Fat Biking in Winter Storm Quinn

Winter Storm Quinn started out kind of slow Wednesday morning.  We were expecting a lot more snow but when I met up with Pete at the Echo Valley Lot there was only a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. Still, perfect conditions for fat biking.

Riding up the Brody Road to the Upper Gussy Trail head was pretty sloppy.  Glad I brought the fender but it only kept the mud off my back side.  Once on the Gussy, I took some videos of Pete riding all the good terrain features.

Fat Biking on the Upper Gussy from Mark on Vimeo.

Smell that? You smell that? Cow Shit, son.

Nothing else in the world smells like that. 

I love smell of cow shit in the morning!

I was going to play pick up sticks on the Upper Gussy this morning but then Gavin texted about wanting to ride to OOF and that sounded like a better deal. Test the new cranks that I put on the Voodoo the night before, see some cows and have breakfast at my favorite pastry shop. Not to mention get back on the road after my skiing accident 6 weeks ago.

Unfortunately, the cows at Spruce Brook Farm were all huddled behind the barn. Still couldn't miss that unmistakable stink of cow shit, especially upwind from the girls.

My descent down Spruce Brook was cautious but descending on brakes made things wobbly and on the steepest part I left off and my speed shot up to 40 mph and the Voodoo was smooth as butter.

The headwind through the Transylvania lowlands was brutal but the temperature was perfect for late winter riding.

Breakfast at Ovens of France was perfect.  Ham and Cheese Croissant and a hot cup of French Roast!  

Back on the Big Gurl

It's been five weeks since I broke my ankle and the doctor finally gave me the all clear to start riding outside and he even said that I could go skiing, too.  Not sure I want to ski again this season but definitely start riding outside again.  In fact, with the warming temperatures this week I decided to head out Thursday morning.

The weather channel said it was 35 degrees this morning but that's usually just an average. By the end of the ride the Garmin said it was 28 degrees and my kit decisions this morning were perfect. However, I did make a slight change to my footwear.  I had an old pair of snowboard boots laying around that thought might have the right amount longitudinal stiffness along the ankle that would give me some peace of mine.

The boots totally rocked.  They were super warm, plenty stiff, and did not impede my pedaling in any way.  Definitely going to be my go to boot for future cold weather rides, especially when there is snow.

Its been two months since I have seen the trails and those portions of the trails that still had leaf cover were looking really good.

However those sections that were leaf blown were really soggy and muddy at times.  Now there are few sections of the Gussy that I will have to fix this spring. I hope the person that leaf blew the trails sees this and gets the message to stop.

I haven't seen the Wetspot actually wet in years.  Looks like I might need to do some more armoring on it and create a few nicks so it drains quicker.

Sorry, but eMTBs are not MTBs

All kidding aside, according to the State of Connecticut, an electric Mountain Bike is still considered a motorized vehicle and thus not allowed on the trails at Upper Paugussett or any State Park/Forest in Connecticut.  There are two exceptions: (1) Thompson Dam and (2) Patchaug State Forest.  These two areas permit motorized vehicles.

An eMTB has a motor and thus it's a motorized vehicle. If your LBS told you otherwise, they are lying to you.

I am also disgusted by the The International Mountain Biking Association position on eMTBs:  

IMBA is supportive of Class 1 eMTB access to non-motorized trails when the responsible land management agency, in consultation with local mountain bikers, deem such eMTB access is appropriate and will not cause any loss of access to non-motorized bikes. IMBA recognizes that changes in design, technology and the numbers of eMTB users is evolving, and believes these bikes can be managed in a sustainable way for both the environment and other trail users.

Dave Wiens, IMBA Exec Director goes on to say:

“First and foremost, we advocate for access for traditional, non-motorized mountain bikes. IMBA does not advocate for access for eMTBs. But, IMBA and mountain bikers need to be at the table for all conversations that discuss access for eMTBs to non-motorized trails that are open to bikes,”

So which is it Dave, are you for or against eMTB?  My interpretation is that IMBA is just kissing up to the industry because they probably get a lot ($$$) support from them. Being against eMTBs would clearly rub the industry the wrong way and cost them support. 

Well, this wishy-washy position will cost them in the long run, too, by declining membership.  I canceled my membership and if you are reading this and a member of IMBA I urge you to cancel your membership, too.

The Virtual Cyclist

Shortly after New Years I came down with an upper respiratory infection that kept me off the bike for a week and the really cold weather following meant no more hot dates with Fat Amy. So, that meant back to the pain cave which I usually cannot tolerate but due to an unfortunate accident that befell me in the latter part of the prior year prompted me to get hooked on Zwift.

Then Mr Murphy showed up again while I was Telemark skiing at Mohawk Mountain on Martin Luther King Jr's holiday and I broke my right ankle! I felt like Joe Btfsplk from the Li'l Abner, the character with the dark cloud over him all the time. Right at the height of ski season, too.

Two weeks later the doctor gave me the all clear to start riding indoors on the trainer again and I have been going all out!  Riding Zwift, I went over 10K miles on Synapse and this month I am going to break 500 miles and I might even be able to take Fat Amy out again by the end of the month!