Is this January?

This winter has been nothing like a normal Nashville winter. I think we've had more days above 55 degrees than days under 40 degrees. Last weekend it was 65 degrees and sunny and a group met out at Montgomery Bell for a very nice mountain bike ride, in January! No shoe covers, no wool Walz flappy caps, no winter gloves needed. Long sleeves and knee warmers and I felt perfect for the entire 10 mile ride. We are so fortunate to have a trail like Monty Bell that handles water so well, but frankly, almost all of our local trails are rideable right now, even Hamilton Creek! (in January!)

It was so nice on Friday of last week, I packed up the bike, trailer and Raleigh and we drove down to Murfreesboro and got a great ride in on the Greenway with Thad and his dog JD. Life's been so busy that I'm out of the loop these days with the old riding crew. It was fun to catch up with Thad and hear about what's new with him and his family. Raleigh had a great time in the trailer, as usual. (thanks Dan!) I have to say the Murphreesboro Greenway is arguable more scenic than the Nashville Greenway. We rode next to the Stones River for much of the ride and there was a lot of new stuff to look at for me and Raleigh. Sadly JD had a run-in with some rough road somewhere along the way and tore on of his pads. He's generally pushing the pace on all the rides we've done together but this time he had to keep his speed in check. Poor guy also had to miss out on Thad's trip to Sewanee today. Hope he heals up soon!


Scheduling and home duties kept me off the bike yesterday but my buddy Miles came over today after church and we set out for Percy Warner Park on bike from my house. It was overcast and just a bit chilly with temps hovering around 50 degrees. It felt much colder with the wind but I was very comfy in a normal jersey, a wind jacket and knickers. In hindsight it might of been a good day to try out my new shoe covers though as my toes did get quite cold halfway into the ride. We rode the 9 miles through Nashville to Percy and went into the park at the arches off Bellemeade Blvd. There surprisingly weren't many cars parked at that entrance, but when we passed the Deep Well entrance it seemed everyone chose park there as it was packed. Our loop was uneventful with no flats or mechanicals and very little foot traffic. It was great to have company for the ride and it seemed we were both in similar shape and riding the same pace. I felt good for almost the entire 30 miles ride but started to get some cramps right on the last climp up Melrose Rd. I didn't want to stop as I figured I'd barely be able to properly dismount. I didn't think I could stand and pedal with the quad cramps so I just kept spinning the pedals through the cramps and surprisingly they went away in a couple minutes of riding. It's a strange sensation to feel your muscles cramp, then feel the cramps move through the muscle and then out. I was happy to not have any instance of pirate leg for sure!

We ended up with a great 30 mile ride with 1900 feet of climbing and 2hr saddle time with no stops, other than stop signs/stop lights.

updates updates updates

This will be a jumbled pile of somewhat related riding stories.

Been riding more lately and it's been awesome. Raleigh and I have gotten out to Nashville's Greenway at least once a week since we got her trailer. We've worked our way to riding all the way to the dam and back which equals about 23 miles. She does great in the trailer. Stays awake for 2/3-3/4 of the ride then passes out until we get back to the car. That's about an hour and 45 minutes of straight riding which is pretty impressive for a 15 month old to handle. She's got her snack cup, drink and maybe 1 toy and she's happy. Pulling that 50 pound trailer can be cumbersome on some of the climbs but I have to think it's making me a stronger rider.

I've been able to make it out to 2 gravel grinder rides in the past month or so. I bailed out of the first one at the 22 mile halfway point. (in the 40 mile route). I felt pretty good that day but we got a late start and I didn't want to be out for the full day. I also didn't trust myself to be able to safely make it to the 40 mile mark. I felt good at mile 22 and felt I could easily ride another 5-10 miles, but I wasn't sure about 20 miles. We had a good crew though, some regulars like Jeffy, Jim S, Parker and Monster McConnell and a few new guys (at least to my riding) like Jim's 12 year old son, Jims co-worker Stick, Jeffy's wife, and a few peeps from NMB. It was a fun route out near White Bluff TN.  You can view the details of my ride here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/106271502

The 2nd gravel ride was this past weekend. A similar crew but on the dirt roads of Hickman County this time. I finished this ride feeling great and we managed about 45 miles. I was treating this as a test of my fitness for the upcoming Crush n Rush 50 mile gravel race/ride/party. I felt good for most of the day. I did a great job of keeping food in me and we stopped at 2 different stores so I was able to keep my bottles filled as well. We lucked into a great respite from the heat and had temps in the mid 80s most of the day. We did Jim's normal Hickman route backwards which I thought was a lot of fun. We ended up with 3600 feet of climbing in 45 miles but it didn't feel like a lot of climbing. There were long stretches of rolling or even flat gravel road that were a lot of fun to ride. We hit a few of the old favorites from a couple years ago like Tyler Ridge and the hog farm. All in all if was one of THE best days on the bike I've had in over a year I'd say. Loads of fun.  Ride details can be seen here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/110151838

I was also able to participate in another Ride for Reading book delivery recently. I've missed quite a few but this was to be their biggest delivery yet with over 60 riders signed up. We ended up riding 6 miles to the school with the first lady of Tennessee and delivering books to an entire elementary school. The ride was fun and very low key but the real reward was at the school. Seeing how excited those kids were to receive free books and to see so many people having fun on bikes. It's indescribable really. What an awesome non-profit! Photos HERE. Video posted in previous blog entry.


