7000+ miles on the Surly

Finally was able to reach another thousand miles on my commuter/touring bike. The Cross Check battled the rain today on the way home from downtown. It really needed a bath anyway, but now I need to re-lube the chain. GAP trail this weekend for the steel ride.

21 excellent mountain biking miles in Frick Park

Got out with a PORC ride and managed 21 miles of mostly singletrack. I ended doing parts of Iron Grate 3 times because I was running out of unridden trails. Still I/we managed to cover much of the park as evident from the photo.

Dirt Fest 2012

For the 3rd year in a row, Dirt Fest was an absolute blast. This year, 7 of us - the Frick Burghers, ventured out to central PA for some of the best singletrack in the area (maybe nation). According to a friend's GPS, we did approximately 55 miles of riding during the entire weekend. But, according to the Dirt Rag map provided, we did way more than that. It's hard to really know for sure. Dirt Rag again put on an excellent event with tons of sponsors. The free music and beer were again a treat following a long day of epic trails. Every year, I try to determine the trail that I enjoyed the most. This year, it was definitely the Hydro Loop. We blasted through this loop each day, the last day at what seemed like Mach 1 speed thanks to Steve and Jorge leading the charge. This was also the first dirt that the new Niner Air9 has seen. The scandium frame definitely soaked up some of the bumps that the old aluminum Paragon didn't do as well. It's also a bike that climbs nicely. The suspension fork needed some servicing following Dirt Fest, moreso, that it hasn't been rebuilt in 3 years. Guess that's all part of sport. I can't wait to get out there again. Going to try to make it out there at the end of the summer. If not, Dirt Fest happens every year in May!

Let the racing begin

Road racing season began recently with the Greene County race. It was a 36-miler through the hills of SW Pennsylvania. I, along with many others, hung on to the pack until a tough climb around mile 26. By that time, several riders had dropped off. I joined a group of two for the remaining 10 miles. Finished in the middle of the pack - not really what I was hoping for, but it was my first race of the season. Then I rode the Steel City Showdown. It's a criterium that races over two of the main Pittsburgh city bridges. Great cycling atmosphere and always some strong competition from the surrounding states. A pack of 10 of us managed to race for 30 minutes. But we were pulled after the lead pack managed to pull ahead of us leaving us out of contention. I was hoping to race for 40 of the 50 minutes, so still managed to hold my own for a good portion of the race. Upcoming races include road races at the oval and some mountain biking races in June.

Ghost Trail ride

Over Easter weekend, we did a bike ride through parts of Pennsylvania that has some rich history. The Ghost Trail that runs approximately 32 miles through mostly small towns, is where many of the old coal mines used to be. Since the late 1800's and early 1900's, these once populated towns and mines have been abandoned. However, there is still the old Eliza Furnace that is near Vintondale, PA. Basically, it's a huge furnace that is in the middle of nowhere. Coal was brought brought to the furnace where it was heated and then shipped out to Pittsburgh. Interesting that we now have a trail in the city named after this furnace. Anyway, decent ride to get out of the city for a day.

Simple acts of grandeur

First day of spring road ride

Got out for a nice 38 mile ride which took my around the city. Went through Highland Park, across the bridge to Aspinwall and up Center (Dirty Dozen hill). Then up Spring Garden Ave, which was a pleasant gradual climb that I've never done before. This took me near Riverview Park, so I road through there on the on-street bike path. Then back down to the city via the riverfront trail. Hit the Jail Trail and back up to Squirrel Hill via CMU campus. Longest ride since the fall, so I was hurting that day and the next. The racing season kicks off in April.