Are you kidding me?

I noticed two piles of Horse Biscuits on the Recreational Trail at Fairfield Hills on Monday in which one pile preceded the other pile which means the riders didn't curb their horses when they stopped for a break. Or it was while in motion which means the trailing rider surely must have seen the lead horse unload, yet do nothing about it? Come on Equestriennes! You hide behind the fact that it's just chewed up grass but what else do you feed your horse?  No matter what it is, it's still shit and I don't want to step, ride, or even have to worry about almost stepping in your shit! Get off your high horse (pun intended) and kick that shit off the trail!

Insanely Poor Snow at Fairfield Hills

Had a little time to kill today between dropping off the Qball at the bike shop and getting the kids off the bus so I thought I would bring the skis and see what all the warm weather and rain did to the snow at Fairfield Hills.  Around my house we have tons of snow, however, it's pretty well shaded and takes a while to melt but up at the old Mental Hospital Complex, it's very exposed to the sun and subject to a lot quicker melting than what we get around here.

The good snow was mostly in the woods but there were still patches in the fields that made it fun.  Being out in the open, however, meant being subject to the winds which made the conditions a lot different from last week.

I found these trail markers in the fields on the eastern portion of the property that I think are part of the last Hunter Pace to have taken place at Fairfield Hills.  It's something to think about doing for an idea I have for this place concerning XC Skiing in the future.

I couldn't find any snow that connected this lower field from where I came on the back trails so I had to pop off the skis and walk a 100 yards to the lower fields.  I felt shameful and likened the experience to riding on the road with my mountain bike.  But the lower fields were great.  I criss crossed them and snowplowed down to the bottom of the field and then cut across to where I parked.

The snow was rock hard through here.  It would have been nice to have some edge but I had to make do with what I had (30 year old cross country skis) and I made it without falling.

When I got back to the car I checked the Lowrance, didn't take any chances this time and brought the Garmin, too, and I found it off again.  Once I got home, I put new batteries in it and found that it died 3/4s of the way through the trip, so I should have checked the batteries.  Still, that doesn't explain why it didn't work the last time.  The only thing that I can think of is that quite possibly it lost signal while I was walking through the woods, they were kind of dense and mostly evergreens.  Maybe, if it loses signal and can't require it figures it shouldn't waste anymore battery so it shuts itself down.  If that is the case, then that's mega stupid.  

Above are the two tracks in comparison.  Red is the Garmin and Blue is Lowrance.  Somehow, I am not surprised at the variance between the two because the Lowrance was in my pack and more vertical on the Garmin was in cell phone pouch perched on my shoulder.  The last time I did a comparison like this the Garmin was on my stem and while the Lowrance was in my pack, when I ride I am bent over the frame, thus putting both GPS' at the same angle to the satellites..

Cyclesnack hits 100,000!

This happened this evening, approximately at 9:57 PM on 1/2/2011

Can I be anymore Blunt?

But these wheels are hawt!

If I can't ride due to the conditions, then the next best thing is to do bike maintenance!

I put on the rear Velocity Blunt so everything matches now.

2010 Totals 2011 Goals

I finished 2010 with just under 1700 miles ridden, which by the graph above, year over year, was a huge increase.  Attributing to the increase was much more trail riding in preparation for races and commuting.  

My goals for 2011 are to ride 1000 miles of trail and 1000 miles commuting.  Commuting will be easier to attain because all I have to do is ride 200 miles per month for five months, which I could start in April and end in September.  Of course when gasoline hits $4 a gallon I plan on riding a lot more to work.  Also, given the fact that if the rest of winter stays mild, I plan on riding anyway.

The trail miles might be tougher to come by but this year I plan on training harder for races which means riding longer and harder.  Everything else in between: Gravel Grinders, Greenway riding with the kids, and road riding on the Tandem is the gravy.

Here's to a new year and new goals!