Arrowhead Ultra: Training Ride

Went out for a 5 hour ride with complete Arrowhead gear setup (bag, tent, pad, extra clothes, repair parts, food, water, stove & gas, GPS, etc.
Bike and Rider = 225 lbs!
Rider only = 159 lbs (shoes and all)... You do the math (remember it's a carbon bike).
Will post picture tomorrow.

Temp = -8dF
Wind = NW @ 41 MPH
Wind-chill = -42 dF

Arrowhead Ultra: My Bike

Frame Bags: I haven’t posted a picture yet of my new frame bag and gas tank by “Epic Designs” out of Alaska. Even with the -6df weather at Triple D and last nights 4 hour ride at -10df the bottles that I keep in the bag with a chem. heater were able to stay thawed. They are also great for keeping things that I need immediate access to without stopping the bike and digging though panniers. The gas tank is my absolute fav! I can operate it with mittens on (it has a dual zipper, that I can loop over the top of my steering damper). If you’re wanting to get serious about winter riding and are tired with having to stop and take off your camel back to get at stuff conceder purchasing a set of these. Eric at Epic custom makes each one, so you’ll need to get him a template and dimensions. If you don’t plan on standing get the expanded pocket on the front, give you more room for storage.
Steering Damper: I’ve been using the Hopey Steering damper for about two weeks now. While I could say its use has not been noticeable, what has been is that I have not racked my knees wrecking the bike on soft rutted trails. It may have been a b.i.t.c.h. to install according to Sam at FFB’s but that’s not my worry (lol). The weight was minimal. I would recommend this to anybody who rides in the nasty stuff and doesn’t want to get wacked by the bars coming around at 90 mph.
Wheels: While the Surly fatgirl front end had been nice for flotation on weak surface trails, it’s a pig when it comes to acceleration or speeds above 10 mph. If you’re not doing long overnight treks carrying loads of gear or plan on only riding well packed trails, stick something 4 lbs lighter. What has worked well in the back is the Echo free ride rim with 2.3-2.5” tires. The double wide Echo rim flattens the profile giving more surface area and better control with slightly higher pressure.

Ouch... Frostbiten racer looses toes... (Not DDD)

http://www.wisn.com/news/15116392/detail.html

News story all over the web and TV today... Guess there was another winter race at the kettles this last weekend... I've already had a couple of co-workers ask me if it was the race I put on. And, I replied... "No" (at least not so far, right Dennis?)

I'm seeing a relation here, Dennis and this guy both had on vapor barrier type socks, starting to wonder about the benefits of this system... is it possible that it works for awhile, but when it fails its catastrophic?

Send, me what you've been using on your feet and hands to avoid the bite. In addition, I may have the cause for Dennis's frostbite (other than being out there for 9+ hours in -6df weather), I have a picture of him downing a double latte in Dyersville before he started the return trip. I've read in some publications that caffeine (I think there’s caffeine in a double latte) can cause the blood vessels to become restricted, and thus not circulate as much warm blood to the extremities...

Race Update - Photo Log (Direct Links)

I've received a number of emails requesting photos, so here are the higher quality (but not originals) that I have uploaded. If you want the real high quality images (about 3 mb per image email directly with the link of of the image that you want).

Set 1 (By Traci Andre):
http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg165/LanceAndre/Triple%20D%20Race/

Set 2 (by Juan Ocho):
http://s248.photobucket.com/albums/gg165/LanceAndre/Triple%20D%20Race/Juans%20Triple%20D%20Photos/

Set 3 (by Frank Hasslers Wife - this is one nice photo set - worth the effort, has pictures of the nasty drifted section not seen before):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=11726&l=da494&id=718999308

Race Update - Photo Log (Part5) Photos by: Juan Ochoa-Saldivar"

Race Update - Photo Log (Part1)

Race Update - Photo Log (Part2)

Race Update - Photo Log (Part3)

Race Update - Photo Log (Part4)

Race Update: Results & Recap

Does this bike make me look fat?
(more pictures comming soon)...

