Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. 2015 Classics Season Begins!

 

R.I.P. Leonard Nimoy

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/27/spock-s-voyage-home-farewell-to-leonard-nimoy.html

Ratpod Registration Opens 8 a.m. March 3rd

Ratpod generally fills up fast. If you are interested, do not delay in registering. Registration = $125 + commitment to raise or contribute a minimum of $100 additional. The Grasshopper Valley is one of the best places you will ever ride a bicycle. http://www.ratpod.org/

 

Aaron Chase. Spectacular Mixed Conditions Fat Freeride

 

Aaron Chase Gets LES Fat at Highland from Pivot Cycles on Vimeo.

Fat Free. Rocky Mountain Bicycles.

 

Fat Free: Fat Bike Freeriding on a Blizzard from Rocky Mountain Bicycles on Vimeo.

Pat Smage Trials Riding on Fatback Corvus

 

Inaugural Kelly Canyon Fat Tire Pursuit

 

The first ever fat bike race at Kelly Canyon went off yesterday without a lot of fanfare. The inaugural event only drew about a dozen participants, but the organization was excellent with strong support from Bill's Bike and Run and Kelly Canyon. The fun was off the top of the fun scale. I was initially a little skeptical about the proposed route (two laps climbing to the Y-Junction, following snow-cat tracks from the east boundary to the top of lift four, and down Moose). It turned out to be perfect. It was a great course in every respect with a fairly challenging climb followed by a recovery and then a repeat of the climb. Prior to the race, it was estimated that lap times would be in a 45 minute range. Snow conditions were very good for fat bikes (probably not great for skiing) and that was reflected in very fast lap times. I think most lap times were in about a 30 to 35 minute range with many people riding a negative split on the second lap.

There is perhaps something absurd about otherwise serious adults careening around in the snow on ridiculously fat tired bicycles. And I am not sure there is any point trying to explain it. People are often discouraged when they ride fat bikes for the first time because it can be pretty tough work depending on terrain and snow conditions, but the fun is addictive. It is the kind of stupid fun you had when you were eight years old.

The guys from Bill’s and the owners of Kelly Canyon share a vision in which Kelly Canyon becomes a fat biking hub with fat bikes welcome on the lifts and the ski hill. They plan to organize a number of fat bike events including a couple of races each winter. I am happy we were able to be there for the first one and look forward to many more in the years to come. Many thanks to Brandon Fell and Gray Augustus from Bill’s as well as the people from Kelly Canyon for organizing this event.

You can see race photos (Jeff, Tony, me) at the Bill’s Bike and run Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/billsbikeandrun

 

Kelson Fat Bike Number Two

 

This green beauty was built to be light and fast with a Sram 1 X11 drivetrain, an MRP carbon fork, and TRP hydraulic disc brakes. Jeff designed the excellent Snow Ninja graphic that it shares with Tim’s bike.

Tony's Pogies

I will start out by stating two fairly obvious things: these pogies are beyond sweet, and they did not come out of some giant pogie factory. If you have spent time on a fat bike in the winter, you know that one of the biggest difficulties is keeping your hands warm. Tony designed, constructed, and sewed these pogies (along with a high quality stuff sack) from his own imagination and ingenuity. This is only his second pair and generation two has already improved and evolved from the original prototype. The exterior is waterproof Cordura with zipper and Velcro closures, strategically placed draw cords with quick releases, and a fleece lining. 

I have been telling Tony he should make and sell a few of these, but I do not think he is interested in taking this on as a business. However, if you would like to make some of your own, Tony would be willing to share a few ideas with you.

From Tate: Funny Cycling Moments

 

Things Cyclists Say

 

Jim Kish Interview In Bike Rumor

Photo copyright bikerumor.com

This is the guy who taught Brian to weld.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/02/18/road-to-nahbs-2015-kish-fabrications/

 

Off The Back - Matt's Favourite Funny Videos GCN

 

"It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future." Yogi Berra

Kellen asked me yesterday when the Tuesday Night Ride will start.   Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday March 8^th.  Realistically, that makes Tuesday March 10^th the first potential start date. I have checked the AccuWeather long term forecast for the month of March looking for some clue as to whether the unseasonably mild weather will continue (while keeping in mind the futility of predicting the future). Historically March and even April have been pretty questionable for the TNR in terms of weather. The short answer to Kellen’s question is that we will have to evaluate the situation week to week.

