Tranquility Park - Omaha - trail ride

Ryan and I got out for some singletrack riding over the Christmas break. I opted for the bike rental from former employer Bike Rack. They hooked me up with a Trek hardtrail that did the trick for the ride. I think we did most of the Tranquility loop. We even did the new section that goes farther north past the baseball/softball fields. Several nice pump tracks were added to the trails that were even marked (as blue). Tranquility was one of my favorite Omaha locations to ride and race, and it seems that it even got better with the new additions.

Now 6000+ miles on the Surly

The commuter bike surpasses 6000 miles just the other day. Thought I should take a picture and post the picture on the blog.

Punk Bike Enduro

Dirt Rag held its annual Punk Bike Enduro at the beginning of December. It's basically a moving party on two wheels, equipped with outlandish costumes and some, just some tasty beverage consumption. It is still racing (if you choose). The Punk Enduro offers 11 stages of varying difficultly and skills. One such is the bike derby (complete with a ghost bike).
Other stages include a steep run up, and then a steep descent down a chute. This is the steepest chute I've ever attempted, and unfortunately washed out toward the bottom because I chose the wrong chute.
Two other stages had massive road climbs. So the first 7 guys and girls up the road one Punk points.
Yet another stage was an incredible descent down singletrack that ended with this off-camber rocky section where on-lookers could view the action.

I ended up finding a Punk and winning one stage so I did score some points which got me a nice jersey during the free reception. Good times. Looking forward to it next year.

New Pittsburgh bike lane

It's one of a kind here in Pittsburgh. The first partitioned on-street bike lane near Homestead and the Waterfront. The bike lane is separated from the street with white lines and pylons. These types of bike lanes are very common in Europe. It's good to see that they are making a presence in the US. The second picture is the bike sign and trail that is the GAP. Trail goes all the way to DC. Hopefully get to do that next summer.

Pittsburgh's Dirty Dozen ride

http://player.vimeo.com/video/32720991?autoplay=1
This video is from the Dirty Dozen's Canton Ave., hill #9 of 13 (baker's dozen). It's a 37% grade, evidently the steepest paved road in the world. This year, I could only make 4 of of the hills since I had to work. I did all 13 hills the previous year, and fortunately all on my first attempt. This year, 300+ riders came out for the event which was the biggest in the history of the ride. Good stuff!

Cross season sadly coming to close

Unfortunately, cyclocross season is almost over. However, it's been a great season with ABRA racing making for some excellent courses this fall. Favorites were Amity and Bruceton Mills. Amity because of how technical the course was, and Bruceton Mills because of how well I did and the open sprint sections. Just a few more related pics for the blog.

Cyclocross season in on!

I've been racing a lot lately, both mountain bike and cyclocross. Cross races have been fun and exhausting. Typical cross races with muddy, wet conditions. Here are some recent pictures from the Monster Cross race in Morgantown.