I’ll start with the volunteers, we had a fantastic group of local volunteers for this event (I suppose they were worried that someone was going to die attempting this race). Five organizations stepped up big-time to make this event a success (in only 1 month of planning):

• The Dyersville Area Chamber of Commerce was responsible for organizing the foot category starting area and the biker’s checkpoint.
• The Dubuque County Conservation Board had two Rangers on Heritage trail for the entire duration of the event checking on racers, their safety and helping with accountability. Enough cannot be said for these two individuals!
• The Asbury Snow Hawks worked with us to layout two suitable sections of their incredible private trail system to be utilized for this unique winter event. In addition, the snowmobile club volunteered one of their own to sweep the entire course on snowmobile (ensuring nobody was left for dead).
• Members from our very own local biking clubs (Chain Reaction & Dubuque Bicycle Club) formed the vast number of volunteers that patrolled the course, ran multiple starting lines and the two race finish locations.
• The Dyersville Police treated the foot category to a shotgun start.
• A luxury bus ride to Dyersville by AOK Yellow Cab and Limousine service.
• The Quick-n-Handy in Dyersville hosted the mandatory bike checkpoint.
• Durango’s own Handle Bar Inn hosted the foot & ski finish line as well as an optional bike check point.
• The Grand River Center served as race headquarters and post race party central until sometime early the next morning.

Notable mention of the volunteers that donated their entire day to this event in 35 degree below zero weather:

• Myself (the sadistic race director) - although I did get to spend half the day racing...
• John Vontalge & Nate Sisler (Dubuque County Conservation Board)
• Gene Tully (creator of the coveted Triple D sculptures – see the photo book)
• Bill Stoffel (Race Headquarters, Antique Bike Display & Bike Finish)
• Martha O’Conner-Leigh (registration and bike start coordinator)
• Traci Andre & Tim Ingram (Momentum Sports in Platteville) coordinated all the course support and sag drivers (no small feat on a race course that covered 60+ miles of remote Dubuque County countryside)
• Julie Kronlage (Dyersville Organization, Bike Checkpoint & Foot Start)
• Traci Andre, Tim Ingram, Karl Steichen, Brian Ehlers, Keith Boever, Martha o’Conner-Leigh & Paul Pettinger (course monitoring, sag, & photographers).
• Joe Schmitt (snowmobile course sweeper from the Asbury Snow Hawks)
• Tom Spalla & Willard Brimmeyer (coordinators for the private snowmobile trails used for the bike race & bypass structure for the closed bridge on Heritage Trail).
• Annie Potter & Patsi Troy (Foot & Ski finish line / I was told that this was one of the more difficult volunteer jobs, if you see these two, buy them a drink for their wonderful efforts).

Now for the weather… Conditions were nearly consistent the entire day, which at least allow racers to make small adjustments to remedy issues. All three races started at noon with the temperature at -6º F (-9º F last rider in temp) and winds straight out of the west at 15 mph, yielding a wind-chill factor close to -30! Not to menation the bikers had to head straight into this for half their ride. At least it was sunny, however, about half finished in the dark. The bitterly cold temperature led to the expected issues with frozen camelbacks (some even with elaborate 1” thick pipe insulators, and my new system with a dual backup hose setup). Nearly all bikers at one time or anther had hydration problems. While the snow was, in remarkably good condition for the skiers and runners (spite not being groomed as planned) it was barely tolerable for the bikers as most without “fat-tires” pushed much more than I think they were expecting.

Quote of the day:
“Sense when did my 29” x 2.3” tires become skinnies”
– Ben Shockey, 2008 Triple D Bike Champion

For all the racers who blog, send me a link of your experience at Triple D and I’ll add it to the results next to your name.

I’ll start the race results with the smallest categories first. The foot and ski categories are one area that could use a lot of growth if we do this event again next year as the entire planned courses were completed by all entrants (We will definatly make the ski distance a little longer, if the snow is similar to this year).

The Ski category was 20+ miles and filled by three experienced skiers; two skiing “skate style” and one conventional.
1. Michael Zeigle, 3:04 (Overall Ski Winner)
2. Jeff Barnes, 3:41 (2nd)
3. Mathew Maxwell, 5:15 (3rd) - Classical

The foot category while small still yielded some impressive results, and honorable mention goes to Jami and Jean who were way too happy for doing nearly a marathon (23.4 miles) in -6º F temperatures. Rumor has it they were being assisted on the trail by a sag volunteer who gave them alcohol at the half waypoint… but this couldn’t be verified, and thus they were not disqualified for accepting outside help.

