Sun Top Recon

I decided to head out to the Sun Top trail, near the Dalles Campground in Rainer Park. My goal was to do a recon ride on Saturday night to find the trail head at the top of the mountain and get some photos of sunset from the top of the mountain.

Unfortunately, I did not get to reach the top since the road became increasingly more blocked by fallen trees and the snow cover was increasing. The snow is usually gone by the end of May but I thought it would be worth seeing if it was already gone.

Given that the top of the mountain peak and trailhead road was still not cleared I figured that the mountain bike trail would have a similar issue. That as well as the snow cover on the exposed road made be think the trails would still have snow given the fact it is in the woods with more coverage.

So, my plan to ride the trail on Sunday morning was put on hold and this ride became a recon ride. On the plus side, the climb was not difficult but it was long and steady. Here are the stats from Strava:

Of course, I also got some footage from the ride. Here are some highlights of going too fast down the mountain on the return. As well, you might see some Elk if you have good eyes and watch high res.

Video: Tiger Mountain Sun

Here's a sunny ride from a few weeks back. These are some highlights from my April 17, 2016 ride on Tiger Mountain.

Wet and Sloppy Ride with a Crash Bonus

Through darkest night, through pouring rain, no weather will stop my riding...or pain.

Crashed yesterday during a wet and slippery ride on Tiger Mountain. Funny thing is, I posted some PB (Personal Bests) for time on some of the trail sections even though it was a slip slop ride bouncing and sliding along roots and rocks.

Without further adieu, here's footage from my April 24, 2016 group ride with just 3 of us braving the elements:

Mountain Biking Tiger Mountain April 10, 2016

Here's a new biking video from a recent ride on Tiger Mountain:



Here's a breakdown of the ride on Strava where I upload my Microsoft Band rides.

Mtn Bike Vid: Duthie Hill

Another mountain biking video. Little shorter this time with some footage from October 23, 2015.

These are some of the trails at Duthie Hill Bike Park.

Enjoy.

Stinky Spoke 2016 Signup

The Stinky Spoke, an 18 mile mountain bike ride on the statistically worst weather day of the year, is coming up. The next event is January 23, 2016, in Woodinville, WA.

I've signed up again and have two others who plan to join. Are you up for an 18 mile mountain bike ride with a hill called Heart Attack Hill (300 ft of elevation over a short distance) at the start of the race?

Anyone completing the hill climb without dismounting their bike gets a medal!

Here are videos from previous years:

Mtn Bike Vid: Soaring Eagle

Saturday morning, my buddy Dan and I went for a ride at Soaring Eagle. This is a fun trail system in Sammamish and is a great place to go for some technical riding with a couple short and sweet descents.

Here's a breakdown of the ride as recorded with the Microsoft Band's Ride Tile (App).

GPS Route at Soaring Eagle

Overview of the Ride

Speed Graph

Heart Rate Graph

Elevation Graph

Mile Split Speeds

Here's some footage from the ride. Wait for the end where we hit 18 MPH down the fast #1 trail.

MTB Vid: Tiger Mountain, Fully Rigid to Joyride

Another mountain biking video. This time, the Fully Rigid trail onto Joyride. Both trails on East Tiger Mountain.

This video is also from my first ride on my new Santa Cruz and the first time I rode this trail.

Enjoy.

GoPro Footage: Tiger Mountain Summit Trail

As you probably know, I invested in myself and upgraded my mountain bike to a new Santa Cruz
Tallboy. I purchased the "entry" level Aluminum model.

This past weekend I had my first true mountain bike ride on my new bike and it was awesome. I was also riding a new trail (for me) for the first time, the East Tiger Mountain Summit Trail.

The first 3.5 miles took about an hour as we climbed about 1500 ft to the summit from the parking lot along highway 18. You can see a nice break down of the splits, elevation gain, GPS map, and other details over at MSBandGuru.com with my post Mountain Biking With The Microsoft Band.

I took a lot of video but here's the deal with GoPro, it can be very shaky and removing that does not always work well.

Here is some footage I took (speed up to 2x speed for most of it) that was taken on a handlebar mounted GoPro. It is very shaky.

For my next ride I will be experimenting with a chest mount and a helmet mount to see which one produces smoother video.

