Coombs Canyon

This first picture is the beginning of the Coombs Canyon climb. You'll also notice from the sign that it is also part of the HWY 395 bicycle route...a route that takes you through town on the back roads, away from the dangerous traffic. This is one of our favorite climbs. It's easy enough to do in the middle chain ring, and short enough to race up. Most of the time we just ride up the hill at a normal pace, but once in a while this turns into the drag strip. It's more fun to race when Ryan doesn't ride, because he smokes everyone, all the time.

It was just Kristy and I today. Actually Patrick rode too, but we missed him by a minute at the rendezvous place...he did a different trail. The climb felt great. I could feel the xmas calories burning away, heating our bodies in the below freezing temperatures.

We continued over the top of the climb, enjoying the view of Washoe Valley. This is where the thrilling part of the ride starts...a fast descent down a sandy canyon that leads to the old V&T Railroad Grade. In the summer this descent is very sandy, but today it was wet and slightly frozen. Even the snow in the shadows had excellent traction. We flew down the straightaways, and railed the corners. Part of the thrill of the downhill is the high-up feeling you get looking down at the little cars on the highway below.

At the bottom of the hill we got on the V&T Rail Road Grade and headed back towards town. The parts of the trail in the northern shadows of the hills were covered in snow. Cold crunchy snow that was just a blast to ride through. The V&T is still pretty high above the city, and provides great views of the city below.

At the end of the ride we both agreed that trail was so fun today, that it made the cold, numb parts of our body seem tolerable. Warmer temperatures are expected this weekend!

Is it possible to fall off the trainer?

Not a roller trainer, a rim drive trainer?

Why yes, yes it is. Not to worry, Brent's project car (1964 Chevy Nova) managed to catch me although since the door is not currently installed on the car, I almost fell inside the car.

How did I fall off the trainer you ask? Well let me just tell you how. I was doing my usual Spinerval work out and was out of the saddle sprinting in my Tour de France time trial and my minute man was just ahead of me when all of the sudden the back wheel comes out of the trainer and I start falling to the left. Yes the left, the side where I have one good ankle. Evidently, the mechanism that holds the bike in place had come loose and all that sprinting I was doing was the final straw.

Can you imagine less than one week away from getting the air cast off and I break the other ankle?

I think I would lose my mind.

Snowy Wednesday

True to my word, I went out riding in Wednesday's snow storm. The wind was driving hard from the North, making progress slow, and forcing snow into the air vents of my helmet and onto my bald head. I may need to add a balaclava to my riding wardrobe for days like this.

The climb goes into the west, and this provided some relief from the wind. The temperatures were not very cold, so the ground was kind of soggy from the precipitation. This made for a great workout on the single speed.

Once at the top, our descent led us to the south and east. The change in direction made it feel like spring time! My head instantly warmed up, and the brutal headwind became a pleasant tailwind.

Patrick was absent today. I did see Dennis briefly, but he retreated back to work due to insufficient clothing. He was minus a wind stopper layer today, and the wind was going right through his jersey all the way to his bones. Today's crew consisted of myself, Barbara, and Kathy.

Tag; I'm it.

Ok, here goes. Five things you may not know about me....

1. I like to match. My husband and I wear matching shoes and socks. We wear our, Keens and Smartwool socks, just about everyday. We also have some matching riding gear and plan on having matching road bikes this spring.

2. I was a dancer from 8 years old through college. I performed in several local shows but never made it big.

3. I escaped from the cops, when I was 17! I was attending an under age drinking party with my brother and some friends. When someone opened the door and invited the cops in. The party broke up and people scattered. I pushed out a bedroom screen and jumped out the window. I climbed a wood fence, (in a mini skirt and tights no less), then crawled on my hands and knees through a field of brush. I thought we would be caught for sure when the cops started searching the field with flash lights. I crawled on my belly and made it to the street. Just in time for my brother to pull up in my car. He had stolen it out from under the police. We whispered to our friends in the field, gathered them up, and took off. Now that I think about it, I can remember another incident like this. I was always the kid that never got caught.

4. My husband and I have been together for 18 years now. He is also my bestest riding partner. We met in the Dining Commons at UNR. He taught me the most crucial college survival skills. Like, "how to ditch your classes and still pass" and "how to stay up all night and still make it to class the next day".

5. Natural childbirth sucks! You don't get any points for not having drugs so what's the point. Just opt for the no pain method and enjoy it. I now have a wonderful, handsome, brilliant son who is 6. I am fortunate to be able to stay home with him and enjoy every minute.

6. I used to be a punk rock chick. I was mistaken for a rock-a-billy chick once. Now I am just a biker chick.

Missing Summer

Nope...haven't ridden since last Thursday. Today there were high winds. The sort of winds that knock semi-trailer trucks over in Washoe Valley. I chose not to ride today, instead hiding out in a Borders Book Store. The book store is a six mile drive (round trip) from work. Being in the car that long at lunch time made me sick! I felt like I was cheating on my bike. Patrick went riding by himself today making me feel even worse about it. Tomorrow I owe it to myself, my bike, and poor Patrick to get out and ride no matter what the weather.

