Get out and RIDE

Taking a day off...

2010-07-18T15:08:00.003-04:00

Thought I would just take the day off from riding, and enjoy the tour...

see you in the trails..... (tomorrow)

Oak Island Ride

2010-07-17T15:29:00.006-04:00

5:00am... dogs woke me up, so I get up and let them outside and then feed them. This is my normal daily ritual, I just wish that on the weekend they would let me slide until around 7am or so...

5:30am... check email, check local tide chart...LOW TIDE!!! Perfect for beach riding.

5:45am... load bike, fill camelbak, head to Oak Island.

6:20am.... well, see for yourself.

(one of my favorite trails)

(Oak Island Light house-about a 5 mile ride from where I parked)

I'm not a real beach-type person, however it is nice when you can get out on the beach before the crowds and it's just you, the sound of the waves, and the scenery.

I've been putting in a lot of miles on my Cannondale Prophet the last few weeks, this morning's beach ride was a great way to get my daily ride in, and change things up a bit....

quote of the day: "Are those motorcycle tires?" and also "What's that run, $200-$300???"

Rain....

2010-07-15T05:59:00.002-04:00

The week started off great, I got in a great ride on Sunday while it was nice and cool, then rode again after work on Monday and Tuesday. So, I decided to hit Blue Clay to Patrol yesterday after work, and the bottom fell out... Hopefully, today the rain will hold off.

Back to work...

2010-07-06T05:46:00.003-04:00

It never lasts forever, no matter how much fun you are having. My vacation is officially over now, and looking back I have to say it was one of the best vacations that I have ever taken. A lot of quality time with my wife, great friends, and family that I haven't seen in close to 14 years. I got to enjoy the mountains of North Carolina in all of their magnificent beauty, and two days later I was sitting in Emerald Isle with all of my Mom's family surrounded by all of the wonderful memories of my childhood and growing up with my Mom and all of her family.

Yesterday sitting by the pool, looking around at all of my Mom's brothers and sisters, although it had been so long since I had seen most of them, it seemed like just yesterday that we were sitting around Nanny's kitchen table having fun. I am so glad that I made the trip to visit everyone yesterday, now J.J. knows more of my Mom's family, and T.J. finally knows his great aunts and uncles and a lot of cousins. I look forward to traveling back this coming weekend, and seeing them all again because I don't know when I will ever get a chance to see all of them again.

Now, it's time to cut my cell phone back on, put my game face on and head back to the grind...

See you in the trails...

What an adventure....

2010-07-05T06:10:00.013-04:00

First of all, I have to thank our great friends Shawn and Kathy for having us up to their home for a few days. Time with good friends is priceless, and I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything in this world.

Ok, lets get started on the adventure. My truck had been making a funny noise as we got into Nantahala on Thursday afternoon (more on that later), so Shawn suggested that we take the top off of his jeep and take it for the day and just go exploring... Also, since Shawn has lived there all of his life, he broke out a map, and gave us a route that he thought that we would enjoy. Thanks again Shawn, our mapped out Jeep tour was perfect! We left Nantahala and headed to Franklin, stopped to have breakfast and then off to find some waterfalls.... Shawn had pointed us to Highlands, and it did not disappoint.

This was one of the first small waterfalls we saw as we were driving to Highlands. When you are surrounded with views like this, how can you not enjoy yourself. As we drove further we encountered the next fall, which was even larger and more beautiful...

I'm not sure if either of these first two smaller falls have names, I'm sure they do by the locals, but I couldn't find them on the map. After this fall it was several more miles of beautiful views of waterfalls and rapids and then we reached Dry Falls...

Dry Falls is Amazing! They have an elevated viewing platform, and also stairs and a walkway so you can go down under the falls. There are no words to describe the feeling of standing under a waterfall, it truly makes you respect and appreciate God's work...
After spending some time here enjoying the beauty of Dry Falls, we headed further up the mountain towards Highlands. We did pass Bridal Veil falls, which you can drive beneath, but there were several motorcycles under the falls taking pictures so we decided to keep heading to Highlands...

Highlands is absolutely beautiful, it reminded me of Denver Colorado or some of the other smaller Colorado towns I've been through over the years. We rode through the small town and started heading towards Cashiers, but decided to stop and hike up Whiteside Mountain.

It's about mile and a half hike to the top of Whiteside, and the views are spectacular. The day we hiked the mountain it was cool and overcast. The cooler weather was perfect, but the overcast conditions did limit the views from the top. Elevation at the lookout for Whiteside Moutain is 4930ft.

After hiking Whiteside, we decided to just ride for a while and make our way to Bryson City, which was probably an hour or so away. All along the way are views of rock formations, rolling rapids, and several mountain lakes. When we arrived in Bryson City, they were having their 4th of July festival, so we walked around and enjoyed the Arts and Crafts. And of course stopped and bought a few things at Bryson City Bicycles.

After we left Bryson City, we headed back down into the Nantahala Gorge, to stop by the Nantahala Outdoor Center to buy some gifts and to watch the people playing in the rapids.

What a day, what an adventure. We pulled back into Shawn and Kathy's around 7:00. They were just closing up their shop, and we headed down to Nantahala lake to listen to a band that was performing live from the middle of the lake, eat some great food and watch the fireworks.

Vacation July 2010.... this is how life should be....

checking in from Nantahala

2010-07-03T08:19:00.002-04:00

Haven't even taken my bike off the truck yet, but that doesn't mean that the fun has not started. Yesterday Shawn and I spent the entire day going to Tennessee to get some "holiday fun", don't want to incriminate myself...LOL. On the trip there we followed the Ocoee River for about an hour, it was beautiful. Then on the way home we actually took an old mountain road - a real honest to goodness dirt mountain road and drove over one of the mountains, that was amazing! After that it was stop by the house and get everyone else and head up on the farm. So far it's been such an amazing vacation, I'll post lots of pictures when I get home. Today, J.J. and I are heading to Highland Falls, Dry Falls, Bryson City, Deep Water Falls, and then going to hit the N.O.C. for some ice cream and watching the rafters come down the rapids. Then when once we get back to Shawn's this evening, we are going to a 4th of July concert on the lake....This is Vacation! (and like I said earlier, the bike is still on t he truck....)

see you in the trails....

All Packed up and heading to Tsali

2010-07-01T06:49:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of my vacation, unfortunately J.J. had one more day before she could start her vacation. We've had our trip to Bryson City/Nantahala planned for a while. I've made the trip to the mountains of western NC the fourth of July for the last four years and this is the very first time that JJ is making it with me. We are staying with some great friends, and it's going to be a lot of fun. Of course the Prophet is making the trip with me, and making yet another return to Tsali to ride my favorite trail - Thomson.

Ok, time to get out of the computer and get behind the wheel for the 7hour drive to the beautiful Nantahala Gorge... Hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July!

See you in Tsali....

what a week....

2010-06-27T07:05:00.002-04:00

I put in more miles this week than the past several weeks, which is a surprise to me considering most days when I started my ride the heat index was well into the hundreds. I have a fire road that I enjoy riding, I can get in a good 15 - 17 mile ride with no traffic to worry about, I just put in my ear phones and get lost in the rhythm of the ride. Yesterday for some insane reason, I decided to ride mid day, I filled up my 100oz bladder, grabbed a couple of energy bars and headed off. After about 7 miles I started feeling pretty fatigued, which is odd because normally around 10miles I am in a good rhythm and really enjoying the ride. I knew it was hot, and I knew I had really pushed myself the day before, so I started thinking back a few weeks to my CPR First Aid class and thinking about our discussion on heat exhaustion. I knew I had not reached that point, however I knew that I could be pretty quickly if I didn't find a cool place to rest and try to cool down some. I found a small bit of shade under some tall pines, and decided this was going to have to do. I soaked my handkerchief with water and placed it over my head an neck and sat for several minutes, I was already feeling better. After an energy bar and good 10 minute break, I stretched my legs and decided to head back to the road entrance. Instead of pushing myself the way I did on the beginning of the ride, I took it easy on the way out.

