Tag: mountain biking

Timing Element

I went for a great ride today. Mountain biking with some friends who are just getting back into the sport. The temp this morning was pretty chilly, but if you dress for it, there is no problem. I was dressed properly which made the start of the ride much more enjoyable.

Heart came as well and had a great time. She is actually a pretty good trail dog without any training. The only thing she needs to learn is how to handle other bikes coming towards us on the trail.

We did the normal loop up to Snakes and Ladders, then went for a rip down there. My timing for jumps and riding was perfect. My legs felt strong and my cardio was not hindering me at all. I was having a great time.

My compatriots were not as well off. One of them had just come off a month long bout of bronchitis, and the other hadn’t ridden in over 4 years. They zipped back to the cars after snakes and ladders while I continued on.

My extra loop took me to the far end of the park and back again. I rode hard for this loop which isn’t easy on my big bike. It was fun though and Heart really enjoyed it. She really seems like she is in her element when she is out riding with me.

Here is our route:

View Tour de Victoria, Feb 20 2011 in a larger map

Stats:

Created by My Tracks on Android.
Total Distance: 9.93 km (6.2 mi)
Total Time: 2:13:59
Moving Time: 1:06:44
Average Speed: 4.45 km/h (2.8 mi/h)
Average Moving Speed: 8.93 km/h (5.5 mi/h)
Max Speed: 25.20 km/h (15.7 mi/h)
Min Elevation: 109 m (358 ft)
Max Elevation: 272 m (892 ft)
Elevation Gain: 446 m (1464 ft)
Max Grade: 14 %
Min Grade: -15 %

Weird thing is that this 10Km ride made me way more tired than my 45+Km rides on the road.

Warm Tables

After Wednesday night’s ulti game I stayed up pretty late from the adrenaline. Some time around midnight I tried sleeping. The next morning I was up early so I didn’t get all that much sleep.

After dropping the kids off at daycare I hooked up with James for a spin at the dump.

It was a gorgeous day for a ride, but a tad warm. We took an easy spin around the lower section of the dump with the intention of heading to the top to ride Who’s Yer Daddy.

Along the way we figured we’d take a spin down the new Torpedo Run. I’d seen the trail before, but hadn’t ridden it. It is styled after A-Line in Whistler and has a bunch of table tops and lots of berms. It was a fun trail, but rather short. Typical of the dump really. Once I get a few more runs down the trail and learn what comes next I’m sure I can clear more of the tables. For the first run there was only one or two that I actually felt like I jumped well. A couple of the berms were pretty loose too and I almost washed out on one as I leaned into it.

After Torpedo Run we rode back up the switchbacks, then up to Old Pay Off. The last trail was Who’s Yer Daddy. My legs were feeling pretty fried from the ulti game and the lack of sleep. Still, this trail is a lot of fun, but the uphill sections were painful.

The ride was a lot of fun and I had that wonderful post summer sticky, sweaty, grimy feeling. That just makes the post ride shower feel that much better.