Northbank Trail

Northbank!

Part 3 of the trail system.

Part 3!

Northbank Trail

The Beginning of the Trail...

Buttermilk!

Crazy Moutain Biking Video!!!

A friend emailed me this video!! These guys are EXTREME!!!

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Bike Ride Today...

We went to Poco Park and got in a 7.8 mile ride this morning. It was a good ride and we rode the Blue Trail. No wrecks!! The humidity was very oppressive this morning but we drank plenty of water from a Camel Back bags. We will drink an entire bag of water on a long ride.


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A few more pics...

Me and Jeff all banged up!!

Mark on the trail!!

Mark in the creek crossing!

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Our Ride This Morning...

So this morning we went on a bike ride to Pocahontas Park. It was Jeff, Mark and I. We had to do an early ride as I have to work tonight. We got there around 8.15am and proceeded to go to the trail. We went down some nice trails that lead us to the main trailhead. On the way, I was going fast down one of the hills and I tried to scratch my nose. Boy was that a mistake!!

My wheel turned to the left and I kept on flying down the hill. It was almost like I was sliding into home plate!! My right forearm is all scratched and my left knee is all torn up. I was bleeding and had a trail of blood all the way to my sock. The bad part about all of this is that I was not trying to do an obstacle! It was just a wide open road. I am sore, but my pride was hurt more than anything. We decided to continue with the ride as planed. I was not going to let a wreck keep me from getting my exercise and fun for the day.

Mark and Jeff both now have Clip-Ins and Egg Beaters for their bikes; so needless to say, I was not the only one that had a few accidents today. Mark was the next one and Jeff followed in wrecking. Jeff’s knee was as bad as mine. Mark did not get bumped as bad as we did, but he did take a few spills.



That is a pic of me going in a little creek that runs across the trail that we were riding today. We rode on Lake View 1 and 2. Mark and I did these before and we did about 12 miles but we got lost and had to ride over the dirt roads in the park to get back. We were a bit smarter this morning and found our way to the car.

All in all, it was a very good morning ride with us doing 9 miles and 970 feet of elevation changes. We did the ride in a total of about 2.5 hours.


This pic is me going over what would be considered a normal obstacle in the parks that we ride in. These are present in all of the parks that we ride. Some of them a re bigger than this, but most are about this size. I will post on Tuesday all the GPS data of these new trails that we rode today.



I went home and cleaned up, doctored myself and then got some much needed rest!

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Stress Level...

With things like they are today, many people including myself are very stressed out. How do you deal with stress? Do you meditate, or walk, jog, or workout? I for one like to go mountain biking. It is great exercise and also a great way to blow off steam! There is nothing like going riding with my friends and doing about 8-10 miles in the great parks that are around the Richmond Metroplex.

I can tell when I get too stressed out. I get very edgy and snap at people for no or little reason. Little things piss me off and I do not like that. I am a high energy person to begin with, so being on the high side of that level is almost too much to deal with. With so much uncertainty in our lives, minor things tend to be as they say the straw that broke the camels back.

I think that when we focus or obsess on small issues that it tends to make them bigger than they actually are. I know that my wife often tells me to no obsess about an issue and it will not be that big. I understand what she is saying, but it is sometimes hard to do that.

At my job, we are contractors, actually we are sub-contractors. We have had 4 positions open up in the Automation department and we did interviews. I worried about them for a few weeks before they happened. I was able to land a job; the benefits are great and the total package would be much better than what I currently have. SO I had the interview over a week ago and now I am worrying about who is going to get the positions...

I hope that the stress level will subside next week when we find out who get the positions. So it would seam that life has many actions for me to stress over. It just depends which one I have to concentrate on at that moment. Tell me how do you deal with stress…

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My Gary Fisher Wahoo Bike...

So after having my Wahoo for over 6 months, I really like it. It is not for the casual rider. The bike geometry is very different from the Schwinn bike I used to ride. If a person purchases a Gary Fisher bike, they really have to want to ride. The bike has a very sharp front end and as I like to say, it is in attack mode or attack stance. The front tire and fork is very sharp compared to other bikes. The forks are adjustable and I like to keep them very loose to absorb impacts better.