1. Nick Martin, 3:00 (Overall Foot Winner) – that’s an 7.5 min. mile on snow in -6º F!
2. Craig Schutte, 3:48 (2nd Overall)
3. Lisa Paulos, 3:49 (1st Female)
4. Annette Hall, 4:21 (2nd Female)
5. Mike Hodge, 4:21 ( 3rd Male)
6. Jami Todd, 6:09 (Tie 3rd Female)
7. Jean Gilpin, 6:09 (Tie 3rd Female)

Now for the event that tested racers on all fronts: physical, mental & mechanical. Thirty four bikes strong, rolled out from in front of Dubuque’s Historic Star Brewery on there way to the most difficult 59-mile bike race that most of us have ever competed in. The course started with a leisurely rollout through Dubuque’s warehouse district. We then linked up with the start of the Heritage Trail… this is where things turned ugly, the pace quickened, and well, you might just have to have one of the racers explain it to you in their own words… but here’s “just the facts” ... after a "quick" 1 mile preview of the he!! to come racers had to climb 800’ of elevation in 1 mile into a 15 mph headwind on a paved city bike trail (this was substituted for 1 mile of pushing on the adjacent snowmobile trails, due to the poor snow conditions on this section. After this climb the racers would not see pavement for another hour+ as the race continued on ROW snowmobile trails and Asbury Snow Hawks private trail system, which rolled over some beautiful Dubuque country side (you did stop to view the scenery didn’t you?). After the last section of private trail the racers were “treated” with couple of miles of Dubuque style roads (i.e., again tested with back to back 400’+ climbs at 10%... until linking up with the Level B from he!!. The Route was marked, however the level B was so Level B that racers second guessed the route and some even backtracked riding back up the Level B and back down again when they had verified they were on the correct route (now that’s love of level b roads - 800' elevation drop on virgin snow). The level b marked the last time the racers would see anything but the Heritage Trail (rails to trails system) as even the 6 front runners (Ben, Paul, David, Josh, Dennis and Terry) couldn’t make the Dyersville checkpoint by the mandatory 4 hours (this was the cutoff to determine if they ride Heritage Trail Back or ride the entire course in reverse back to the start. All racers were given credit for time and miles ridden there were no DNF’s. However, appropriate credit must be given to the only four racers who completed the entire intended course without shorting or sagging:

1. Ben Shockey, 8:17 – 59+ Miles (Overall Bike Winner)
2. Joel Cahalan, 9:10 – 59+ Miles (2nd)
3. Josh Peterson, 9:16 – 59+ Miles (3rd)
4. Dennis Grelk, 9:35 – 62+ miles (4th & Frozen Saddle Award [appropriate as he’s dealing with painful frostbit on his right foot]) visit: http://nonconformcycling.blogspot.com/

If you happen to see these four around this year, yeild the right-of-way as you are not worthy, these four are super human!

…. time in, distance, actual placement not correct, nor official, based on an approximate race headquarters logbook… If you have better information from your computers, email it to me and I’ll update the information:

1. Dave Pramann, 7:15 or 8:47 – 53+ Miles (Full route to Durango CP)
2. Bruce Grell, 9:00 – 49+ Miles (into Farley & Back)
3. Maxwell Anderson, 8:07 – 43+ Miles (into Epworth & Back)
4. Corey Krosner, 8:07 – 43+ Miles (into Epworth & Back)
5. Mark Vanderwoude, 7:30 – 44+ Miles
6. Terry Brannick, 7:30 – 44+ Miles
7. Gary Aronson, 6:54 – 37+ Miles (Graf & Back)
8. David Allen, 6:47 – 37+ Miles (Graf & Back)
9. Scott Marx, 6:23 – 37+ Miles (Graf & Back)
10. Paul Jacobson, 6:10 – 30+ Miles (Dyersville) visit: http://happytraining.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-amazing-experience.html
11. Cully Todd, 5:29 – 41+ Miles (Epworth & Back)
12. Doug Zickuhr, 6:00 – 40+ Miles (near Epworth & Back)
13. Lance Andre, 4:30 – 26+ Miles (into Farley)
14. Frank Hassler, 4:40 – 27.6 Miles (Graf To Durango) http://xusa2002.livejournal.com/7343.html
15. Ned Gall, 4:59 – ?
16. Lonny Mahoney, 4:40 – 28+ Miles
17. Joe Heilmann, 4:25 – 24+ Miles
18. Matthew Brakeville, 3:41 – 20+ Miles visit: http://fatcatfive.blogspot.com/
19. Todd Erickson, 3:30 – 18+ Miles
20. Will Neumeister, 3:35 – 18+ Miles
21. Tyler Graham, 3:31 – 18+ Miles
22. Sean Mullins, 3:31 – 18+ Miles
23. Dustin Quade, 3:29 – 18+ Miles
24. Adam Blake, 3:30 – 18+ Miles
25. James Zimmerman, 3:27 – 18+ Miles
26. Nate Van Der Weide, 3:15 – 18+ Miles
27. Jerome Full, 3:15 – 18+ Miles
28. Bruce Nelson, ? – 18+ Miles
29. Matt Byrne, 2:25 – 16 Miles http://jokerracing.blogspot.com/
30. Brian Benson, 2:25 – 16 Miles