Today I decided to ride my bike into the studio in Franklin. I've been working on jingle sessions there Tuesday-Friday and have been taking our dog with me each day. While driving home in traffic yesterday I got a huge itch to ride my bike in today. The ride down to Franklin was great in the morning. It wasn't too hot yet at 8am when I started. It's a hilly ride to get down there and I was feeling it in my legs by the time I arrived. Google maps told me it would take 1hr 30 mins to ride there. I know they are quite conservative but I didn't want to cut it close so I gave myself 2 hours before the clients came. I made the ride in 1:05 which worked well to give me ample time to cool down and change clothes.

By the time I was ready to ride back home it was 100 degrees outside. I figured I'd take it easy and just ride as slow as needed since I was not in a hurry to get back. I am terrible at riding a slow pace so I ended up just riding what felt comfortable. The heat wasn't that bad as long as I was moving. Stopping at a light was all the reminder I needed that it was 100º. I ended up making it home in 57 minutes. There is less climbing on the way home so I figured I'd be quicker but with the heat and the traffic the ride didn't feel that much faster. When I drive it takes me a good 45 minutes to get home with all the traffic so it was only an extra 15 minutes to do the route on bike.

I ended up with 200 miles logged in the past 30 days which I know isn't a lot for most cyclists but it's more than double my usual August miles. With the new family addition it's a ton of riding for me! Hopefully I can keep it up into fall.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Took my own advice

Took my own advice and went back out to Hamilton Creek early this morning. Met up with an old friend whom I hadn't seen or ridden with in ages. We were on the trail by 6:45am which meant I was back home and cleaned up by 9am. That's what I'm talking about, I gotta stay motivated and get out on these early morning rides more. If I want to get bad in shape and get some serious miles under my belt, I'm going to have to get it done in the early morning or in night rides.

The trail was in better shape today than it was two days ago. We rode the trail counter-clockwise at a steady pace and there were no obstructions that forced dismounts, other than the usual tricky rocky sections. It was fun to be back on a trail I just rode. I cleaned some sections that I screwed up last ride, but missed a few new sections this time. Hammy will always humble you on your handling skills. I'm always thankful whenever I can leave without any wounds. :) My knees felt better this ride and did some slight saddle angle and height tweaks. Cleats still may need a few tweaks.

Now it's time to relax and enjoy the rest of the day with the family. Nice to already have a few miles in.

Hammy needs you

Now is the time to get out and ride Hamilton Creek! The trail is in great shape with just a small number of soft spots where water has collected but 99% of the trail is dry and ready to ride. A group of riders were out this morning working on the trail and trimming back faceslappers and overgrowth. The trail should look and ride great for the 50 Miles of Hamilton Creek race next weekend (and Fat Tire Fest)

Tim S. cut a few small new re-routes that need to be ridden in before the race. So get out there and ride the trail and enjoy it!

I made it out for 2 laps on the advanced side this afternoon. It was a very leasurely ride though at this point all my rides are since I'm so out of shape. :) I rode the first lap solo and then met up with the work crew and rode a second lap with them. It felt great to be out and I'm still loving my new WTB Vigo saddle. I'm thinking I need to get my cleat and saddle position tweaked though soon. I've been having a little bit of knee pains the past couple rides and I'm not sure if it's more from bike fit or from just not riding lately.

My Garmin actually worked flawlessly this ride oddly enough. No automatic shutoffs at all! I've been looking at the Strava.com website lately, wondering if it's worth the $70 a year when the Garmin site if free. Anyone out there using Strava alot? I like they you can compare your ride without users who have also completed the same ride, like the Percy Warner loop. 

Mobile, on the go, roaming

I just discovered and downloaded the mobile Blogger app for my smartphone....wonder if this means it will be easier to update my blog. At least I will have a few less excuses now.

Got out this weekend and rode Chickasaw Trace on sunday. Took it easy and kept a slow steady pace. Talked myself into leaving my 32x20 gearing on too from my last Monty Bell ride. It was a bit too easy for 85% of the trail but it was nice on a few of the hills.

I rode one full lap then did a second lap and took a few shortcuts to avoid acouple of the bigger hills like the one to the view of the dump. Surprisingly it only took acouple miles off the overall length but made threw lap much easier.

This was my second mtn bike ride with my new Garmin gps. I'm liking it so far. It is neat to instantly have the elevation gained and lost information for trails I've been riding for years.

Sadly I didn't take any photos of my elusive ride. I promise I did actually go. :)




This coming weekend is the Nashville Bicycle Scavenger Hunt which I am hoping to make it to. I've missed the last few years but I had a great time the last time I did one. I need to work on getting a team put together.

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Tennessee Country Roads

Country Road
Originally uploaded by s3ll0ut

I've been sitting here at the computer waiting for my daughter to awaken from her much-longer-than-usual nap and thinking, I should really update this here blog. And luck would have it, that I have some thing to update it with... even with some photos poached from others.

(If you're not the text reading type, click the image to the left and flip through Parker's photos of the ride)

Thad, Parker, Eric and I all met up in the usual Natchez Trace parking lot for a morning full of hot, muggy gravel mixed with some hotter and muggy pavement. I've missed quite a few of these gravel rides recently so I was excited to get back out.

