Roxbury Monster Cross

About 20 minutes from my house, in the next county over, are couple of rural communities that have a lot of dirt roads and an old rail bed from the Shepaug Rail Road that make for excellent Gravel Grinder Terrain.  I have ridden these roads in the past but this is the first time that I am using them to train for an upcoming race.    I also wanted to ride here in order to get some miles in preparation for Singlespeed-a-polooza.

These Oxen were in training, too, getting exercise by pulling these huge tractor tires around.  The ones in the front are the veterans and in the back are the newbies.

I picked this route as a warm up and see what gear ratio I should be riding in this terrain.  The Qball was geared 32:19t because of the the insane climb in the middle of the route.  But I think when I come back to do 20+ miles I might try running 32:18t on the Kona and I might just bypass the Shinar Mountain.  That was a bitch of a climb and I wasn't able to do it without stopping because my heart rate was in the red zone numerous times.

Looking north

 Rest top on Shinar Mountain

Looking south

My route includes Steep Rock Reservation.  The old rail road bed on the west side of the Shepaug River is off limits to bikes but not the east side, however, most if not all the single track trails are off limits to bikes.  Kind of a downer because from what I hear there are some great trails in there.  It's the net result of a few careless riders back in the day that got the majority of this area closed to mountain biking.

It's too bad there isn't a bridge across the river linking the east and west sides of the old rail road bed.

 

For a gravel grinder, the old rail road bed is awesome and you can actually ride through the old train tunnel

Next weekend I am coming back with the Kona and riding 20+ miles

Roxbury Gravel Grinder

I was originally planning on riding the Tri-Bury Gravel Grinder Route that encompassed the Larkin Bridle Trail, Hop Brook, Middlebury Greenway, Flanders Nature Center, Woodbury Trolley Trail and Route 6 but then @der_dachs invited me to ride with his group up in Roxbury.  I was hesitant but he convinced me that there would be a mixed bag of riders and I would be OK - they were still really good riders but very considerate and waited for me after the really big climbs.  

What I was expecting was the usual consisting of riding up Judges Bridge to Walker Brook and then cutting over to Steep Rock.  Shooting down the rail trail, through the tunnel and back on Judges Bridge.  I figured my 44:22 gearing on the Qball Monster Cross would be perfect for that ride.  Apparently, I didn't get the email last night saying that they would be riding more difficult terrain.  I wish I had brought the Misfit diSSent and had some gears because it would have been really helpful for the climbs and all the single track we rode.  

The Monster Cross came into it's own on the rail trail between "The Blue Barns" and Minor Bridge, that is until the trail was blocked and we started riding singletrack again.

The cool thing I see in this is riding the singletrack off of Minor Bridge, then ride the rail trail up to Mine Hill, ride that singletrack and then back again.  I could even do that from the house and work in some Newtown rail trail, too!  Oh the possibilities!

A Fetish Position!

One thing is for sure, if ever try this loop again I am going to do so with some better gearing, like a 32:18 or 19.  A 2:1 ratio was just way too tall for many of the climbs on this route.  Of course, maybe I will just do it on the diSSent or the Spot when I get it built.  Either bike would be awesome on this route.  I don't know why I brought the hydration pack.  I could have done with out it, not that it would have helped that much in the climbs but clothing choice was perfect for 20 deg weather.  I did, however, forget to bring my lobster gloves and ended up using my XC skiing gloves that I had in the car.  Hands were fine.  Had neoprene overbooties on, too, with my Shimano Cold weather riding shoes.  I had wicking t-shirt, long sleeve jersey, dry-fit micro fleece and then a jersey for pockets.

Detour de Connecticut, another unofficial CT Gravel Grinder

You probably won't see this on the Gravel Grinder News and I doubt it will attract any Alley Catters, but it's definitely an attractive Gravel Grinder Ride that I would love to do because it encompasses many of the Rail Trails that I have yet to ride on the other side of the State.  Check out the details on the Detour de Connecticut blog.