In the meantime, I'll post this picture from the archives. Bill riding the Flume Trail above Lake Tahoe...just over the hill from where we ride at lunch. Ahhhh...summer time. I miss you.

Tagged?

Okay, I'll play... since I have a few minutes to spare.

1. I'm a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction...

2. Contrary to what my wife believes, I do NOT love my dog more than I love her. But should I be worried that she calls him Handsome but never calls me by such names?

3. I wore my hair long from the time I was 11 till I was 26. It was long enough to reach my belt when I cut it off for good. My least favorite question was "How long did it take you to grow that?"

4. I hate wearing shoes.

5. I was a member of The Sierra Nevada Boys Choir When I was 10 years old.

There you have it.

First Week of Snow

This week marks the first week of true snow riding for us. Temperatures in the high 20's, and snow only an inch deep made for great snow riding conditions. The cold, crisp snow has plenty of traction and makes a pleasant crunching noise under the tires. And although the streets looked treacherous, the packed snow never got too slippery. It's when things melt a bit during the day and then refreeze at night that things get scary...

Some of our upper trails are unaccessible this time of year, but since it takes so long just to get to the trails in the snowy conditions, we wouldn't have time for them anyway. This trail here has a gentle climb, perfect for single speed use.

You may also notice in the picture that I'm sporting my new Gator Booties. This is the first year that I've tried them, and I love them! My feet stay comfortable the entire ride. I also enjoy the fact that they in no way make my feet look extremely large in proportion to my skinny legs. One of the tricks is to make sure you start with warm feet, socks, and shoes. This helps keep the warmth the entire ride. Don't pull your gear out of the frozen car 10 minutes before the ride....

Here we see Patrick on his girlfriend's bike. An older, but pretty cool looking Marin. Moments before the ride, Patrick discovered his Santa Cruz was freewheeling in both directions! We both assumed the freewheel was busted, but it turns out that it was just frozen. Anyone ever encountered this before? It seems to be fine now...

This week also marked Kristy's first time riding in the snow. She had a good time, but is still working out the right clothing combination. We've since gone and purchased some new gloves, pants, and a beanie. Unfortunately the pants we ordered were not as described. They were made with a fabric called "Tundra Fleece", but didn't really look like fleece. They were somewhat wind repellent, but not to the degree you want in the freezing cold. They'd be great for temperatures in the high 30's, low 40's I think. We're going to go to Reno and personally pick out the warmest pants we can find! After xmas that is... The picture below shows our descent. Kristy in the foreground, and Barbara, further down the trail....

Another funny thing that happened this week, came from a pedestrian. It was a dark, cloudy, gloomy day. I was by myself in traffic, waiting at a red light. A pedestrian, bundled up in a trench coat and hat, looks at me, smiles, and says, "You're a STUD!". I almost opened my mouth to explain to him that with the correct clothing, you can actually stay quite comfortable. But then I thought, no...I'm going to let that compliment stand! I am a stud! I just gave him a big grin, and took off riding as the light turned green.

Nevegal

I found a good deal at Pricepoint on the Nevegal 2.35 Stick-E Folding Bead Tire. I've been wanting to try one for a long time, but they've always been a bit expensive. I have the tire mounted, and it will be the front tire on my Kona Kula.

Before mounting the tire though, I put it on the scales. Kenda's website lists the tire as 760 grams (+or- 40 grams). Mine weighed 730 grams! Not bad for such an aggressive looking high volume tire.

I'm curious to see how the Stick-E rubber compound works. Will the softer rubber wear down quickly? Will the sand stick to it and be flung all over my down tube, making little pinging noises?

I'm very excited about the tread pattern. It reminds me of the Dunlop 756's I used run on my old Dirt Bike (Honda CR250R). The center knobs in this configuration always worked better in the sand then the staggered checkerboard style configuration. I'm hoping to see the same performance on the bicycle. The leading edge of the center knobs is ramped for less rolling resistance, and squared on the trailing edge for braking.

I also love low pressure tires. I'm going to run this tire at 30 psi, the lowest recommended tire pressure on the sidewall.

I did some Google searching on the name Nevegal. From what I can find, these tires may be named after a specialty cheese from the Belluna region in Italy. Another possibility is a high speed downhill run in the same area. Anyone got the real story on this?

Unfortunately I won't get to try the tire out for a while, as most of the dirt is now under snow. Stay tuned for the full review...

Tagged

Evidently not only do we get stupid chain mail via e-mail we can also be "tagged" on a blog.

Whatever, I am bored and know I can do better than Jeff so here goes...

5 things that you, the general public, may not know about me:

1. I am a nice person - this is evidences by the fact that I purchase Christmas gifts for my ex husband, his new wife, his roommate, his roommate's kid, and my brother (who lives with my ex husband). Oh and there also was the time when I paid for my ex husbands fiance's wedding dress but that was inadvertent since he charged it on my JC Penny card without my knowledge;

2. I grew up in a single wide trailer near the freeway. Ok, number one might have been a clue;

3. I have a pet Betta fish that I have trained to jump out of the water for his food pellets;

4. Speaking of trained fish, I worked at Sea World in San Diego as a teen;

5. I had to change High Schools after my junior year and start a new school as a senior and was not part of the witness protection program.

