Sky High

So high in the sky you can barely see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. I did another run around the Marin Headlands but reversed my route. Being Monday there were fewer people on the bridge as well as the trails. I really pushed myself and climbed my way up the Strava ranks on multiple sections.

What I'm loving about the Headlands so far is the fact that all of the headwind I encountered on my way up is blocked by the surrounding hills. It also rained a few days ago, and surprisingly most of the trails were dry with only a few muddy spots.

The Headlands

Just finished my first ride through the Marin Headlands. It's pretty much everything I expected and more. What really surprised me was the amount of climbing there was. They were real gut busters. My legs were able to cope with it, and I just kept telling myself to embrace my inner mountain goat.

With each hill crest there was the reward of breathtaking panoramic views of the coastline. I never thought I'd get to live in such a beautiful city with an equally fun and challenging back yard. Perfect training grounds for the Leadville 100.

The majority of the trails were on fire roads with a few sections of fun single track. I covered two of the major loops. Because it was a Saturday there were a ton of hikers, but I didn't mind slowing it down a bit. Because I'm so used to the gnarly technical trails of the Northeast it felt like I was riding on pavement. I have the perfect bike and setup for these conditions.

I believe the city below is Sausalito.

Sea Otter Classic

So I signed myself up for the Sea Otter Classic down in Monterey, CA, two weeks from today. It'll be my first official race of the season since… man, since 10 years ago. I did myself in and renewed my USA Cycling license as a Cat 1 racer. Not sure how I'll fair, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to get my ass kicked. However, with all the training I've been doing this past year, especially throughout the winter, I think I'll have a fighting chance of staying somewhere in the middle.

Also, I'll be going down there with no support, as my wife will have just started her new job. My race start is on Friday afternoon, so it'll be a quick drive down, race, and drive back up. I'm nervous just thinking about it.

The Absa Cape Epic

I've been keeping up with the Absa Cape Epic in South Africa all week, and I've got to say it's one of the most gorgeous stage race venues I've ever seen, and most grueling, too. The race favorite Christoph Sauser and Burry Stander of team Specialized took control of the race from the very beginning. Each stage is full of amazing scenery. If you're on Facebook I suggest going to their page to check out all the great photography from each stage. Simply breathtaking.

So what do you think? Who wants to sponsor/join me for an epic adventure next year?

Flying Friday

Perfect riding weather in New York today, topping out at 75º. I went out early to Bethpage/Stillwell via Long Island Rail Road. Trail conditions were absolutely perfect for catching some speed. So fast in fact I had the best lap around Stillwell Woods ever, racking up four KOM's (King of the Mountains). I'm fairly certain my standings won't hold very long as the weather gets better and better. There are so many fast guys in the area. Just a few hours after my run I was bested in two sections and nearly swiped of my ranking, granted I had ridden longer prior to the Stillwell loop.

It's fun to compare my times and heart rate zones from almost a year ago. It shows that all my hard work is paying off. The true test will come the next weekend in my first race of the season.

[UPDATE] That was fast, or should I say someone else was faster. Not even a day later someone rips into the Stillwell lap, setting a blistering pace. Damn. Guess I'll be heading back to challenge it. Gotta love Strava. It's like racing anytime against anyone.

Spring Race Coverage

Had a great time watching live coverage of the early spring races, such as the Milan-San Remo classic as well as the opening World Cup cross-country and downhill races in Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Nino Schurter outpaced Burry Stander in the cross-country event, beating out Jaroslav Kulhavy, the reigning world champion. And Greg Minaar narrowly beat Aaron Gwin in the downhill. Simon Gerrans edged out my favorite, Fabian Cancellara in the Milan-San Remo.

Live coverage of the UCI mountain biking World Cup races were streamed via Red Bull Live TV and will continue streaming the entire season. Right on, Red Bull. It still won't make me drink that crap.

It's always fun to sit back and watch these phenomenal racers make it look easy.

Stillwell Woods

Did Bethpage to Stillwell for the second weekend in a row. It was a cold yet sunny ride at 35º. Everything was going great till I encountered an aggressive hiker who taunted me while nearing the top of a climb, acting as if he were about to push me off the trail. What a jerk! We exchanged words, and he wanted to go at it. I just kept riding hoping this crazy wouldn't start chasing after me. He looked like the kind of guy that just wanted to fight someone. Scary. It didn't stop me from doing two loops before heading back.

Beautiful British Columbia

Man, I love epic cross-country riding clips like this, even more than that X-treme downhill, free-ridin' stuff. Technically I guess it's considered enduro more than cross-country. Thanks for sending this Andy. Hope to ride this someday.

The movie above is part of The Story of XTR by Anthill Films. The series thus far is after the break.

The Story of XTR - Part 1

The Story of XTR - Part  2

The Story of XTR - Part 3

The Story of XTR - Part 4

The Story of XTR - Part 5

Bethpage to Stillwell

I did a Sunday ride on one of my favorite trails in New York, Bethpage to Stillwell. It's an hour east by way of the Long Island Rail Road Ronkonkoma train. It starts off at Bethpage park and flows north on some very nice fast rolling single-track through Cathedral Pines ending at Stillwell Woods. The terrain often transitions from dirt to loamy sand. It's a true cross-country ride with just enough climbing and technical features over the 20+ mile round trip.

I did two loops at Stillwell Woods and only came across a few riders out on the trail. There was a fair amount of mud along the exposed sections of single-track, but luckily most of it was tacky, leaving me fairly clean, but I can't say the same for my bike.

I had the front and rear shocks full-on with their Brain adjusters, meaning super stiff for climbing and pedaling, yet fully open on the descents. It's such a great bike for cross-country riders like myself. I've been riding my road bike so much it takes a while getting used to the full squish.

Someday

Been sick the past couple of days. First time since May. It's just a cold. I think the weather finally caught up to me. Been dreaming about warmer days and flying down single-track like the guys in the video. Someday.

No Turning Back

The 2012 mountain bike racing season is just around the corner. I signed up for a few races so far, a Leadville 100 Qualifier, a race in Pittsburgh (The North Park XC Challenge) and another in upstate New York (The Dark Horse 40). One of them is through USA Cycling, which requires a license to race. To my surprise my name and race history were already there, meaning I only had to renew my license rather than signing up for a new one. It was an Expert  class license, which transferred over as a Category 1, something I'm not entirely clear as to when and why that happened, but this was big decision for me. I jumped right in and renewed as a Cat 1 racer, rather than downgrading a level down. This adds pressure for me to do well or at least better than my last race, which was in 2002. I definitely feel like I'm a stronger and wiser rider now.

Being 31 I'm also bumped up into another age bracket, masters. I started as a junior (18 and under) jumping to the expert class in two years; took a brief break from racing; got back into it and kicked ass as a senior Sport class, but got beat down when I upgraded to Expert, then stopped entirely for years. It'll be interesting to see how I fair in my older age yet better form. I'm a bit nervous about letting myself down especially after the focused training year I've been having so far.