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Post by beckyl on Jul 12, 2013 8:29:34 GMT -5
Geez, that's a lot of races! We were thinking about doing the Black Bear Rampage but may have to reconsider since we just registered for the Pisgah race and may not want to travel 2 weekends in a row.....however, we may be able to be talked into it.
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Post by beckyl on Jul 12, 2013 7:53:50 GMT -5
and...here's another one that's not as close to home. It's called the Pisgah Monster Cross and it sounds great! A few of us are planning on going so it should be a good time. Sounds rough so I'm sure there will be both mtn bikes and 'cross bikes out there. Woot woot!
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Post by beckyl on Jul 10, 2013 12:22:39 GMT -5
Since the rain has us riding road and gravel, I figured there may be interest in some upcoming gravel grinders that are fairly close to home and I know some local folks who are already signed up so a carpool/caravan may be possible. The first event is a ride more than a race and it is very affordable ($25!). It is called the Red Clay Ramble and it is a 65 mile gravel grinder in Milledgeville in August. Ross says it's a lot of fun with loads of hills. For some reason their link isn't working and I can't remember the date offhand but I'll update this post as soon as I get the info. The next one is a 3 day stage race called the Hellhole Gravel Grinder at the Francis Marion National Forest on September 27-29. There is a short prologue on Friday night (with lights needed) and then big miles on Sat/Sun. It is the inaugural race which should be a good equalizer AND lots of adventurous fun. If you want updated info on these events, Facebook is probably your best bet.
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Post by beckyl on Jun 29, 2013 18:09:04 GMT -5
Wow! I am totally impressed with how much work you all did today. The bridge looks awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time to fix up one of my favorite trails. I have many fond memories of riding this trail ...over a decade ago when I would come in from Aiken with my dear friends Marsha and Alice, a SMC in '09, and while competing in the Baker's Dozen alongside the Drawdys over the past two years. You guys rock!
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Post by beckyl on Jun 28, 2013 5:20:55 GMT -5
The race is ON for Friday night, assuming there is no rain on Friday. Cross your fingers! Fingers crossed!!! I'm ready to get this party started! woot woot!
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Post by beckyl on Jun 24, 2013 7:37:32 GMT -5
Thanks to SORBA-CSRA and GoneRiding I had a chance to compete (more like try) in my first triathlon at Issaqueena Forest outside of Clemson, SC. Training for this consisted of.......well I found out I had the entry two weeks ago. Did manage two rides followed by a run. Swims I did were all in the pool. After spending the night (with very little sleep) with relatives in Anderson, SC I got to Issaqueena around 6:30 am. I knew I had to get the race packet but the rest of it I was clueless. I picked the brains of fellow racers and brought my gear to the transition area to set up. Again clueless on this. I just observed others. I was a bit nervous and kinda made my first mistake of the day by not really eating anything. Looking out at the lake I made one very clear observation, a kilometer swim looks a lot different in a pool then in open water. This would be my first long open swim since I did the "mile swim" at Boy Scout camp. Yes it has been awhile. Also, I am blind as a bat and do not wear contacts. After a racers meeting the race started. I was positioned more in the rear and it started of very slow with many legs and arms flapping all over the place. Did get hit once and had to re-adjust my goggles. After about 5 minutes into the swim I did manage to get to the outside the group and start passing some others. I did breast stroke most of the time, my strongest sustained stroke. When I wanted to go a quick pass I got my free-style in. Managed to finish the swim around mid field. Transition......well again clueless. I just got my jersey on, helmet, glasses ( I could see again), socks, shoes, gloves and headed out. Started on a fire road climb. Passed a few here and then got into tight singletrack. This is were riding in groups suck for a ss. Person in front of me downshifted on a short but steep climb and I lost all momentum. Had to jump off and push. This became the story of the ride. I would pass folks on the forest service rides and then get slowed down on the singletrack climbs. I did ride with Brad V. for awhile during a good portion of the ride. He finally pulled away on a steep technical climb. Overall the best way to describe the trail was tight rocky/rooty trail (maybe keg) with the hills of Tower. Old school trails. Would love to ride it again but I did not see any other trail markers other the the XTerra ones. I passed about 15 people on this section while getting passed myself by 7 riders. I hit the transition again and again I was clueless. Someone mention that the number had to be in front. I had to re-pin the number. There went more time. I downed some Gatorade and water and was off. The trail run followed the edge of the lake, had old rocky walkways and uneven steps before going to ff-canter rooty, rocky, up and down, tight singletrack. About 1/2 mile into the run I rolled my ankle and went down banging up my knee. After this it was more like slow motion running. By far I was concerned about the run as being my weak leg. After this my normally slow pace would of been fast. Key thing was, I was still having fun. Finally made the finish in 162 minutes. Far away from the first place folks. I did make my goal of under 3 hours and can only improve. If doing it again, I would practice the transition. I lost 5-10 minutes in this area, pre-ride the course, and this was one of those times I had gears. Big mistakes for me, lack of nutrition and water. Also the tire pressure was a little high. Great story, Brian! Wow, I'm impressed. The swimming part will keep me out of "real" triathlons and I admire folks who can finish these things. Sorry to hear about your ankle. I have a tendency do roll my ankle as well but trail running has surprisingly made it stronger even though the chances of rolling it are greater.