The route vaguely looks like a bow tie and is approximately 112 miles long. While it doesn't look like a lot of climbing the overall cumulative elevation gain, according to Topofusion is 7,700 feet.  The cool thing about the design of this ride is if you couldn't ride the day of the event or didn't have the time to do the whole thing you could do it in parts, which with my schedule is the only way I might be able to do it.

New England Gravel Grinders

A sign you might see on the Green Mountain Double

Officially (according to Gravel Grinder News), there are only two Gravel Grinders in New England to date:  The Gravel Grinder Spring Classic in Waterbury, VT (on April 10th, 2011);

and D2R2, or the Deerfield Dirt Road Randonee in Deerfield, MA (on Saturday, August 27th, 2011).  A scheduling conflict last year prevented me from riding in the D2R2 but this year it might work out.  Only, I might try and do the 40 mile with my daughter on the tandem.  The one thing I wish they would do, is for those of us with the high tech crap, email a GPX file of the course a day or two before so you can set up a route rather than have deal with a queue sheet.

And then there are the unofficial Gravel Grinders, or what I would call Invitational Gravel Grinders:  The Tour de Roxbury which is an invitation only Gravel Grinder run by a CAT1 Roadie Racer who invites all his roadie racer buddies to ride the dirt roads, some single track, and monster climbs in the Litchfield Hills.  The only time I did it was in 2009 (2010 I went to NEMBAFest and fell in love ... with a bike) and I ended up doing an abridged version of the tour because I got separated from the peleton but the Army Officer in me came prepared with a map of the area and a gpx track plugged into my GPS to follow.

Another Connecticut Invitational Gravel Grinder is the called The Eel.  I got invite to the Eel last year but already had something going on.  It's a biggun,this year and was 55 miles, and while it might not necessarily classify as a Gravel Grinder it's close enough and I will take that.

Any regular reader of Cycle Snack will know that I am working on my own Gravel Grinder, called the Tribury Gravel Grinder, however, it will be more Alley Cat style which is show up and ride/race!  The route spans Southbury, Naugatuck, Middlebury, and Woodbury.  It will include the Larkin Bridle Path (rail trail), Hop Brook State Park (Single and Dual Track), Middlebury Trolley Trail (paved), Flanders Nature Center (old woods road), Woodbury Trolley Trail (dual track/rail trail) and a combination of dirt roads, old woods roads and a little pavement (boo!) back to the parking lot.  Small (20+ miles) in comparison to some of these other ones but could be fun none-the-less, especially fixed!.  No date set yet but probably ride it as a warm up for the Tour de Roxbury.

The other day, I saw a tweet about another Gravel Grinder that the organizer is in the preliminary stages of planning, called the Green Mountain Double, as in Double Century.

This is from the same evil genius that brought you D2R2. 

I contacted the organizer and this is what he told me about the event:

To maximize daylight, we will start about an hour before sunrise and all ride together for 14 miles along a flat section.  At the first hill, with the sun rising, I will send people off.  My loose expectation is that the first rider might get back during the 7 o'clock hour, with most riders returning on one side or another of midnight.

Lest the ride sound too crazy-hard, let me emphasize that, while difficult, it is not as hard per mile as D2R2, except in the last 40 miles, and it is *ridiculously* fun, especially if you have any affinity for dirt roads.  I really worked hard on the fun element - narrow little side roads you wouldn't think of trying (especially when you're 100 miles from home!), general stores, scenery, all that Vermont stuff.  Many climbs are very long with moderate grades, so you might climb for the better part of an hour, but then you descend forever.  I promise that you will want to go back and ride certain roads again someday, they will blow your mind.  

From my experience with riders trying D2R2, I can say again that the key will be to start at a modest pace.  Other than that, listen to all the pointers that I give this spring.

The scope of this challenge necessitates several requirements.  

