# Bike Log 2015



## mlctvt (Mar 11, 2015)

I finally got out on the road bike today. Usually I get at least a day or two in January or February but not this year. 

Took the cross bike with fenders and a good thing too, there were so many mini ponds and even moving water in some places due to all the snow melt and last night’s rain.


My winter spinning bike workouts have really helped keep me in shape his winter. My wife talked me into doing her 3-4 times per week 55minute killer workouts to DVD at 80-85% of max heart rate average. It worked too- This was the easiest initial ride I’ve had in years; exactly 1mph faster thanlast year’s first ride. 
My normal 24 mile semi-hilly lunch time route 16.3mphaverage. Not bad for me for my initial ride on a 28 lb bike. 
The fresh air felt great, so much better than any indoor workout.


----------



## bvibert (Mar 13, 2015)

Nice!  I was actually contemplating taking my MTB out for a road ride the other day.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Mar 19, 2015)

Nicely done! We are still a ways off from riding here. Too much crap all over he road. Hopefully under a month. I'm starting to get the itch


----------



## o3jeff (Mar 20, 2015)

I have about an hour on the trainer. Thing gets boring quick even when I have it in front of the tv!


----------



## bvibert (Apr 15, 2015)

Took my MTB out on the road for a quick ride the other day.  Well.. it wasn't going to be a quick ride, but a spoke broke before I even left the driveway, so I had to fix it before heading out.  I had a family party to get to, so I only ended up with 3.3 miles.  It seemed like most of it was uphill though!  Despite being very out of shape it felt great to get out on the bike!

I hear that some of the local trails are finally ready to ride. I'm going to go check them out after work today.  Stoked to get back out on dirt!


----------



## bvibert (Apr 16, 2015)

Got some woods miles in finally, last night and tonight. 6.7 yesterday and 10.4 today. Considering the shape I'm in, back-to-back rides might not have been the best idea.


----------



## drjeff (Apr 19, 2015)

Got 102.57 miles in on the road last week while I was in Florida visiting my parents.  The LBS had a decent Trek Madone that I rented that rode quite nicely.  Gotta love how flat the SW Gulf Coast of Florida is!  My "biggest" climbing ride was a 30 miler where I climbed a grand total of 142 feet!  And the vast majority of that climbing came in about a 1/2 mile segment where I had to "climb" up a bridge that has a clearance of 40 feet at mean low water on my out and back loop that day


----------



## ScottySkis (Apr 19, 2015)

Bike in shop being tunrdd should be ready in few dayz.


----------



## mlctvt (Apr 19, 2015)

Had to laugh when I saw Dr Jeff's post. We were in Florida (panhandle near Destin) a month ago visiting my brother and it was the flattest riding I've ever done.  Yes the only hill in the area is a highway overpass. If I lived there I think I'd only ride a fixie.

Had a great weekend of cycling with my wife today and yesterday
Did 2 of our hilly training rides  55 miles on Saturday with grades up to 13% and 43 miles today with up to 16 percent. Total of just over 9000 feet vertical for both days.

The spinning bike workouts did wonders for keeping us in shape this year. I've never felt this good this early in the season. 

Averaging about 120 miles/week the last few weeks. Should be up to 150-200 soon.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Apr 23, 2015)

Met up with a buddy today to do a little riding on some dirt. He just got a Spesh Epic from a friend (his first dual squish) and wanted to take it out. 

Man, chilly out there. We rode Kenoza Park in Haverhill, Ma. Cute place. It had a bunch of unadvertised single track as well as some casual stuff around the pond. We linked together 8.5 miles. He was pretty toast so we called it a day. It felt so good to be on dirt again!


There was a castle at the top of one of the climbs


----------



## ScottySkis (Apr 25, 2015)

Heading out soon.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (May 2, 2015)

10 miles in Yarmouth today on the west side trail. What a great system. The rumor is that trail builders have continued another few miles toward Cousins Island but time got the best of us. I'll be heading back soon.


