Ride reports.
It was Saturday morning. I headed down to Blankets Creek to get in an early morning ride to beat the heat. Just like I expected, I was one of 3 cars in the parking lot this early. Usually, this parking lot is filled with over 40 cars on a weekend. The morning fog hadn’t even lifted off the lake yet and I started to get ready for my ride.
As you can probably tell by now, we are starting to enjoy the Big Creek Tuesday rides more and more. This week, we ended up sessioning the freeride area over a dozen times. It is really great to see a group of cross country riders dialing in their downhilling skills.
A group of 45 riders made their way up to Chattanooga, TN from Atlanta, GA over the weekend to enjoy some of the best single track in that area…Raccoon Mountain. This ride was held by the Roswell/Alpharetta chapter of SORBA, RAMBO, so we knew there was going to be some great riding with incredible food afterward.
Yesterday, Jenn and I went on the 19th annual, July 4th Cartecay ride with what looked like over 50 of my closet biking friends at the Tanasi trail system. It was a great day full of riding and socializing. Jenn and Kristen did a 9 mile adventure around some of the lower trails to really get a feel for mountain type riding.
Today, Jenn and I headed down to Conyers, GA so that she could attend a woman’s beginner clinic held by Namrita O’Dea. Namrita is on her way to becoming the fastest endurance racer in the woman’s class so her advise for Jenn was going to be incredible. Her and her husband Eddie (another endurance monster) also own 55Nine Performance.
What started off as a couple of friends getting together every Tuesday for a ride at Big Creek in Roswell, GA, has turned into a pretty large group ride. We started this whole idea because Wild Wings has “two for Tuesday” where you get 16 wings for the price of 8.
First, how did the Van Michael Loop get it’s name? One of the local businesses in the area, Van Michael Salon, donated $10,000 towards the construction of this new loop for Blankets Creek. Personally, I have absolutely zero problem with naming the trail after them. One, they are supposedly avid mountain bikers, so they are supporting the sport they love.
What is a Grind? For me, it’s one of those days that you hit the trail with every intention of working your heart rate to death. These are those rides that really help your fitness out in the long run, and make your destination rides that much better.
A friend of ours, JeffD, sent us an incredible hi-res video that is full of pure dh stoke. I love it when friends and readers pass along videos that just beg you to get out and ride. Below is the Massanutten 2008 video. Enjoy!
Congratulations goes out to Chad Oliver (HeavyBike/Flowtec depending on which forum you are watching) and the rest of the “Middle Ring Mafia” for killing it at the Burn 24 hr at the Dark Mountain Trails in Wilkesboro, NC.