The music is a bit of Cigar Box Guitar that I did and looped.

Mountain Bike Test Ride: Specialized S-Works Enduro 29 vs Santa Cruz Tallboy

How Old Am I?

I love to mountain bike. Always have, always will.

Riding Bauline Line, Newfoundland, 1999

About 17 years ago, boy I am old, I bought my hardtail XC Giant ATX 860. What does the XC stand for? It means Cross Country and at the time it was rated as one of the top XC bikes for the price point. Suspiciously, the price was about $860 as well.

That bike served me well for years as I rode trails in Newfoundland and Ontario. It was great for what I stuck too back then. But, here in the Northwest, it is not up to snuff. There are too many awesome trails calling out to me and for that I need more suspension.

Having ridden the trails out here, I have shied away from trying some of the "sick" stuff people have told me about since my bike and I are not up to these gnarly trails. I continually bottom out my front shock and get jostled around as I try to stay out of my seat to absorb the roots, rocks, and drops that the single track presents here.

It's time to change that and step up to the next level of riding I know awaits for me. So, when I saw that the local bike shop was having a demo day at one of the nearby trails I jumped at the chance to try some new bikes.

Specialized S-Works Enduro 29

Specialized S-Works Enduro 29, Image: Specialized

I wanted to try out the Specialized Stumpjumper 29 but unfortunately they only had the Medium which for my short legs was too tall. So, they setup their only Small Specialized, a Specialized S-Works Enduro 29.

Now, first, before you look at the price, oh you did already? Ya, $9300. I knew bikes could get expensive but that's insane.

This bike fit better than the Medium though, so I took it for a spin on the trails. For those keeping track, this bike has 155mm of travel (in it's suspension) and weighs about 26 lbs. The light weight and plush ride adds to the cost of this bike but this is one of the best All Mountain/Enduro bikes you can ride today.

So how did it ride? It was like floating over the trail. The trails at Soaring Eagle were not enough for this monster to notice. I went from picking a smooth line to avoid "technical obstacles" like logs, roots, rocks, drops, too hunting them out and smashing through them. I found nothing on the trail that made me slow down. This bike eats gnarly for breakfast.

Throughout the ride I hooted and whooped as I tried to keep up with this bike. Over and over I had so much speed coming through previously gnarly sections that I almost propelled myself into the woods as turns would come up too fast. Nothing slowed this bike down but my cardio.

The bottom line, this bike is more than I need. It is a blast to ride. But it would take some time to learn how to ride this bike. There is a learning curve here that years of XC riding did not prepare me for. I also don't have a lot of trails around here that truly need this level of travel.

If I had to make a complaint, it was that this bike was too plush for the cross country trails I rode it on. It felt like riding an easy chair through the woods and took away some of the joy as it was less nimble through turns.

Juliana Joplin (Standing in for Santa Cruz Tallboy 29)

Next up I wanted to ride a Santa Cruz Tallboy. Unfortunately they did not have one in my size. They

Image: Juliana

did have the women's version, the Juliana Joplin in red (my favorite color no less), in a Small which was a perfect fit. 

This bike felt like I expected. This bike has the same 100mm of travel as the Tallboy and is basically the same model with different colors.

This bike is dialed into the riding I most often do, XC. With it's 100mm of travel it let me scream through the same ride we had just done and still slam through technical sections.

This is more bike that I am riding with my hardtail today but definitely not as plush as the Enduro. Has the Enduro ruined me? Maybe.

This bike and the Tallboy are more in the ballpark of what I expect to spend. At $3399 for the entry level model this bike is more than I would like to spend (I'm cheap), but I know bikes are not cheap today. 

This bike would bring riding in the Northwest to the new level I am looking for. It is responsive, nimble in turns, wants to take flight off humps, and can absorb the gnarly sections. 

Conclusions

The insanely priced monster Enduro would be great if I step up bombing down the sides of mountains. Then I could use more travel but I don't see the need for it for my regular rides. Though fun, it actually took the spirit out of the tame, for this bikes suspension, ride that I put it through. It felt very squishy, especially with lateral control since this bike was built to fly down gnarly trails, not sprint nimbly cross country.