----------



## bvibert (May 4, 2015)

I've been out a few times in the last week or so.  Yesterday was my first solo ride of the season.  While I really like the social aspect of mountain biking, it is nice to get out and do your own thing from time to time.  I got in just over 11 miles, and felt great.  I've been having a lot of lower back issues on my rides this year, so I took the opportunity to stretch it several times during my ride.  Overall it felt much better than it has, hopefully I can keep it in good shape going forward.


----------



## skiMEbike (May 5, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> 10 miles in Yarmouth today on the west side trail. What a great system. The rumor is that trail builders have continued another few miles toward Cousins Island but time got the best of us. I'll be heading back soon.



West Side is in great shape !!  The trail has been extended as far to the east on cousins island as they can go (without going onto Wyman Station land).   Not sure how far you've ridden on Cousins Island previously, but they've added about .5 miles from the previous end (on Talbot Road) to the new extended east end on Wharf Street.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (May 5, 2015)

skiMEbike said:


> West Side is in great shape !!  The trail has been extended as far to the east on cousins island as they can go (without going onto Wyman Station land).   Not sure how far you've ridden on Cousins Island previously, but they've added about .5 miles from the previous end (on Talbot Road) to the new extended east end on Wharf Street.



The last time I rode it, I just kind of went until the trail work stopped. It was clear they had flagged a section for building.  I REALLY dig the yellow and orange stuff. It was fun to hit most of it both ways although one section rides quite well on your way from the lot...not so much on the way back to it.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (May 25, 2015)

Man, conditions are stellar right now. Did a solo ride at Bradbury yesterday. The greens are this vibrant emerald green. This pic won't do it justice but you will get the idea.


----------



## bvibert (May 26, 2015)

The riding conditions have been pretty awesome down here lately too!  I haven't been riding as much as I'd like (what else is new?), but I'm up to 95 miles for the year.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jun 4, 2015)

Nobody gives a $h!t about roadies and their "reports" but I thought I would share this story.

Last night on our group ride, I signed up for the 18.5 + mph group. The "long ride" they call it.  It is always up tempo and we average in the low 20's. Not bad for a casual group.

I should have known I was in trouble when I started seeing older dudes show up with pretty intense setups.  It turns out, one of them is a local who is not only a record-holding 63 year old marathoner, but is also a pro racer. (riding for a local team sponsored by Garmin) He brought a few buddies along as well.

Short story, I've never pushed so hard in my limited riding. 20 miles in I was dropped on a climb. I am pretty sure they were taking it easy on us. It was super impressive and motivating.  They waited for us down the road then we pace-lined it for about 10 miles. A trio of us were dropped again on another hill. 36 miles with an average of 22. Truly inspiring to see someone in his 60's pull the group that far and keep the pace as long as he did. Lean, lean, LEAN.


----------



## bvibert (Jun 4, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> Nobody gives a $h!t about roadies and their "reports" but I thought I would share this story.
> 
> Last night on our group ride, I signed up for the 18.5 + mph group. The "long ride" they call it.  It is always up tempo and we average in the low 20's. Not bad for a casual group.
> 
> ...



Roadie riding is still riding!  Kicking the ass of young dudes at 63 is impressive, no matter what the sport is!

I don't road ride, but 22mph average sounds really fast to me.  I think I need to step up my game before you come down this way again!


----------



## bvibert (Jun 11, 2015)

Up to 159.1 MTB miles this year, actually a tad more, my phone died a mile or two from the finish of one of my rides a few weeks ago.

Had a great 15.6 mile ride as a birthday present to myself yesterday.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jun 14, 2015)

Shortest ride of the season today with the most elevation gain. (7 miles with something like 1300' of climbing) 

Falmouth continues to make me feel bad about my biking. 




Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jun 27, 2015)

Nothing worse than having your bike in the shop during an outstanding stretch of weather. 

Logged some nice miles on the road bike however. I haven't seen dirt in far too long. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## bvibert (Jun 29, 2015)

The weekend was pretty crappy weather down here.  But, I got in 3 good rides during the week, which is unusual for me.

Up to ~215 MTB miles for the year so far.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jul 5, 2015)

Pretty stellar weekend of biking. Brought a friend to KT and rode 18 miles (including two laps down Kitchel then up the road) 

Mileage was a big low but my poor buddy couldn't hang. He was wasted by the time we finished sidewinder 

Bit of a bummer, Old Webs was closed due to a wedding. 