The chain stops here...

I've Been Tagged!

There I was, minding my own business over at Snakebite's, reading about how he had been "tagged". When I got to the bottom of the post, I was shocked to find that he had tagged me!

Being tagged means that you have to list some things about yourself that people may not know about you. In the case of this tagging, I must list five items. So here goes...

1. I was born in Carson City, NV. I have lived and worked no more than 30 miles away from the spot of my birth my entire life. I raced BMX when I was 15, and got my first mountain bike at 19...a brand new 1989 Specialized Rock Hopper.
   
2. In High School, I was the bassist in a Big Hair, Heavy Metal, Glam, Rock Band named Atomic Gypsy. See if you can pick me out in the picture. Extra Credit: In the same picture, identify Brent and Scott.
3. I went to college for a few years, studying music and biology. I dropped out to pursue a rock band career with a band named BBQ'd Salad. Things didn't pan out, so I got a job cooking and delivering pizza, followed by a job filling orders in a warehouse.
   
4. While attending college I met my future wife. We met in 1989, and got married in 1993. Kristy is now also my bestest riding partner! We also have a 6 year old mini cyclist.
   
5. These days I'm a Computer Systems Programmer. The job pays well, and supports my bicycle habit.

Fascinating huh? Now I have to tag some people! The envelope please....

And the names are:

• Kristy
• Brent
• Sandie
• Barbara
• Todd
• Ryan (What's up with the Female Gender on your profile, brutha?

Competition 1.0 - No Slackers Allowed!!

Barbara loaned me this Spinervals VHS tape to use on the trainer in the garage whilst I am convalescing. When she loaned is she said "it is hard". In fact, the box has a difficulty level rating of 9 out of 10. Friday night I decided to try it out and I must admit I was scared.

The first thing I did in preparation was remove all my make up. I then put on my spandex padded cycling shorts and a t-shirt. I never thought I would miss cycling shorts but I do. I also really really miss my cycling shoes. I can only wear one of them of course since I still have to use the boot. I then headed out to the garage and got on my bike. I started the video and warming up. Immediately I had to stop and go get Brent for help. At the bottom of the screen it tells you what ring to be in and it is based on road gearing. We had to count the teeth on the rings to figure it out on my mountain bike. OK, now I am ready....

The entire work out is only 45 minutes so you start with a warm up for a bit and then it is straight into something they call a ladder. Then you do intervals where you go real hard seated, then soft pedal, then real hard standing, then soft, etc. I was a bit curious when I first started to watch that all the riders had big towels laying across their bars. About 5 minutes into it I completely understood. I was sweating like a whore in church! At one point Brent came out to check on me (good thing) and I informed him I was doing a time trial in the Tour de France and could not be bothered. He laughed and went back into the house.

I give this video two air casts up!

Snow Bike

I wasn't sure what to do with my $50 Garage Sale Cannondale, but then I started seeing some snow bikes around the blogs. I mounted some Tioga Factory DH 2.3 tires on the rims, and took it for a spin. It worked great! The big tires aired down to 30 psi bit into the snow nicely. The neon green rack will double as a fender too.

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but the paint job is black with neon green splatter paint. The super stiff aluminum frame and fork are a bit brutal off road. Definitely doesn't feel like my steel On One...

Results of Wolf vs. Bear

Last weekend I posted Wolf vs. Bear. I wanted to compare the 2.5 versions of the IRC Trail Bear and the WTB Weirwolf, and also see how it would be to run a 970 gram front tire on the single speed. The picture shows the Trail Bear 2.5 on the front, and it's little brother, the 2.25 on the rear (750 grams).

The 210 gram heavier Trail Bear is noticeable from the get-go. It accelerates slower, and makes the front end a bit heavier for wheelies. On the plus side, the tall, closely spaced knobs roll very smoothly, and stick like glue to the trail. The Eastern Sierras are mostly sand (decomposed granite), so shedding the wet dirt was not a problem.

When comparing this tire to the Weirwolf though, I think it falls a bit short on overall performance for XC riding. While the Weirwolf might lose a bit to the Trail Bear in traction, I've always felt in total control with the Weirwolf. It's a very predictable tire. Spinning a half a pound less weight makes the Weirwolf a bit more exciting in the acceleration category, and also makes it more uphill friendly. This is important to me, since I spend most of my time riding uphill.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, the last time I tried this tire was on my 35 lb Kona Coiler. The heavier tire on the already heavy bike made the bike too sluggish for XC use. I was surprised to learn though, that the heavy Trail Bear was acceptable for single speed use. My single speed is 24 lbs, so adding the heavier tire was not a huge penalty. It may also be noted that I am 5 lbs heavier than I was in the summer when I tested the Trail Bear on the Coiler. I didn't feel like I was constantly struggling to keep up with the gang, which was a big problem on the Coiler. Since the Weirwolf that I pulled off the Single Speed is near retirement, I plan to keep the Trail Bear on the SS until something else comes along...which could be a matter of days. The other Jeff has a Panaracer Fire FR 2.4 he wants me to try, and Brent already loaned me a Conti Vertical Pro 2.3 for demo. So many tires, so little time.