We all ride for different reasons and at different skill levels. Each ride is a different adventure that we take with us that others may never understand. Yesterday made me thankful that I had taken the CPR First Aid class a few weeks back, because I was able to recognize the signs my body was giving me, and I knew what to do before I reached the point of exhaustion.

See you in the trails....

Fathers Day 2010

2010-06-21T06:26:00.001-04:00

Had a wonderful Fathers Day spending time with my son T.J. Thanks for everything, it was perfect!

CPR - National Mountain Bike Patrol Class

2010-06-19T18:01:00.003-04:00

Celebratory Brew! Passed my CPR Class, Passed My National Mountain Bike Patrol Class, and my online Exam.... All I have to do now is send in my money and wait for my jersey to arrive...

13 days and counting...

2010-06-17T05:36:00.002-04:00

Heading to the mountains for five days of great friends, fun and best of all no phones or email.... This year will be even better than the years past because JJ is finally going to go with me. So, this year I won't mountain bike unitl I damn near pass out, I'll actually do the tourist thing because I want to find things that she would enjoy to. So far on my list hike part of the Appalachian Trail, visit some waterfalls, see the Fontana Dam, eat ice cream at the NOC watching the boats come down the white water, and pizza on the river at my favorite dive.... and I'm sure some how I'll squeeze Tsali in there somewhere.

Final DEC Race at Blue Clay 6.6.10

2010-06-11T06:02:00.003-04:00

Thought of the day...

2010-05-28T15:23:00.001-04:00

Pugsley fork on the way....

2010-05-24T19:50:00.003-04:00

The Pugsley fork is on the way, can't wait... Now I'll be able to run a front disc brake on my Tommi Sea....

Oak Island NC

2010-05-24T19:36:00.004-04:00

Why am I posting pictures of the beach? Because I finally timed it right and hit the beach at low tide and was able to put in some quality time in the sand. Oak Island was great, I started riding at the first public access all the way down and around the tip to the sounds side which looks across the inlet to Holden Beach. On the way back the tide was coming in and pushed me into the super-soft sand, so I did the last few miles on the road to get back to my truck. Riding the fat-bike on the beach is like an entirely new dimension to cycling, I'm looking forward to lots of riding the sand this summer... Here's a couple more pictures for you...

See you in the trails... or maybe on the beach...

Sunday's adventure (another Fat bike ride)

2010-05-03T06:11:00.007-04:00

I'ts only May 2nd, and I'm already tired of snakes in the trails. I know that I sit up way to high for them to bother me, but like most people they still startle me and I feel like I am riding on "high alert" the rest of my ride. So yesterday I decided to set out on one of the fire roads not far from my house. I did my homework, I pulled the road up on google maps to see where it lead to, and it looked like a fun adventure. I had my wife drop me off at the beginning of the road, and told her to give me a few hours and then come back and pick me up. This ride was the most fun I've had in a while, just riding along exploring the unknown, an adventure ride of sorts.

I knew from google maps that there were several man-made ponds down the fire-road, and that there were several roads that split off from this road. I also found several dirt mounts where they dug the ponds that had to be 20 feet tall... Then I started running across several trails off of the fire-road, probably hunting roads. Some were marked with "No Trespassing" signs, and some not. Here's a few pictures from one of the ones that had no gate or signs.

Each trail seemed to lead to another adventure, and time flew by. I doubled back to the fire road and began my trip back to meet my wife, and decided to cut through a back entrance to a neighborhood I had passed. I didn't want to ride paved roads, but I knew it would be the quickest way to our rendezvous point. And that's when I discovered probably the coolest part of my entire adventure.... check out the photos....

This is part of the shared usage trail at Brunswick Forest, which is a 4mile loop for people to jog, ride, walk etc. I have to give kudo's for the people who did the section through the woods, it's absolutely amazing, it has the sections pictured above, one section called the Nature Trail Loop" that loops off of this and an out door class room. It's nice to see developers adding stuff like this into the newer communities.

What a great adventure, I can't wait to see where my next adventure leads.....

see you in the trails!

2010 Earth Day Creation Celebration

2010-04-25T14:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I helped out at the 2010 Earth Day Creation Celebration, right here in good old Brunswick County. I had actually met several of the people putting on the event a week or so earlier while riding the trails at Brunswick Nature Park, and then I got in touch with Greg our SORBA Chapter President and asked did he need any help.

We went out and spent all day working with the kids, and some adults. We set up a small obstacle course, made up of cones, skinnnies, and some man-made log hops. We also took some of the kids and adults over to Brunswick Nature Park and took them on a 2.5 mile trail ride, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

Doing this kind of stuff is a lot of fun, I wish there would have been a SORBA chapter around to put on something like this when I was a kid. Here are a few pictures that I took from the obstacle course....

Fort Fisher ride

2010-04-24T06:59:00.004-04:00

I had the day off last Monday, so I decided it was time to take the TommiSea Terrain Destroyer down to Fort Fisher and ride. I got to put a few miles in on the beach, but I didn't time my ride right, so I got there right at high-tide. This would not have been a problem, but I purposely didn't let any air out of my tires, because I wanted to also ride down to the Aquarium, the Ferry, and I wanted to ride the jetty like I've done in the past on my Prophet.

(Here are some pictures from my ride at Ft Fisher)

On the way home, I was surprised at how good I still felt, so I decided to stop by Greenfield Lake to see if I could spot any alligator's, which is something my wife and I do often during the spring and summer. Today was my lucky day! This guy was sunning himself about 5 feet off the sidewalk, and had to be at least 7-8 feet long.
Well, that's about it for Monday's Fatbike adventure, hopefully next time I'll have some good pictures of me actually riding on the sand, but it's hard to ride and do the photography....

See you in the trails....

The Hiatus is over

2010-04-18T07:30:00.003-04:00

I took almost a year off from riding ->STUPID MOVE<- however I am back on my bike now and having more fun than ever. I had to come to a realization, I ride for me - no one else! I don't care if you are faster than me, slower than me, if you ride a bike from Walmart or if you are barreling through the trails on a $4000 Turner. I don't ride to compete, I ride primarily because riding has always been a passion for me, I love the outdoors, the trails, and the great friends I have made because I ride. My other reason for riding is my health, heart disease runs in my family, and I don't want to be pushing up daisies instead of seeing them as I ride by on my bike.

Life is to short, so am going to do my best to just sit back and enjoy the ride....

See you in the trails!

Want to roll a fatty?

2010-04-04T05:34:00.004-04:00

It's been a while since I have posted anything, but getting a new bike is the perfect way to start back... Thanks to Shawn at BikeCycles, he hooked me up with a TommiSea Terrain Destroyer. This thing is awesome, it will go anywhere.

I've wanted a fatbike since the first time I saw a Surly Pugsley, and although this isn't a Pugsley it definitely qualifies as a Fatbike.

Thanksgiving 08

2008-11-28T06:55:00.005-05:00

What a different Thanksgiving than normal this year, I found myself at home alone since JJ was visiting her grandfather and TJ was tagging along with my sister. I had no time limits, no plans, nothing to do but get out on my bike and ride, which was great because I have been off my bike so much lately.

I waited until it was warm enough to comfortably ride in shorts, loaded up the Prophet and headed to Blue Clay. Plus, I wanted to check out the trail extension that I had read about on the SBA website.

I arrived at the trails, and there were a few people hitting the pump track, and a few others coming off the trails, so I headed out for my first of what was hopefully to be two laps. The ride was going well, I was trying some of the stuff that Derrick had shown us in the class a few weeks prior. I hit the first skinny - no problem, hit the second little skinny and lined up for the log hop - no problem, then the next log hop- hell yeah, this is going to be a good day. Then I came to the log ride, that I have done many times..... .....Damn! That's going to leave a mark!

