Rollin' Below Rowland - New Trail Report

There is a new trail in Edmonton and it is much different than any of the existing trails we have.  It is a 800m stretch of single track just south of the North Saskatchewan River between the Wayne Gretzky bridge and Riverside Gold Course, just down the bank from Rowland Road.  The trail is filled with plenty of short, steep, power climbs, technical side hill riding and 180 degree turns to test your slow speed bike handling skills. There has not been an official name given to it yet, so expect it to go by several names or simply a location name.

Early Ride Thoughts

Because the trail is still quite new, the soil is still quite loamy which robs you of your power.  Once the trail has been ridden and packed, I expect it to ride much differently.   The first time I rode it was on my single speed and I found it to be just a bit more work than was enjoyable.  Through the pain and suffering I could foresee how much fun this trail could be with lower gearing.  On my Sunday ride I brought out the Vertex 29er SE and the trail was much more enjoyable with a full range of gears.

Technical Aspects

The most difficult trail feature that comes to my mind as I write this is the short power climbs.  Once the trail is packed I suspect that I will be able to clean all of these, but with the soft loamy soil, these were the most challenging sections of this new trail. 

What will keep this trail difficult for the long haul is very tight turns that make riding a longer wheel based bike quite difficult.  One place especially tricky has you turning right around the corner into a skinny bridge, (when riding east to west.)  Making this corner and getting my rear wheel on the skinny will require some rear wheel hopping to get better aligned.  Riding it twice now has had my rear tire just miss the inside right even with my front tire as far left on the skinny as it will go.   Riding from west to east I was able to keep both tires on the skinny, however the uphill corner ate me up once I cleared the skinny.  Definitely a great feature to help improve my skills.

My favourite section, riding east to west, is close to the end - a small, tight switchback.  There is a small log pile into a tight 180 degree right turn followed by an even tighter left with a tricky ground formation to overcome.  Here is a video of that section:
http://youtu.be/yqjiP4CFjWE


Thumbs Up

The most impressive thing about this new trail is the lack of actual 'building' that was done.  The builder(s) did an excellent job of designing a very challenging trail by utilizing the natural contours of the area.  The ridge line is worked in on several occasions, creating a nice flow in certain areas, contrasted difficult power climbs and side hills in other areas.  It's good to see that such excellent work is being done to enhance our local trail systems.

Here is a video of the entire trail travelling west to east:
http://youtu.be/MyHnM1xU4gw

Get Your Granny Gear XC 2011

Over the past few seasons, a typical May long weekend for an Alberta XC racer involved heading west of Edmonton to Fern and Harvey's MTB farm for the All You Can Eat Buffet of Bacon, Pain and Suffering XC race and the Trans Stony Marathon. The Bacon XC is my most memorable course as it was my very first XC race. I managed to finish so far behind the rest of the pack that they started the next race before I even finished my last lap. I came completely unprepared - no training, no gels or energy source (okay, that's a lie - I did have some bacon in the feed zone) and I ran out of water just after my second lap. Never so much pain have I felt. It was a truly humble introduction to XC racing. The following year at Stony Plain I managed to knock 40 minutes off my previous year's time for my first podium finish. Sweet revenge. Ahh, the gamut of emotions when I think of the Bacon XC race. Sadly, Fern and Harvey sold their land; and with the sale of the land, so goes the Bacon XC and the Trans Stony Marathon. Although the Bacon XC race is gone, it will live forever in my heart. Sigh.

Enter the Get Your Granny Gear XC race at Terwillegar Park in Edmonton, AB. As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new. And this race is definitely new. The XC race will take place this year on the Sunday but rather than a marathon on Monday, a time trial and dirt criterium have been added to the agenda on the Saturday.

Saturday, May 21st will start with a time trail run on Fireman's Loop - a long double track climb followed by a technical, single track descent. The concept is simple - each racer goes separately and the person with the fastest time wins. This is definitely a race that can be won on the climb and lost on the descent.

The dirt crit, which will follow the time trial on Saturday, will be 3/4/5 laps on, surprisingly, a dirt track.

Finally, the Granny Gear XC race on Sunday, May 22nd will be a standard ABA XC race. I will be competing in the Sport Men's category. If you are coming out to watch, I will be the one at the back of the pack - feel free to point and laugh.

Check out the technical guide HERE and register for one, or all, of the races HERE.  Anyone who isn't racing, please come out and cheer on those who are competing! 

Thank you to Hardcore Bikes and redbike for organizing this ABA event.

UPDATE - Here are my pictures from Saturday.  Please leave links to other photos in the comments!

Photos from Dave Roberts - please respect copywrite properties! 

Fat Tire Tuesdays

Here we go again for 2011!  This is my 3rd year participating in Fat Tire Tuesdays, which is definitely one of my favorite parts of the mountain biking season. The races are located at Terwillegar Park where there are plenty of options to put together a variety of courses so that races don't get stagnant.   There isn't many places were you can spend $5 and get the level of entertainment you can as here.  A short track MTB race, draw prizes, snacks and refreshments, and good friends is well worth the small fee. 