I ran the Trail Bear at 35 psi, 5 psi below the sidewall recommendation, with no problems. In fact, I plan to drop it down to 30 psi for the next ride. Every bit of extra suspension you can get is welcome on the rigid fork!

Wii Have a Problem

As we all know, there are risks in mountain biking. Many non-riders think we take unnecessary risks, and that the sport is far too dangerous. But if you compare mountain biking to other activities, like playing your new Nintendo Wii game system, you'll see that mountain biking is really a safe alternative. Check out THIS WEBSITE and see what I mean. Broken arms, black eyes, damaged property...

Note: For those of you not familiar with the new Nintendo Wii, it comes with a new wireless controller that is sensitive to motion. You can swing it like a sword, swing it overhand like throwing a baseball, etc.

Wise Words

"The secret to mountain biking is pretty simple. The slower you go the more likely it is you'll crash."

~Julie Furtado

Happy Holidays

A Week of Mild Weather

We've had pre-winter weather this week. Enough rain to moisten the sand, but nothing more. Temperatures are in the 40's at ride time. This picture is taken near 5,500 elevation. As you can see in the picture, the snow level is much higher. Snow Valley Peak, the mountain above Kristy's head, is 9,214 feet tall. Carson City is in a Rain Shadow, so it's normal for all the precipitation to stay on the other side of the Sierras. Soon there will be snow though. Until then, I'm enjoying the perfect dirt conditions. The sand is packed down, and the tires are hooking up. You can really fly through the corners!

Secret: Just to the right of the tree behind Todd, is the start of another new trail. It needs to be ridden in. Duty calls!

Here's another picture looking down Ash Canyon towards Carson City. It's a pretty steep climb to get to this point, but the downhill is all fun singletrack, making it more than worth it.

The Happy Dance - 3 More Weeks

(Click on picture to make her dance) I just got back from my follow up appointment with the orthopedic doctor and had an x-ray. He says I am healing nicely and no longer have to sleep with the aircast on because my fracture is so stable. He recommended that I start some range of motion exercises. The best part is that he said only 3 weeks to go! I will then be out of the aircast and put in a lace up support that will fit inside my regular shoe. I can then ride my bike and drive a car.

My new return to the ride (and independence) date is January 2, 2007

Happy New Year Everyone

Wolf vs. Bear

I like tires. I mean, I really like tires. There's nothing like the smell of opening up your Pricepoint shipment, and smelling the new rubber. I'd have to say that fresh rubber is what gives bike shops that exciting new bike smell.

Also, tires are the cheapest performance enhancing component on the bike. You can really enhance your ride by picking the right tire for the terrain and conditions. My favorite tires these days are of the low pressure / high volume variety. I ride a lot of sand, and the extra flotation of a larger tire makes a huge difference. The big tires seem to add an inch of travel to your suspension too.

One of my favorite tires up front is the Weirwolf 2.5 from WTB (shown on the right here). The shorter smaller knobs in the center roll quickly, but hook up good. The aggressive side knobs hook up great in turns. The Weirwolf is also the lightest 2.5 tire I've found, weighing around 760 grams when new. The Weirwolf I just pulled off the single speed weighs around 705 grams from all the miles I've put on it. It's been in service on various bikes since the spring of 2004!

But even though I love this tire, I'm always wondering what another tire might ride like. I grabbed an almost new IRC Trail Bear 2.5 (the tire on the left in these pictures) from the library and installed it on the single speed.

I originally bought this tire for my Kona Coiler, a 35lb bike. The tire was advertised at 750 grams, and was only $15! I thought it might compare well to the Weirwolf. As it turns out, the Trail Bear actually weighs 970 grams! I gave it a go on the Coiler, but I just couldn't keep up with the group on the big climbs we do at lunch. It felt unstoppable on the downhill, but most of our lunch hour is spent climbing. It just didn't work out for this application, so the tire went into the pile.

Last week, I was riding with my buddy Jeff, and he had a Panaracer Fire FR 2.4 on the front of his single speed. This tire is advertised at 860 grams, but Jeff was smoking us on the trail. And even though I think Jeff would smoke me no matter what tire he was using, it got me thinking about that heavy tire I put back into the pile. Since my single speed is only 24 lbs, 11 lbs lighter than my Coiler, would this tire be suitable for single speed use? In other words, would 11 lbs less in bike weight make up for a 1/2 lb increase in tire weight? This will be a question I hope to answer this week.

The extra weight on the Trail Bear obviously comes from the more aggressive center knobs, but the sidewalls appear to be a bit thicker too. The low end of the recommended tire pressure is 40 psi, but I think I could easily get away with a psi in the low 30's. The tire looks slightly taller than the Weirwolf, and may give a softer ride up front...a quality that is welcome on the single speed's rigid front fork.