I got about ten feet down the log, my back wheel slid off and I tried to get my leg out of my peddles and caught my lower calf on my big chainring.... Well you win some and you loose some... Here's a few more pictures of the log I was attempting.

I sat down for a minute and cleaned my leg up a little, and thought to myself, there is no way I'm going to let this beautiful day go to waste. I finished my lap of Blue Clay, which the trails were in great shape. After my first lap, I decided to do a quick lap of the beginners trail, when I finished up there, I ran into my good friend Peter, and took a break and enjoyed some great Thanksgiving conversation.

I have to say, even with taking a nasty spill, it was a great day!

Picture of the day...

2008-11-22T06:50:00.002-05:00

I was surfing the net checking out mountain biking pictures and ran across this picture, it's just to cool not to post....

Greenfield Lake

2008-11-18T19:39:00.002-05:00

What a busy weekend, I even took Friday off and still never rode my bike. I guess that's to be expected though, it was my sister's wedding and it seemed JJ and I had as much running around to do as the bride and groom. The wedding came and went and was a pretty ceremony, and I can honestly say that I never thought I would see my sister get married again. I sure am glad she's happy!

Sunday, JJ and I headed up to IHOP to meet her sister before she headed back to Seattle. We don't get to see her much, so this was a bad weekend for her to show up. I only got to have breakfast with her this trip, but it was well worth it.

After breakfast, hitting the grocery store and returning all of the tux's, JJ and I decided to ride over to Greenfield Lake and feed the ducks. It was nice and peaceful and we were both thankful that all of the running around was over for the long weekend....

Rain - Day 3

2008-11-14T10:08:00.001-05:00

Another day of rain and thunder storms. We just opened the new pump track this past weekend, now it looks like it will be closed at least for a week to come, after the rain stops. Bummer!

Kicking it Old School

2008-11-09T18:29:00.004-05:00

My earlier post about the mountain bike clinic and Derrick got me thinking about the old days. I knew I had some pictures of me riding the New River Trails back in 1997, so I dug them out and scanned them... Here's just a few. I was riding a 1997 Cannondale Killer V 500, man I wish I still had that bike today. Here's the pics...

Mountain Bike Clinic 11-9-08

2008-11-09T17:44:00.006-05:00

It's not everyday that you get to ride with a professional rider, especially not here in the Wilmington area. Today would be my exception. About a week ago, Shawn at Bike Cycles posted that there would be a free mountain bike clinic put on by a professional rider today. To my suprise, the pro was none other than Derrick Meready, which I grew up down the street from.

The last time I saw Derrick, he was ripping up the streets with aspirations of becoming a professional skateboarder with good friend Michael Good, in the small town where we grew up. Both Derrick and Michael both were phenomenal skaters, so it would not have surprised me if they both went pro.

I got to catch up a little with Derrick today after the clinic, and he is doing well for himself, and in his second year as a pro rider for Mad March Racing based out of Snowshoe West Virginia. I have to say he put on an awesome clinic, he was very informative, and I picked up several tips that will help me become a better rider (other than loosing about 50lbs). It was cool not only riding with a pro, but catching up briefly with an old friend....

Cooper's first day on the trails.....

2008-10-05T20:36:00.011-04:00

Here's some pictures from Cooper's first big day at the trails.... Here he is fresh from his nap in the truck on the way to the park, completely unaware of what's in store. Now that J.J. has arrived to take some pictures, it's time to show Mom what we've been practicing. Let's start with a nice easy pace down to the other end of the trail. Ok, time to stretch our legs.... Whew.... now that Mom's seen what we've been working on, it's time to find a comfortable place to chill... And here's one more just for Mom, she likes it when I act silly for the camera... What a big day, Cooper got to meet most of the regular gang, checked out the pump track and the mud...LOL, and begin working on being a trail dog. I think this was just the beginning of something great, I look forward to years and years of great rides with Coooper!

We'll see you in the trails....

Beer of the week....

2008-10-04T07:55:00.003-04:00

Another good beer choice....

Welcome to the Family

2008-10-03T06:43:00.003-04:00

We lost Milo, our male black lab several months back to a epileptic seizure that he never came out of. We knew that the day would come, but we never expected it to be as soon as it was. Milo was the best, I miss him every day.

A few weeks ago, JJ surprised me with our newest member of our family, Cooper. Cooper's a 15 week old Chocolate lab. Although he can never replace Milo, he has brought back mischief to the house. Here's a picture with him laying on the bed with our adorable Jezzie (who rules the house!) I plan on Cooper hitting the trails with me this fall and winter, we've already bought him his very own camelbak. I hear he's going to make an appearance at CANbike....

Duh!

2008-10-02T06:29:00.004-04:00

I will never understand why people insist on riding a trail the day after we have 4" of rain... Come on people use your freakin' head, it's not just a hat rack you know. If riding the trail is going to cause more work for the others that spend countless hours keeping the maintenance on these trails up, building new things for people to enjoy, etc, then wait until the trails are open...

It just really pisses me off when I see people out there that don't want to follow a few simple guidelines that would make life better for everyone.

I guess this is going to earn me the douche bag award for the week, but who cares...

Trail Day - part 2

2008-09-21T22:13:00.003-04:00

Man, things are really beginning to come together. With all of the changes that are happening out at BC, I think our CANbike event is going to be HUGE! The two trail days this weekend were incredible, the amount of volunteers we had was probably the most I've seen on any single trail day yet.

BC is going to become even more popular in the days to come, I can just feel it. Here's my favorite picture from today. If you are curious, you need to come down to Blue Clay and see for yourself.....

Trail Day

2008-09-21T07:18:00.006-04:00

Have you ever noticed that it's the same people showing up for trail day, every time? I am curious if it's this way for all clubs and trails. Personally, I always feel better riding the trails knowing that I've put in my time working on them. It just annoys me when I hear people complaining about the trails or wanting to change thing, but for some reason, they hardly ever show up to help out. AND the part that really gets me, is they can make time to ride on days that there's no work, but if it's a trail day... they can't be found. If you are reading this, and you think I'm talking about you, you are probably right....

Here's a few pictures from yesterday... I also want to give a huge thanks to all of the BMX guys that came out and helped with the trails yesterday, without those guys we would not have gotten half as much done!

I want to leave you with one last picture, this is what it's all about.....The Kids!

See ya in the trails!

Time to ride....finally

2008-09-19T06:36:00.002-04:00

Work has been insane lately, working for a generator company plus a major hurricane hitting Galveston, well, you do the math - INSANITY! However, the days go by quick and all of us in the office have a good time and make the best of it.

Yesterday I had an opportunity to sneak out of the office around 5:30, and head over to Blue Clay, it hand been a week or so since I had been on my bike. The trails were in great condition. The weather is finally beginning to break, and the days are getting shorter so I'm looking forward to some great night rides very soon. Hopefully I can sneak out again this afternoon, and put in a few more laps...

TS Hanna

2008-09-05T18:26:00.003-04:00

I actually managed to get away from work before 7pm, which has seemed an impossibility this past week. I headed home, stopping off to get gas for the generator and chainsaw in case the storm causes us to loose power and/or knocks down some trees.

Once I finally got home, JJ helped me make room to get both vehicles, the lawn mower and all of the bikes in the garage; talking about packing 10lbs of shit in a 5lb bag. We're all hunkered in, just waiting to see what Hanna has in store for us. I'll post pictures tomorrow, if I can get online.

Stay safe and I'll see you in the trails....

Picture of the Day!

2008-08-30T19:05:00.002-04:00

Could not pass this up, I don't know what he did but when my wife and I came through the parking lot, this is what we saw.... Way to go Leland PD!

ramblings

2008-08-30T06:20:00.002-04:00

To much rain, not enough peddling! However, I'm going to hit the trails this morning and put in a few miles before heading over to see my dad. I haven't seen him in several weeks, so I'm very excited to be going over to visit him.

