Arkansas Epic

So I rode 83 miles today on the monster cross down here in Arkansas. Fayetteville to Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area and the Hidden Discovery Trail System and back. At least 2500 feet of climbing, probably closing in on 3k...my legs and back are on fire right now, 4 hours after getting off the bike. Lots of hike a bike up some stupid steep gravel roads. But anyway, let me narrate this adventure:

So yesterday I decided to skip out on riding and make Wednesday my epic day. I had a route planned thanks to google and map my ride, notes taken and even a little sketched map. I got all my gear and food ready the night before so I could wake up and roll out. And that's basically what I did Wednesday morning.

Headed out of Fayetteville towards the northeast and Hobbs State Park. It was pretty pavement heavy going there (75% of 30 miles) but the gravel I hit was amazing! Super sketchy long downhills followed by unrideable LONG uphills...It was worth the view though...


I then caught War Eagle Road north through some historic river valley action...


And a couple miles later saw this weird house...its like someone had take a ranch style house and added 2 more stories, but on only half the house...



Then a few more miles in I stopped in and had a nice cup of coffee at the local grain mill (that still uses the water-driven mill in War Eagle/Clifty Creek) which also has an awesome restaurant on the 3rd floor overlooking an old wood plank/steel frame, one lane bridge and the creek...


After that goodness I rode up to the HIdden Diversity Trail and did the visitors center spur, little clifty creek loop out to piney road then across to the basehor ridge loop and dutton hollow loop, then came back across piney road to finish up the clifty creek loop and head out, when I ate it hard going down towards the south...I finished the loop and limped back to the restaurant/grain mill to get some more coffee, a bowl of soup and clean my wounds:


I headed back towards fayetteville and had to stop to take one last picture of beaver lake from the hwy 412 bridge:


somehow missed my turn getting back to fayetteville, probably cause I was concentrating on not dying, and added in a few extra miles and a most unwanted extra 500-800 foot of climbing. Finally got home a little after 6...I had left at 9:30 am. I did make quite a few stops though...breakfast, bike shop, coffee, trail snack, meeting people on trail, soup and coffee, getting lost and eating shit on the trail...I think my riding time was about 5.5-6 hours considering how many times I stopped...oh and I took a bunch of pictures on a crappy celll phone I had to pull out of my bag every time I wanted it.

today was one of those days you look back on during races...at least thats what I do...when ever I am suffering in a race, I always think about other times I've suffered worse...today was one of those days :)

peace and riding!!!

winter break

so I'm on break from school...thank god. I'm down in Arkansas and its 63* outside at this very moment, nice! Only ridden once since I've been here (pic up top is from Lake Fayetteville trails sunday afternoon) but that's gonna change this afternoon with a good long ride out to some trails/gravel and a braums dinner in my future....mmmmmmmmmmmm.

So I remember back a little while ago about me saying something about wanting a bike with gears and suspension...I lied...rigid and SS for life!!!! I've been tearing up some trails recently with a fixed gear monster cross bike and absolutely loving it. Fuck suspension and fuck gears!!!!!!!!! muhahahahahaha!

ok wal-mart run then ride time then braums.

peace and riding!!!!!

I'm big in indonesia...

so i just found this stats thing why I was gonna post something else....now I forget what it was, but anyway...check this shit out:

United States
4,575
Indonesia
319
Canada
138
Sweden
111
Germany
95
Ukraine
85
United Kingdom
83
Italy
71
Brazil
70
Poland
61

Those are my blog hits by country from May until today. Apparently I'm more popular than I thought. I could do some really fun stuff if I actually though people cared. I've always just used this kind of as a stash spot/journal for myself.

If you read this blog on a regular basis or just from time to time, let me know by commenting here...if you want to.

peace and riding!

halcyon holiday

so i hosted the halcyon holiday gravel grinder yesterday in lawrence..sounds like everyone had a good time, I know I did after the caffeine started hitting the legs...my knees are feeling it today though, 75ish miles total on the fixie yesterday...awesome! recap/pics here: mtbkc.blogspot.com

I'm in arkansas now, my abs are more sore than anything...i'm gonna go ride some around the paved paths down here and around the lake fayetteville trails. got a week, so I'll be getting around down here I'm sure :)

peace and riding!!!

the past few weeks in pictures....

not much to report...although I will be riding a bike again very soon :) only one more final to take tomorrow at 1 and this semester is in the books...only 4 more months of undergrad...holy crap.

Next few weeks are gonna be something like this:
*go home to lawrence for saturday's halcyon holiday gravel grinder
*leave sunday for fayetteville, arkansas
*ride, ride and ride some more.
*festivus
*ozark trail
*chicago???
*more riding in piss ass cold.

peace and riding!!!

the year that was.

It's getting cold...it sucks.

But at least Gravel Grinder Season is here!!!

And street cred is coming too!!!



man it was cold that day...3* roanoke time trial.

Which has me thinking and reflecting on the past year. I looked through my race list the other day and did some results stuff. This year was pretty good bike racing wise, good base, good peak, now back to base.

January and February were filled with Streed Cred, GOTHRs and Gravel Grinders.

March brought some roadie action since I had a new bike, that i now no longer have, and because of the rain.

April brought MTB season and drier trails.

May, June and July were just good riding months, lots of long rides, some Arkansas business, etc.

August brought peak time: 3rd at RIM, 1st at Cruise the Blues and MTB-KC short track series was hot and hard.

September continued peakness with 5th at KC Cup CX, 2nd at KC Cup MTB 3 hour, and 5th at Manions.

October brought being hooked to cross because of the new pake.

November brought lots of school.

And december starts it all over again :)

peace and riding!!!