So close

Criterium paid out 8 places this evening. And, guess where Jason placed? Yep, 9th place. The new Ksyrium SL wheelset is ridiculously light and fast, though. Very much enjoying my time on those. Also, this evening, watched a bicycle crash unfold right in front of me. Luckily, the person immediately in front of me dodged left, so I followed his lead. The two injured appeared to have suffered some decent road rash.
This week is Bike Fest here in Pittsburgh. It's a celebration of the 2-wheeled machine. Lots of great racing and riding going on with both the mountain bike and road bike. The week was kicked off on Friday with an opening party. Thursday, I plan on venturing out to Hartwood Acres (my favorite mtn biking spot) to partake in the festivities with PORC. The weekend includes several other bike rides to round-out the weeklong event.

Great Allegheny Passage ride

Here are just a few pictures from our recent GAP trail ride. This trail links Pittsburgh with DC. Roughly 330 miles of limestone and some pavement. We started in West Newton, rode 60 miles, and camped in Confluence. There was some beautiful scenery in and around Ohiopyle. A small group of us are looking at doing the entire length of the trail system next year in 5 days. Ride on!

Dirt Fest!

Where: Allegrippis trails where 400+ mountain bikers converged one weekend into the woods of 32 miles of singletrack. Yep, I'm in. These were some of the fastest, flowiest (if that's a word), smoothest trails that I've ever been on. The Army Corp of Engineers built them just a year ago. They did a fantastic job as they are sustainable and don't involve a whole lot of climbing (just have to know the right direction). As you can see from one picture, a steep dip got the best of me. 3 hours into riding, I crashed pretty hard coming down a black trail descent. Even with the injury, if was well worth it. My friend and I are already plotting when we can return to this mountain biking haven of sorts.

Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds in DC

Finally, finally. After roughly 10 years of plotting to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds live in an acoustic set, I got to see them in DC. The venue was the DAR theatre in downtown DC, just blocks from the Washington monument and the White House. It was an amazing show. He did several songs from DMB's newest album, along with some oldies but definite goodies. Highlights from the show include The Maker, Dancing Nancies, Funny the Way It Is, You and Me, Crush, and closing out with Ants Marching. Tim is an guitar genius, and did two songs on his own. Get to see the full band in July when they come to PNC park.

Aliquippa Criterium Race

Just thought I would post a few pictures from the race this weekend.



Tough race considering that I'm still recovering from bronchitis. Also, I thought that I was in better biking shape...ends up, I'm not. Too much time beating the pavement in training for the 1/2 marathon. The track was a nice 1-mile loop, though.

What are yinz thinking/doing???

This post has been a long-time coming. But, I feel the need to get it off my chest after some recent events. Therefore, the title speaks for itself (thought I would throw in some Pittsburghese) and touches on my some thoughts/sentiments for the question "What the heck?" This is a Top 10 list of things I've noticed since moving to the Burgh.

10. Potholes. You kidding me? A small car can get lost in this one...









I realize the city is old, but give me a break. This is not cobblestone...it's an actual street... Do some actual road maintenance and fix it. Yes, that might involve tearing up a section of the road rather than just filling it with the black tar. As you might imagine, these road hazards make road riding a nightmare.
9. Sidewalks are created for a reason...to walk on. Don't walk in the middle of the street. Cars aren't necessarily going to stop for you...especially with some of the road rage due to traffic.
8. Crossing the road. Yep, you're supposed to do that at intersections. It's the safe option. Refer to #9 for reason why.
7. Standing. This too can be done on the sidewalk. If you're waiting for a ride, the bus, etc., or just loitering, then stand on the sidewalk. The road is meant for vehicles and bicycles.
6. Speaking of bikes...stop taunting, driving to close to, or throwing things at cyclists. Sarah and I had trash thrown at us the other day on a short ride home from a friend's party. We are talking 0.8 of a mile. Too short of a ride to hassle with motorist stupidity.
5 Stop throwing trash! Put it in the trash can. Sarah and I live near a McDonalds. Yep, we can see the golden arches from our front porch. As you can imagine, we get people walking through our complex that leave a litter trail as they head home. But, it's not just our area. I've noticed it in other parts of the Burgh as well. Have a little respect and pride for the city that you live in. Clean up after yourself.
4. Dogs...keep them on a leash. #4 stems from an encounter last weekend with a dog that bit me nearing the end of my 10 mile run. Also, there have been a couple of occasions at Frick Park during mountain bike rides when unleashed dogs have been in the way of riders. The dogs get in the way and are a nuissance. Keep them on a leash and you won't have to worry about them getting hit or biting other people.
3. Recycling Center...what's that? Okay, so maybe I was spoiled in Lincoln, Nebraska with 22 multi-use centers within the city. And that's for only approximately 200,000 people. In Pittsburgh, there are 2, yes only 2 centers nearby. And they're not 24-hour operations. And they look like this...The city of Pittsburgh I'm sure has bragging rights with a number of sustainable buildings, but the limited recycling centers are disappointing.
2. It's called a bike. Yes, and it's another form of transportation. And, yes, we do have a right to the road. Better yet, riding a bike is great exercise while you're getting to your destination. The Pittsburgh traffic is only going to get worse unless they figure out how to get more vehicles off the road. Their bus system is good, but there are alternative options, too...carpooling, subway, light rail, T. Let's expand the T so it goes north up to Cranberry. That would make my commute so much nicer.
1. Turn down your thumping car music! Maybe in your teens, it's a cool thing to do. Not when you're in your 20's and 30's. Rule of thumb: When the bass rattles my home, it's too loud. As a matter of fact, when the driver next to you can hear your music, it's too loud. It's a safety issue. You can't hear emergency vehicles, plus it's a distraction.

Okay, that's enough banter for one day. I really needed to post something, since the Snowpocolypse in February was my last blog post. Ride on!

The Pittsburgh Snow-pocalypse

I learned this was the fifth largest snowfall in Pittsburgh history (ever since they started keeping track). 18 inches of snow was dumped on Pittsburgh in the last 24 hours. At 7 Springs Resort, they posted 28 inches of freshies.

Braving the unplowed roads of Pittsburgh on the trusty 29'er, I ventured outdoors to take in the winter wonderland. I was surprised to find tons of Pittsburghers out wandering the streets (literally walking in the middle of the streets). Most sidewalks were not shoveled, but some of the main streets were. Due to the low traffic and white surroundings, this made for some great wintry riding.









This is one of my favorite pics during the ride...crime scene tape because a power line was down. I was more entertained by all the cars under mounds of snow and the unplowed road that was definitely unpassable on bike.