I've been working a lot on the CANbike stuff, it's coming along slowly, and the event will be here before you know it. In case you don't know, it's a mountain bike event that I am helping organize to raise money for breast cancer awareness, I hope we have a great turn out and raise tons of money.

Here's the logo on a Tshirt I saw online, I will add it to the collection just as soon as payday rolls around....
Have fun, be safe, and I'll see you in the trails!

Mid August ride at Blue Clay

2008-08-17T15:39:00.002-04:00

I finally have most of the prizes and raffle items lined up for CANbike, so I have a little spare time again. This morning, I slept in, which is so unusual for me. It felt good to sleep in, but I missed my early Sunday a.m. ride downtown. It's just cool to be down on the river so early, and watch the people and be able to ride without fear of the lunatic drivers that crowd the streets around mid-day. I've been giving Erol's idea of Ciclovia much thought, and I think this would have a dramatic impact on our region. The downtown area is the perfect place!

Since I missed my morning ride, I met up with Brannon and we hit Blue Clay! First of all, the new parking lot is great! No more parking in mud, or fear of getting your vehicle stuck in ruts. The Blue Clay Bike Park project has come a very long way, and it's great to have had a role in it.

Today was the first time I have rode BC in a while, let's face it, it's the middle of summer and snakes are out. I wouldn't classify myself as having a fear of them, more like a huge respect for them. I've seen my fair share at BC, and I try to avoid them and let them go about their way. Today, Brannon spotted the only one, a black racer about two feet in length.

I didn't break out the camera, I just enjoyed my "SLOW" ride around the trails, and talking to friends that I haven't seen in a while. While talking with Peter, he commented on how mountain biking seems to pull people together outside of biking, and I couldn't agree more. Normally, and there are exceptions, mountain bikers are a friendly laid back group of riders, that love to share a story, catch up on old times, or lend a helping hand when needed.

Hopefully work will allow me some spare time this week to hit the trails, because I sure need all the spinning I can get in.

See you in the trails!

Downtown Wilmington on Sunday am

2008-08-10T20:11:00.007-04:00

This past week was a bit more hectic at work than normal, lots of big shows going on that kept me at work when I was hoping to be peddling. This morning I woke up early as I always do and decided to put in another downtown Wilmington ride like I did a few weeks back. This ride is a ride of solitude for me, I like to get downtown before 7am, when the sun has only been up for a little while. You get to see tons of cool stuff, this morning was no exception, as soon as I parked my truck, a tug boat pushing this huge barge came down the river. (See photo below) I took this next picture from the same location and you can still see the fog in on the opposite side of the bank that has not burned off from the morning sun yet. (picture below) While I had my camera out, I figured I'd get a couple of the USS North Carolina, which is also on the opposite side of the river from downtown.(pictures below)

Downtown Wilmington early on Sunday mornings is so peaceful, however not as dead as you may think. There were lots of road cyclists out enjoying the morning air, several joggers and as always the people out for an early morning stroll or walking their dogs.

I was in a club meeting recently, and Erol was explaining his ideas about having a Cyclovia here in Wilmington. As I rode this morning, I gave this a lot of thought, downtown would be a perfect place. I rode through several sections of the historic downtown, up and down the old cobblestone roads, and there is so much to take in.

I had a road bike for a while, and I sold it because it only hung in my garage and never saw much use. Now, I find myself pondering another road bike, or maybe set my hardtail up as a commuter with some fat city tires, that would be nice...

See you in the trials...or the streets downtown.

2009 Cannondale Bad Boy

2008-08-09T18:04:00.003-04:00

I've always like the Bad Boy line by Cannondale, but when I saw these two pictures, I think I like it even more. From what I've seen on the forums, this is the euro model. Hey Cannondale, let's get these in the shops here, because I want one!!!!

and my Sunday Afternoon ride

2008-07-28T06:20:00.006-04:00

JJ had to head down to Ft Fisher to take some engagement pictures for a couple that's planning on getting hitched, yep she's a photographer check out her site at jjpearce photograpy. So I took advantage of the opportunity and threw the dirt jumper on the truck and away we went. Sorry, no action shots but I really like this first one. I had fun just playing around while the love birds smiled for the camera....
(Me at Fort Fisher)
(still me, and still at Fort Fisher)
(Just chillin)

Sunday morning ride...

2008-07-27T11:06:00.004-04:00

I've been thinking about riding the downtown area on Sunday mornings for a while now, so this morning I decided to check it out. I wanted to get down there before there was a lot of traffic, so I headed down around 7am. I'm an early riser anyway, so this fits perfect for me on the weekends. I think next week I'm going to try to get there a little earlier, and try to catch the sunrise which would be cool.

I parked at the beginning of Market Street near where the horse carriages are normally located. I figured this was as good as place as any. I took a right on Water and followed it all the way to Nutt St., from there I worked my way to North Front Street until it intersects with Third, and then took a right and took Third all the way down to Queen St. From there I headed down to the public boat ramp and took some pictures and then took Front back down to where I had parked. Sounds convoluted I'm sure, but it was fun. I took advantage of the hills on Nun, I think it was because we don't have tons of them and I need all the practice climbing that I can get. Once I finally got back to my truck, I took a breather and then did the entire route in reverse to see which way had more climbing. I ended up with 11 miles, and had a great time in downtown Wilmington.

There were several other people out riding as well, most on their road bikes, some on cruisers and I was the solo mtbr downtown at the time. I saw a few guys skateboarding, lots of folks walking or walking their pets. Speaking of pets, I'm a dog owner and lover, but if you are going to walk your dog down the River Walk, don't let the PISS on the wooden posts! This is just wrong....

This ride was a lot of fun, so much that it may become my weekly Sunday morning ride... Hope to see you out there. Here's a few pics from this morning.

(Downtown Bridge)

(Downtown Storefronts)

(My bike at the boatramp near the Downtown Bridge)

Not enough hours in the day...

2008-07-26T19:44:00.002-04:00

I haven't updated this page in forever it seems, and if you would have seen me on the trails yesterday, you would have sworn I was a noobie. My new position at work is great, and I should be able to ride everyday, but I don't. For the past month, I have been helping my wife and Mary Ann with the CANbike event which is a mountain bike race to raise money for breast cancer. I've been hitting everyone I can think of online for donations, so I've spent way to much time typing and no where near enough time peddling.

I am excited about CANbike, it's for a great cause, and I have been blown away by the support of some of the companies. I wish they were all that way, but I know that's just not possible.

New Rims!

2008-07-19T06:53:00.003-04:00

I've been wanting to get a new set of rims for a while. A few weeks ago while I was at a bike shop near Bent Creek, I talked to a guy about all the different ones that Mavic has to offer, and decided to go with the Mavic CrossTrails. Thanks to Shawn at Bike Cycles for getting them for me!

I'm heading out today and pick up some tires from Brannon, and hopefully these will be put together and on the trail by tomorrow!!

New Purchase

2008-07-13T18:17:00.002-04:00

I'm tired of doing yard work! I have 2 acres of land, and I have been using a Honda Push mower and my trusty weed eater for 4 years. I'm done! I told J.J. that I am going to buy us a riding mower. J.J. had a great question, how am I going to pick it up and get it to the house. So, I bought this. Dual purpose, next trip to Tsali, I can load it up with gear....

Beer of the Week

2008-07-13T18:14:00.002-04:00

I figured I'd share another passion of mine, good beer! It's hard to find new beer here in Wilmington, but I do try to mix it up. So here's my Beer for this week. Pete's Wicked Ale.

Bent Creek

2008-07-13T07:23:00.002-04:00

Here's a quick slideshow that I threw together from our Day of riding at Bent Creek. This place was awesome!