An incredible feat even to start this race, remember it was -6 to -9 with -30 wind-chill! Most people would think that it’s crazy to spend more than 10 minutes outside in this weather! This group spent HOURS out in it, and a couple of them even enjoyed it… What a race!

Email me your comments on the race, this was the first time I’ve ever been involved in something like this, and while it wasn’t supposed to be something as big as it turned out to be – it was way more work than I had originally planned to put forth for a simple "training ride" – but I couldn’t let the masses down that were wanting to get outside and do something… we may consider it again for next year… Heck you can’t have the coldest day of the year fall on the same event two years in a row can you? I sure hope not, because I and a couple more from this race will be at the Arrowhead Ultra next month (it was -24 for a high temp last year).

Cheers,
Lance Andre
PS, check out the pictures for the event (will be posted later tonight), if you have some please forward and I will include them in the race photo album.

Race Update: Where Done!

I'll give a complete update tomorrow... with lots of great photos. Ffor those that took photos on the route, email them to me please!

• 35 Bikes started - 4 Finished the entire course all made it back alive, one case of frostbite.
• 3 Skiers finished
• 7 Foot category finishers

-6dF for the daytime High -10dF for the low with winds to 17 mph, resulting in a wind-chill of -32dF and lots of frozen water supplies.

Cheers, Lance

Race Update: Maps

I will have printed maps and other materials for all racers... see you Saturday! Cheers. First Map Page (Dubuque / Durango / Asbury):
Second Map Page (Asbury to Graf):

Third Map Page (Graf / Epworth / Farley):

Fouth Map Page (Farley / Dyersville):

Race Update: Trail Report

I rode the trails for about 5 hours last night, and well... there's good news and there's bad news...

First for the good news: The foot racers and skiers are going to have a great time out there. Remember, anybody can change categories... Trail is being groomed today as I write this. When you finish there will be free drinks at the Handle Bar in Durango (finish line for foot/ski category) while you wait for a ride back to the Grand River Center.

The bad news: The 4-5" of snow that we got is dry and powdery and will not improve by tomorrow due to the extremely low temperatures. I had to push on a number of uphill sections, even with my very aggressive Kenda 2.5" tires on wide rims.

More bad news: while I know I’m not going to be the fastest one out there... at 5 hours I had only gone half way to Dyersville and back, I didn’t go past Graf at all... so, in hopes of having someone finish this event, I (may) do the following for the bikers:

1. 1. The entirely uphill 2 mile section of ATV trails from Hwy52 will be substituted with the paved City Bike Path.
2. 2. The ATV Trails along Northwest Arterial may be substituted for the gravel shoulder.
3. 3. If you do not make Dyersville by 4 PM, the route back will be entirely on Heritage Trail (no Snowmobile or ATV trails).

Even more bad news: it’s going to be REALLY COLD! You should already know this, but there are some of you that may have never attempted to Bike in -5dF with 15 MPH wind for 5-8 hours. So, I’ll offer up an option that a couple of racers have already committed to, and this isn’t a bad idea for all. Start the race and ride to a point where you feel that you are halfway to having enough fun at -5f and call the sag coordinator to tell her you all turning around and heading back. It’s important with these temperatures that we keep track of everyone! I’ll be altering the results to include time on trail and distance covered just incase we have to give out awards and nobody finishes the entire route.

And lastly I’ll end with some good news: local artist Gene Tully (and lifelong cyclist) has created the awards for the top finishers in each category. So, in addition to the fun everyone will have, the cash lottery (which you only need to start to be entered in – finishing gets you more entries), we will have awards. Also, local bike collector & racer Bill Stoffel will be bringing by some his 100+ year old bikes for all to admire.

Area maps will be posted soon.