We quickly were on our way down the Trace to highway 7. Thad's gotten much better at routing us to gravel much quicker than some of the 60+ miles rides we rode last year near Fly, TN. 6 miles in and we were on some sweet gravel like in the pictures. The entire course was new to me this trip which made it fun. I always enjoy a fair bit of mystery in these longer rides. It's generally best I don't know what I'm in for. I tried my best to hold back my "how many more miles til...." questions. Though I'm sure at some point I let out a whine or two. But hey, coming off the couch, having not ridden more than 20 miles in a single month in over 3-4 months makes a 45 mile ride a bit tough. :)

Of course... it's time to tend to the baby.....

...to be continued...
_________________________________

Ok, back to it 7 hours later and Raleigh is back asleep again for the night. Where was I?

oh yea gravel

So the ride was great in all the right ways. Good company, great roads (or lack of), great creeks, great pain and the constant thought of "How will I make it back to the car?" Overall I was impressed with how my body held up. We seemed to miss some of the huge grueling climbs but we still had some painfully slow & long ones. Then there was the deep, loose gravel....though that was actually fun mainly because the sections weren't so long we were cursing.

We are so fortunate that we can drive 40 minutes south of town and be transported into such another world. It was the ultimate head clearing ride. We all also were fortunate to avoid any major mechanical issues. A couple flat tires were all the trouble we had and surprisingly non of them were Thad's tire.

I'll poach a few more photos and call it a night... til the next ride....


Photo cred: Parker

One of many creeks on the ride, probably the shallowest


Photo cred: Parker

This was the 1st store we found, which was closed, not just on Sunday, but closed everyday. We all had our hopes high for some liquid but we were saved a few miles later when we happened upon someone's spring and poached some crisp water. (as we tried our best to convince ourselves it was clean enough to drink....no issues yet!)



Photo cred: Parker

Thad showing us the newest in mid-ride recover drink technology

Photo cred: Eric

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Another creek crossing with some equestrian friends.

waiting is hard to do

Still waiting on my elusive fork to come in. It's been a very busy week though so that's helping.

I used to have more trouble with motivation to write blog entries, now it's more finding time to sit at the computer for more than 10 minutes, when I also don't have something more pressing to do. I had intentions last night of writing up a nice update but the couch looked way more appealing so I slunk off and into a episode of Dexter.

I had to work yesterday out in Bellevue so I packed up all my, neglected, bike stuff and planned a solo Montgomery Bell ride. Life is hectic and my brain is never fully there so of course I got on 440 and realized I'd forgotten my helmet. Had to swing the long way around back to the house. Trying a u-turn on 440 it's not advised. Work went ultra-smooth and I was ready to ride by 2:30pm. Got the tires pumped and the new test-saddle adjusted and.... um, wait, did I leave my water bottles in the fridge at work? dope! Thankfully it was not a 100+ degree scorcher or I would of really had to improvise.



I just decided to brave it and ride for an hour or so, sans water. This ride had many purposes but one was to further tweak my new shoes and cleats and also to test out a new Fizik Alante test saddle from the newly re-opened Harpeth Bikes. I'll have to write up my thoughts on that later, one for lack of time before I head back to work this morning and two because I've not yet formulated my opinion. So far I'd say, it's not a terrible saddle but I'm not yet sure if it truly fits me like a glove. All this to say my ride had many stops for saddle adjustments and a couple cleat adjustments.

I ended up finding a half full water bottle in my car with some yummy 90 degree water in it. I finished that and then went back into the trail for just a little more before bailing and heading back home to be a parent. It felt great to be back in the quite woods on a bike, slightly frustrating to not have my bike dialed in currently but overall I felt great on the bike. I'm still really looking forward to how this new fork changing my riding.

155/365 - I'm back in the saddle again!

155/365 - I'm back in the saddle again!
Originally uploaded by Chewieez

(can you hear the old school Aerosmith?)

Yep, back on dirt, on my bike and loving it! I saw an hour window in my responsibilities at home and took it to head to Hamilton Creek and ride for a bit. I had been months since I'd ridden my mountain bike on a real trail. From the first pedal stroke it just felt so good. My body immediately feel into the routine and before I knew it I was cruising around the trail making good time, not a care in the world and wondering why my body felt so good.

They've added a bunch of new reroutes to the "short loop" at Hammy that I'd yet to ride. Also there were some friends out fixing up the trail a little before the big 8th Annual SORBA Fat Tire Fest Saturday and the Hapreth Bikes 6hrs of Hammy bike race Sunday. The trail still has a little deadfall in some places but overall it's in great shape design wise. Some of the overly-tight turns have been elevated and it's much easier to keep a flow going. I thank everyone who's worked on that trail lately. I know first hand how much hard work it takes to create and maintain trail and you are all doing a great job!

I got in about 7 miles and averaged 8mph, not bad for a couch-surfer-new-Dad. I rode my new favorite Hammy gear of 32x18 and the bike performed great. I forgot to lube up my chain so it was talking to me the entire ride but other than that, just silent deep woods time. Hopefully I'll have a new fork ordered soon and I can go back to Hammy and try it out with suspension again. It's been a year and a half without so it will be new again.

yep

If you are one of the very small number that actually looks at that little MyCyclingLog widget I have over on the right column of my blog you probably noticed I went for a bike ride today. Yep! All 17 miles of the pavement from my house over to the Nashville Bicycle Lounge and back, and it was awesome. First ride after our little one was born. Surprisingly my legs knew what to do when clipped in, even while wearing my new snazzy shoes. The Lounge was awesome as usual and was a good hang with Dan, Fred & Rick in attendance. I even got rained on a little on the way home, but only while trudging up the last hill.