2008-07-13T07:19:00.001-04:00

Tsali '08

2008-07-13T06:32:00.013-04:00

The July 4th Tsali trip has become a ritual for the Knights of Sir Bikes a lot, and this year would be no exception. Well, except hardly any of the Knights went this year. I know what you are thinking, No Sir Bikes-a-lot? No Sir Toots? No Sir Launch-a-lot terrorizing every little jump and berm on Thompson? You got it!

I was bound and determined to keep the trip going. After loosing my best friend Milo two weeks before, I desperately needed some dirt-therapy and mountain air to help me clear my head. I kept the emails and phone calls going, and it ended up being Tony, Brannon and myself and then Wendy and Wai would meet us there.

We headed out early on Thursday in order to get a campsite there in Tsali, the truck was loaded down with camping gear and bikes. When we arrived however, there was not a campsite to be found, except at the Kickstand Lodge which was a motorcycle campground which promised we wouldn't have "this much fun" anywhere else... Let see, three mountain bikers, 35 Hariley riders.... yeah, we opted for plan C.

I have a great friend that lives about thirty minutes from Tsali, and he and his wife graciously took the three of us in. Beer on ice, Great food, Great friends, and comfortable beds and no line for the showers... Now this is ruffing it!! I still can't thank Shawn and Kathy enough. If you are ever in the Nantahala Area, please stop by their store and check it out - Bryant Bait and Tackle!

July 4th - Time to ride. After a awesome breakfast that Shawn and Kathy cooked up for us, we headed to Tsali. I was the only one that had ever rode Tsali of the group, and I had not hit Left Loop before, so Left Loop it was. We mounted up and moved out. Less than a mile in, Tony's back wheel caught a root and he went down and I became the first one to go over the bars for the day... FACE-PLANT!!!

Well, enough with the commentary, it ended up being a great trip, here's some pictures.
(Tony at the old Fire place on Tsali's Left Loop)(Brannon coming through a small rock section on a narrow ledge Tsali - Left Loop)(Wai, Wendy, Brannon, Tony and my Prophet taking a break)(Time to check the map)(Views from the Overlook, this makes climbing the mountain worth it!)(Brannon and Me at the top!)

Tony and I called it quits after the left loop, being flat landers I had done all my lungs could take for a day. So we headed to the bike wash, while Brannon and the girls hit the right loop - You guys are my heros!

Later that day, we hung out at the NOC and watched everyone playing in the rapids and enjoyed good food and scenery. The next day we got rained out and decided to pack it in, and stopped and rode Bent Creek. I'll do another post with those pics.

Road Trip!

2008-07-03T05:31:00.002-04:00

My stuff's all packed, and I'm heading to Tsali! I made this trip last year for the first time, and although I was so out of shape I thought I would die, I have to go again. Unfortunately, the group is much smaller this year I am sure the ones of us going will have just as much fun. I'll be heading out in a few hours, for four days of camping, mountain biking, but most of all NO WORK!!! It will be wonderful to be able to wake up and breath the crisp mountain air.

Milo

2008-06-28T09:00:00.001-04:00

It's been over a week, and it still brings tears to my eyes just trying to type this. I thought it would get easier, but it hasn't. Last Thursday, Milo passed away. I miss him so much, nothing here seems right without him, it's as if the balance of nature has been destroyed.

Milo was awesome, and he was much more than my dog, he was my best friend. He will be forever loved and missed.

We love you buddy!

Another Crazy week

2008-05-25T08:06:00.002-04:00

I didn't get to do much riding this week. I managed to hit Blue Clay once for about six miles or so. Then the next evening I got off work just in time to make it to the "Ride of Silence" I've wanted to dot his ride for a couple of years now, but have been unable to because of traveling with my job. With my new position, I was finally able to make it.

The route for the ride took us right through UNCW past the mountain bike trails I posted about previously. I could not believe how much they had stripped away in just a few days since my son and I rode there. I didn't have my camera to get any pictures, but I will try to get out there today or tomorrow.

My Saturday ride

2008-05-17T18:21:00.001-04:00

My son and I headed out to the college this morning for a ride, I'll let the picture sum it up for you.....

Pealing For Peanuts slideshow

2008-05-11T15:09:00.002-04:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Classic!

2008-05-11T06:38:00.001-04:00

Here's a few Cannondale's that you do not see every day... Back in 95, Cannondale produced some BMX's and 24" Cruisers... Now I can start searching for these on ebay.

19th Annual River to the Sea Ride

2008-05-07T08:58:00.003-04:00

Last weekend I figured I was not going to get to ride at all because of another out of town trip. Tommy called up and wanted to know if I was interested in doing the "River to the Sea" ride. This is a 20+ mile ride from Thailian Hall to the Wrightsville Beach park, and back... I had not been on my bike for three weeks or so, but figured it's all pavement, why not.... Here's a few pictures:

There was a great turnout for this ride.

Waiting for the Wrightsville Beach bridge.

Still waiting for the bridge.

Tommy, Whitney, and myself at the Park... halfway thru the ride.

Tommy helping Tony with a blown tire.

Pedaling for Peanuts Race

2008-05-07T08:20:00.006-04:00

I didn't think I was going to make it, however a last minute flight into ILM at midnight the night before, allowed me to make it to the first Pedaling for Peanuts race. Pedaling for Peanuts was a mountain bike race that was used to race money for the Full Belly Project started by a friend of mine, Jock Brandis. I've known Jock for about ten years, and have always enjoyed listening to him tell me about his adventures into parts of Africa and the wonderful things he has done there. The one thing that was probably the most interesting, was hen he told me about his peanut sheller he invented, and how it would help these people in other countries.

One day while working on the Blue Clay mountain bike trails, a guy I ride with occasionally told me that he wanted to hold a race to support Jock's fully belly project. Neither of us knew the other knew Jock, so I was very excited that Austin "Sir Peanuts" wanted to do this.

In a very short time, Austin teamed up with Steve from the Cape Fear Cyclists, and with some other great volunteers, they put on a great race/event. I talked with Austin briefly, and he hopes this will become an annual race to raise money for this cause.

If you haven't heard of Jock Brandis or the Full Belly Project, please take the time to google either, or follow the links above and check it out. Here are some pictures from the event....

I just want to add a huge thanks to all of the sponsors, volunteers, racers, and people that came out to support the race. Hope to see each of you next year, and make sure to bring a friend!

Look what I can do...

2008-04-09T16:08:00.003-04:00

Many moons ago, I wanted these rims called Z rims, I know you have heard of them, and not just Zrims, I had to have the white Mike Buff editions. However, I had nice hubs on my Hutch Trick Star so I ordered the rims and laced them my self..... What does this have to do with anything at all you ask?

About a month ago, while riding with friends and my son, my son cracked his rim. We are pretty sure he landed wrong coming off of a ramp. My initial thought was to purchase a new set of wheels. then I thought, I use to lace my own 20's, why couldn't I lace a 26er?

Well, let me tell you, this took a little while, and I was out of Yuengling, so here's the finished product.....

Not bad for the first time in probably twenty years huh? Just talked to the guys at Bike Cycles, and they are going to true it up for me tomorrow, and he'll be on his way....

San Lee Park & Govorners Creek

2008-03-29T13:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Tommy, Brannon and myself decided to go ride the trails in and around Sanford NC. So we loaded up and headed out. First stop, San Lee Park. The first thing you notice off the bat, is that this place has hills, and lots of them.

and creek crossings...

and even a good size log-hop or two

It was a great day, if you ever get the chance to ride here, don't pass it up.

Dirt Therapy at UNCW

2008-03-29T12:54:00.003-04:00

Even though my Dad was still in the hospital, last Saturday I managed to sneak out to UNCW for some much needed riding. I loaded up the boys (TJ and Tyler) and the bikes and headed out to meet Fuzz, Whitney and Brannon.

It was a great ride, we put in a little over 14 miles and took a long time playing on the small hills at the back of the trail with the kids.

Whitney, TJ, and Tyler taking a break

T.J. coming down the hill

Tyler being a little cautious on his first mountain bike ride with us.