Stay tuned for the results of this week's test...

Beta Blogger

After months of waiting patiently, I was deemed worthy to upgrade my account to a Blogger in Beta account. After a few hours of learning how things worked, I started to like it!

Fellow contributors, You will need to sign on to Blogger. There you will be prompted to upgrade your account. Follow the instructions, creating a new Google account. When you're done, your name will reappear in the list of contributors!

And another thing...I also updated the template with a winter look.

Let's Ride!

I was feeling great 3 weeks after my injury, so I decided to hit the trails last week. This was a week earlier than the ER doctor recommended, so I took it easy. The first day we did an easier ride, the Railroad grade. It was, "fricken freezing Mr. Bigglesworth,", but I dressed in everything I own and just did it. All in all I felt pretty tired and out of energy, but was so glad to be back riding. Then Wednesday we did the new Postal Route that is currently being constructed. Going up C1 I remember almost dying. Luckily I was roasting, so I made a quick stop to remove some excess clothing and catch my breath. I really enjoyed the new route, but there was still one section that was not finished yet, probably where Sandie had fallen. I just took it slow and had fun. Then Thursday, we took the same route but in reverse, which was a blast going up the hilly singletrack. Plus, Kathy wanted to ride a bit longer, so we said our good-bye's to the group and took the long way back. We went to the top of Deer Run and came back down the trail again, so we got a lot of singletrack in that day. I had a lot of fun with Kathy. She knows a lot of little side trails that we took on the way back. We also saw the Bobcat that day too so I couldn't have asked for a better end to my first week back.

This week started off great. We did the same Postal Route trail again and noticed the new work that has been done on the trail. Looks like the section that was rough last week is almost finished this week. It is amazing...the little dirt elves have been busy. Thanks Jeff the Postman! I heard that Brent has worked on it some too! It is really coming along and will be a nice singletrack addition to the area! This time I was able to accomplish a section of the Deer Run trail that I haven't been able to do up until now, so I feel real good about that. Jeff got a picture of it above. There is nothing like completing a section that you have been struggling with. You feel like, "wow, that wasn't that bad at all." Now I know I can do it and will be able to from now on.

Wahoo! I just got back from today's ride and it felt awesome! Today we rode Lakeview, and although I was sluggish on the uphill, I was able to complete 2 more little sections of the trail that I had been struggling with. One of the sections is at the top of the hill where you get onto the dirt trail from the street. It is a bumpy and twisty little singe track section, and I have just been fighting it. Today I told myself I was going to do it, and I did it as if I had done it 100 times before. It wasn't even hard! I probably just got it in my head that it was hard, so I sabotaged myself. I got it figured out now though...I tell myself I can do it, and I will be able to do it.

It is such a great feeling to be doing something that you have told yourself for years that you could never do, like biking for example. I would say, "I could never do trails like that or ride in the cold or do hills in the dirt, blah, blah, blah..... Not true anymore because I can finally do it with consistent practice. I am finally past the frustrating stage and into the rewarding stage. Each time I accomplish something new that I wasn't able to do before I feel amazing! It is such a huge personal reward and I just can't get enough. I am trying to share it with everyone, because it's awesome!

Sprint Stats:

Today's Sprint: Coming out of the last turn I was still chatting but decided to go for it, I was in the back, so I moved my way up and tried to get Dennis interested. Then I see Jeff on my left going for it, so I chased after him once he passed me. I finally caught up to him at the last turn but couldn't pass. Next time, Jeff.

Favorite Sprint: Last week I was shifting into gear at the last turn, so I was all ready. I approached Todd's back wheel and he says, "I thought that was you." So he takes off but he's on his single speed. I catch him, then he takes off, I catch him again then he takes off again. I caught him at the end, but then I look up and Kathy zooms by both of us. It was the best! She kept up and then made her move. It was great!

2 Weeks Down - 5 To Go...

Today it has officially been 2 weeks since my accident, and one week since I saw the Orthopedic doctor. He told me at that appointment that as soon as I could to go ahead and walk on it (pain permitting). Well I had been trying to take a step ever since that appointment. Finally this past Saturday, I took my first step without the crutches. It was an incredibly freeing moment. I have been crutch-free ever since. Brent and I went Christmas shopping at Costco that day and I did pretty good. I had to use the cart every now and then to rest but other than that, it was great. I have to walk with the Aircast on so I still use the crutches to get in and out of the shower.

It is pretty comical to watch me walk, particularly up stairs so Brent has taken to calling me Frankenstein.

Felis Rufus

Today we were riding down Ormsby Blvd, a stretch of road that divides two cow pastures. I happened to glance up the road, and I saw a woman walking down the side of the road. Just a few feet behind her I saw what I at first thought was a coyote crossing the road. My second thought is that it might be her pet dog, trailing behind her. The animal darted through the willows, under the barbed wire fence, and into the cow pasture, so I decided it wasn't her pet. I pulled over and peered through the trees. It looked like a coyote, but it had a short stubby head. I finally realized it was a big bobcat!