For those who ride mountain bikes but haven't tried racing you should come check out Fat Tire Tuesdays.  Even if you aren't into doing a lot of training, there are several categories of racers to test any skill level.  If you are interested in racing but you don't want to spend the extra money for a race license and the Alberta Cup race entry fees, these races are exactly what you are looking for.

For me, each year my family life gets a little bit busier and I find it more and more difficult to put time into training. Weekends will eventually be filled with transporting Lachlan to his events and there will come a time when I won't be able to participate in Alberta Cup races. Even though that isn't something I want to give up, I know I will still be able to make time to come to the Fat Tire Tuesday races to get my competative racing fix in. Judging by the ages of the more experienced participants who regularly attend Fat Tire Tuesdays, I expect to be racing in these for as long as my body will allow me to.

A big 'thank you' to the group at Hardcore Bikes for the organizing that goes into running this event every week.   Take a look at the poster for 2011 to see more details.

Ahhh... Sweet Dirt!

It was a long, snowy, cold winter here in Edmonton, followed by a long, snowy, cold spring.  It's hard to believe that it is May before we can ride the trails without plowing through snow or bogging through mud.  Sure you can find snow and mud on the sheltered trails or those with poor drainage, but trails that are in direct sun all appeared to be clear. 

After seeing how wet the trails looked on Tuesday and Wednesday during my commute, I didn't plan a lot of single track during my ride today but rather just get out and spin the legs.  All of the multi use trails that were sloppy on Tuesday are now dry which gave me some hope that there would be some single track action that wouldn't result in a mudfest. We ran into a few small sections of mud and snow during our ride today, but I found more tacky dirt than anything, and that is definitely a good thing.

I'm not exactly sure why, but Ewok always seems to be one of the first areas to be ready.  Whether it is because it faces west or due to the slope of the bank helps it drains quicker, the upper trail is always one of the driest trails in Edmonton.  There was only one real muddy section near the south end of the trail in one of the drainage areas where there was some standing water.  Overall, the trail is is prime spring condition.

Mill Creek has a couple west facing trails as well which were also quite dry.  The upper trails on the north end of the ravine are in great shape and very little mud to be found.  Some of the steeper climbs were quite dry and loose.  A big 'thank you' to the mysterious person who was busy last fall putting in some ladder bridges over the mud holes. The few mud sections that were found had bridges in place to help preserve the trails as best as possible.

Having some single track to ride home on the commute will sure make the ride home a lot more enjoyable.

Really Busy or Just Lazy?

My updates have been few and far between lately but I suspect they should pick up with some regularity now.  I have a couple really good reasons and several excuses for not posting updates,  My best (or should this be my worst?) excuse is that my old laptop bit the dust and having to go down to my office rather than sit in front of the TV and type with the tube on in the background seemed like too much of a chore.  I was getting some renovations done around the house and taking Lachlan skating but there is always time after he has gone to bed.  The only good reason I had was the workload of my latest NAIT class, but I was able to manage previously so why not now?  As most people with full time jobs and families, I am really busy, I am always really busy, but there is always time for something if you make time.  I simply chose not to make the time.

So what's the big deal?  It's a blog with 4 readers (okay 4 might be a high guess - let me have my moment).  Who cares?  Well, it's just a small example of how I let anything to do with cycling slip by this winter.  My training occurred about as often as my updates and the 'drive' to step up my game for 2011 went by the wayside.  Thankfully, I wasn't on the couch all winter so even though I wasn't on the bike I was able to keep some general level of fitness. Playing hockey, choosing to take the stairs rather than ride the elevator and walks at lunch have helped keeping my fitness from deteriorating.  With the first race of the season upon us, what should one do if they haven't sat on a bike all winter? 

I have only been cycling for 3 years now and commuting has always been something that I thought would be great to do but because of location and travel time, lack of adequate bike storage facilities and no shower facilities, commuting was never given much of a second thought.  There would be no real monetary advantage as my wife and I have always managed to carpool to work and even if I decide to ditch the car for the bike, she would still need to drive as Lachlan would still need to get to daycare. 

This year, due to the unpredictability of my wife's schedule as of late, I decided that I would start commuting home from work.  This works out well as I still get to sleep in, pack all my gear into my pack, throw the bike into the back of the car and drive into work with my wife.  I lock my bike up in the secured storage area and I don't have to worry about getting showered or changed before stepping into the office.  On my way home I can now leave the office when I am ready, get some saddle time in and on my first attempt today I actually got home before my wife. 