The gear changers are very responsive and tight. With just a little motion, the gears will change. The seat I bought (Bontranger) in conjunction with a good pair of padded shorts helps keep my butt from getting too sore on extended rides. I changed the pedals to a pair of Crank Brothers 5050 this weekend and I really love them. The Lizard Skin I bought really helped make the ride very quiet because it padded the chain from hitting the frame. There are a few more things I would like to get for my bike, but that will happen in time.


So all in all, I would say that I am very happy with my bike and that I am glad that I bought a Gary Fisher bike. I did try several other kinds of bikes; Trek and Specialized were the other two bikes I tried. They just did not feel as good to me as the Gary Fisher did.



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Moutain Biking and Health Benefits...

Last year about November I went to the doctor for a physical. He did all the blood work and all that stuff. My results came back good. My blood pressure is about 127/80 and my Triglycerides are about 189 which are in the good range. He said that I needed to loose some weight. At that time, I was about 185-190 and I am 5'8'' He suggested that I ride my bike more and that it would help. I said ok. I was going to try to anyway as I like to do it.

A few weeks ago, I realized that my pants were fitting very loose. They are a 34 waste. So after noticing that, I got on the scales after I took a shower and was amazed. I weighed 172!! I got on them on Sunday night and I was 169. I am on the first belt hole and all my 34 stuff fits me very loose. So with out even trying to loose weight, I have done it. I do not diet!! I eat what I want to and also at work I walk an incredible amount because of the size of the Fab that I work in. I walk an average of 10,000 steps a shift! So you see the reason that I do not diet. I am a very finicky eater! I only like cretin things.

I would like to ride about 12-15 miles a week, but my work schedule is very demanding at this time so that is not possible. I did however ride over this weekend a total of 16 miles! Riding on a trail is not like riding on the road or surface streets. Trail riding is much more demanding because of the terrain. I am very proud of what I have accomplished with my mountain bike ridding. It is great fun and I reap some good benefits from it! Don't get me wrong, I do get sore in my legs and my lower back from riding, and I have had a few wrecks, but it is all worth it.

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This weekend...

Well, yesterday i took my Wife riding and we did 3.5 miles. It was on the streets. Afterwards, Mark and I went riding in one of the new housing editions and we made some jumps out of boards and stuff. It was fun and i caught some great air!!

This morning, Mark, Mike and i went to Pocahontas and we did the Blue, Double Red, and the Red trails. All in all, today we rode over 9 miles and all total for the weekend it was about 17 miles total for 2days. We went to the Comic Book show today and i got some of the Micronaut back issue that i have been looking for and they cost $1 an issue. Not a bad price!!

Back to work tomorrow...

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5.20.2007 Powhite Park...

We are gonmna do a morning ride at Powhite Park at 8.00am. Some friends from work and my normal riding group are all going to meet and do a 2 hr ride. I will let you know how it comes out...


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More Bike stuff.

I bought some more stuff for my bike. I got some nice gloves and a Lizard skin for my bike as well.
The Lizard Skin Chain Stay Protector is made from durable SuperTex Fabric! Wraps around your chainstay to protect from nicks and chips. Does not interfere with cable routing.

The Lizard Skin Chain Stay Protector is easy to install. This keeps the chain from hitting the frame and putting dings and scratches in it.


The Gloves are from Pearl Izumi.
Gel-Lite Race Glove

•Direct-Vent construction for superior palm ventilation

•U-Bridge pad placement protects the ulnar nerve while bridging the median nerve

•Shock absorbing Gel-Lite inserts eliminate road vibration

•Sublimated nylon/spandex back fabric provides great stretch and moisture transfer

•Silicone screened palm for a performance grip

•Direct inject graphics that won’t wear off over time

•Reflective piping for added visibility

•Content: Palm: 90% Polyurethane/10% GelBack: 80% Nylon/20% Spandex, Wiping Surface: 100% Polyester


Use simple detergents with no additives:Never use detergents with fabric softeners, perfumes or any additive type product. The general rule of thumb is the simpler the better. Many detergents with additives leave "surfactants" behind on a fabric's fibers that inhibit the technical performance. Typically the best detergents to use will have "Clear" or "Free" in their names. Don't pour the detergent directly onto the clothing, put it in the washer first, when you start the water. If something is not functionally working, but is not dirty, try rinsing it twice in warm to hot water. This will help get rid of the harmful surfactants. Read the care content label:On the inside of your garment, or on the hangcard, there are instructions for the care of that individual piece. On garments this will be on a side seam or back seam label. Follow those directions. On finer fabrics, use a "Gentle" cycle. Close all zippers, attach "hook and loop" closures on gloves You can use the dryer, carefully: If you use a dryer be sure to use a lower/ warm heat setting (Do NOT use a commercial dryer or a "Hot" setting). This will often restore the fabric and help the water and wind repellent qualities. If in doubt, hang the clothing to dry.