I frantically called Kristy and Barbara back to where I had pulled over. We all stood and watched in awe at the beautiful creature. And as luck would have it, I had my camera. I got the camera all ready, but I couldn't quite see over the willows for a clear shot. I turned the LCD screen on so I could see what I was shooting as I held the camera up in the air. Suddenly the camera shuts down, and a warning comes up on the screen, "REPLACE BATTERY PACK". Damn it all to Hell! I tried a few more times, but I couldn't get the camera to stay on long enough to take a picture.

Since I didn't have a picture, I enlisted the help of my six year old son for this scientific illustration of the bobcat, or "Felis Rufus" for our Latin speaking friends. Barbara did some quick research on Felis Rufus, and found this article. According to the article, Felis Rufus averages 15 - 20 lbs, the larger specimens reaching 30 lbs. I'm thinking the cat we saw today was 30 lbs minimum. Maybe even 40 lbs. It was big enough to be a smaller mountain lion in my opinion. Life is obviously good for this cat, as food appears to be plentiful.

The article goes on to say that contrary to their pussycat-like appearance, bobcats are quite fierce, equipped to bring down larger animals. I'm glad I read that part after standing within pouncing distance trying desperately to get a picture!

Kathy mentioned seeing the cat the night before. I think all these sightings may propel the cat to celebrity status. Hopefully it'll stay out of trouble and not get messed with by the Department of Wildlife or some trigger happy rancher!

The Future?

I was reading the 3-Speed Blog tonight, and I came across this picture. It made me think of the possible future of the Facility Bike Club. When we first got together in 2001 it was all guys. We rode, talked loud, cursed, talked about stuff that never left the mountain. Nowadays you're lucky if you see another guy on the ride. I'm not sure lucky is the correct word, but you catch my meaning. If current trends continue, I think this picture is an accurate depiction of the future Facility Bike Club...

Back in the Saddle Again

My orthopedic cleared me to ride a stationary bike with the aircast on. First I had to collect it from my friend Kristy who herself is recovering from a MTB crash (hers was way more impressive than mine). She hit the trail again this week and doing great I hear. Maybe hit the trail is a poor choice of words...
Here is the rest of the story

El Mariachi

Anyone read Dirt Rag? On page 68 of issue 125, there's an ad for an El Mariachi from Salsa Cycles. The complete bike is a fully rigid 29er with a 1x9 drivetrain and mechanical disc brakes. This bike interests me for a few reasons.

It has the good qualities of a rigid single speed, but is a bit more flexible. Sometimes when I ride my single speed, I'm thinking that I don't necessarily want 26 more gears, but that a few more would be nice. It looks to have a single speed crankset up front with a 32 tooth chain ring, and a 9 speed cassette in the rear.

I've yet to ride a 29er off-road, but I can imagine that it'd be smoother through the rocks...maybe even feeling like it had a wee bit of suspension compared to a 26 inch wheeled bike. The True Temper Ox frame should help with some of the shock absorption too.

The disc brakes are a nice touch too, helping stop in the winter mess of mud and snow.

I want to get a road bike next, but a bike like this one could definitely be in my future...

Have you hugged your Orthopedic Physician today?

It has been exactly 7 days since my MTB accident and I finally got to see the orthopedic doctor today. I went in prepared for the worst case scenario but came out with the best.

The official diagnosis is a transverse fracture of the right lateral malleolus or as my friend John likes to call it...broke ass ankle.

You can read the full story here

Feel Free to Join In!

We ran into Jeff the Mailman on our ride today, and he was telling us about reading the blog. He said he would've commented on a post, but didn't want to appear to be a stalker. I told him that he's welcome to comment on any post. In fact I encourage anyone who reads this blog to comment. I get pretty darn excited when I see a comment on a post I made, and know the other posters do too. Looking at the Site Meter stats, I'm starting to recognize quite a few of the regular readers. Feel free to jump in! I know I've been afraid to post on other's blogs before, and have even been rejected a couple times. That won't happen here though! Join the conversation. It's what makes blogging fun!

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So, I re-wrapped my road bike with some funky yellow tape, and finally got my spedometer mounted. That combined with my Bright Red Michelen Pro Race Tires, and this bike is HOT baby! Pics tomorrow maybe. Anyway, on my ride this weekend down the geiger, I managed to get up to 42mph. I've been a little faster in the past, and since I had a good headwind I was pleased. Amazing how much a tuck makes a difference at that speed.

Bicycle Art in Carson City, NV?

Yes, it's true!

I noticed a bicycle mural on the back side of a Podiatrist's Office in Carson City about a month ago while driving through town. I have lived in the area for most of my life and never noticed it. So for all you experts on Carson City, I have some questions for you.

How long has this been here? Why are there bicycles and what looks like a Golden Gate bridge? Who did it? What was there inspiration?

One guess..... A bike race in San Francisco?

Any thoughts?

Weekend Cruising

I did my first bike ride in days this weekend. It was so good to get out of the house after being couped up for so long. The story continues HERE.

con‧va‧les‧cence

Dictonary.com defines convalescence as: 1. the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness. or 2. the period during which one is convalescing.