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Post by beckyl on Jun 19, 2013 7:19:54 GMT -5
Some are runners with blown out knees that have simply found a new exercise and are perfectly happy on a trail that will provide that. There is no "right" way to mountain bike you aren't going to force riders to want something they don't (but by all means encourage them if they show interest as we do when we have skills clinics or skill building opportunities)......... We ride at night not because we want that challenge but simply because it extends our riding season to year round. We have encouraged and brought a lot of others into night riding, some still are and others found it wasn't for them. It's all good - people on bikes - whatever that means> for transportation, on the roads, on the Greeneway, on the trails (from Bartram to Lunatic Fringe), racing, freeriding, trials, endurance events and the list goes on and on - just get on your bike and ride and have the time of your life! Thanks Angela. Well said. It takes all kinds to make the world go around.
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Post by beckyl on Jun 8, 2013 8:51:09 GMT -5
Is there a special category for Old Farts here? No, not yet. However, if you don't bathe for a while, we might consider a class for aromatic FaRTs. Oh no! Well, I shouldn't be surprised....it's already degenerated to discussing "wet farts" so I guess anything goes!
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Post by beckyl on Jun 7, 2013 7:18:08 GMT -5
I'm pretty stoked on this, I think it'll be a lot of fun. Now I need to get out there and ride some so I have an idea of what my lap times are... I agree totally! LOVE the name of this event. It appeals to my warped sense of humor. Not sure who thought of it but kudos to whoever did! Cracks me up! Looking forward to the event and figuring out my ride times. There is some strategy involved. You don't necessarily want to shoot for your fastest time because you could have a mechanical and it would throw you way off. Gotta go for a speed somewhere between comfortable and about 90%.
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Post by beckyl on May 29, 2013 18:50:31 GMT -5
Thanks John for putting the work party together and many thanks to everyone that took time out of their Memorial Day weekend to work. Me and my homegirl Heather are checking it out tomorrow after work. Looking forward to it!
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Post by beckyl on May 26, 2013 17:35:56 GMT -5
I can tell my son he's riding strong until I'm blue in the face, but until he hears it from someone else it doesn't sink in. So thank you. And nice to meet you. You're quite welcome! It was a pleasure meeting you both. If your son keeps going the way he is, you'll have trouble keeping up with him one day!
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Post by beckyl on May 24, 2013 7:37:02 GMT -5
Yep, love him or hate him, by all accounts he is a guy who loves to ride. This is so awesome. These folks are so brave to keep going in spite of such challenges.
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Post by beckyl on May 14, 2013 8:12:08 GMT -5
What a great story and cool pics! Thanks for sharing, Dustin!
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Post by beckyl on Apr 22, 2013 7:38:26 GMT -5
First of all, great pics Angela!! Thanks to all the volunteers at the sags and the event in general. What a wonderful day it was getting to see old and new friends. Chaos and I logged 40 miles and this is the furthest she has ever ridden (woot woot!). The trail and the temps were perfect! Hey Dustin, BTW, you were not an hour behind Ted and Nevin, more like 30 minutes. Good job dude!
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Post by beckyl on Apr 16, 2013 14:26:15 GMT -5
To help celebrate Earth Day, we are having another bike to work day at GRU this Friday, April 19. Rides will be leaving from North Augusta via the Greeneway at 7 a.m., Savannah Rapids Pavilion via the towpath at 6:45 a.m. and Daniel Village at 7:30 a.m. Everyone participating will be entered into a drawing for swag from the local bikes shops. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know (rlambert@gru.edu) and I'll make sure to hook you up with the right ride leader. If we have to cancel due to rain, I will post a message on this forum and we will reschedule the date. Hope to see you out there!
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Post by beckyl on Apr 1, 2013 10:44:32 GMT -5
The trail damage bums me out and we are happy to help when help is needed to restore the trail. That park has so much to offer and the mtn biking is (was?) a BIG bonus. I think using this as a "lesson learned" and making corrections (in multiple arenas) based upon that is a good approach in moving forward. It's always easy to point fingers but in the end the damage is done and you have to think of ways to fix it and move on....as I believe SORBAcsra is doing.
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Post by beckyl on Mar 28, 2013 13:28:13 GMT -5
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Post by beckyl on Mar 14, 2013 5:13:05 GMT -5
If you do the trail CCW, you go down a long hill, cross a stream to the right then do a few switchbacks up a hill to a ridge, walk along the ridge a little ways and the trail turns back to the right toward the road, as the trail goes toward the road you will go down a small hill and back up again and as you are climbing the second climb, the tree is to the left about halfway up. Like I said, you'll bushwack to get to it and you can't see it from the trail.
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Post by beckyl on Mar 13, 2013 10:21:28 GMT -5
This is one of our favorite places to hike in the area. Great wildflowers and there's a funky VERY old cedar tree you have to bushwack a little ways from the trail to get to but it's a hoot to climb. We usually eat a snack while sitting in the tree. I know, it's kinda silly. Thanks for posting these pics! Love seeing the little guy out on the trails.
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Post by beckyl on Mar 3, 2013 11:31:22 GMT -5
Well, the 2013 Snake Gap Time Trials are on the books and we had a great showing from the CSRA with a bunch of folks rockin' it and getting belt buckles. I'm still recovering so this narrative will be short and I encourage everyone else who participated to share their experiences as well. It was the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to push their boundaries. It is not only physically but also mentally challenging, particularly when you can't feel your fingers or toes for over 4 hours due to the cold temps. The race promoters and volunteers are awesome, too. Overall, great times with good friends! Here's our Snake celebration dinner at Christo's Greek Restaurant in Marietta... Just a fraction of the buckles earned by CSRA riders...
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