It was nice....

A week and weekend full

I'm just now getting around to posting about what happened last weekend. That's how full my week has been. We're housesitting for my in-laws so on one hand it's like we're on vacation, with out leaving Nashville. On the other hand it a little bit of a pain a we have to go home to do somethings, then bring clothes over to their house and of course I always forget things in the process.

Last weekend we had some friends over for games and hot tub relaxing and then Sunday I got out and rode some gravel with the boys. Thad, Grant and Parker came out and we rode the old Fly loop. Grant needed a loaner bike so I rode my Quiring single speed for the first time and Grant rode my Crosscheck. The ride was a lot of fun and was a great experience for me on the singlespeed. All the gravel grinders I've done have been on my geared Crosscheck except Dirty Kanza and our trip from Joelton to Monty Bell.

Unfortunately a lot of the old loop has been paved but we did manage to find some new gravel. Thad's hoping to explore and find a few more miles of fresh gravel. I decided to bail out of the loop early and skipped about 8-10 miles. I was feeling good fitness wise but my sit bones were screaming at me. Looks like it's really time for a new mtb saddle. Between our weekend at LBL and my ride at Hammy last week, my saddle was creating some bruised sit bones. In hindsight I should have moved my Selle-Anatomica saddle over to my Quiring since Grant brought his own saddle.

My work week settled down after a lot of "maybe" work and I ended up with all Tuesday off. Then, like magic, Matthew P said he was going to Sewanee for the Woody's Tuesday shop ride and I joined in. I made the smart move of moving my Selle-Anatomica saddle over to the Quiring for this ride. We had a good size group, about 7 riders total. Matthew, Corey C and I came from Nashville and met Brian, Woody and a couple other guys at the shop. I got start the ride right from the shop and learn a few new ways into the trail.

The trail was wet in some sections but was in great condition. The soil is sandy on the mountain so it drains fast and even when wet, it's rarely muddy. We rode at a nice relaxed pace and just enjoying being outside. The temperature was borderline cold but not too bad with a baselayer and a windbreaker. The trail is quite technical in sections. There one part where there is a good size boulder you have to drop down and then of course there's a root placed right where your wheel will land. I saw it, considered it, slowed way down, leaned back and dropped it, then paused, leaned forward and endoed. First endo on the 29er, but it's possible. As happens to be frequently, my right leg managed to get stuck between the top tube and the handlebar that spun completely around. It wasn't a bad looking fall but it hurt enough to know my leg would bruise a little. I was able to ride it out and finish the loop which was at least another 10+ miles.

My leg had a little throbbing that would come and go but overall the pain wasn't that bad. Now that it's 2 days later, the pain is pretty bad. heh My knee is sore to the touch where the handlebar hit it, but it's also sore below my kneecap in my upper shin area. I'm hoping it will heal on it's own and nothing to drastic is wrong. Unfortunately off-the-couch Greg is now back on the couch again. I've been chilling all day today getting work done online and on the phone, while I lounge with a bag if ice cold peas on my knee.

I've got another session to work at Blackbird studios tomorrow, and then it's the weekend again. I don't have much planned and I know I won't be on the bike this time. I'm thinking of making it over to the Yazoo Tap Room one last time before they try make their permanent move to the Gulch area. Also planning to attend the Ride for Reading acoustic benefit concert saturday night.

Edit:
Back to the Sewanee ride. I have to say that my Selle Anatomica saddle was VERY comfortable on that ride. I was quite impressed. It was my first mtn bike ride on that saddle. I'd say it was the perfect saddle except it is hard to get your legs behind the saddle for steep decents, that may possibly lead to an endo. Bummer too because the comfort is amazing. So, I'm in the market for a wider than a Rocket-V saddle to use for mtn biking that is as comfy as the leather saddle, yet is easier to get behind.

When life gives you lemons, do as the Roman's do.

Is winter over yet? After this past weekend it sure looks like it's on it's way out. We just had the most gorgeous weather for 3 full days in a row! I'm not talking like a sunny winter day, but a full on 65 degree, full sun, day where it was impossible not to stay outside. So... when the email comes to go on an overnight mountain biking trip to LBL, what do you do? Prep the bike, pack the car and kiss wife goodbye! To say this trip was exactly what I needed is a huge understatement. I've been so cooped up this winter with projects, work, and 20 degree weather that I hadn't put more than 60 miles on any of my bikes since Jan 1.

Leaving Nashville never felt so good

So Thad rolled up to my house with JD the lead trail dog, and a 13 yr old Mad Max co-pilot and the caravan left for the hills of Kentucky, only an hour behind schedule, not bad. We met up with Parker up at Land Between the Lakes and immediately changed into riding clothes, got the dog ready and hit the road to the trail entrance. We were on the bikes less than 20 min after we arrived, dodging trees and trying our best to keep up with the hammer JD as he lead us through the North South Trail. Thad is training JD to be a great trail running dog so he was hoping to test his stamina and get him more accustomed to riding next to more cyclists.

"When are you guys going to be ready to ride?"