Arrowhead Ultra: Training Ride

I'm not calling this a "Race Update: Trail Report" due to the forecasted 6" of new powder like snow. But if it were a trail report I’d say WOW was the course fast. I was able to ride the entire course in both directions finishing in just over 5 hours. Not a single section required me to dismount and push. Oh, well... what fun would a winter bike race be anyway if you didn't get to push? Looks like the skiers will have fun – Trail will be groomed on Friday!

Race Update: Big Picture Map (weather update)

I'll get more detailed maps created using DOT maps after my ride tonight.

Foot category: Note the final measured course is a little over 21.5 miles. This was shorted so that we can finish the Foot & Ski category at a heated bar and food establishment in Durango.

I’ll present the ski options the morning of registration and let the skiers make a group decision:

1. Ski from Durango to Graf and back to Durango = 16 Miles (all groomed)
2. Ski from Dubuque Trailhead to Graf and back to Durango = 20 Miles (all groomed)
3. Ski from Dubuque Trailhead to Farley and back to Durango = 36 Miles (2 miles not groomed)
4. Do the original Dyersville to Durango Route (Weather permitting - will recon the night before) The reason for this is that there is CURRENTLY exposed gravel on the section between Dyersville and Farley.

Weather Update: this just in - fresh snow and really cold temps on the way... so dress warm, plan on at least 1-2 miles total of bike pushing, and the cycle-cross bike discussion is a mutt point (fatties rule, on this one)... Good thing I shortened the bike course to ~56 miles!

Race Update: Trail Report (final route determined)

First, I’ll start with the Foot Category:
The entire trail with the exception of 1 mile is scheduled by be groomed by the Asbury Snow Hawks Grooming machine. The Asbury Snow Hawks is one of the key sponsors for this race. They’ve allowed us to use a number of miles of private snowmobile trail, they are grooming Heritage trail just prior to the race for us, and were responsible for the installation of a necessary bypass bridge on Heritage Trail. They will also be sweeping the course the night of the race (this is a good example on how different outdoor clubs can work together, a huge thanks to this group!). The 1 mile of ungroomed section is very hard and icy in numerous locations, use caution! The foot category should be able to avoid the real icy spots by staying to edge of the trail.

Skiers: Yet to be determined, but we will have to either shorten the sky category by 7 miles or do an out and back. This is because the section of Heritage trail from Dyersville to Farley has exposed gravel on a majority of it. Everywhere else, it still has a solid 8" base. If you want some say in this drop me a line, let me know the minimum distance that's acceptable to you.

Bikers (and there's a bunch of you): The slideshow above gives a good visual of the variety that you will have on this race. I've had to shorten the distance based on yesterdays preride times. However, DO NOT THINK THIS WILL BE AN EASY RACE! Weather forecast is for temps to be in the 15dF to 5dF range. You must note: YOU will be out there for 6-9 hours!

Bike Route: I hate to say it but the first and last hour of this race will be brutal! The first section of Heritage Trail (not used by the foot category) will NOT be groomed and is rutted by foot traffic on the warm days of past. The good news is that this is only a half-mile long. The main elevation gain during the race takes place on the ATV trails - Everyone will push for at least a 1/4 mile up the steepest section. The photo log will give you a pretty good idea of the variety that I have in store for the bikers the last and first 2 hours of the race (I’ll add a picture of the level B in the next couple of days). The middle section will be on Heritage Trail, which will be groomed to Farley and is gravel and patches of snow from Farley to Dyersville and back. While we have lost nearly two miles of snowmobile trails to the warm days last week this will still be a "fun" race with lots of variety.

Note to racers:

1. Carry more fluids than you think you will need.
2. Make provision to keep your fluids liquid & test this system.
3. Take extra clothes (no cotton! – wear wool or other wicking winter fabrics).
4. Start at a manageable/maintainable pace.*
5. You are required to have two lights (front and back).
6. You must have a cell phone.

Trail Report: Fast & Hard

Ned, Dustin & I road Heritage Trail and the Humkie Level B tonight Starting at Sundown Ski Mountain heading west towards Dyersville (Ned and Dustin road a lot more than I - due to me running late by an hour). Sorry no pictures... everyone forgot their cameras. I will include a bunch of photos from tomorrows ride.

