I can't stop myself...

I can't help posting these photos. I have chosen to pretend that I hike/biked all the way up Mt. Lafayette in NH ( http://www.summitpost.org/franconia-ridge-traverse/156248 ) with my buddy Curtis even though I didn't bike at all, it was all hiking, so I can post these here. Enjoy.

Lately...sort of...

It has been a very busy summer work wise. Not much time for riding. I bailed on two very exciting rides, one of which started two miles from my house! Not lazy, just spent. I have gotten in a few short ones though and here is the proof.

 Proof 1 : bike gear

 Proof 2 : me in bike gear

Proof 3 : road shot

I also got the Yeti all studded out with some 296's. Now that winter biking has become popular there are all kinds of studded tires in Craigslist!! $50 for the set.

 Yum.

 Bike headlight/car tail light shot.

 New tail light. Very nice. Installs bungee style.

 Yeti with headlight.

 Lye Brook and Devils' Hill. It was Laird Pond before the dam broke during our spring flooding.

 Broken dam.

 Canine consuming frozen water.

 A wee bit of powder.

Trees and snow eh?

Fathers day ride...

Picnic

Coffee stop

Pond panorama

Father daughter combo I met on an s240!

Trail action

Very happy solo papa

More trail action, the end of a rugged climb

Road out from Plainfield along a familiar route which was made somewhat less so by the recent flooding. It was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable rides ever. Perfect weather. No bugs. Good coffee. Nice picnic by the lake. Met with the family at the end a Boulder Beach for swimming and frolicking.

Saturday ride...

back roads

Flooded reservoir.

Yiorgos on the Hilsen.

The family got together with some friends in Montpelier yesterday. We hung out and chatted and drank hot drinks and the kids played. Then Yiorgos and I headed out rt. 12 to the Wrightsville Reservoir and then down some side roads and a little dirt. Lots of climbing and a big bomber run back down to town. He was on his shiny new Homer Hilsen, a move he has been contemplating for 5 years or so. It is a lovely bike and so far he is liking it. I rode it for a minute and it was nice, but 28 inch inseam (on a 6 foot frame) wouldn't allow much of a ride with the seat where it was. A great time on a nice day.

Rode our flooded town yesterday...

Laird pond burst the dam and washed out the bridge.

Roadside washouts almost made this section impassable by car.

Pretty crazy. Washed out roads, bridges and driveways. I have seen cars sitting in craters made by erosion. We are up high so it didn't affect our place. However, if it rains too much more the second way out of our road could be washed out too.

Lake 300k randocross...

double climb defeated by 34/30 gearing!
didn't require 34/32

half of the double climb

what! a long double climb just before the midway point?

rando cross 6" puddle

.
old log house 1805

flooded house

split sidewall

flooded park

sunrise

For lots more photos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/yaksrule/2011Lake300k#

Saturday was the Lake Champlain 300k. The lake is at a record level, quite flooded. Mike had to pre-drive the route and re-route a lot of sections. He drove around all day friday and stayed up until midnight printing out new cue sheets and cards.

The ride was a great one. The day was sunny and cool. It was my first 300k and I definately found it challenging but managed to stay focused and centered and just spin away. The first section from Burlington to Lakeside Coffee shop was very windy. Sometimes and I would be working away and only going 10MPH. I made it to the first control with about an hour to spare. After we headed south though, there was a tailwind and in the flats I maintained 17-20 MPH. I made the second control at the mid point of the ride in about 8 1/2 hours. When I turned around I was happy for the time cushion as the headwind kept me more in the 12-14 MPH range. I arrived at the 130 mile mark with 1:45 to spare. During the last leg of the ride I teamed up with Gary and Sarah through the dark and we finished with a little over an hour left. They were great folks who are planning to go to Paris this year. They were riding on their anniversary weekend since they DNF'd the Boston 300k, which was terribly cold and rainy, due to the beginnings of hypothermia.

One of the most challenging things was that I forgot my shoes!! I had to borrow some flat pedals. It was ok since there wasn't much climbing on the re-route but I think I might super glue my shoes to my pedals now.

We had one sections where we rode through a 6" deep puddle where the lake went across the road! One rider got a sliced sidewall which the ol' dollar bill wouldn't remedy but was able to continue on as another rider loaned him a folding tire. Everyone finished except those who did not sleep so the rest of us could ride.

Test a new saddle, bachelor weekend...

This weekend the wife and child are visiting family on the west coast. Taking advantage of my temporary bachelorhood I worked until 2 AM at the home shop on thursday so that I could ride on friday. It was a fantastic day. I have been testing out a WTB Valcon saddle from Onion River Sports. On my mountain bike I ride the WTB RocketV and it is fabulously comfy in that role but longer hours sitting make it less comfortable. The Valcon has been very comfortable so far. The cutout and lack of curve up front seem to have solved the pressure issues I sometimes get. Also important is the lack of flare at the rear and shallow depth which for me cause rear of thigh chafing. It also seems to fit the sit bones just right to help prevent me from letting my hips roll forward. So far so good.

The Pacer at rest.

Sunny playground at the Marshfield library.

A new "borrowing" seat that I am testing out.

Sometimes carpentry and rando mix poorly...

Sometimes carpentry and rando don’t mix well…

But it was a great ride.

The first Vermont rando event of 2011 was this past Saturday. I had every intention of riding it 1 ½ weeks before it started. Then I got a last minute call for a commercial job…cabinet building and installation. I was tired when the ride began from working 12-14 hour days, and had a long hard day ahead of me on Sunday, as it was the deadline for the install. I figured, hey, I’ll just go and see what happens.

Around mile 30 I realized that if I rode the whole ride I would be shot the next day. So I opted for a shorter (54.3 mile/time 4:16/slow & steady) loop which took me about 5 ½ hours. It was a great ride and although it is not very randoesque, I am proud of myself for making the decision I did because yesterday was a 14 hour slam and we had to work around 4 other crews at the job.

All in all it was a great day. A great group of folks to ride with and a beautiful day.

Yep, it's a barn.

Picture that I poached from Per. Hope that's ok Per.

This was after I turned off on my own loop along Hinesburg Hollow Road.

Close up of tussocks and beaver stream.

Coffee stop at the cider mill on Dorset Street.
The Minoura light bracket (fork mounted) held up well.

Nice practical bike that pulled up. Father and daughter.
Cool to see a young kid (12ish) riding a practical bike!

T