JD did awesome! We rode an out and back 17 mile route and he didn't flench and kept a great pace for the couch surfers like myself who hadn't been out on a bike in a while. We dropped him off back at camp and headed back into the trail to get some more miles in, this time heading the opposite direction as before, towards the North Welcome station. We rode the 5 miles or so to the parking lot and I was starting to really feel it. Thad and Parker wanted to do the Canal loop so there was not way I'd make it around so Mad Max and I turned around and headed back to camp. We got a respectable 25 or so miles in and had fun walking JD around the camp site and antagonized the local marsupial while we waited for the other J5Marsupial and Parker to get back.

Thad specifically asked for the marsupial campsite

We were all feeling great after the ride but hungry as all get out so a trip to Miss Scarlet's was in order. This place never disappoints. I went for the sirloin tips and a potato this time and it was great. Parker didn't know what he was getting into with his catfish and barely finished 1 of the two huge pieces of fish. Parker had to get on the road back to Nashville so we parted ways and went back to the camp to get a fire going and settle in.

Our fire making skills were all a bit rusty as we had to stop, knock it down and start all over again to get it started. To our credit no lighter fluid of any type was used. We'd all talked about doing a night ride and all brought our lights. I purposefully skipped the Canal Loop hoping to save my legs for a night ride but when the time came, I was still feeling pretty beat. Max had never experienced riding in the woods at night so Thad took him out for a spooky 8 mile jaunt. "Be back in an hour" He said. An hour and half later they roll up, all grins with tales of attempting to recreate the Blair Witch Project and gooey, nasty tubeless tire flats.

During this time I got to sit and relax in the camp, alone but for JD, the campfire and a bit of rye whiskey. It was heaven.... until there was rustling in the woods nearby. Gotta say, it's a bit creapy being alone in a campsite at night, even with an enormous dog. JD didn't even react to one of the noises I heard... did it really happen? who knows. :) It was a nice relaxing time to myself though. We called it a night relatively early and bundled up for the cold night.

Thad treated us to a great breakfast of coffee, oatmeal and toasted english muffins with peanut butter and honey. YUM! Max masterfully made a fire in no time flat show both Thad and I up all the while joking that no, he wasn't an eagle scout, he'd quit after cup scouts. After stuffing ourselves we suited back up for another trail ride with JD, retracing our first ride the day before. This time JD apparently found some inspiration and would not allow us to ride at a reasonable pace. He ran off the front the entire time, as Thad chased him down and Max and I just held on at any pace we could. This stretch of the North South trail has few hills and has a lot of great flow. We put in another 14 miles without really working that hard.

mmm coffee on the fire

JD doing Old English Impersonation

Off the couch on my first rides in the woods since last year and we ended up with 38 miles or so in two days. It was awesome. Exactly the R&R I needed and I'm already thinking about the next one.

A true weekend

22/365 Mountain bike in it's element
Originally uploaded by Chewieez

My weekend started a day early this week. Not that I really have any weekends. I'd say I generally work more on weekends than not or at least 50/50. This friday was an exception. I drove out to the Cheatham Wildlife Center/Harpeth River State Park for some nice gravel grinding. Some of the usual suspects came as well like 2009 Dirty Kanza finisher Jeff Scott, local BA Jim Simms and a new rider to gravel came out, Tim Denise.

They all were being harder-edge than me and rode from their respective houses to meet me at the Narrows parking lot. The weather was perfect for a day on gravel. Foggy, overcast, somewhere between cold and comfortable with a good wind. I setup the Quiring in it's Dirty Kanza setup even pulling out the 3rd bottle mount courtesy of gRant. 32x16 was the gear of choice for the locals of the area and thankfully I already had my Small Block8 tires mounted, a fav of mine on the gravel. It's like my bike knew it was going to get some gravel soon.

We hit the road quickly after the boys finally found me, patiently waiting in a different parking lot than the one Jeff told me to go to. We had to ride a little bit of pavement to the gravel but it passed quickly and gave us all time to catch up and ask what we'd all been doing since we last rode together, which was a long while for me. When we hit the gravel it was full on, rutted, muddy with huge dark puddles and some sections of thick, tire sucking gravel. The overall elevation isn't much in this area but the route we were on started up first, then after a little bit of flat, it was up more. We got the first big climb out of the way early and it thankfully wasn't long, just a small gut buster with some power tapping gravel near the top.

We rode the rolling hills expanding and contracting like an accordian. Jeff would show up and ride off the front, then wait on us, then Jim would do the same. This was only my second ride since before Christmas so I was just pacing myself and spinning a good cadence. The course was perfect to help ramp me back into riding shape. Lots of small rolling hills that keep your heart-rate slightly elevated but nothing to kill you.

Tim's new Misfit Fe steel ride...lookin' great with gravel grime

We did a couple out and backs which included a pit stop at the ranger station. We didn't see anyone else out in the park except 2-3 cars passing. I had to finish up by 12 so they rolled me back to the park entrance I had left my truck and they rolled on to finish their longer rides.

After my ride, I had plans to go and meet Mathew Portell and help him clean up the new Ride for Reading building. A few guys came out to help unload some donated books and shelves. Mathew and I had our water sprayers that we loaded up with a bleach solution and hit all the molded studs in the building. Ironically this building used to be the Roofer's Union and it apparently had terrible roof leaks. We worked for a couple hours and rewarded ourselves with a bit of beer...so far it was a good day.