The commute went well as it is only 20 kms, most of which can be done on bike paths rather than on the streets.  Using Mill Creek and the bike path along 91 Street sure made the first commute comfortable as I was able to keep off the road for approximately 75% of my ride.  Once I perfect a route and my bike fitness levels return to a reasonable level I might consider riding into work as well.  I pushed reasonably hard for the entire trip and determined a few things.  First, the little bit of hockey and stair work kept my lungs in great shape.  Second, all those things did nothing for my cycling legs.  My legs were burning with every pedal stroke yet I was never even close to being out of breath.  My legs definitely felt better near the end and I was able to kick it up a few gears - I suspect that it was the rust on my legs. 

Just a quick update on the trails - there is some actual dry dirt out there!  Unfortunately there is only small sections and mostly just soft and muddy.  I suspect it will be another 10 days or more before we can get on the trails without causing too much damage.  I'll start bringing my camera next week and post some updates.

Edmonton Bike Skills Training Facility

I would like to pass along an open invitation I recieved. I urge all of you to pass this along with any medium you have available to you as well:

This is an invitation to a Very Special Meeting being held on Friday April 1, 2011 @ 6:30pm @ 118 Ave 92 Street - Alberta Avenue Community League - to plan a Bike Skills Training Facility that will be showcased at Bikeology this June. This is not an April fools joke...fun, but not funny! The bike skills training will involve people from many communities sharing in a project that will bring people to 118 Avenue and promote the area’s revitalization and encourage community. I will be sharing my ideas with the group, and encouraging you all to seek as many people on all levels to get involved in this truly outstanding opportunity!

THIS IS HUGE!!! I can’t say enough about how much I NEED YOUR SUPPORT!!! each and everyone of you play an integral role in this Community, you’re respected members of our City, and can give in ways you may not even see yet? Sponsors, sponsors, sponsors!!!??? if you have ANYONE that’s willing to get advertisement space, we will be asking for word-of-mouth on connecting us with some Choice Vendors/Shops that can be involved in something that will benefit our City, and in turn us!

This is a Dream of mine......the benefit, a Safe Place to Learn, Play, and Grow as Human Beings!

Lowering crime, particularly Bike Crime, well this will continue to do so...as has The Spoke!
I Will be serving FREE PIZZA/DRINKS, so please bring people out, this is a family event, feel free to bring Kids!

Thank you all for your time,

Peace, Mountain Bike Mike.

I have been a part of many conversations amongst local trail riders suggesting we need something like this so here is our opportunity to show support for this project.  I hope to see some familiar faces this Friday...

Trail Review - Breathless

For my first review, I am going to share my thoughts on what has quickly become my favorite trail in Edmonton. For the last month, most of my riding has been at Terwillegar and the new trail called Breathless.

Breathless is an out-and-back trail which is much more technical than most other trails in the city. Some of the technical highlights include a few steep switchbacks, a couple short drops, lots of roots and endless power climbs. The most memorable piece of the trail would be the bench that was cut into the steep river bank. The bench is only a couple feet wide and probably over 50 feet above the valley floor at it's highest elevation. There is a severe penalty for failure so needless to say, if you have a fear of heights or have doubts about your skills, this is not a trail for you.

Breathless is a new trail and it shows in certain areas. The soil conditions change frequently throughout the trail, ranging from grassy to sandy to loamy to hard pack. The sandy and loamy sections are still quite loose and it will take some moisture and a lot of traffic to really pack these areas in. Another condition to be aware of is that there are plenty of sharp, rooty stumps from the bushes that were cleared in a few concentrated areas. You will get a lot of tire 'pop' off of these stumps as your wheels deflect off of them. I am running light XC race tires and have not had a puncture from these so you don't need to be too concerned about flatting.  Also of note, work on the trail is not complete as the trail flows nicely then comes to an abrupt end, but don't let that stop you from checking it out.  The work that has been done is amazing and everyone that I have ridden with on the trail has been impressed by how well the existing terrain has been utilized.  Kudos to those who have spent countless hours building so the rest of us can reap the benefits.

Some of the steeper sections of Breathless are only rideable one direction. For me, there are four sections that I can not pedal up and I consider hike-a-bike sections. On the way out, there are three sections that you are required to push and they are lumped quite close together: the climb just before the bench, going up the switchback just after the bench, and the last climb before the meadow. On the way back, the only section I would consider a requirement to push would be going up the switchbacks before the climb back to the meadow.  With how steep many of the sections of this trail are, I would not recommend trying to ride it if conditions are not dry or tacky.  You definitely require maximum traction and if conditions are muddy or snowy I don't think this trail can be safely navigated.

If you are a fan of gravity, the hike-a-bike sections I mentioned are most appealing when pointing your front wheel down. All 4 of those sections all have at least one tight turn in them so be sure to keep your speed in check. If you are the kind of rider who enjoys cranking up the speed and maintaining a fast pace, you may not enjoy this trail. There are very few places where you can pick up much speed, and nowhere that you can maintain momentum. The trail is full of twists and turns with short power climbs lurking around every corner. This trail really works on your low speed bike handling skills as well as your anaerobic climbing. If you aren't used to doing lots of power climbs in your ride, by the time you make your way out-and-back you will know why it was named Breathless.