On Thursday, I rode Super Butte on my road bike, one of only a handful of times I have ever done so in the month of February. Subjectively, it felt like late March. Saturday, we took the fat bikes up to Kelly Canyon and did a preview ride of the race course. The climb up Crystal Cruise was well groomed and not overly difficult. The big surprise was the descent of Moose. In an earlier post, I commented that I expected it to be pretty sketchy in the winter. I was wrong about that. Moose was solid, smooth, and well groomed with the potential for very high speeds. Our enthusiasm for speed was dampened somewhat by an occasional patch of softer snow. In recent years, Moose has been deeply rutted with a fairly loose surface in the summer. In contrast, it was easier to ride with snow cover. However, I want to emphasize to readers of the blog something that should be obvious already: Good conditions does not equal safe at any speed. Hopefully everyone who shows up to race on Saturday can have a fun and safe day.

     

First Kelson Fat Bike

 

Tim Meikle is the proud owner of this gorgeous fat bike. He says it is super fun and rides great.

Product Review: Meiser Accu-Gage 15 PSI

In contrast to the sleek, modern appearance of the Topeak D2 Smartgauge, the Accu-Gage is a little bulky with a low-tech appearance.  Ultimately that is fairly meaningless when you consider this: the D2 is difficult to use and completely ineffective in measuring the low tire pressures used in fat bike tires. The Accu-Gage is easy to use and works great.

Here’s the bottom line on the Accu-Gage: It is almost foolproof and accurate down to very low pressures. This is the gauge that Chris and Tony have been using and the gauge that I bought to replace the non-functioning D2. The Accu-Gage is available in various pressure ranges including two low pressure models a 0-15 psi and a 0-30 psi.  It is important to note that the low pressure gauges can be damaged by attempts to measure pressure in tires that are inflated to higher pressure. Used in an appropriate pressure range, these gauges should be reliable and durable. Maybe in a year or so, I can do a long term follow up. Based on fairly limited use of the Accu-Gage, it seems to be the tire pressure gauge to have for fat bike use.

VeloNews.com: Five Tips to Prevent Knee Pain

photo copyright bike-riding-guide.com

http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/02/training-center/five-tips-prevent-knee-pain_360612

Dan Goes for a Gravel Ride

I heard from Daniel that he planned to go for a gravel ride on Friday and I asked him to take a couple of pictures for blog. I know that a number of other people including Kellen have been out enjoying the unseasonably mild weather as well. I managed to get out for a little spin on the road after work last night. It would be good to be getting some snow, but I guess you play the hand you are dealt. If that is mild weather in January, you go for a bike ride and you are pretty happy to do it.

Kelly Canyon Fat Bike Race

http://www.skikelly.com/fat-bikes

From Lana: Electronic vs. Mechanical Groupsets

Sun Dog

We saw this last night at the Banff Mountain Film Festival. It has absolutely nothing to do with cycling. Every now and again I feel like we need to toss something in here for pure entertainment.

One Man's Obsession to Break a 75 Year Old Cycling Record. The Guardian

photo copyright John Robertson/The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/06/bike-record-steve-abraham-longest-distance-cycle-year

Bruce Baxter Sets First KOM of the New Year

 

I received this picture from Bruce earlier today. There is a good chance you recognize the location. The ride to the end of the pavement at Lyon Creek has been a mainstay of the Tuesday Night Ride for many years as evidenced by its frequent appearance on this blog. The ride represents a decent amount of work even when the weather is good. Bruce reports he rode the final section today in one of two tire ruts in the snow. How many people do you suppose have done this ride on a road bike in January? There is no way to really know, but I am going to offer an educated guess: One. 

Kelly Canyon Fat Bike Race Feb 21

 

I received this piece of breaking news in a message from Chris this morning. More details are pending. The race will start at the lodge, climb Crystal Cruise, cross the top, and drop down Moose. Since I was already planning to ride in the Kelly Canyon area today, I was curious to take a look at the race course, particularly the descent down Moose. I have ridden that descent many times including in the old days of the Kelly Canyon Mountain Bike Race, but never in snow in the dead of winter.