Heritage Trail was hard enough that a cycle cross bike could have ridden it. The foot racers will have no problem. It was very hard and very fast. However, a 1/2 mile section was nothing but ice. Not the kind you can gently ride over; this was ice-skating rink stuff that was near impossible to keep a bike pointed in the strait direction. None of us had studs on tonight - Ned went down hard once, Dustin and I scratched a couple of times... with me running my extra wide snow tires, I was able to ride off the trail surface in the sun crusted virgin snow to avoid most of the ice). If this section is still like this late next week, we can easily bypass it for bikes and runners if they so choose (may leave that up to the individual raiders, as the bypass would add a 1/4 mile). The bypass is a parallel gravel road only a hundred yards away. Other than this section of ice, the trail was still in remarkably good shape considering the 5 days of 40dF weather that we had…

The gravel was in typical top winter condition (you could barely tell you were on a gravel road). Note: there's still that glazed top where too much acceleration on the climbs may slip a tire and caution should be used on the descents.

The Level B's were in primo condition, challenging but completely ridable in both directions. Smiles all around on this section.

I'm fairly sure that Heritage Trail, the gravel and Level B's will be nearly the same next week with the forecasted high temps only reaching into the high 20's and the low temps in the single digits. In addition, the forecast is only calling for a maximum of 4-6 more inches of snow before race day. Because of this, I’m going to ride the currently proposed course (in its entirety) tomorrow to get an idea of total miles that I’ll need to include to keep the likes of our $$$ hungry hammer heads at 5 hours and make a good 8 hour Arrowhead training ride out of it.

Trail Report: Gone Baby Gone...

Looks like all the snow but that on Heritage Trail will be gone by Thursday (first day with forecasted temperatures below freezing). Not to worry, over a week and a half to go… tonight I ride the rollers. Peace!

Race Update: Trail Report

Well, I guess I’ll need to renege on my statement that you won’t need studded tires for Triple D. The weather has turned warm and the snow has softened up. I’ve made all my Arrowhead training rides searches for alternate routes for Triple D, in doing so, I believe I’ll be able to have a challenging & fun course no matter what the weather conditions are. My five plus hour ride started at 10 PM last night at 30dF with about a 10 mph wind. I dressed much lighter than normal and still had to shed a layer only 15 minutes into the ride. The snowmobile trails were soft and very challenging to say the least. The soft snow created loads of rolling resistance and more parts than normal required me to dismount and push. The warm conditions also caused my cleats to freeze up (for the first time ever). While some snow bikers will ride with platforms in the winter most always use clip pedals for their efficiency, I’d bet those that have switched to platforms in the winter must have lots of days around 30dF. Wanting to get 40+ miles in I decided that the snow mobile trails were not the ticket. I then started on some of our great level B and gravel roads near Graf. The temperature had dropped a little to 23 and the winds had picked up a bunch (gusts to 25), so on with the outer wind layer I had removed earlier. The gravel roads were hard and glass smooth, or I guess I should say ice smooth. If I stayed seated, the hills were no problem, but if I stood to finish them off quickly my rear wheel would easily break loose and spin (I didn’t have my studded tires on for this ride – haven’t used them since we got a good snow base over a month ago). Traci road her ice bike today on the trails from the Grand Harbor Resort out to the start of the Heritage trail and said that a majority of the city bike trail was ice.

While Heritage trail was soft and we’re loosing lots of snow due to melt, there is still a very good base that should withstand this week long warm spell. If it turns colder before the event, the trail will be even better for the bike and foot categories. Currently Heritage trail is in good shape for traditional and stake skiing. The Foot category would be shorted a bit if it’s like this on race day.

Picture was of a tree out in the middle of nowhere north of Graf on a gravel road.

Quick Update

1. We are over $1000 in payout (go to the lottery $ post)
2. The registration deadline was extended so if you know someone who bikes, ski’s or runs/hikes tell them about the Triple D race.
3. I’m riding tonight to test the trails as the temps have been up here the last couple of days, but we still have a 1.5' solid base.

New Years Day Ride

Today was our clubs annual New Years Day ride! A whopping six hardy individuals showed up (something to do with the -15dF wind chill... oh well) down from about 20+ last year.

Heritage trail was a little chopped up from the cold weather and normal snow mobile traffic which made the going a little slow (7 mph was a nice pace, although it started much faster [double digits] by those who only planned to ride for only 45 minutes). Bill Stoffel, my wife Traci and I rode for another 20 minutes before she turned back. Bill continued with me to the 10-mile mark, so that he could get a good 20 miles in. I continued out to Graf (halfway point for the race before heading back. I was again over dressed and had to remove a couple of layers.

All said a nice 3-hour ride.