Peter - Southern NH Chapter of NEMBA

Landmine Classic

2009-09-14T19:59:00.002-04:00

I made a last minute decision to head down to Hingham MA to take part in the Landmine classic race at Wompatuck SP. I was planning on going to Millstone in Vermont to race there but I realized on Saturday night that the Landmine was also on Sunday. Since this was the last race of the GT Golden Bike series, I thought it would be better to attend and help promote GT.

Unfortunately, the Cape received 5 inches of rain on Saturday. Another wet race was in store. Some BIG puddles and plenty of mud. Pretty much the same as every other race this year. This race was one lap, 25 miles long. I like this type of race. In other races if you get passed you aren't always sure if they are riders in your class or experts on their second lap. I passed quite a few riders and was only passed a couple of times (probably faster riders who flated earlier). I felt pretty good the entire race even though I crashed in the first mile and lost my water bottle and couldn't hydrate adequately the rest of the race. Thank goodness for a couple of water stops along the course.

I am still not sure how I placed. I didnt stay long to see the results and they aren't posted to the web yet.

24 Hrs at Great Glen

2009-08-06T21:36:00.001-04:00

Heading up to Mt Washington this weekend to take part in the 24 hr race. I am part of a 5 person team. First time for this type of race. It should be interesting!

Horror at Harding Hill EFTA race

2009-07-19T21:49:00.002-04:00

Great day for a race. The weather was perfect although the course had some challenging muddy sections. I actually really liked this course. It had a good mixture of climbs, single-track and fast sections. I got behind a pile up at the start of the race which caused me to lose the front pack early on. I got to find a way to get up in the front right away and keep with the leaders.

I finished 11th out out 16 in my class. A few minutes quicker and I would have been right in the top of the group. More training!

Tough Month

2009-06-22T20:43:00.002-04:00

Riding and racing has been limited this month. I contracted Lyme disease on my trip to RI for the EFTA race. I think I caught it in time, but came down with a nasty cold that lasted more than two weeks. On top of all that, the weather has been less than stellar. Lots of rain and below normal temps.

This past weekend I went up to Kingdom Trails in VT and did a good hard ride. I felt good and am anxious to start piling on some miles.

Bear Brook Blast Off

2009-06-01T22:06:00.002-04:00

The fast guys showed up for this race! Unfortunately, I didn't do as well as i had hoped, 15 out of 21 in my class. I felt pretty good during the race, but got behind a bunch of people early on which made fighting my way back on the tight climbs and single-track more difficult. I know my strong area is technical riding, but these courses seem to favor speed over skill. I am going to have to ramp up the road miles a bit more. Too bad... it is a blast in the woods!

Next race is in two weeks.

Glocester Grind

2009-05-19T19:54:00.002-04:00

My first race of the season went as expected. I finished 6th of 13 in the sport vet II class. It was a muddy course with all the rain we had the night before. My strengths in navigating technical sections were probably minimized as most riders ran through the mud instead of trying to ride it. This class is pretty competitive. I would have placed higher in some of the other classes with much younger riders.

The next race is at Bear Brook State Park which is my local riding area, so I expect to do well.

First Race

2009-05-15T20:44:00.001-04:00

I will be in RI this Sunday for the first EFTA race of the season. The weather and trails are finally in good shape to get some serious riding in. A bunch of road miles in the last couple of weeks should help on Sunday.

Easter Ride

2009-04-12T12:20:00.002-04:00

I headed out early this morning to give the Marathon another test of its abilities. Fort Rock in Exeter is all about technical and bike handling skills. Last week at Trail of tears was smooth and fast, not so this week. Just the opposite, rocks everywhere! Again I was very impressed with the bike. Of course I didn't hit any big drops, but it handled all of the rock gardens just fine. Its lightweight makes it easy to get on rocks and maneuver through the trees. I played with the settings on the rear shock a bit and am still need to gte that dialed in just right, but it was a very enjoyable ride. I pushed it through some tough sections at a quicker pace than I usually do and it flowed great. This bike likes to go fast!

WOW!

2009-03-29T20:39:00.003-04:00

Saturday I headed south again for a ride. This time it was the Trail of Tears in Barnstable MA. This would be my first ride on the GT Marathon. After a good inspection of the bike from my fellow riders, we headed out. I instantly became impressed. At 26 pounds the bike accelerated well. A few small hills were ahead and I knew this would be the big test. I attacked and flew up quickly. I was concerned about the front end coming up when I really dug in but it stayed tight to the ground. After the ride, my only concerns were some sloppy shifting, which will work out when the cables settle in. I also need to take a little off the ends of the bars. It is a little wide for me. Overall I was very happy. I am sure it will a great season of riding!

The bike has arrived!

2009-03-22T15:15:00.004-04:00

Yesterday when I returned home from another trip to the Cape to get the tires dirty, a big box was on the porch. The bike had arrived. I immediately pulled it out of the box. WOW! 26 pounds! Full carbon and XT components with 4 inches of travel...sweet! A couple of adjustments and some pedals and out to the street I went. Feels good to pedal but its going to be another week before the snow is gone enough to even think of riding locally. Even with that it will be on dirt roads and rail beds. Most of the singletrack is closed for mud season. Its a tough time of year. I will have to make another trip south next weekend to give the bike a good ride.

2009-03-20T17:48:00.003-04:00

The training has increased since the weather is getting better. I'm off to the cape again this weekend to get some miles under the wheels. Last Sunday I took advantage of a unusually warm march day and did a 33 mile road ride. I was hoping not to finish last in the group, but to my surprise I was in the front most of the ride.

I also got an email telling me I should get the new bike on Saturday. I'm excited to give it a try!

Its March!

2009-03-01T15:34:00.004-05:00

A good week for me. I managed to hit the trainer a couple of times this week as well as a good ride on the Cape. A few friends and I traveled to Otis in Falmouth MA. The ground was bare, no snow in sight. It was nice to feel dirt under the tires again. Another winter storm is hitting Southern NH today so it looks like some more trips south are in the future if I want dirt. Here is the video link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfkJ3qIdbFI

More X-C Skiing

2009-02-22T12:34:00.001-05:00

Its hard to think of mt biking when we have so much of the white stuff to play with. I headed out early this morning to Bear Brook to do some cross country skiing. Conditions were great. ( I have been surprised that the parking lot is usually quite full. Much more so than during the biking season. I guess that's a good thing.... people are getting outdoors even in the winter.)

A quick 6 miles and back home to do the chores..

In the woods!

2009-02-15T17:08:00.001-05:00

Last weeks warmer weather firmed up the snow pack and allowed me to dust off the mountain bike. The K2 Lithium is the bike that has the studded tires. I posted a Sunday morning ride at Lake Massabesic along the railbed where the snowmobiles have packed the trail to ice. I decided to head out Saturday afternoon to double check conditions. Even with temps near 40 the surface was good to ride. A quick 6 mile ride got the legs loose.

Sundays ride was great! Great conditions! The surface was fast and hard. Temps in the high twenties. A good 12 miles with some lake riding got me to thinking of spring and more time on the bike in the woods.

Warmer Weather

2009-02-12T21:01:00.001-05:00

A few warm days gets you thinking about spring and the new riding season. Road miles are always the first to come, but there is nothing like being in the woods.

Snow!

2009-02-08T18:52:00.000-05:00

Still plenty of snow in the woods. I spent a few hours today snow shoeing in Pawtuckaway State Park doing some "cross training". Hours on the trainer doesn't appeal to me like the outdoors.