I did not attempt to follow the race course up the mountain for several reasons. I do not know where Crystal Cruise is and was too lazy to investigate. Plus I did not want to be riding uphill against skier traffic, and I was interested to see how far the grooming goes on the spur road that runs south from the Y Junction. It was fairly warm and foggy when I started with about 2-3 inches of wet heavy snow on top of a base of moderate quality. From the Y-Junction, the grooming continues about two miles south and east, eventually stopping at a fairly random point. I returned with the plan of climbing to the top via the gate on the east boundary of the ski area which leads to the radio tower. Many of you will remember this as part of the old MTB race. Beyond the gate, the grooming was substantially older. I deflated both tires and was able to grind it out for quite a ways, but nowhere near the top. The snow got too soft and too deep.

At this point, the best option for plan B seemed like a climb to Morgan Summit, a descent to the logging road which returns on Buckskin Morgan Ridge, and a drop into Kelly Canyon from the north like we did about four weeks ago. A rain-snow mix was falling as I started toward Morgan Summit. By the top, it had turned into a heavy snowfall. Just before the logging road which returns along the ridge, there is a gate on the main road which was closed with snow almost to the top of the gate and no grooming beyond that point. I had assumed that the grooming that was in place on the day of the fat bike demo would be maintained for the entire season, but from the appearance of the gate, I would say it must have been a one-time-only event.

As I returned to the resort, snow was still falling fairly heavily mixed with about an equal amount of rain. By that point, I had already been out for quite a while and I was starting to get cold and wet. I entertained the idea of finding another way to the top and riding Moose down but only for an instant. That will be a project for another day. Since I did not actually preview the race as I planned, I can only speculate as what it will be like. The climb is likely to be a walking speed suffer-fest unless conditions are really exceptional. I think the decent of Moose in snow would be pretty fun as a casual or adventure ride, but I expect it to be pretty precarious in a racing context.

I did not have a terrible time today by any means and I had the luxury of riding in an area completely free from snowmobile traffic. But all things considered, I think Lyon Creek is probably a better starting point for a local fat bike ride than Kelly Canyon.

Product Review: Topeak SmartGauge D2

This is going to be pretty simple. Do not buy this gauge to use with your fat bike. Most people who are shopping for an accurate tire pressure gauge right now are probably looking for a product to use with their fat bike where a couple of psi can make a real difference in certain snow conditions. 

I have used a number of Topeak products in the past and they have generally been reliable, good quality products. My mistake was buying this gauge without reading the online reviews. the D2 is very difficult to use without releasing substantial amounts of air from a Presta valve and that is not the worst thing. In spite of a considerable amount of fussing and jiggling, I have been unable to get it to register any pressure at all in fat bike tires. At about 10 psi in the tires, the gauge reading will not budge from zero.

It did not take me too long to run out of patience with this poorly functioning product. (Aside from the issue with air release, it appears to take an accurate reading on my road tires). Only then did I read some online reviews and found to my surprise that they are generally favorable, although some people comment that the D2 is more effective at deflating tires than measuring pressure. Fat bike owners complain of failure to get any reading at all.

Chris and Tony both purchased low pressure analog gauges which seem to work fine and I am planning to do the same. For my needs, the SmartGauge D2 has been absolutely worthless.

Women's Finale

 

2015 Cross Worlds Finale

 

 

Worst Race Ever

 

Okay, so that is probably not fair. I understand too well what it is like to be an organizer of an under-supported cycling event. I heard about the fat bike race scheduled this morning in Driggs. The locals had built a fairly elaborate track with banks, berms, rollers, and tabletops for a snowmobile race that is scheduled for later in the day and agreed to host a fat bike race prior to the snowmobile races. I am pretty interested to race the fat bike and I do not think it would be that complicated to jump into a fat bike race with a cross country type format. But for something like this (kind of a snow crit/snow cross format) I thought it would be good to watch one first.

Most of us have more experience as participants in bicycle races and events than as spectators, but is big fun to be the spectator occasionally. So Dawn and I drove over to Driggs this morning pretty excited to watch a fat bike race. Three people showed up for the race and they rode four rather perfunctory 2 ½ minute laps. By the time Dawn got out of the car, the race was over. It looks like a fun format with a lot of promise, but it missed the target today.