Mountain Biking is Hard

Let's just be up front and say I don't always get the obvious..... I figured mountain biking would be just like road biking, but in the woods and sitting a little more upright. Actually, I thought it might even be a little bit easier than road biking; the big tires and plush shocks are super comfy and biking on those nice packed gravel rail trails and carriage paths with the family is pretty chill.
Imagine my shock when I went out on some of the single track trails behind my house and nearly keeled over. My first outing on the bike should have clued me in, but I figured it was just the mud and the lack of riding time.... Since then I've been out on the road bike a few times and the trails were pretty dry today.
The downhill parts of the trail were hard and terrifying. Trying to get the bike through two trees barely wide enough for the handle bars to fit through after taking a 85 degree switch back on a trail that drops off steeply on one side when you are going down a steep hill is hard. Keeping your feet on the peddles while bouncing over rocks and roots is hard.
The flat parts of the trail were marginally less scary, but more taxing. Getting whacked in the shins when your foot slips and you need to peddle because the back tire is caught on a rock hurts. Having the bike nearly stall out on you because the back tire doesn't roll over a rock and you suddenly have to peddle extra hard when you are in a cruising gear hurts. Peddling double time through a muddy patch is hard.
The uphills are hard on a road bike, but at least you can usually count on the road being straight and smooth. Navigating switchbacks without stalling is hard. Slipping in the mud is hard. Peddling over rocks and roots is hard. Keeping a steady pace when your feet keep bouncing off the peddles is hard. Not falling backwards when your front tire bounces off a rock and your back tire slides down the side of another rock is hard.
I went just over four miles on an easy/intermediate stretch of trails and it was one of the toughest bike rides of my life. According to my heart rate monitor, I was in zones 4 and five most of the time. My legs felt like goo, and were bleeding from a few spots where I got hit really hard with the peddles.
Don't get me wrong, it was a blast and I plan on keeping it up. In fact, aside from the pain and need for an immediate nap, it was one of the funnest and enjoyable rides I've had in a while. The thrills were nicely balanced with the peace of being in the woods.
I think I may need to get a little professional schooling, or at least a lot more practice, before I move onto any more intermediate trails.

Biking the Battle Road

So I decided that it would be a good idea to combine a play date with some exercise, so I took Bug and one of her friends for a mountain biking ride on the Battle Road in Minute Man National Park. The Battle Road is a wide, smooth trail with sloping hills. It is nothing that a rider in moderate shape on a halfway decent mountain bike cannot handle.
All three of us have better than decent rides; our rides can eat the Battle Road for a light snack. The girls are both in great shape; I can manage to walk up a flight of stairs without being winded.... This should have been a good work out for me and a fun outing for the girls.
The girls did have fun, but I didn't get much exercise. Our pace was not what I had hoped. The girls wanted to stop at every sign along the way or take water breaks. It was nice to stop and see the sights and have a relaxed afternoon, but I was really hoping for some speed.
At one stop, we saw a family with three young boys peddle past us on 16" bikes. One was on two wheels and was moving; the other two were trying to keep up on training wheels. It was super cute. They peddled back a few minutes later.
We saw a lot of dogs and families out walking, which also slowed us down a bit. I was very impressed with the girl's bicycle etiquette. They remembered to ring their bells to give pedestrians plenty of warning and then also told them on which side they were passing. They were better than some of the adult riders on the trail.
On the way back to the car, we did manage to keep a decent pace. The girls thought they saw a bee and peddled like bandits to keep away from it. I wasn't about to tell them that it was just a fly and that a bee would have given up minutes into the chase.
I definitely recommend the Battle Road for a fun afternoon of riding. Just don't get your hopes up for a workout. During the summer, some of the houses and other stops have staff to give tours and stage mock battles. It is cool to see, but also slows things down.