I would like to get me a set of the Lizard Skin Fork Boots. They help Keep Trail Grit and Moisture Out of Your Forks with Lizard Skin Fork Boots. Unlike Thin Stock Rubber Boots, Lizard Skins Won't Ride Up or Rip. The Lizard Skin Fork Boots are One Size Fits All.




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Moutain Bike Parts...

I am going to get a new set of pedals for my bike. They are called the Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals.

The Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals are an innovative new platform pedal design from Crank Brothers. Features removable, hardened plates on each side and multipl pin locations for easy customization. The Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals also feature removable plates allow access to the pins from the reverse side while retaining multiple useful pin locations.

The Loose ball bearing spindle is repackable. Innovative removable plates allows total customization of pedal. Sliding removeable plates allow access to traction pins Each pedal has 18 pin placement locations per side, allowing total customization Plates are replaceable and are made out of a heat treated 6061 Aluminum for durability Material (Spindle): CromoThread: 9/16"Weight: 634g

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Powhite Park...This Evening

My friend Mark got off of work this evening around 6.00pm He wanted to go for a ride at Powhite Park and i said ok! He wanted to show me some new trails and obstacles that he had found a few weeks ago. They were very SWEET!! I took my worst bike wreck that i have ever HAD, EVER!!

The trick was some big rocks that were like a set of steps. The first drop off was about 1.5 feet to the next rock that had about a 3 foot flat area and then a drop off of about 1.5 feet again. I went down the first rock no problem, but when i went down the next one, i did not pull up and did a total FACTPLANT!! I busted my lip, scratched my legs, and ATE DIRT!! I had to have mark get the bike off of me!! I am 35 years old and in all of my life, i have never had as bad a wreck on a bike, EVER!! Oh well, it is a badge that i will have from now on in that park...

I am gonna be sore tomorrow, but it was all in fun!! WE always use protection that includes our helmets, gloves, and bike shorts with extra padding and good bike shoes. We have to be careful at our ages.


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GPS MAP on Google Earth Overlay

Well, here it is. my friend Jeff got me the GPS data for the last 2 trips that we have taken to Pocahontas State Park.




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Friday Bike Ride...

Well we went to Pocahontas Park today. The weather was very nice, about 70deg f with a little wind and some clouds. It was just a perfect day to ride. We went to the Blue trails and then Red. Once we were on the Red Trails, we went to the Double Red Diamonds!! That was the hardest trail that i have ever done. It is the hardest in the park for that matter!!

There would be rocks, trees, and stuff like that to go over. WE had some trails that went downhill and at the bottom would make a 90deg right turn in a bunch of trees and then straight back to the top with more obstacles and rock, roots and trees to go over. This weekend my friend Jeff is going to get the GPS data to me so I can overlay it on Google Earth. We did a total of 7.2 miles with 790 feet of Elevation Changes today. I am tired and my knees are very sore, but it was all worth it!!


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Pocahontas State Park

We went on a big ride today at Pocahontas State Park!! We ended up riding 8.2 miles with about 820feet of elevation changes also. We rode the Red and Blue trails which had lots of trees to go over and also a Half-Pipe to ride in and out of like at Powhite Park. They were great trails to go on and i hope tomorrow to have the GPS data to place over a Google Earth pic of the trip.

Here is a link to a TOPO map of Pocahontas State Park.

Here is a link to other Moutain Biking Trails in Central Virginia.

Here is a link to the TOPO map of Powhite Park.

The trails are not so steep as to where they tire you out after the first run. There are some long open runs where you can get up some speed and also go down hill. Over all, i have a very good ride today and the weather was not bad at all!!

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Moutain Bike Stuff...

I had to go today at Agee's and get my daughters bike fixed. I had to buy a new front wheel skewer as hers toe up and lost all the parts to it. I also had to purchase as adapter for my tire air stems. They were a totally different style and i FREAKED out about them on a Sunday morning as my air pump would not fit them. I cant get them change out either. They had the adapter for them. It only cost 2.99, so not to bad. I Hope to go riding soon, but i work all this weekend...

CIAO

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