I'm not sure why, I know it's touristy, but I love the sugar house 






Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Jul 15, 2015)

Finally got around to riding at sugarloaf. 

Headed up Sunday morning for a 11 tire on dirt time. I figured I had about 3 hours to poke around. 

Their summer operation is pretty rad; they turn the outdoor center into a bike shop. 

There's a mini- pump track, a bunch of small kid-friendly skinnies and obstacles, and a frisbee golf practice area (if you're in to that)

I went in the shop and met the owner and a trail builder. We talked for a few about the philosophy and what an optimal ride would be. They mapped out a pretty thorough section from the outdoor center that covered a lot of the trail on that side of 27, then some stuff over off the Narrow Gauge trail. 

The trail building is ABSOLUTELY top notch. Each trail is unique and has been thought out well. Rock armoring is prevalent on some of their marquee trails. This is on Jabba the Hut


There is still a lot of work going on. The bummer is that some of their best stuff hasn't been worked into a "loop" yet but riding it up then back down is more than rewarding. 

It's really a system of different personalities. The stuff on the Outdoor Center side is a bit "techier" while the opposite side has quite a bit of flow. 

Once on the 27 side, I followed he Gauge trail south and played off the single track that is woven in. So so so much fun. Short shots that dip off the main rail trail and hug the river. Real gorgeous. I had every intent on shooting a few pics but I was having too much fun to stop. 

I knew I wanted to end the ride with Oak Knoll, one of their newest trails. The guys at the shop said to climb it then turn around and ride it back down. "You probably don't want to deal with Newton's Revenge", they advised. 

Sadly, I ended up on it by accident. It's a 2-mile, straight up affair. After 15 miles my legs weren't ready for the last bit. The views, however, are totally worth it. It's part of the Maine Huts and Trails system and will deposit you at the Stratton Brook hut (where you can connect up to Oak Knoll). 

View from mid climb. 



View from the vista at the Stratton brook hut


Oak knoll is...well...sex. The most fun you can have with your clothes on. Think "Kitchel" at KT with some tech thrown in. The flow is ridiculously good. Beautiful berms, nice rock gardens...just...so much fun. If it wasn't a 2 mike climb back up, I would have done it again  



All in all, I'd go back In a heartbeat. There was much more to ride hut after 22 miles, I was pretty done for the day. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## bvibert (Jul 15, 2015)

Wow, looks and sounds awesome!!! :beer:


----------



## skiMEbike (Jul 23, 2015)

The Sugarloaf area is slowly (or quickly rather) on its way to becoming a Kingdom like Mountain Biking destination spot in New England.  They definitely have the land,  resources, and momentum to make it happen.  Pairing the trail network with the Maine Huts & Trails systems makes for a one of a kind adventure, which I am not sure can be offered anywhere else.   The amount of trail work, financial resources, volunteers, and community support is insane right now.   They are spitting our new trails constantly.   Getting a few days of riding up there has been on "my list" for sometime, and this report has created some urgency for sure.   To date, I've only been able to explore the Hut Trails, gauge trail, and some of the trails on the Bigelow side of 27....I have been to all the huts (except for the new Stratton Hut, which I hear is awesome like the rest of them).   I really need to get there and spend a few days there & to scout out some of the techy stuff and finally ride some of the trails on the Sugarloaf side of 27.   

Great Pics & Report...Thanks for moving this ride up the "to do list"!!


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Aug 3, 2015)

Spending the week in Old Town my hope was to ride 15 - 20 miles a day all week throughout their trails. Sadly, it might end up being a wash as it's supposed to piss rain for a few days. (Since there is little elevation, the trails don't dry well)

Today's ride however was stellar. 15 miles, dry as can be, and a nice loop. One of the best trails includes the "interstate" trail which, you guessed it, runs parallel to 95. Tons of fun and spits you out into a rock garden that can eat you alive. 

A few shots from my ridding buddy of yours truly. The first pic gives you a sense of the trail


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Aug 10, 2015)

Rode Stratham Hill Park in NH for the first time on Saturday. Nice little place, not a ton of single track but what they have is really well designed and has a super mix of flow and feature. Nothing gnar but, I couldn't ride it if it was . Got 10 solid miles in but probably missed a few things. When I visit the family in kittery I'll definitely go back. 