The Tallboy/Joplin was nimble, responsive and tuned to the trails we rode. This is the majority of what I plan to ride and with the travel in it's full suspension this bike felt like riding my hardtail with an upgrade.

The Tallboy also comes in Small so I can get the geometry and reach I want. That said, I really would like to try the Tallboy LT (Long Travel) which is a Tallboy with 130mm of travel. The big problem being that I would not be able to make that decision to go up in travel without trying out the bike since it starts in Medium.

All in all, it was a great morning and has given me some reference points to work with as I search for my new ride.

Do What You Love

Riding Bauline, Newfoundland, 1999

I love a lot of things. My wife, my kids, my music, and my many passions. One of those has been with me as long as I can remember.

That is biking. I still remember one of my first bikes. It was a yellow bike that was branded the Mark II. Pretty sweet and I am sure my parents felt they hit the jackpot when they came across that bike. Boy I loved that hard plastic wheeled bike. Not even inflated tires. It was a tank and had traction about as good as you'd think for hard plasticly (very hard rubber) tires.

Of the many forms of biking, Mountain biking holds a big place in my heart, for things I love.

It's something that sits unloved sometimes. Gathering dust in the garage, tires deflating, oil drying out, forgetting the thrill of the trail.

Then a call or text comes, "Want to go biking?" Hell yes I do!

I get out the gear, I prep the bike, and I go.

The other night I went for a ride.

It was great to get on the trail and hurtle downhill at speeds my Mom would disapprove of and my kids would watch in disbelieve.

Nothing quite beats the sensation of throwing that bike around underneath you as your legs and arms pump it over roots, rocks, around ruts, and then throw the bike (and you) into a turn.

As we speed down a section of trail with beautifully hard packed corners, I saw a rise coming in the middle of the S as the turn I was dipped into, leaning over to the right, was going to transition into a fast left hand turn before switching back to the right. Stupidity came over me and I said, I bet I can jump that rise right into that left turn and swoop through this set of curves.

I write this like I had time to think this out. There was no time, my brain thought it, and I pulled up. The bike and I flew into the air.

Was this a good idea I started to think. But before I could finish the thought, the bike and my body knew what to do. Lean back to the left like I was entering that turn on the ground instead of in the air like I was.

Thump! The tires hit. My legs and arms bent. And my ass and rear wheel threw my bike and I into the turn and we both flew through it beautifully.

We had done something stupid again and both made it through.

Mountain biking is freeing. It frees the mind and the spirit.

Mountain biking is exhilarating. Am I going to fast? Will I make this turn? Phew! Did it.

Mountain biking is pounding. It makes the blood flow and the muscles ache as you drive to go faster and climb the hill back up.

Mountain biking rejuvenates my youth as I slip back into my gear and get to pretend to be a Scout Trooper on his speeder bike, whizzing through the forests of Endor.

What do you love?

Go do it.

Remember why you love it.

Stinky Spoke - Rolling Through Woods

This is a ride through very smooth trail in Woodinville during the Stinky Spoke race. That is me just ahead.

Is it just me or does riding through old growth like this feel like you are riding a speeder bike through the forests of Endor?

I even get a little air along the way.

Stinky Spoke - Downhill

Here is some footage from the 2014 Stinky Spoke mountain bike race.

This is a section of downhill, pretty much the most technical downhill part of the ride. Dan is shooting the footage and enjoying the rearview of Mark riding in the lead.

Thanks to Dan Muckler for the footage. I have some more I will post soon.

Teaching My Kids to Mountain Bike

Yes, the title says it all, I am not satisfied with teaching my boys to ride a bike. They must learn the skills of mountain biking. Why? Because I love to mountain bike and so they must.

I know, I know, you are shaking your head saying but because you do it does not mean your kids need too. Well tell that to Football Dads, Hockey Dad's, and this Mountain Biking Dad.

Well, I am not that hardcore, that is to say I encourage the kids to mountain bike and would let them skip out if they wanted too but they are in. So what am I teaching them and how?

One of the things I am doing is using a tag-a-long bike that is hooked to my mountain bike to take the kids on entry level stuff. This is a fun way for them to be introduced to the idea "Hey, you can ride in the woods."