Mathew and I ready for action

Today, Saturday, turned out to be another great day. I had grand plans of getting up early and hitting the road on the Crosscheck to ride down to Harpeth Bicycles liquidation sale. I figured about 1.5 hr ride and the shop opened at 9am. Well, I got out of bed at 7:30am, and it was crazy foggy at my house. So, I decided I didn't want to be rushing down a foggy Franklin Rd with not-so-careful Nashville drivers trying to get to a big bike sale. I did still go by car and showed up right at 9am to see at least 10 people hanging outside the shop, waiting to get in. Luckily there was no Walmart-style trampling to get inside but things were getting picked up fast and with authority. I mean when everything is 50% off, it's easier to make decisions for sure.

I brought a list of things I was looking for and was able to pick up a lot of smaller items. Bottle cage/power link/bartape, the essentials. I even scored a set of used tires for a steal that are in great shape and will work great for commuting. One thing I was looking for was some panniers for my new rear rack I got from my brother for Christmas. They only had one option there and I hemmed and hawed about it for awhile. I even left it on the wall and paid for all my other stuff. Well no one else was interested in it and it was just staring at me so I reconsidered it and thought, for the price, I was almost dumb to not buy it. So I did and threw it on the bike right when I got home. It's the Eleven81 City Limit bag which is all one piece and hangs on the rack.

After lunch I threw some random things in the panniers and hit to road to go hang with Dan at Eastside Cycles for a bit. I also got a pair of new Mavic shoes that I was eager to get cleats on and all setup. The trail & error part of getting new shoes setup is not something I'm fond of. The stopping and tweaking the angle of the cleat ever so slightly, the thinking while pedaling: is my cleat to far forward on my shoe. Ugh frustrating, but it's something I haven't had to deal with for over 4 years with my Sidis. So a shakedown ride was in order, and I also though a trip over to Eastside and back was a better ride for this than a 45 mile roundtrip to Harpeth Bicycles.

Everything worked great on the bike and I was even happy with my cleats overall, though I had moved them twice last night in preparation. It was quite windy today though; lots of crosswind on the trip over to the shop, but almost all headwind on the way home. I generally always take the round-about way to get downtown, preferring trips down Belmont Ave or 12th Ave over Nolensville. I'm only 4.5 miles from the shop by car, but my route over was 8.5. I decided to try a new route home and just ride straight down 4th Ave as it turns into Nolensville. That was a mistake! At least for today with the wind. What should of been a 3 mile shorter route took me exactly the same amount of time as it did to get to the shop. Riding up a gradual 2.5 mile hill on Nolensville into a 15+mph wind was slow going. Well lesson learned now. I was thinking this route would allow me to avoid a pretty big hill but I think I'd prefer to ride that shorter, steeper hill than the long one up Nolensville.

So 2 great cycling day back to back with some other fun stuff in between. Yep, start of a great weekend. I refueled tonight with Beth's family at Carrabas for her sister's birthday, yum! On the books tomorrow is church and then I actually have to go in to the studio and do some recording so my weekend I guess is over tonight. Next week will be prepping for our trip to the NYC wholesale show with Freshie & Zero, then a week out of town. Last big trip before our lives change forever!

Do I still have kidneys?

Hamilton Creek Trail in the fall
Originally uploaded by Chewieez

I bet you thought this post would be about drinking, you can get some kidney destroying (or stealing) stories over on Dan's blog who just recently came back from New Orleans.

No, this is just a short post about a great fall bike ride out at Hamilton Creek. A group from NMB talked about meeting up at 12pm and after sleeping in until 9am, I stil had ample time to get the short distance to the trail and yet still enjoy some rest time. I've been busy with projects this past week at the house. Re-purposing an old chest of drawers with a fresh coat of paint and continuing to work on getting some nasty old wallpaper down in our guest room. Beth and I worked late downtown last night doing a craft show in the Arcade so I was looking for a lazy Sunday.

The weather though these past few days has just been heavenly. Highs in the 70s in November with a lovely breeze? I have tried my best to get out and enjoy it when I can so I got off the couch today to meet up and ride some Hammy.

The trail didn't disappoint, but it did beat me up as usual. I rode with the group, about 8 total, up until we crossed over to the advanced side. Group rides are always hard because there is so much stopping and chatting but at the same time they are fun for those same reasons. It's great to be able to take your time and try different trail sections a few times or watch the lines other people take. I enjoyed catching up with Reed and Chris Holland too as I haven't ridden with them much at all in the past year and they used to be regular riding buds.

I got a little ahead of the group and waited for a bit but then realized that I needed to up the pace and get on home. I couldn't afford to spend over 3 hours out in the woods today so I continued on alone. A lot of the tough sections are easier when you hit them at a good speed and riding rigid, you get beat up a lot more when you drudge along really slowly. Being able to ride my pace helped a lot on the back half of the course. Fall is a tough time to ride rigid too. All the leaf cover hides the bumps and forces you to keep a loose overall feel on the bike. Of course this is how you should always ride, but the rocks and roots just seem to hurt more when you can't see them and you're not ready.

The trail has been through a lot of changes lately too. Lots of reroutes have been added in the past year which have added a lot more mileage to the full loop but also seems to have taken some of the elevation out. I'm sure the overall elevation gain is the same but many of the short steep climbs that were always fun challenges were also fall line trail and were eroding badly. Almost all of them have now been replaced with more winding trail and lots of switchbacks. The trail is still fun but it's definitely not that same Hamilton Creek it was 5 years ago when I first rode it. As many things in life, things need to change. I feel fortunate that we have so many trail options here in Nashville and that every trail is so different. There are almost 10 trails that you can drive to in under 1:45 min and each one offers and unique experience.