Today I rode 12 in Yarmouth. The trail builders added another .5 or so at the end of the trail. It was hard to find but well worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## mlctvt (Aug 17, 2015)

Finally got our first century in on Saturday, Steeplechase organized ride in Windham CT 103.7 miles. 
Rather slow average for us at 16.7mph due to us riding the Tandem plus the hills,  5600 ft Vertical. Still a bit faster tan the same ride last year. It was beautiful ride through many small towns of Northeast CT Woodstock , Ashford, etc

Season total over 2500 miles now. 

We'll be riding a 402 mile loaded tour of VT and NY in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll have some photos.


----------



## bvibert (Aug 18, 2015)

mlctvt said:


> Finally got our first century in on Saturday, Steeplechase organized ride in Windham CT 103.7 miles.
> Rather slow average for us at 16.7mph due to us riding the Tandem plus the hills,  5600 ft Vertical. Still a bit faster tan the same ride last year. It was beautiful ride through many small towns of Northeast CT Woodstock , Ashford, etc
> 
> Season total over 2500 miles now.
> ...



I'm used to more like ~6mph average MTB rides, so 16.7 sounds pretty impressive to me, especially over 100+ miles.


----------



## Puck it (Aug 18, 2015)

bvibert said:


> I'm used to more like ~6mph average MTB rides, so 16.7 sounds pretty impressive to me, especially over 100+ miles.


I am around 9-10 mph on my woods loop.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Aug 25, 2015)

Four straight days of rain with the first break coming Thursday. This pattern blows. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Sep 18, 2015)

Foolishly didn't pack my bike this morning but a late cancellation allowed me to run home and get it. 

Headed to Bradbury where I forgot people were showing up for the 12 hour race that starts tomorrow morning. Busiest I've seen it there in a while. 

Got a nice ride in....13 solid miles including a sweet loop on the mountain side. I love riding this time of year. 




Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Sep 26, 2015)

Beautiful day, great dirt...

This section is actually much steeper than it looks



Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## Puck it (Sep 26, 2015)

It was nice out today and found some new trails just down the road from my house.  Logged about 15 miles until I snap my chain for some reason.


----------



## bvibert (Sep 26, 2015)

Great weather down here today too. Got out this afternoon for a 15 miler myself. Between the good weather and getting used to the new bike it was a top day of the year for me.


----------



## Savemeasammy (Sep 27, 2015)

Puck it said:


> It was nice out today and found some new trails just down the road from my house.  Logged about 15 miles until I snap my chain for some reason.



How many walking miles did you get in? 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app


----------



## Puck it (Sep 27, 2015)

Savemeasammy said:


> How many walking miles did you get in?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone mobile app


About 2 to road where my son picked me up.  Another 15 miles today after a power link added to chain. Gratuitous shot from the trail


----------



## Not Sure (Sep 27, 2015)

85 and Overdrive !
Went for a ride with my Father in law today 85 yrs young . He has a I Zip electric bike . We did 7 miles on a canal path , Amazing guy ! Used the electric motor about 15 seconds for a small incline. I'm amazed he just keeps going and seldom rested.
He's had a tough 4 months , Lost his sister. While his niece was putting off taking care of her abdominal pain to care for her dying mother, she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic ....Now in hospice.
I thought he might need a lift to get out chatting with him after the ride he says "Oh I was on my bike on Wednesday "
I can only hope to be in the shape he's in .


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Oct 3, 2015)

I'll let pictures do the talking. 21 miles. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Oct 3, 2015)

A few more



Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## mlctvt (Oct 7, 2015)

Awesome area and trails, nice foliage too. 
This is the kind of terrain I'll be looking for when restarting my mountain biking this fall. 

 I haven't ridden my mountain bike much in the last 10-15 years but I will be getting back on it in the next few weeks! I just installed some new pedals and went over it adjusting everything . It still looks good and rides great for a 20 year old hard tail,  yeh I know it's obsolete but if I get serious again I'll get a new bike. I ride about 4300-4500 road miles a year but I want to get back on the mountain bike as a way to continue riding in colder months without freezing my ass off out on the roads once it gets cold. I did this back in the late 90s and early 2000s before we bought our place in VT and I wasn't skiing every weekend. I'd go out most weekends before the snow covered the ground, I could ride comfortably down to temps in the high 20s as long as I kept moving. 

