and…… we’re back!

Technology is a wonderful thing…. when it works!  I know that posts have been few and far between this summer and I apologize for the lapse in between.  The good thing is while we have not been on the computer we have been able to get out and ride some new trails to write about.  So stay tuned, more to come….

Trails closing to mountain bikers in Bent Creek

Bent Creek – About two and a half miles of trails in Bent Creek will be closed to mountain bikers on weekdays as the Forest Service reconstructs roads in the area.

U.S. Forest Service spokesman Terry Seyden said the closures affect the upper portion of the Rice Pinnacle Road and the North Boundary Road from Rice Pinnacle to Five Points, and are expected to last between a month and a month and a half Monday-Friday.

The roads are being repaired in anticipation of the Baldwin Gap timber sale that was approved in 2005. The logging operation north of Bent Creek is expected to begin next spring, Seyden said.Courtesty of the Asheville-Citizen Times

Be prepared

This past week in the news there was a hiker that was lost off a trail in the Pisgah National Forest.  The hiker didn’t use good judgement and made several mistakes that many people do, but are lucky enough to not need search parties to come look for them.  The hiker had no map, got off of a marked trail, had no cell phone and was hiking alone.  All of those things are on the list of "what not to do" when venturing out into the woods.

le Tour

Even though I am a mountain biker, cycling in any form is right up my alley.  I enjoy watching the Tour de France on television and would love to make the trek over there one year to see the Tour in person.  One person that I follow is George Hincapie, he is pretty much a local in the southeast since he is an hour away in Greenville, SC.  But Geroge also rides the mountain roads around WNC for training.  So good luck on the Tour George!

Wildlife on the trail

Monday we rode up North Boundary Road in Bent Creek, and as we were on our decent to Five Points, there was a young juvenile Black Bear in the middle of the trail.  We have seen bears before, but they are usually around Lake Powhatan Campground.  The bear saw us and ran up into the woods, sat down, and just stared at us.  The bear looked like it weighed about a 150 lbs., not huge, but enough to cause harm if it had decided to come after us.  It got me to thinking, "what should you do when you are back on a trail and come across wildlife of this sort?" 

5K behind me and another coming up

I have written several posts in the past about running and how it can improve your biking.  This fact is true because to be honest if I didn’t see that it was helping me any I don’t know if I would continue running.

I completed in my first 5K last week, and it felt really good.  It is good to know that I can run 3.1 miles and finish respectively in my age class.  I know from my running that my endurance has improved greatly, and most of the climbs on my mountain bike are not as hard as they once were.  I know also that my lung capacity has also improved because at one time I would almost dare anyone to try to talk to me on a climb, and now I am the one chatting my way up the mountain. 

If you have ever considered running as part of your fitness routine, but aren’t sure where to begin, there are several training programs out there that can get you pointed in the right direction.

USA Cycling announces 2008 U.S. Olympic Team

Courtesy of USA Cycling

Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 1, 2008)—USA Cycling announced today 21 of its 24 nominees to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, including all 16 men’s athletes across the disciplines of road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking and bicycle motocross (BMX). Additionally, USA Cycling formally announced five automatic women’s nominees across the four Olympic disciplines of cycling.   

Of the 21 athletes named on Tuesday, 12 earned automatic nominations under USA Cycling’s Olympic selection procedures, while nine additional athletes were nominated to the Olympic Team by a nine-person selection committee according to USA Cycling’s Principles of Discretion.

Doping case against Tour de France winner Landis is upheld

Although I am not a road cyclist, I do watch the Tour and was not happy to hear that Floyd was accused of doping.  I am not sure where I stand, if I believe he did it or not, but I have still kept my eye out for a glimmer of hope that Floyd would prove everyone wrong.

Greens Lick 2.0

National Trails Day has come and gone, and this year our local SORBA group focused their efforts on making improvements to Greens Lick in Bent Creek.  There are quite a few changes to this trail, and the rocks at the beginning of the trail are a good indication that you are in for something a little different and a little more challenging.

Crankbrothers Acid I pedals

After doing a story on riding clipless, I wanted to share a little bit of my experience with Crank Brothers pedals.  Crank Brothers make a good quality pedal, and to begin with, I purchased the lower-end Smarty pedals.  These are good to get started with, but over time and wear and tear, they did not hold up to the dirt, mud, and sand that was placed on them.  On a recent ride to Dupont State Forest, Stephen’s left pedal began to click. 

After listening, pedaling with one foot….,  and me even riding the bike, we figured out it was the pedal making noise and that the bearing was probably gone.

He decided to purchase the Crank Brothers Acid pedal as a replacement because of its aggresive design.  The pedals non slip surface allows a rider to unclip on the roughest of terrain, "where one might contemplate on hiking a bike," and still pedal efficently.  Stephen took his new acid pedals on a maiden trail voyage yesterday and was extremely pleased with them.  The smoothness of this pedal out performs the Smarty by leaps and bounds.

Crank Brothers Acid Mtn Bike Pedal