Newtown Cyclocross - 12/21

Mark your calendars: December 21st.

NEWTOWN CYCLOCROSS p/b CCAP and Team 26 at Fairfield Hills

Come to Newtown! Race. Heckle. Hang out. Shop in our stores. Eat in our restaurants. Cowbells and Jingle bells. 

Race to benefit the Sandy Hook Ride on Washington and CCAP (Mission: to better the lives of our youth and young adults through the sport of cycling).

I am going to dress up and ride my Singlespeed Monster Cross!

It really is warmer in the woods!

Saturday was just a raw, cold, fall day here in SW Connecticut.  I wanted to ride Waldo but with the kid's activities and such that by the time my wife returned my best shot was just to hit the Gussy again.  My recent introduction to road riding now has me all confused for dressing for the woods but my new rule of thumb is if it's around 40 degrees (4.4 C) then shorts and two to three layers up top. 

Riding up the Mulikin gave me more time to look at these silly purple blazes and the only thing I can think of is that they are there to connect people either to the White Trail or just to dispel any confusion coming off the Blue Trail.  There is also no bypass to the rutted section but now that I think about it, they might be thinking the lower part of the trail before the turn, which has always been, in my case the Mulikin, but with that tree coming down due to Sandy and thoroughly blocking the trail that by pass that I have been riding for years is now thought of as the main trail now.

By the time I got to the top of Mulikin I was really hot and had to take off a few things as I imagined I would.  Once on the Gussy I decided to hit the short cut to the Three Bears Roller but found that I really don't like the flow.  I know who ever did it is probably reading this post so don't take this the wrong way, but I think a few tweaks here and there would make this a fun downhill trail and open up some additional challenges on the way down before the bears.

If I am going to rid up the Gussy, I like go out on the Equestrienne Trail, which by the way was one of the original impetuses to build the Gussy because the yellow crossed private land and was really unsustainable.  What I like to do is descend the Yellow to the blue, ride that for a little clip and then head out to the Forest Road on the sloppily blazed white trail but then I found some new yellow blazes at an interesting height - looks like someone painted them without getting off their high horse (pun).  Basically it connects the Gussy to the sloppily blazed white trail.  It's really a one way (down) trail trail if you are going to ride it.  You could ride it from the other direction with Granny's help.  Again, a few tweaks here and there and it could be a fun trail in either direction!

Gussied up before Work

If you are going to ride in Upper Paugussett State Forest during hunting season
you'd better wear blaze orange!

 

Looks like DEEP finally took care of the hornets nest but the last time I rode through it looked like the next was inert so I am not sure what good it does destroying the nest at this point.  I have to get them when they are still active to make an impact. 

Did a little foot raking to widen this turn - am I the only one that rides around the outside of this tree?

Kona Unit atop the Beer Stop.  The one thing I hate about riding in the mornings
is not being able to enjoy a frosty, cold one after the ride.

Circled back to check on the Mulikin

Only to find cheesy, purple blazes.
Really?

The water is really down at Pond Brook.
I really want to walk down the bank and see if the old Shepaug RR bed is still visible.

I wonder how long that bike has been submerged

It was tough riding on the lake bottom but a lot of fun.

Mistaken Identity

My first commute after Daylight savings ends and oh my, pretty darn cold, too!
Bring on the Snivel Gear!

I roll up to the polls and as I am getting out of some of my snivel gear some one thinks I am someone else so I had to tweet about it:

Holy #mistakenidentity! Show up to a polling place in #NewtownCT wearing a balaclava and riding a bike and they think you are @MonteFrank1
— Mark Lurie (@cyclesnack) November 5, 2013

Headed out on my new favorite route, Boggs Hill and looks like someone was naughty!

Rockwell Road finally got re-paved and it's black butter!

Riding home tonight was awesome.
Head light and light on the bars really did the trick!

Waldo's Indian Summer

I missed the planned Trail Maintenance Day at Waldo because I had things to do with my kids (that I missed for the past two weekends) so I headed over to Waldo at about 2 PM.  The state hasn't finished the new parking lot and the current lot was jammed up so I had to park on the other side of the road.  Never done that before but the car fit perfectly so it's good to know.  I passed a woman on a white full suspension bike that I have seen before but I didn't stop to chat.  I was there to ride!

  

I met up with Glenn Vernes who was there for the trail work and was riding after the work was done.  He turned around and we rode back down to the water and amazed at how low the water was on Lake Lillilonah.

The water is so low because the State DEEP is pouring concrete for the new boat ramp at Rt 133

My Kona Unit 29er is still rocking!
I love this bike.

  

Looking at Upper Paugussett State Forest

This eye is usually submerged.
It must look eerie when it's covered in water.