I define convalescence as insanity. Mind you before my accident, I could not even spell convalescence so I guess I have in fact learned something from all this. Did I mention the dream I had last night? I was running through a soccer field with no cast but it hurt to take every step and that I was in a bikini top. What is that about? Do I feel unattractive with this lump of plaster on my right leg? I actually had a dilema this morning, do I bother to shave the left if I can't get to the right? In the end, I had to shave the left because although I have been known to hug a tree in my day - I draw the line with bushy legs or arm pits.

You can read the entire story here...

New Job

After 11 years of working at the place we call "The Facility", I decided to take a new job across the street. I scored a semi-large cubicle in the basement, right next to an access door to the outside. It should be perfect for getting my bike in and out of the building in a stealth like manner, disturbing very few people. Soon that is...

I don't have keys to the access door yet. This means I can sneak out quickly, but to get back in, I'll need to go through the front lobby, through a door, down the stairs, down some halls, etc. I'm not quite ready to introduce my new world to spandex tights, so I'm going to make my car my base of operations for the next couple of weeks. I'll probably pre-change in the restroom, and then finish it off in the car, reversing the process when I return.

Whatever I do, I need to figure it out soon! I've barely ridden the past three weeks. No riding=very few posts to the blog. Kristy and I plan to do some road riding today, so hopefully I'll get some new pictures up today!

Update on my Condition

The day after the crash, Thanksgiving, and the day after that...you can read all about it here:

Happy Thanksgiving

Another One Bites the Dust

Let me start by saying, I am on pain medication so hopefully this story makes sense....It was Tuesday about noon and the wind was howling. Since most of the crew was off this week, it was just me and Patrick on the ride that day. I am 4'11" tall and weigh exactly 98.6 pounds so I have been known to be blown over by the wind. I called Patrick to check and make sure he still wanted to ride. He went outside and called me back saying we were going, it was like summer out there 58 degrees, etc. So we met at the usual spot and headed directly into the wind.

We decided to do the new postal route and Jeff had mentioned that there was a lower track that was not as defined. Patrick and I decided to check it out. I let him lead and we headed down the trail. Well, there really was not much of a trail just what seemed to be randomly placed orange flags every so often. This section is also off camber so I unclipped my left foot and used that to guide my bike through the brush but was still clipped in on the right. I lost my balance and started to go down to the right and could not get unclipped until the last second, put my foot down, heard a snap, and hit the ground. I layed there for a minute thinking "&^%$" and hoping that Patrick saw me fall. I think I was screaming too but that is beside the point.

It seemed like a couple of minutes went by and then Patrick was standing over me asking me if I was ok and saying "oh no!". He suggested I get up and walk it off before it swelled and I said I needed a minute. I seriously could not move I was in so much pain. A couple of minutes went by and I decided I could use my bike a crutch on the right side and hobble down the hill until we hit flat ground and then ride out. When we got to the dirt road Patrick helped me back on my bike and I clipped in on the left, I could not do anything with the right leg so I let it dangle. I rode down the hill with one leg and then we got to the pavement. I had to pedal from the bike path to Patrick's house with only my left leg. The scariest part was the intersections cos I had to unclip the left well before hand and then make sure I leaned to the left so I would not land on my right. Once we got there Patrick loaded my bike up into his truck and drove me to my office. Upon my arrival there I was swarmed by my well meaning coworkers. Patrick made a quick exit and I began to get the million and one questions. It was then that I lost it, bawling like a baby. The looks on their faces were priceless. I am not a crier and anyone who knows me knows that if I am crying - something is seriously wrong.

I decided that I was not going to be able to shake this one and medical attention was in order. Mostly, I wanted some pain meds but that was the extent of my reason for going to the urgent care. My friend Marti that I work with is a nurse so she took control of my care and I was loaded into an office chair and wheeled to the elevator and then loaded into her car. I waited for over an hour for an x-ray all the while thinking it is just a bad sprain, I am going to be fine.

The results of my x-ray were that I broke my fibula above my ankle. It is a crack and I should not need surgery. I can not even tell you how much it hurts, especially today. What hurts the most is that I am on crutches for a month, can not drive, can't play soccer, and supposedly can not ride a bike for 2-3 months!

Happy Thanksgiving to me...It could have been worse, I am thankful for that. I am also thankful that Patrick was there to help me and I was not left to be eaten by the bears or coyotes or jackrabbits.

The Birth of a New Trail

This is the entrance to a new section of trail. It's a little hard to see, but it is marked with orange flags. We didn't start any new trails this year, so we were all excited when one of our friends asked us to ride his new trail. The trail begins where our favorite section of single track ends, extending the fun even further. It's just about the perfect grade too. Steep enough so that you don't need to pedal much, but not so fast that you can't rail the turns. I'm looking forward to riding up it too. Many of our uphill routes are pretty steep, and this will provide a more gradual route up the hill.

Now that the elections are over...

Here are a couple clever ways to recycle the remaining election signs that weren't blown away by this week's Washoe Zephyr!