1) Entries must be received by June 1, complete with waivers from rider and crew.  The final entry fee is payable in cash when you show up.  Right now it is 20 bucks, but I will go lower if the number of riders covers my costs.

2) Entrants must have completed (in regulation time) at least a double century or 300K brevet in 2011, or be RAAM qualified.  There may be other possible reasons to ask for qualification, but this new event is so quirky and difficult, the requirements will stay tight.

3) Riders must have a support vehicle.  As much as we prefer unsupported rides, this is a huge loop with gnarly mountain roads where some riders will suffer mechanical and/or physical breakdowns; thus we want everyone to have spare equipment, food, medical supplies, and a ride home all close at hand.  However, in the spirit of unsupported rides, the rules will be a little different.  Crews will not drive the course, instead following an alternate cue sheet that meets the riders at 21 intermediate support points.  A group of riders may share a support car so long as it has room to give everyone a ride home.  Also, there is no requirement for how closely a vehicle must support its riders.  If a rider wants to keep it easy for the crew, the crew could sleep in until 8 AM, drive out to meet the rider at the halfway point, and loosely keep in contact to the finish.  Make sense?  So long as someone is responsible and loosely present for the rider, all is well.  

4) The only bicycle restrictions are: no aero bars; no glass containers; and brakes on both wheels (a fixed gear is not a brake).  If you ride a single-speed (very bad idea, unless you enjoy long walks), you may employ a flip-flop hub, but all your bikes must have the same gear(s).  Beyond that, we recommend: a 1-1 low gear on at least one bike; a variety of tire sizes; and don't try road-racing equipment like carbon bars, 16-spoke wheels, or 23mm tires. 

5) Riders start at 4AM with night gear on.  Night gear may be left with crews 25 miles later.  Night gear must then be back on the bike by 7PM.  While darkness does not fall until 9 PM, the woods get dark sooner, and the risk is that someone might bonk on a long stretch and be out in the dark.

To put it bluntly, the GMD sounds brutal and not for the faint of heart, let alone the casual racer.  This is some serious stuff.

A Gravel Grinder in the works?

While I really love riding the Qball Monster Cross riding opportunities have been non existent.  The 2010 Waterbury, VT gravel grinder happened to be on a race weekend, on vacation during the D2R2, mountain bike festival for the Tour de Roxbury (Invitation only ride, last year's ride), and the Eel (kind of an Alley Cat event but gears are tolerated) was this weekend (can't do Saturdays).  So to spread the lovin' in my stable I have been riding the Qball as a commuter mostly but vow to get it back into some dirt and to do so, I think I am going to create my own Gravel Grinder!  

New saddle on the Qball - Brooks Racer Saddle from a 1972 Peugeot UO-8

On November 11th, Veteran's Day, I am going to scout out what is to be called the Tri-Bury Gravel Grinder.  The three Burys consist of Southbury, Middlebury, and Woodbury (and there is a smattering of Naugatuck in there but we'll just ignore that for now).  The only authority on Gravel Grinders that I have found so far is a blog called Gravel Grinder News and it defines the Gravel Grinder as:

This is meant as a guide for those wondering what makes an event a "gravel grinder".

• The route under consideration must have over half its distance un-paved. The route can consist of single track, dirt roads, or crushed rock. Pavement is okay, and sometimes it is necessary, but having an event that is predominantly pavement with a few sections of gravel or dirt doesn't cut the mustard. Even if it is like Paris-Roubaix.
• The route under consideration must have less than half its distance consisting of single track. Just like too much pavement makes a route a road ride, too much single track and dirt makes a route a mountain bike ride. 
• The route should be predominantly on public roads, although there can be exceptions to this rule. 
• Ideally, the route should be predominantly crushed rock/gravel. (Obvious!) This is what makes a gravel grinder what it is. While this is true, farm roads and dirt double track, or even Jeep roads could figure into this equation. 

You'll notice I didn't say anything about competition. That's because it isn't necessary for having a gravel grinder.