Brannon showing the kids "how it's done"

Whitney taking it easy on the trail

The Master (Fuzz) showing how to do it with style...

Me just trying to keep up with Brannon and Fuzz

Great times!

the picture says it all....

2008-03-24T21:23:00.002-04:00

yes, I am thankful

2008-03-24T17:13:00.003-04:00

Ok, so this has nothing to do with mountain biking, it has to do with life, and how precious it is. All my life, my hero has been my Dad. Growing up his wisdom guided me through the daily trials of being a youth. As I grew older, and started to figure out that my Dad worked around the clock it seemed, his work ethic was instilled in me, and gave me a standard to patten myself after as an adult. At 61 years of age, my Dad could still climb a light-pole, and out perform most of his co-workers that were half his age.

A month ago, my Dad had to have two vertebrae in his back fused, and have a few rods put in tot hold them in place. Major back surgery, but he's tuff and he'll get through it with no problem. Less than 24 hours after going home, he was rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance. He had suffered multiple strokes.

It was hard to watch everything that he had to endure just for the physicians to determine what happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. After thirteen days in the hospital, he went home again... only to be rushed back again a day and a half later with pneumonia.

My Dad's now been in the hospital a day shy of a month. The strokes have left him with a speech problem, and he has trouble with some of his memories. However, after all he has endured, he continues to hold on, and try to deal with all of this and not give up.

I don't know where to start or how to say exactly what I want to say. My Dad has always been larger than life in my eyes. It's so hard to see him have to go through with this. I am thankful I still have him, that the Lord above didn't call him home. That may be selfish, but he's the only parent I have left and I guess I try to justify my selfishness because of that. A nurse that we have all become close with told me the other night, that most people that have been through what He has, lose their ability to swallow, walk, talk and/or so many other things. And with therapy, he can recover and be close to normal. I hope God gives him the strength and the courage to keep fighting.....

Yes, I am so very thankful. If you are reading this, take a moment look around and behold life around you. Smell the roses.... You never know how fast life can be turned upside down.

You have to watch this

2008-03-15T07:29:00.000-04:00

Cool video, take the time to check it out.

ooops...

2008-03-15T06:15:00.001-04:00

I hope things worked out okay for this guy.... great photo capture however.

Only on a mountain bike.....

2008-03-15T06:11:00.002-04:00

just a couple of pictures that I saw on MTBR, that just really define the beauty and freedom of mountain biking.... enjoy.

Legend Park, Clayton NC

2008-02-23T08:10:00.004-05:00

Here's a few more pictures from me riding at Legend Park in Clayton NC on Jan 31 of this year....

Time to ride...

2008-02-19T14:42:00.002-05:00

After spending most of the last three weeks traveling with my job, it's time to head out for some much needed dirt therapy. Nothing epic, just the normal UNCW ride with a couple good friends. Don't know if I'll get any pictures, but we should have a lot of fun.

traveling blues

2008-02-17T06:55:00.002-05:00

So when I woke up this morning, I checked the SBA website like I do every morning. Man, I missed another trail day, and the guys armored parts of our local trail, put in drainage... Man, being on the road most every weekend sucks! And instead of getting to the trails today, I have to drive for eight hours to my next venue.... I might get to the trails some time on Tuesday... Oh well, I guess I'll just make the best of it once I get there....

see ya in the trails... or driving down the highway....

2008-02-13T06:55:00.002-05:00

The beer of champions...

below, picture of the MTBR forums pint glass, hopefully available soon...

Thanks for everything Sheldon

2008-02-08T05:41:00.000-05:00

The cycling community will forever miss you Sheldon, thanks for everything. Most everyone in cycling new of Sheldon, and spent many hours on his website reading the vast amount of articles and technical information that he shared. Once again, thanks for everything Sheldon.

Legend Park, Clayton NC

2008-01-31T06:26:00.000-05:00

After a long weekend on the road with work, I decided to take a much needed mental health day yesterday. I called Tommy up, and we decided instead of hitting the local trails, we'd take a road trip.... where to? There are lots of great riding spots around the Raleigh area, so we narrowed it to a couple, then finally decided on Legend Park, in Clayton NC.

Many kudos to the guys that built and maintain these trails. They are very well thought out, flow like a dream, and well marked with trail names as well as difficulty levels. And as an added bonus, there's a skill area with skinnies and jumps...

The lower trails were pretty wet, so we headed for the upper trails, and although they were in better shape, the slick red clay was still sketchy at best. I'm not exactly sure how many miles we rode, we spent the entire day riding the trails and the skills area, and enjoying the great trail.... Here's some pictures.

(Sign at Skills area)

(one of the jumps)

(Tommy on the jumps in the skills area)

(Me on the 12" Skinny)

(Me sitting on top of "Hucksville", a freerider's dream)

If you are in the Wilmington area, and want to ride a really good trail, I highly recommend making the 100 mile trip up to Clayton NC, and checking out this trail. If you want to read more about it, go to www.trianglemtb.com and read about all the Raleigh area trails.

See ya in the trails!

Old friends, old trails, and good times....

2008-01-26T06:23:00.000-05:00

I've posted a few times about one of my oldest and best friends getting back into mountain biking. This past week, I was fortunate enough to be in town all week, while he was on a seven day break. It gave us a chance to hit Blue Clay one night, and then the next two nights we took advantage of riding out at UNCW while we still have those trails. We set a steady pace for us (not race-worthy by any stretch of the imagination), and just pedaled into the cold darkness and laughed about old times as we rode. The trails may not have offered epic conditions, but it was definitely some of the best fun I've had riding in quite some time.... So, as I posted in the title, here's to Old friends, Old trails, and good times.....Cheers!

a little break from the norm...

2008-01-26T06:06:00.000-05:00

It never fails to amaze me what people will come up with. Here's a few pictures and links that are just a tad different than your average bike of choice...

Conference bike

and how about a wooden bike.

like I said, amazing stuff....

see you in the trails.

Official Member.....

2008-01-24T06:26:00.000-05:00

as of last night, I am an official member of the "Over the bars club"....yep, flipped right over, and at UNCW of all places. Well, just goes to prove no matter how long you've been riding, it happens to all of us one day or night... Sorry, there was no photographic evidence of this alleged incident.

Brig Trail Race 01.20.08

2008-01-21T06:35:00.000-05:00

It was cold, damn cold... but we had a lot of fun.... Even though the wind chill never rose beyond 30, Tommy, Whitney, T.J. and myself headed out to the Brig Trail Race..

(Tommy getting the bikes down, for what will be one cold ass ride)
(Whitney being a good sport, in spite of it being cold as hell)

(another great turn out)
(T.J. coming off the starting line)
(T.J. with his very first podium in mountain biking... 3rd in his class, Way to go!!!)

It was a great day hanging out with my son and some great friends. It was especially great seeing my son make his first podium in mountain biking, really makes you proud. I have more pictures, but will have to post a follow up post with them due to having to head off to work soon... have a great day and if you get a chance.... GET OUT and RIDE!!!!

Share the Road

2008-01-20T06:39:00.000-05:00

Just ordered mine....

2008-01-20T06:30:00.000-05:00

just a few cool pics

2008-01-20T06:27:00.003-05:00

found these while reading some forums this morning... just liked them.

follow up post....

2008-01-18T13:45:00.000-05:00

It's called a PUGSLEY by Surly bikes... I did a google search or two, and found a great write up about it at Sheldon Brown's site. Here's some more pictures.

The world's best beer!

2008-01-18T12:40:00.001-05:00

I just saw this

2008-01-18T12:22:00.000-05:00

As usual, I have been off my bike for a few weeks due to traveling with work, which basically means that I've been reading the forums enjoying other's pictures and stories of their epic rides. While reading a post about winter riding on MTBR, I came across two different pictures of this awesome Surly bike... This to me looks like the ultimate winter fun! I have to have one... (don't tell my wife :)

Last Ride of 2007....

