memoment, then we resume with the ride. The smutch (three times a charm... "smudge") was eventually found.

Hector

"Triple C" - 11/2/10 - Village Park - Swansea, MA

- Miles: 5 or more

- Weather: clear, crispy, cool 

- Temp: 45, felt like 35

Notes: Blasted out into the chilly air today and added an outer loop to the normal route.  Good ride, only bog down was when my legs flamed out on a real steep section near the end of the ride.  Next time I'll muscle up this section!!

Tidbits: Hey Alexa turns 16 tomorrow... ZOINKS!

 

Happy Trails,
OMMB