Who knows maybe I'll get one of those Fat bikes so I can ride in the snow. I'll be going to a local bike shop fat bike fest in a couple of weeks for some test rides although a dual suspension 27.5 would probably be what I'd get. We'll see how it goes first maybe my old bike will be fine for what I'm doing, but I know if I get on some of those new bikes it'll be N+1.


----------



## snoseek (Oct 7, 2015)

Nice loaf pics, I'm sold on the place.

Work has been busy and my ride time has been shit. Monday starts my shoulder season. Vermont to brown county Indiana to switchgrass to grand j, moab and finally back to norcal. This is my favorite time of year and I'll get in a month of solid riding!


----------



## bvibert (Oct 8, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> I'll let pictures do the talking. 21 miles.



Nice pics!  Looks awesome!


----------



## Puck it (Oct 8, 2015)

*Mtb'ing on ACK*

17 miles today on Nantucket trails


----------



## deadheadskier (Oct 8, 2015)

You must be exhausted from all the hill climbs.


----------



## dmw (Oct 8, 2015)

I'm pretty psyched on 13 miles for a first ride on my new bike yesterday:


----------



## bvibert (Oct 8, 2015)

dmw said:


> I'm pretty psyched on 13 miles for a first ride on my new bike yesterday:
> View attachment 17605



Nice!  Pretty stealth looking.  Is that a Bronson?


----------



## dmw (Oct 8, 2015)

5010 v1, it's my first full suspension bike. Pretty psyched.


----------



## bvibert (Oct 8, 2015)

dmw said:


> 5010 v1, it's my first full suspension bike. Pretty psyched.



I'd say it's a good choice, that's a very popular bike right now!


----------



## snoseek (Oct 8, 2015)

dmw said:


> 5010 v1, it's my first full suspension bike. Pretty psyched.



Oh man that's a fucking sweet bike!


----------



## snoseek (Oct 8, 2015)

Puck it said:


> 17 miles today on Nantucket trails



I would actually enjoy cruising around on those trails, taking in the ocean views and stress free riding.


----------



## Puck it (Oct 8, 2015)

snoseek said:


> I would actually enjoy cruising around on those trails, taking in the ocean views and stress free riding.


Except for headwind going back to the center of the island.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Oct 11, 2015)

Rode 8 miles of the Stowe town loops today at Cady Hill. Really fun mix of everything. Wish I could have played around more but I will absolutely be back. If I could find cheap lodging, I'd make a multi-day trip out of it and check out the Perry Hill network and Adams camp stuff.  I felt fat....the climb to the green chair had my heart racing 





Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## buellski (Oct 12, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> Rode 8 miles of the Stowe town loops today at Cady Hill. Really fun mix of everything.



Nice. My son and I rode there for the first time this summer and really enjoyed it. 






Stowe Motel and Snowdrift has some pretty reasonable rates in the summer. It's a little dated but very clean, close to the rec path, and within walking distance of Piecasso. Trapp has some fun trails as well if you don't mind paying for a day pass. We stayed at the Stowe Motel and had my wife shuttle us up to Trapp. We rode Trapp in the morning, had lunch at the lodge, and then rode Pipeline back down into town.


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Oct 12, 2015)

The next time I go up, it'll be to hit Cady, Trapp, Adams camp, and then perry hill. I'd love to do it this fall but time isn't looking good. 

The climb out of the lot was a beast. I felt like my heart was going to explode. 


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone


----------



## snoseek (Oct 13, 2015)

I fully enjoyed riding those Cady hll trails. I also rode some trails way out in I think sterling state forest and while they were totally different I liked them also because they had a back country rugged sorta feel.


----------



## dmw (Oct 13, 2015)

BackLoafRiver said:


> The climb out of the lot was a beast. I felt like my heart was going to explode.



I did that last year, thought I must be out of shape. Glad I'm not the only one.


----------