2007-12-30T13:44:00.000-05:00

Since I have to hit the road early tomorrow and head to the Gator Bowl, I figured I'd take my last official ride of 2007 this morning. The weatherman called for rain all day, and as I headed out to load up my gear, it was beginning to sprinkle already. I stopped and pondered my options...stay home and be bored out of my skull, or hit the trails, mud and all...

Blue Clay road is notorious for mud, thick mud that seems to take on a life of it's own, however today the trail was almost perfect. As I started the ride, I was thinking about the post that Sir Bikes-a-lot posted last night of a virgin trail they had worked on yesterday, and I couldn't wait to ride it. The older section of trail was great, a little slick in some places, but the mud was easily avoidable so that I didn't rut up the trail.

I was almost to the very end of my lap, and I could see the beginning of the virgin trail. these guys had done a great job... After I completed what I thought to be the entire new section, and was heading out I saw to my right what looked to be the beginnings of yet another new section. It had been raked out and partially cleared, and was just waiting for someone to follow it to the end....and what a perfect way to spend my last ride of 2007, just me and my Cannondale....

Part of the virgin trail, and my Cannondale Prophet 3

part of the new trail

part of the new trail

part of the new trail, yes that's sand at blue clay

IRC Kujo DH tires are the best! These bad boys grip!

All loaded up and heading for the house before the rain sets in... What a great way to end 2007.

Happy New Years!

Dirt Jumper!!!

2007-12-28T06:13:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Shawn, the owner of Bike Cycles here in Wilmington, I finally have a dirt jumper. I talked with him a while back, and he found me a 2008 P1 Long. I spent all afternoon yesterday playing on this bike. I felt like I was 13 years old again riding my old Hutch BMX. There are a few things that I will upgrade, like the brakes, and get a Thompson seat post, but other than that, this bike is fantastic....

Christmas Parade 2007 - Cape Fear Cyclists

2007-12-27T05:34:00.000-05:00

I know I'm running a few days late, but here's more pictures from the 2007 Christmas Parade here in Wilmington NC. This was the first time that the Cape Fear Cyclist took part in the parade, and we won Third place!

Sir Toots, Mary Ann, and Nancy

Sir Lamm-hammer and Josh showing off their skill on the "big bikes"

Not a great picture, but Sir Bikes-a-lot, Sir Toots, and myself in front of our bicycle pulled float... We won third place!

Sir Launch-a-lot and his wife Sherry (That's John in the background, check out his boots)

Last shot, Sir Lamm-Hammer sitting aboard his decorated tall-bike.

What a great turn out, we had so much fun, and so many people commented on us during the parade. I hope to see 10X as many people riding in next year's parade. I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!

Let's Ride!

2007-12-12T06:39:00.000-05:00

After a go around with the flu, and several weeks on the road that kept me hopping from Oxford Mississippi, to Gainesville Florida and finally winding up in New Hampshire, I am finally home, and on vacation, and on my bike! The first few rides were so-so, but I am finally feeling my legs begin to get back to where they were a month or so ago, and it's nice to just pedal.

I also made it home just in time for a few events that I didn't want to miss. The first was a ride with the other club that I belong to, the Down East Cyclist from Jacksonville NC. We are hosting one of the Winter Series Races this year, and these guys have not rode Blue Clay yet. So, this past Sunday, several of their members came down to ride... Here's a few pictures.

As you can see, the parking lot was packed! it stays that way on the weekends

Luke from DEC on his Santa Cruz Nomad...

John from DEC hammering the whooptie-section...

All in all, it was a great turn out, and everyone seemed to like the trails. Unfortunately the Wilmington Christmas parade was the same day, and several of us had to leave early to take part in that which was the other event that I didn't want to miss. Here's a couple pictures and I will do a follow up post on the parade.

My Prophet showing some Holiday cheer.

My wife JJ and me along with the bicycle pulled float and other riders...

until next time... see you in the trails...

My first Night Ride - Nov 6-2007

2007-11-07T05:49:00.000-05:00

Spring ahead and Fall back.... Each year the time changes, and for the winter riding season when the time rolls back an hour, it leaves very little daylight to ride after a working day is complete. Sunday after our ride at NRT, I payed close attention to what time the sun set and at around 5:20 or so, it's pretty dark outside so you can imagine what it would be like within the trees.

I called up Bike Cycles to see if the had any MiNewts in stock, and they did, so I headed over to purchase one. When I got there, all they had were the MiNewt X2 which mounts on your bars, so I decided to demo one for my first night ride.

I learned one thing real quick last night on my first lap, if you are only going to run one light, put it on your helmet, NOT your bars... I was really impressed with how well the MiNewt worked. Riding at night was a totally new experience for me in biking, and a lot of fun. Before I realized it, I had already pedaled ten miles.

Im going to head back over to my buddies at Bike Cycles and pick up one that will mount on my helmet, probably the SolMate to use for this year. If I get to use it alot, next year I will upgrade to one of the bigh 600+ lumens lights...

If you haven't tried night riding, call your LBS and barrow a light, and give it a try, you won't regret it.

See ya in the woods...

Return to NRT - Nov 4-07

2007-11-07T05:26:00.000-05:00

Nine a.m. came early for me after drinking with my wife, and a friend I haven't seen in 19 years the night before.

However, the fun we had at NRT just a week before was still fresh in my mind, along with the fact that my wife was coming along with her SLR to take pictures. Yes, we are some vain riders, let's face it, we all drool over the pictures in decline, mtb action, dirt rag and the like, so when we see pictures of ourselves it gives us what we need to feed our egos.

Most of the same riders attended, (Myself, Josh, Randy, Brandon) and this week we had some new guys Tony, Wayne, Austin, and Bennett. Josh and Brandon went straight to the playground with my wife and camera following behind. The rest of us, hit the trail to start logging some miles on the smooth flowing single track.

My goal was to get in 20 miles, but I ran out of time and only got in 13, which was still a good day's riding for me. I also did the drop that Stu was hitting the week before, which was so much fun, that I had to do it three more times.

A few of the DEC guys were out riding, which is always nice to talk with them, but the cool thing this weekend there were four Marines there riding their 20" bikes, hitting the jumps...INSANE! Only one was wearing a helmet, and one bailed hard face first, and got messed up pretty good...

I don't know if I will head back this weekend for a third straight weekend or not, with gas topping $3 a gallon here, road trips may have to be reserved for once a month or so...

See ya in the woods....

NRT ride -{Sunday Oct 28}

2007-10-31T20:40:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning seven guys gathered at the parking lot of Bike Cycles to head over to ride New River Trails. These are the trails that I actually learned to ride years ago when I made the transition from my 20" Hutch Trickstar to my first Cannondale. It was like going back in time, only on a much nicer bike.

The trail has a little bit of everything to offer anyone, the freeride guys like to hit the playground and the natural drops, the XC guys like to ride the well flowing trails, and then guys like me get to learn how to ride the skinny or the teeter-totter.

{me learning some mad skillz}

{Captain Stu, bombing the natural drops}

{Josh pulling a one-hander over the gap}

{Sir Lamm-hammer over the gap with J.V. video tapping}

We are planning a trip back next Sunday, hopefully I'll get some more pictures of these guys, as well as the other riders to post up here.

Catching up

2007-10-27T08:03:00.001-04:00

Well, I knew it would happen. As soon as the Doctor released me, I had to hit the road for a few weeks. It's not that I mind working or traveling, I just hate that it disrupts my mountain biking. I feel like I am in a constant "beginner" state, because every time I build up my endurance, and get my legs and lungs working together and actually see improvement.... I have to hit the road. It gets extremely frustrating.

I also had to miss a local race that I was looking forward to, "12 hours in the Pit Endurance Race" for the wounded warriors. Once I got back in town, I went the very next day and purchased a few shirts and talked to the club Prez about the event, I'll post a link as soon as I see the write up on it.