So yea, Hammy was fun today and I'm beat. Gonna spend some quality time on the couch and then make dinner for Beth. Get out and enjoy this amazing fall weather if you can, it'll be stupid cold soon I'm sure!

Fall

Got out for a couple great fall bike rides the past week or so. I hit up Percy Warner last week to try out my new handlebars and did a loop and enjoyed the amazing colors of the changing leaves. I met up with Adam and Keith this morning for a jaunt around Montgomery Bell. The trail was completely dry but also completely covered in leaves. Surprisingly we only had a couple explorations outside the trail boundaries.

Monty Bell has been my go to trail this year so truthfully it's been getting a bit mundane to ride there. I've been neglecting many of the other great trails we have here like Lock4, Hamilton Creek and Chickasaw but also in my defense, we have had an incredibly wet riding season and Monty Bell has been the only dry play to ride. All that to say that we tried to change it up today and after heading into the trail and immediately taking the less-often rode Blue trail off to the right, we thought we'd try to ride every trail in the "less-often" ridden direction, or backwards. We rode almost the entire blue trail in reverse up til the 4 way Green Downhill entrance and then got the crazy idea to ride the Green Downhill (which it seems most Tennesseans skip nowadays) and then turn right around and ride it backwards (against the rules and almost entirely uphill.) Wow, that was fun in a "I feel very accomplished that I made it up all the climbs" but CRAP that was hard! Keith thinks maybe that's the hardest of the longer climbs out at Monty Bell. Thankfully the trail was totally empty on this fine Thurs morning so we had no downhill traffic to contend with as we rode the wrong direction on the only One Way trail at Monty Bell.

We continued on to ride Blue forwards (breaking our own rule) and connect up with the Yellow trail to ride a good chunk of that backwards. I know that if I were by myself I would not of done this and would of wussed into riding a few miles out to my car and heading home. My fitness isn't where I wish it was and riding to two people in better shape than me is exactly what I need to keep at it and ride longer. Yellow is hard forwards or backwards but we had a great time today riding it. I finally threw in the towel after about 12 miles and Adam wanted to stay somewhat fresh for his upcoming Swank65 race this weekend. We rode the few miles back to the car and called it a day of good hard, slow riding. :) We ended up with around 14 miles at an average of 7.8 mph.

Contrary to the norm, I'm hoping that I can up my saddle time this fall and winter. I've had a lot of distractions and good (and bad) reasons to be off the bike a lot lately & I'm hoping to remedy that. Halloween has come and gone (our first in our new house) and the temperature is continuing to fall. Great time for some long gravel rides, night riding and some fun urban rides. I just need to act on the motivation!

Here are some fun things that kept me off the bike

catch up

Lots going on these days. I've been blessed to go from wondering where I'd be working to wondering where I'll get some free time. Beth and I have been on the road a ton lately which has been a lot of fun and we've been fortunate to have some good shows.

I've slowly been ramping up my riding again. The weekend before last had a group of us back down in our old gravel grinding grounds of Fly, TN. Thad has a good write up of the ride complete with photos. I was hoping to bring along my camera in my feed bag, but it decided to be cranky that day and not work. The ride was exactly what I needed. I need rides like this to push me past my comfort zone and show me what I can do. The idea that if I quit, I'm a long way from my car helps me keep pedaling and show me what I really have in the tank. Not to mention that the hang time and comradery on these rides are second to none. We had some fresh blood on this ride and everyone finished with big smiles and spent legs. 63 miles were shown on my computer. Not bad for a dreary, brisk fall day and a bunch of mountain bikers.

Since then I've been in the recording studio, spent 4 days in Alabama with Freshie & Zero and this week, ridden Monty Bell with KRS-1 and MeanJoe and started tearing down wallpaper in our guest room. Busy busy. We had to miss a big Halloween party while we were in Alabama. From the pictures I've been it looks like a ton a fun was had, and most of it was probably remembered the next day. Beth and I had a party on the books for this saturday night and then we're off to the beach for a few days. It's been too long since we've taken a trip to get away from it all as a couple so we're super excited!


(on a side note: I've been enjoying using the new http://draft.blogger.com interface. Handles images much better than the default blogger interface and it has a re-sizable window... what a concept!)

That's how you end a day

Yesterday ended on yet another high note. After chilling at home for a few hours and working out vaca plays with Beth, I suited back up and rode the ole crosscheck down to the Yazoo Tap Room, expecting lots of friends I hadn't seen in a while. After enjoying a Fall Fest alone Mike N. and Matt K (from GA) rolled in and filled the table I'd been saving for 'the crowd'. Troy made it out also with Melanie and Jennie rolling in right under last call. The group was small but it was great to catch up with Matt who I hadn't seen since Dirt Sweat & Gears and hear all the fun police stories from Mike.

We split up over dinner plans and Mike, Jennie, Matt and I hit up the usual Pizza Perfect. The dual-income Mike and Jennie treated Matt and I do some yummy pizza and a couple more Yazoo brews! Thanks guys!

I still wanted to go and check out the Live on the Green concert to I rolled back downtown and followed the music to the show. I'd planned on using Walk/Bike Nashville's free bike parking but I found many bike stands open on the way so I just locked up and headed into the crown. A couple friends of mine were already there so the trick was finding them in the sea of people who came out to enjoy the free show, and drink a ton of cheap beer.