So the route that I am thinking will be a combination of gravel railtrail, dirt roads, some road riding, singletrack, dirt railtrail and paved railtrail.  I have done a map reconnaissance of the route but now I am going to spend a day checking out the route.  There is one section in Woodbury that I have never ridden before that might have a nice nugget of dirt road.

Gratuitous product placement 

Morning Monster Cross

Headed over to Southbury Monday morning to give the new and improved QBall Monster Crosser good solid test ride. A couple of component changes since riding the bike earlier this winter have taken place. These include Cane Creek Drop V Brake levers, Avid BB5 disc brakes, Salsa Woodchipper drop bars, and Kenda Kross Tires. The test ride took place at the Larkin Bridal Trail which is a great Gravel Grinder route.

Stopping power with the levers is great because they have more cable pull, they are perfect for disc brakes. The BB5s, well they were on the Dillinger but I wasn't liking them there so they found a home on the Qball and fit nicely.

Moving to a thinner tire was a little scary at first but these are 700x42c and a nice step down from 29x2.1s. One thing is for sure, I can feel the difference between the 29er tires and the cross tires. Not as much sluggishness when accelerating and they maintain speed, whereas the 29er tires always felt slower and I had to work harder to maintain a faster speed.

The Woodchippers are freaking awesome with multiple hand positions I never got tired or fatigued in the 22 miles riding. Having a wide armed position for climbing is such a difference, too. At open point I tried to bunny hop a little ditch on the way back and when I landed I discovered the stem clamp wasn't as tight as I would have liked and the bars dipped. After re-tightening them I moved the levers higher and it wasn't bad but what I didn't like was how the barcons were further downwards and that didn't help climbing a few of the road cuts on the trail. Going to have to move them back.

The only thing now is I have to fine tune the gearing. In the lower gears for the short ups on the road cuts my chain would pop between gears so it looks like the rear derailleur needs a little tweaking. I want to try this out on the North Putnam Rail Trail next. Granted, it's paved but I bet I could really get some miles in just two hours.

Roxbury Revisited

See more details of the ride on Garmin Connect: Roxbury Revisited.

At the last minute I bagged the Hartford 'Cross Race because I needed to do some work around the house on Sunday afternoon and instead opted to return to lower Litchfield County for another Gravel Grinder. Using MapMyRide.com and the knowledge from the Tour de Roxbury I laid out a course of 25+ miles that would take me starting in Roxbury, up through Washington, New Milford, Marble Dale, back through Washington, and back down to Roxbury Center.

Figuring out what to wear was a challenge because I didn't want to over dress for fear of over heating and obviously I didn't want to under dress because it was a windy and cold 50 degrees this morning. In fact everything I wore was perfect except for the shoes. I had a Nike running shirt, long sleeve techwick, and a riding jersey, bibs, winter riding gloves, gore tex sock liners and wool riding socks. The only mistake I made was with my shoes. My feet were warm starting out but then there was this stream crossing on one of the singletrack sections that looked shallow but turned out to be really deep and splashing through it soaked my left foot. I probably should have worn my warmer shoes.

Today was a beautiful fall day and the fall foliage was once again worth seeing. On Upper County Road in Roxbury it was windy, so windy that it was bone chilling. I think the one thing that would have really helped for these temperatures would have been a wind vest. Might have to get one with sleeves that can be removed.

The best view is from here on Upper County Road.

Riding through the Moosehorn tract I found this blow down that blocks the red trail completely. A big beech tree broke taking out another tree next to it.

On the the other side of the brook the blue trail opens up into an old cart road. Riding through here on a full susser would be fun but I don't think there is enough trails here to make it worthwhile.

From the singletrack I came out onto route 199 and took this up to Battle Swamp. This road starts out as dirt then is paved and then dirt again. Then I tool a left onto some more single track that drops down to Judds Bridge.

Then it was Judds Bridge to Walker Brook. Walker Brook is great section because it starts out flat and then begins a steady climb up. While on this section I came across a woman wondering where she was and told her the name of the road. Then her husband came up and I showed them were they were on the GPS.