A rear fender over at 3-Speed Blog
A front basket over at Oil is For Sissies

Kristy - One Week Later

What a difference a week makes! Compare today's picture with last week's photo. Kristy is off the pain meds, got her splint off, and is more mobile. Today the doc said the MRI looked fine, and all other body parts were healing nicely. You can hardly see any evidence of the the road rash on her face, and only a slight black eye remains.

Kristy took off the splint yesterday and found that the bandage and the scab had grown together. She had to soak the wound in the tub, and the rip off the bandage. A feat that almost made her pass out!

The doc said no mountain biking for at least three to five more weeks, but she should be able to do some road riding as soon as she feels up to it.

What did you do on Friday?

Being a government worker, or should I say employee, I get all the holidays off. My husband, not being a government employee, does not.

So Kath and I went on a bike ride, with her husband Mike. We brought him along for bear food, figured it would give us just enough time to escape while the bear was nibbling on him. Or he could just scare the bear off for us - whatever.

We rode from Hobart Rd. (in Lakeview) to the crossroads where you can either drop into Hobart reservior or go across to Ash Canyon. We chose to go back the way we came and then take a single track over and drop into Timberline. Mike was a big help, he even moved a tree that had fallen onto the trail out of our way. If he did not have my camera at the time, I totally would have taken a picture of it.



You can read about our Veterans Day Ride on my family blog.

Enjoy!

We Have a Pilot Down

Mountain Biking can wear you out. In fact you can get delirious after an epic ride.

About a month ago, my buddy Mr. Hoole was riding the Tahoe Rim Trail. He rode with a group of people that didn't know the area real well, and ended up making it a lot harder than it should have been. They were tired and hungry.

After the ride they went to Lake Tahoe to get some food. Mr. Hoole was starving. And I mean starving! So much so, that he forgot that his bike was mounted on his roof rack. Scott entered a parking garage at one of the casinos and heard a loud SMACK! Mr. Hoole was quickly pulled from his famine induced delirium, and had the rush of sudden realization of what had just happened as his bike fell over and smacked the side of the car.

When he told me about the incident later that night, I was convinced the bike must be ruined. He brought the bike down to my house, and to my astonishment, only the left dropout on the fork was broken! I could not find anything else wrong with the bike.

We decided to let me fix it...the repairs being within my scope of skills and arsenal of tools. We found a good deal on some Manitou R7's, so we ordered the new forks.

I got the bike back together, and cleaned it up. I had to scold Mr. Hoole for the condition his drive train was in too. I scraped and scrubbed off so much grime!

We both agreed the R7's were an improvement to the appearance of the bike. Scott still needs more miles and tuning to get a full evaluation of the forks though. Stay tuned...

I Am OK!

Funny, I remember saying in a recent post that I thought I was finished with the falling down stage, apparently not as I realized yesterday.

The last thing I remember was thinking to myself these ruts look kinda big maybe I should slow down. Well, I guess I slowed down too, just not in the manner that I planned. I would have rather used my brakes instead of my face, shoulder, arm and hip. I really feel lucky though, could have been much worse. I came out of it with a minor wrist fracture, a nice concussion and some road rash that looks like I am growing James Hetfield side burns.

From what I hear it was quite a project getting me from the trail to the ER, thanks to all who helped out that day, you were awesome! I appreciate it and Jeff does too! We have some really awesome friends! Thank you!

Adventure in the Pine Nuts

Sunday we got the gang together for a ride in the Pine Nuts. Even Scott made the ride, coming all the way from Maryland. Here's the picture of the gang at the trail head.



The ride started off great. Just miles of smooth singletrack up a slight uphill grade.



We rested near the top and started the downhill. The downhill was a blast! Tight single track with lots of little whoop-de-do sections.



We did the downhill in sections, pausing at every crossroad to regroup. Kristy didn't show up at the last checkpoint, so I rode back to check on her. I found her laying motionless in the middle of the trail with her bike on top of her! Another bike was coming along and helped me get the bike off her. It looked like she slid out, coming in too fast on a set of deep braking bumps right before a corner. She had a lot of road rash, and lots of dirt in her nose and mouth. When she finally started talking, she didn't know where she was, or what she was doing. She thought it seemed odd that she had so many friends standing around. Luckily we were near a dirt road, and a couple of the guys were able to ride back to the car quickly and get the car in close enough so that we didn't need to carry Kristy too far.

After loaded up in the car, we drove her to the ER which was only a few miles away.



Kristy started to realize what was going on and started to remember the ride before the crash. The nurses cleaned her up, and took X-Rays and CAT scans. It was great to have good friends in the waiting room to keep me focused and on track.

Kristy has a bruised hip, fractured wrist, and of course a concussion. The splint on the wrist should come off within a week. Hopefully the road rash on her face will heal quickly too. She has a pounding head ache and has spent most of the day resting. She hopes to be back on the bike after the wrist has healed, but will only get to do road riding for the rest of the month. Doc's orders...

If anyone would like to wish her well, you can comment here, or send her an email by clicking on her profile, and then clicking on email! I'm sure she'd love to get some get well wishes!

More updates on Kristy to come!