Citizen Cope was good. He played a lot of newer stuff which I didn't know but after a few songs they all tend to sound the same. I still love his vibe and the band just gets you in the relaxed Reggae feel. Also love the absence of whiney or screaming vocals. We all decided to head out around 10:15pm. I knew I had at least a 40 minute ride home and it seems like a smart idea to head out before EVERYONE was heading out. By this time there was a nice breeze and it was a pleasant 70 degrees. Perfect night riding weather. I rode through downtown pecking my way over to Demonbreun and seeing lots of other cyclists who'd also be at the show. I met up with a couple riding home just before the single's bar strip on Demonbreun. We ended up riding all the way to their place off 12th South and then I continued on to Kirkwood and through Berry Hill. It was nice to have some company on the ride home and they seemed like real cool people. He moved here a year ago from Austin, TX and said he thinks Nashville is just getting more and more hip to biking. He said he's seen a big surge in riders just in the past year. It was nice to hear a more outsiders perspective of our town...especially a positive one.

Got in just after 11, showered up and hit the sack. Slept like a rock too! A good day on the bike with around 35-40 miles and my truck never left the driveway. Nice.

All rides should start with a headwind and end with a tailwind.

Well ok, not all rides. But it's always fun when you can benefit from what you were just fighting on your way home.

I rode down to REI today to try and find some bike stuff I could buy with my dividend check. It's awesome that REI gives you back money for shopping there. I don't buy a ton a things there as I find their bike department rarely has the very specific things I'm looking for, but as far as an outdoor store, their selection is incredible. I remember I bought a new pair of ski pants there last year around this time.... oh yea that's why I got a good dividend.

It was nice to be able to pick up some needed cycling maintenance items like butt cream and have it be free! Didn't even cost me any gas money to get down there?

So far today as been a win win day. Slept in a bit, got stuff done around the house, rode my bike to a cool store where I got something for free and am now planning my evening around my bicycle. Yazoo Tap Room? Live on the Green concert with free bike parking?

Where has free time gone?

I feel like I've gone from wondering what to do with my time to wondering where my time is going. Work has been plentiful lately and Beth and I have been out of town on numerous trips for Freshie & Zero. It's been a month since I put a post up...wow it's flown by.

I haven't gotten back on the cycling train yet but I've made a few meager attempts. I got out to Monty Bell last week for a solo ride. I was leery that the trail would be a sloppy mess with the wet month that Sept was but I was surprised yet again by the resilience of that trail. It was definitely wet, but there was no mud to be seen. My bike wasn't even dirty minus a little bit of wet crushed leaves and trail debris.


I had the entire trail to myself which was quite peaceful. I took it easy since I don't have the fitness I am accustomed to and stopped to take photos. It takes creativity (and a good camera timer) to get self portraits on a solo bike ride. I was using Beth's old Canon which only has a 10 sec timer so it made it that much more difficult, and fun.


We've been to Chicago and Memphis for craft shows this past month and Beth did a show down in Murfreesboro between them. All three shows were a success which is a great morale boost coming off the miserable shows we did in the Spring. We're both pretty worn out those from the cycle of: make a ton of jewelry, travel/setup/sell it, come home and make a ton more, travel/setup/sell it then come home and make more. Beth has also had some big wholesale orders to fill for stores around the country. Lots to do for sure!

Here is a bit of a picture dump from our last two shows:

Chicago Renegade Craft Show (Chicago is so fun!)

Some samples of the healthy cuisine we're treated to on the road.

This is what happens when it rains from 5am-5pm at an outdoor craft show


And I'll end with a new beer discovery. Theakston Old Peculier

The Perfect Saturday

It would be hard to beat the Saturday I enjoyed yesterday. I met up with Johnny5, the new 9-5er, and Scott "Monster" McConnell out at Lock4 for a few laps around the park. For once I showed up on time, which was a half hour before Thad so I rode a bit before he arrived. Then Scott said he and his buddy were running late too so Thad and I went out and rode a quick 1/2 lap. Then we met up with Scott and his friend John whom he was showing the ropes of off-road riding to. Another Wood N Wave rider was in attendance having seen Scott's invite over at the Nashville Mtn Bike forums.

We had a good size group and filled the spectrum of skill and fitness level. The trail could not of been in any better shape. It was tacky and fast and really let you rail into the corners....so much fun! It was another cool morning with a ton of humidity but made for great riding weather without the fear of getting overheated.

On to the more exciting photos of the day:

I think I spot a Catahoula

Puppies aren't shy are they?



Hey there JD!

Moots trail dog in training:

The crew with our fearless leader...wow isn't he tall?

I met another new friend on the trail

How do you top a great morning on the trail? A great lunch with my in-laws at a fun new Mexican restaurant in the every changing Gulch area of Nashville, Cantina Laredo. Then after lunch coffee at Crema, Nashville's best coffee shop (according to me) Yum!

Our Saturday had another big event planned, a wedding with reception at the Copper Kettle downtown. Two friends we've met through our Young Couples group tied the knot at a lovely little church off 12 South. Beth and I really enjoyed the ceremony and the food of course was amazing from the Copper Kettle. Best bonus: Yazoo Pale and Dos Perros on tap. (and ironically served in High Life glasses) I'd say this could be considered the High Life!


Bikes, food, coffee, friends and Yazoo beer... The Perfect Saturday.