|   Mini-gathering at the local mecca..... | mugg
Aug 6, 2002 12:11 PM | | A group of local SS riders and a couple of gearheads decided to partake on a mini-gathering at the local bike Mecca. Head of the class was single speed outlaw. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the dude is a beast on a rigid singlespeed. He takes off like rocket at the base of each climb leaving us in the sea of dust. No worries cresting a technical climb on his 34x17 gear ratio. He just stomps on his RF cranks and away he goes like a mountain goat topping a rocky outcropping. I can never get a good mug of him because he is to dang fast.
The crest of the initial climb was a natural spot to regain our breathing, control our overworked heart and legs and re-hydrate. And complain and grumble about the heat. After regrouping the trail abruptly climbs an even steeper section but the payoff for the off-the-saddle grind was a satisfying downhill run. In my case, I had to hike-a-bike since my rear wheel kept slipping off the horizontal drops. I feel the need for some chain tugs thingy.
Point your handlebars downhill and down you go on some swooping trails. As the ride progressed we managed to lose a rider due to the heat but gained another who decided to tag along for kicks. Rocks, drops, roots, and mud holes kept most us in check. While riding along in the heat stroke inducing climate, some unruly dude from another group decided to jolt it up a notch to pass several riders in our group. He stopped 50 feet ahead of us and mumbled that we were hogging the trails. The dude's chinstraps must have been buckled too tightly.
Haze in my head clouded my vision as sweat poured freely out of my pores soaking me to the core. Stumbling as a fall off my saddle, my tires sideswiped a snotty root. I fall down and wiped the gritty sand off my mud caked legs. Running low on water was a concern because leg cramps was knocking at my door. Fortunately relief was a mere stone throw away as our group banked down a sheer, rocky descent that eventually dumped us near a water fountain.
We couldn't have picked a better day. Yeah right! It was searing hot and muggy with 100% humidity. It's never easy to ride in a condition that tends to suck all your engine juice in a hurry. Regardless, we all echoed the same sentiment. Mountain biking is good for the soul. A great ride with great folks beats the heat anyday.
Thanks for reading and have fantastic week.
Shaun the Sheep grazing in some rooty sections.
Taking a much needed breather.
A super steep descent.
Hike a bike through the rocky gardens.
Beauty and the beast.
Allroy not remembering to stay within the line.
Zinging down a smooth bank.
A blurred photo of eelpie.
Rest stop.
Slow group that were hogging the trails;^) L to R John, Alex, John2, Brandon, SSO, hjalti, Allroy, SSO, eelpie, TOMA, Drevil.
STS mugging for mugg.
Gotta hand it to hjalti. He was riding an old school rigid frame with flat form pedals. Kick butt brah!
Alright, who cut the cheese?!
Group mugg. L to R Joe, Drevil, Allroy, Singlespeed Outlaw, John, Shaun the Sheep, Alex, eelpie, Hjalti, TOMA and sitting down is yours truly.
"Strangers are just friends waiting to happen".
~Author Unknown |
| Great shots Mugg, and a great time was had by all.... | T O M A
Aug 6, 2002 12:36 PM | | thanks for sacrificing your down hills to take pictures of our sorry asses!
An outstanding day, mired only by the Roland Greene wanna-be throwing a singletrack fit! I guess next time we'll make sure to ask permission before heading out on "his" trails. |
| re: Where was the ride? | single & rigid
Aug 6, 2002 4:03 PM | | Nice pics! BTW, I'd love to know where the rides are located when someone does a RR. Bet others would too. Thanks.
bruce |
| Avalon Area, Patapsco State Pk, MD (ride track inside) | Hjalti
Aug 6, 2002 5:19 PM | | Sweet Avalon. Click on the map for a bigger version.
H  |
| Oops... | Hjalti
Aug 8, 2002 6:34 AM | | That missing graphic was supposed to be the ride profile. Try again.
H |
| Cool. | Single Speed Outlaw
Aug 8, 2002 6:54 AM | | I've been wondering what the elvevation gain for that is. A bit more than I expected. Didn't even know you were running the GPS during the ride. Did you have it mounted or was it stashed in your camelbak? |
| GPS | Hjalti
Aug 8, 2002 11:35 AM | | I used to keep it in a mount on the bars, but after a couple of endos I decided it was too exposed to damage. It now rides in the top of my camelbak except for road rides. I'm pretty pleased with it(magellan map330), except it eats batteries really quickly. The track elevation was similar on two different topo products (mapsend topo) and delorme topousa 4.0), so I think it's pretty close.
Cheers
H |
| OH YEAH, love the smiles on everyones faces! | red-haze
Aug 6, 2002 8:35 PM | | looked like a great gathering. ain't much more fun than going for a ride with strangers soon to be friends. My sympathies to all of you for riding in the east heat/humididty. been there, remember it well, may be a reason i'm in WA state.
bob |
| At risk of repeating myself... | Single Speed Outlaw
Aug 8, 2002 5:59 AM | | Since yesterday's post disappeared:
-Great ride, fun time had by all
-Thanks for the PRB's: You know who you are and I owe you next time
-Thanks to Mugg for documenting, excellent work: fav shots are Hjalti motoring and the Hike-a-bike
Nothing like a ride in Code Red weather! |
| Thanks, Mugg..... | maun
Aug 8, 2002 8:35 AM | | I don't post often and when I do, it gets deleted. uggh!
Thanks again for the pics, Mugg. Nice to see the SSO still has people chasing him. Not my job anymore!
Sorry to hear about the heat. No such thing here in Germany. Just lots of the wet stuff.
Keep posting...nice to see pics of home.
maun (aka mike) |
| My post got boar-hogged yesterday too.... | eelpie
Aug 8, 2002 9:40 AM | | Just wanted to again say thanks for taking the pics and posting here and that it was great finally meeting you and some of the other regulars on this site.
I had a blast and am there for any future such outings.
Thanks again Mugg. |
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