I have three more days in town before hitting the road again, next stop Dallas Tx.

Local News - Leland Bike Proposal

2007-09-30T06:31:00.000-04:00

Leland Bike Proposal Town Meeting.

I'd like to start off by saying that I was very disappointed in the lack of support by the Cape Fear Cyclists at this meeting. You would think that since the CFC rides several routes in the Leland/Town Creek area, they would have showed up decked out in their jersey's in support of this issue, but the were nowhere to be seen. As far as I know, the only two that showed up were Sir Bike's a lot, and myself.

It just drives me up the wall, to hear cyclists bitching about "their rights" but when there is an open forum for them to have a voice, where are they? Can you imagine the faces of the guys putting on the meeting to see 275+ local cyclist lining the walls because there were no more sitting room? It would have been awesome... oh well, maybe some day.

The Plan as presented sounded good for the most part. And the part that most interested me was the plans for a 990 acre tract of land dedicated to mountain bikers and equestrians. To think that we have almost 5.5 miles of trails on our 208 acres out at Blue Clay Road, imagine what could be done with close to a thousand acres? Whew...I'm in heaven just thinking about it.

So far this is just a proposal, and it lends itself more to the road cyclists, and recreational rider far more than the mountain bikers. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out, I hope to hear more about it in the local papers.

For more information, I'm sure Sir-Bikes-a-lot will do a much more informative write up on it, so check out his site to read about this and all other local cycling news.

see ya in the trails!
Sir-disappears-a-lot

Seeing the pay off

2007-09-18T21:52:00.000-04:00

I can't help but think of the long day's last winter, hauling treated 8X8's a half mile back into the trails, and all the discussions that we all had about things we wanted to see happen at the park the county had given us. We knew then that it was a long and uphill battle, which is expected anytime that the government, local or other, are involved.

First of all, I want to thank all of those guys that spent long days in the woods, making our local trails what they are today, and I am proud that my son and myself were right out there with you guys. And to the guys that have lobbied and met with the local officials to get this project pushed through, thanks just doesn't seem enough. Blue Clay Mountain bike park is growing by leaps and bounds.

What started out as a handful of us, spending weekends working on trails, has now become a vast number of rider's there on any given day. The picture aboves is of the presenting of the almost $10 thousand dollar grant that we received from Bikes Belong, to continue work at Blue Clay, and to help with the B.M.X. course...

I can't wait to see where all this takes us next...

Week 2 weigh in time...fell short again

2007-09-03T07:29:00.000-04:00

WTF? I weighed on Thursday (against my wife's suggestions) and I was sitting at 240.3 and was pumped hoping like hell to post a weight in the 230's this morning. Well, I ended up at 242 which sucks. I'm happy taking off the two extra pounds, but I was hoping for more.

My goal for next week is 239.

Old friends, there's nothing better.

2007-08-31T06:33:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up, I had this one guy that was kind of like my partner in crime. Very seldom did you see one of us, and not see the other. We grew up in a small town, and we terrorized it on our 20" freestyle bikes, thinking that we were the local Ron Wilkerson's and R.L. Osborne's of this little place. There was a total of about five of us that rode freestyle, and we were very close. Mischievous? Well, that goes without saying.

Over the years we ended up going our separate ways. There are a few that I haven't seen in quite some time, but my ole' buddy Fuzz, my partner in crime and I stay in touch on a regular basis. He had got out of biking, like most of us had and just recently found the urge to dive back in.... Here's a picture of my life long friend, my brother in life... Tommy on his new ride the first day back at the trails... Here's to you Bro!

Week One in my quest to 195

2007-08-28T20:48:00.000-04:00

Was my goal of 10lbs in the first week to much? Or did I just not try hard enough? Needless to say I went from 249.6 lbs down to 244 lbs for my first weigh in. I'm happy with the almost five pounds that I lost, but I think I could have done better. After doing much reading on the "Clydedales" forum on MTBR, and also talking to a few people that have lost weight, I think maybe I should shoot for 3-4 lbs a week instead. So, my goal for next Monday is 240 lbs.

I also picked up a road bike, so I can start putting in miles to help with my endurance on my mountain bike, plus aid with my weight loss.

Well, lets see how it goes...

My first ride after my injury...

2007-08-26T12:55:00.001-04:00

I've been out of riding for about six weeks or so now because I had a steel rod go through my hand at work. I think other than the initial incident, the worst part of the entire ordeal has been not being able to ride my bike. Technically the doctor has not released me yet, but I figured "what the hell", I'm bored out of my damn mind.

Since I am still in the "take it easy" mode, we hit the UNCW trails today to do an easy lap. It was Josh, Randy, Tony and myself. We started at 8am, and it was already muggy, although I am not sure what the exact temperature was. We rode for about an hour at which time Tony was not feeling well, and Randy got a flat on his single speed. So we headed back to the parking lot to repair the tire. I think I only ended up with 4.17 miles for the day. Not much, but it felt great. I am going to try to start working on my endurance, which has always been my week-point. Now that my single speed is ridable, I think I am going to start riding 5 or so miles every day on it, and then build on more and more miles as I can.

The countdown begins!

2007-08-20T06:55:00.000-04:00

Ok, today is the first day of my diet, I weighed this morning, and I weighed in at 249.6lbs. I realize that's not huge for someone that is 6'5" tall, however when you are trying to push this weight up the side of a mountain, it feels like twice that much.

I'm still off my bike due to my hand injury, but I have three more weeks until I can ride. My goal is 3-5lbs a week, so hopefully by time the fall gets here I can be at my target weight of 195lbs. However I want to do this sensibly, and that's why I am setting smaller goals from week to week. That way if I have a bad week, I just have to work harder the next week.

Well, wish me luck.... hopefully the next post for a weigh in will be in the low 230's but as long as I meet my 3-5lbs, I'll be satisfied....

see ya in the trails!

Farwell Max!

2007-08-17T06:56:00.000-04:00

Being a long time Cannondale owner and rider, it is very sad news to hear that the power's to be have laid the Lefty Max 140 to rest. Fortunately I have one and will not be one of those people that have to go through life wandering what it would have been like, to ride this amazing fork. For more insight, and a great write up, visit Dan Gerous's write up on "Goodbye Lefty Max" at his blogsite.

Farewell old friend!

They won't see this on an XBOX

2007-08-17T05:59:00.000-04:00

I saw these two pictures this morning on MTBR.com, and borrowed them for others to see. Just remember if your kid is sitting on their butts playing video games and watching TV, well this is the sort of things they are missing...

it's all about the kids

2007-08-14T04:53:00.001-04:00

I have way to much time to surf the web right now, and one of my favorite places is the forums section of MTBR, because I love looking at the places that others have the chance to ride. However what really makes me happy is to see people spending quality time with their kids outdoors on their bikes.

This little fellow rocks!

I wish that every parent would spend more time doing stuff like this with their children instead of buying them another damn xbox or playstation game.

see you in the trails....

trying to figure out pictures..

2007-08-13T06:43:00.000-04:00

here's a quick picture of my Prophet at the Tsali Trail sign.... This was an incredible weekend of riding. Wish I were in much better shape. I rode the Mouse, The Thompson and part of the right loop. Next time, It's all or nothing.

out of commission...

2007-08-12T19:09:00.000-04:00

What a way to start a blog for mountain biking huh? I guess creating this is because I am out of commission for a while. I had a steel grounding rod go through my hand, so I'm off the bike for at least three to four more weeks... which SUCKS! Oh well, I'm just very thankful that I have full use of my hand and have all the feeling back in it.

How did it happen? Well, that's a long story. It happened while I was working in Tulsa Oklahoma. I'm home in North Carolina now, and counting the days until I can get back on my bike.

I'm not sure how to post pictures or do anything fancy on here yet, but as I learn more I'll be sure to add pictures of different places that I ride, my bikes, and of course the guys that I ride with.

I guess that about does it for now. See you in the trails!