50 not 15

For X-Mass Bug got an awesome new mountain bike. It is a 24" trail shredder that my trusty TriCross has no chance of keeping up with off road. Fortunately, I got a super sized REI dividend that put a reasonably capable trail shredder within reach.
I got Ghost Lano 29er with an SRAM 1x11 drive train and some 100mm travel shocks. I didn't spring for air shocks or top of the line drive train components, but I didn't really like the feel of the air shocks on the bikes I tried and research shows that the whole SRAM 1x line is pretty robust. Besides, all I really want to do is keep up with my kid on the trails.
I did try some 27.5 and 27.5+ bikes. The 27.5 bikes didn't wow me. The plus tires were fun, but I really didn't need the extra-float or the need to think about how much pressure to run.
Anyway, the first ride out the bike got dropped on the drive side and bent the derailleur. While sad, the fact that I didn't go high end made the repair cheap.
For the second ride out, I decided to take a short spin on the trails by our house. They are easy trails. I do always miss one crucial turn at the beginning. So, after missing the turn, I ended up going down a hill and into a branch that I thought my giant 29" tire should just roll over before I thought to slow down a little more. Next thing I know my ass is sailing over my head and I am laying in the mud with a bike on top of me....
I did a quick body scan and aside from a few new aches I appeared conscious and mostly functional. Then I checked the bike to make sure I wouldn't be slinking back into REI needing a second derailleur in as many weeks. The bike was OK as well.
Naturally, I did the smart thing and continued the ride.
It turns out that mountain biking on muddy trails is much more demanding than riding on dry pavement. I am also way more out of shape than I thought. My initial concern about the 1x drivetrain not having enough range was unfounded, the big ring provides plenty of granny for steep climbs - even when every other peddle is just a wheel spin in the mud.
The one branch of flipping was the only obstacle that gave me trouble. The rest of the trail obstacles were eaten up by the big tires and plush fork. When I needed to dodge a tree or rock, I had plenty of maneuverability. The 27.5 tires may have a little more agility, but I didn't miss it. The riding was exhilarating and exhausting.
There were moments when I could feel the rear end hopping around or slipping about. It was a little disconcerting, but I eventually adjusted and learned to control things.
About half way through my planned ride there was a road crossing. As I came down the gentle slope onto the pavement, I realized that I was never going to make the rest of the loop. My legs were jelly and my heart rate was in the red zone. So, I locked out the fork - you've gotta love remote fork lock outs - and headed home on easy paved roads.
When I limped into the house with a big gash on my leg, H kindly reminded me that I was 50 and not 15. I am going to be sore for a few days, but it was worth it. I cannot wait to get the bike out again.
The NX drivetrain may be "low end", but it shifted smoothly and precisely. It seems perfect for my needs at the moment and makes repairs less painful. The other nice feature of the SRAM components is that they are all compatible, so if I ever get back in shape (or magically become 15 again) I can swap out for higher end stuff.

Rolling Around

H spotted a RIC/KA rolling session advertised and basically forced me to go. Her and Bug were going to be busy all day and I clearly needed some paddle time.
The first challenge was figuring out how to get the kayak on our new monster truck. The Ascent is many inches taller than the Outback and H could barely get the front of the kayak in the cradles. We resorted to a step ladder and even then it was a little bit of a struggle. Once on the roof, the Aries looked like a white water boat. The Ascent is a BIG car. Fortunately, it drives nicely and all of the driver assist features like variable speed cruise control and Air Play make it a sweet ride.
The rolling session was at the South County YMCA. There pool can fit enough boats that we could all spend the full session in the water without crowding people. The water was also nice and warm.
I started off just doing some bracing and basic rolls. I was pleasantly surprised with my rolls. I made them on both sides. I made them without pre-setting up. I made them when switching sides under water. I even made re-enter and rolls.
Then after I got bored, I started trying some more stupid kayak tricks like the butterfly roll, trying to figure out how to do a forward finishing roll, and doing an Eskimo resting pose. These attempts went less well. I did discover my limits for sculling for support. I can can get pretty much all the way into the water and still recover, but I cannot just float. I also got plenty of extra practice in doing "emergency" rolls after every failed attempt.
I know that back when I was a younger man without a child that ate up my weekends, I could do most of these tricks. I wouldn't trade the child for the silly tricks, but they are fun to try and I may take some time when the water is warmer to attempt to relearn them - particularly the forward finishing roll.
Maybe I'll even try to get a third star.....

Autumn Gales

Greg Paquin has run the Autumn Gales for 10 years now and this is the second time I’ve gone. The main event is three days with plenty of opportunities to get top notch instruction in conditions. Greg gets world class coaches from both the local area and England.
Both of the times I’ve gotten to attend, I have only done a single day out of the three. I have also always managed to attend on days where the conditions are borderline crazy. Today the forecast called for 15-20knt winds with gusts to 30knts, rain, and big swells. There was also a chance of thundershowers. The wife thought I was a wee nuts. I was thinking it was perfect for some adventure.
After a quick briefing we headed out to the breakwater. It provided a nice place wher we duck out of the wind for chatting with the coaches and then head back out into the wind and swells to practice boat skills. I was with Greg and Pete Jones from the UK for coaches. They had us practicing turns into the wind. We practiced different strategies like using short quick strokes at the bow to pin it down and allow the wind to blow the stern around; using forward and reverse sweeps to pivot. We experimented with what paddle positions worked best to turn up wind and turn down wind. There was plenty of wind to practice with and three to four foot swells to make things more fun.
We also practiced surfing swells and paddling in following seas. Greg helped me figure out why I have so much trouble keeping the Aries from breaching in surf. One problem is that I always go straight for a stern rudder, which is not effective and because of how I turn in the boat to place the rudder, causes the Aries to turn even more. He suggested using sweep strokes instead.
He also noticed that I tended to lean forward when I catch a wave and that when I lean forward I arm paddle. Basically, instinct takes over and ruins my form. I have probably been doing it forever and never noticed; the Q-boat was far less maneuverable than the Aries. Greg’s expert coaching was a big bonus.
It was a hard day on the water. I was exhausted at the end of the day - in a great way. If I can only get out once in a while, it has to be worth it. This definitely was.