Two ride Tuesday and Church

It was Churchill's first mtn bike/trail ride Tuesday morning.  Seven months old and full of beans this dog can keep up! 

Well, almost full of beans.  It was pretty warm at 9 AM (mosquitoes are preparing to be in full force very soon) and everytime we stopped he laid down in the middle of the trail and I gave him a drink.  I really didn't know what to expect with him on the trails as he is still young, full of piss & vinegar, and his re-call isn't the best yet.  However, he did amazing and was a natural.  He stayed behind me, always kept close enough (but not so close to run into me if I stopped quickly) and responded so well. 

New signs out in SMH look great.  Churchill christened a couple with  one legged salutes.  I wasn't sure how I was going to feel after 140 + kms on Sunday and RoTD, but I was surprised how spunky I actually felt.

I was tempted to let him jump into the lake/swap but it was pretty dirty.  I'll be looking for better swimming spots.

I won a new pair of Giro gloves from a draw prize from RoTD on Sunday.  Whoot!  Not bad - comfy, grippy and light.  Best $20 I've ever spent on a bike event - registration, feed zone, free cookie, bbq and draw prize.  Whoot!  I feel like I owe them money for such a good time.

My only beef is that there is no velcro closure dealie.  Meh.  They're free so I ain't complaining.

Church liked them - good patting gloves.

To prove I was feeling good I went out, after dropping Church off, and did a 65 km loop of the Park.  Two ride Tuesdays!

Post Holing, Cookies and The Peanut

Lovely, beautiful day here in Ottawa and on the other side of the river.  Was expecting it'd be a bit cooler with firmer conditions despite crazy warm temperatures, rain and wind the past couple of days.  However, even with packed down snowshoe trails, if you veered off course you'd sink to your knee....sometimes your waist. 

Curvy Butt demonstrated some crazy contortionist, Cirque de Soleil moves crossing over a stream to avoid getting wet feet.  We weren't ten minutes into the ride before I had two soakers.  Thank Gwad (and sheep) for merino wool.

Go off course, the slightest-eensiest-teensiest bit, and you were going over the bars or coming to a screaming halt.

She's a dirty girl - the first bit of mud to get on the Mukluk . . . ironic really . . . . Muk (muck).  To avoid a death march of post holing across a farmers field we elected to cut the ride short and take the road back.  The dirt road was soft and mushy but you wouldn't know it as the fat tires floated across with ease.  With the annual pilgrimage to North Carolina about a month away (who's coming?) a gravel road fatbike grinder epic might be in-store. 

Going to have to get the bike cleaned for tomorrow's race.  

You going?  You should.  

Party afterwards.

Nothing like returning home from a ride to find warm oatmeal-walnut-banana-chocolate chip cookies waiting for you.  I have THE best life . . . even if I am a bit portly.

Me and The Peanut dug in.

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Fat-tastic Ride

There's climbing in them thar hills.

Marsh near Lac Brown.  White bars?  Yep, they were in the schwag bag we got back in 2008 from the BC Bike Race.  Keeping the fat bike build as economically affordable as possible I ended up putting as many 'spare parts' on it that I had in the workshop.  Normally much too high rise for my liking, but with the stem flipped and a negative rise and the right amount of spacers I've managed to have a comfy ride position.

Ice Fishing.

*Photo tip of the day*: when creating a panorama image in Photoshop, wait to fuck with the sky after you've merged all the photos, not before.

That's the problem with riding alone, there's never anyone to push me on the 'ol rope swing.  That's the price you pay when you're really slow and nobody likes you.

Only came across one axe wielding maniac on the trail . . . and some snowshoers.

Mmmm, left-over cold pizza.  If I had more time I would have started a fire in the pit to heat my lunch.

Shhhhhhh!  Don't tell no body where I rode!  Freak'n best snow ride of the season for me.  Trails were amazing.  Lots of climbing paid back with lots of twisty, swoopy downs.

Thought that I snapped a chain near the end of my ride when I heard a crunch and my pedal stroke slammed my nads into the top tube.  Nope.  Worse. 

I did a scan from above of the P15 parking lot searching for the No Compassion for Cyclist (NCC) cops before dropping back to Cross Loop Rd. Rumor has it some fat cyclists got busted Monday (on Family Day of all days!) out near P19. 

Now you know why they call me 'big ring'.  Pfffft. 

Fat Wolf Ride

Trails were super packed down.  You didn't need fatties to ride them, but it certainly was more fun!  Such a fast roller coaster whoopie of a ride.

What sign?

Full red glowing moon in the trees seen from the over-look on Wolf.

Mtn Biking Is Fun

Two mountain bike rides on the weekend. Both with friends, two who I don't often get to ride with much anymore, both fun as hell.

South March Highlands ride with Lenny on Saturday was mellow and fun. Kanata Lakes is in great shape. 

Sunday's ride was with Curvy and King.  It was only King's sixth or so mtn bike ride of the season.  You wouldn't know it as he had no problem (unless you call puking three times a problem) keeping up on our Chelsea/Foreplay loop. The trails over in the Gats were in stellar shape.

Both days were absolutely perfect, weather wise, for riding and both were in my top five fun rides of the season.

Exploratory

Saturday Curvy Butt and I got out for a 'connect-the-dots' ride.  We spent time riding semi-familiar trails, ones we've ridden only once or twice and trying to find new ones.  Success!

Swinger

Culvert under highway.

Poor dirty tired legs.

Part of our loop took us up the CBC climb at Fortune.  By this point in the ride my legs were fried.  I was already behind the eight ball from the start of the ride after being outdoors for 10.5 hours straight in the blistering sun the day before working and sweating my balls off.  If you squint real hard you can see Curvy waaaaaay at the top, while I . . . .

. . . . was waaaaaay at the bottom saying, "Fugg that."

Both filthy and smelly.

With the exploratory riding we've been doing it's ignited a new excitement for getting out to ride.  I'm looking forward to linking a bunch of new trails together and hopefully mapping them out.

Tuesday Ride Photo Dump

Ever had a song stuck in your head that you just couldn't shake?  This was in my head ALL DAY Tuesday. 

Wattsford Lookoff

The NCC - improving or ruining trails in Gatineau Park?

The bench on Wolf was too inviting not to take a rest on.  No bugs in the sun either.

Fire Tower

4 hr ride.  Mont Blue to the Fire Tower and a bunch of trails in between.

What sign?!?  (no biking)  Hypothetically speaking of course . . . if I were to have ridden this trail, what environmental impact would it have on it?  It's freak'n machine groomed, hard as rock - you could almost roller skate on it.  I don't get it.