Apparently they walked down South Fen Hill and were looking for a way back without having to turn around and go back the way they came. I told them to head up Walker Brook to West Church Hill but they were would be in for a climb as I found on the Tour de Roxbury. It was kind of weird for people asking for directions who lived nearby but after some chit chat I learned that usually lived in NYC.

Most of the roads in the New Milford/Marble Dale section of the ride were all paved and I stopped here to warm up my left foot. Then it was a big downhill where I got up 34 mph.

Through Steep Rock I jumped on the first section of the rail trail this time and took it through the tunnel and up to the power lines and out to Tunnel Rd. From there it was back to Judds Bridge, 109, 67 and back to Roxbury Center.

I got the most mud from Steep Rock Reservation. The down tube fender helped keep some of the mud off me but it probably should be a little further down. I don't like the new bars on the Qball when it comes to riding singletrack even though they are great every where else. I think I need to try actual cross bars because when I am riding down hill my body position is all off while trying to make sure I have at least one finger on the brakes. The only thing that makes it doable is the 29 inch tires.

Over all the bike was great and the new stem made a big difference. I finally have this bike dialed in. I mounted another GPS with maps on the bars to help with navigation and it was a big help.

Some stats on the ride: ~25 miles in 2 hours 57 minutes and 3800 feet of climbing.

Tour de Roxbury, abridged version

Click the image above too see it in more detail

or

Click the link below to see the Garmin Connect detail

Tour de Roxbury (abridged)

By abridged I mean I took a wrong turn and lost the group so I ended up following my GPS with the course from last year. I was still able to do a 42 mile ride with 4700 feet of climbing. Riding these gravel roads and climbing these hills will be perfect training for next year's races and events. I hit three of the five single track sections. After riding the rail trail at Steep Rock and coming down to Roxbury Market, I was at the four hour mark and the give-a-shit meter was pegged so I picked up Route 67 and headed towards Southbury. Even that was still another hour worth of riding.

Mr Reeses, aka Stephen Badger, organized this ride that started at the Shaws parking lot in Southbury. If you want to see these and more pictures in greater detail, do directly to the Tour de Roxbury web albumn.

I have to say after the first couple miles I have a new found respect for roadies. These guys blew me away on the first climb. It was probably in the high 30s or low 40s starting out. I wore a techwick longsleeve and my NEMBA jersey. At the start I was a little chilled up top but my feet froze and it wasn't for about an hour did they finally warm up. Next time I do something like this that involves some road riding, I am wearing my neoprene boots. Of course all I needed were some toe covers and I would have been fine.

I probably would have caught up to them (at least if they were waiting at particular spots) but then I took a wrong turn and ended up losing a lot of time, first trying figure out where I was and then back tracking and picking up the trail. Fortunately, I had another GPS along and loaded to it I had last years track. I rode with the GPS in the back cargo pocket of my jersey but I still lost time having to frequently check it as well.

Still, riding through Roxbury, CT on a crisp, cool fall day was spectacular.

Following the track, it was leading me Steven's house and at the top of the hill it had a great view so I stopped, took a few pictures, and had my first peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich.

Bike was performing great. The only thing I realized was that the bars needed to be pushed farther forward, otherwise the new cranks were awesome.

And not five minutes later Mr Reeses shows up with all the riders in tow.

Of course it take long still they smoked my fourth point of contact and I was back to following the GPS.

Moosehorn Access is Roxbury Land Trust Parcel with some nice single track. The Qball tore through here.

I hit some more single track off of Judds Bridge and then came down this incredibly steep gravel road down the bridge that in which the road is it's namesake.

Following the track I finally came to Steep Rock, which is part of the old Shepaug RR line. I rode the rail trail south.

And through the tunnel

The route brought me back to Judds Bridge. I took the road back to Roxbury Market and then headed straight back to the lot.