I started my oldest on the tag-along but now he is self propelled and my youngest is my new co-pilot in the rear seat. We are lucky to live next to a park and a mile away from another park which has some off-road trails. I have moved them up to riding to the park a mile away and then we do the off-road trails there. In total we get about a 4 mile ride in.

My youngest (6) has picked up how to stand on his pedals and do power strokes. He got this from watching his older brother and I. This is great but does have a side-effect. He and I were riding down a hill the other day when he stood and started cranking hard. I was on the brakes already but we were starting to speed up. This combined with the swaying back and forth from his cranking and I had to call a stop to "Turbo-Boost" mode.

The best is that he was totally excited to be able to make the bike go faster, he figured it out on his own by watching, and he is becoming a bigger help on hills. Bonus!

Now if I could just teach him how to find his chocolate foot (dominate food that you like to put in the front when both pedals are level) and start to use the level pedal stance when we come to bumps and turns. We have bounced his pedals off the ground, roots, rocks, etc on many occasions.  It will come with time though.

Another skill I have started them on is riding flat boards that are on the ground. I am prepping them for finding their line, controlling their tire, and learning to ride rails. This one will be very good for helping them to develop confidence when they get to the mountain bike park later this summer when I will let them start to ride the planks that are raised up 2-4 inches and are about the same width.

As well, on their own they decided to make some jumps with the boards. They are placing a junk of wood at one end to raise the board about 2 inches. Leave it to boys to find things to jump off of.

I am hoping by the summer I will have the youngest riding his own bike well enough to start biking at the mountain bike park nearby so I can start their training in earnest. Before he gets to move up to that level he must be able to control himself (steering, braking) and build up his leg muscles to climb some of the hills.

By the end of this summer I hope to have created two additional mountain bikers.

Post Race Followup

Ahh, post race day.

I forgot the familiar feelings:

• Aching
• Tired
• Grumpy
• Did I mention Tired?
• Kind of in a stupor

Thankfully, the day after was laid back and I got in a long nap.

For anyone that has not raced and pushed themselves or just gone out and run/rode/swam for multiple hours at an event.  Expect the couple days after a race to be slower (unless you are in uber shape).  Don't plan anything big and expect to need some down time.

Saturday I was on a high after 2.5 hours of pushing myself on the mountain bike.

Sunday I was bummed and wondering,  "What did I do yesterday?  It was fun I think?  But now I am kinda just stunned."

Nothing I have not experienced before after a big race day.  I wish I was in better shape for this one, but it was a good kick in the ass to get me back on track.

Now a couple days later and I am mostly recovered.

As bad as it can feel sometimes after a big effort like that, I like this motivational quote:

It is easier to wake up early and work out than it is to look in the mirror each day and not like what you see.

Doing a big event like this can really remind you that you are more than what you are today.  Each day you can go out there and be a little bit better.

You just gotta stop looking in the mirror and do it. 

Race Report: Stinky Spoke 2014

Heart Attack Hill at start of race.

Well, the Stinky Spoke has come and gone.  Thanks to my friend Dan for suggesting the event and allowing me to tag along for the ride.

The event was fun, not hardcore, and really just an excuse to go riding in January, up a wicked hill, and raise some funds for Little Bit.  Timing was not tracked and the event had an open start, that is you could start any time from 9-10am.


I saw the route and profile view before the event so I had an idea of the course in my mind.  That still did not prepare my out of shape legs for Heart Attack Hill and the remaining ups.  Here's my result on Endomondo.

Terrain profile and my speed, terrain in grey, speed in green,

I figured I would be doing awesome if I came in at 2 hours so the 2:30 time was not unexpected after the first hills.  I really wished I had been able to climb more of the hills but my legs were not up to the challenge today and I hike'a'biked many/most of the hills.

Here's the route (sorry, map is not clickable, need to use the Endomondo link to see that):

Route of the Stinky Spoke, 2014

On downhill I was a monster.  I would make sure to give room between myself and the next rider so I could bomb down the hill.  At times I thought, is this old bike going to hold up or explode after one more jump.  But as many times past, it brought me through in one piece.

The after party was great as well.  Massy Ferguson played at the after party which was at the Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, WA.  A heated tent, food, beer, and music after a long ride; it doesn't get much better than that for a day of mountain biking.

My Classic Riding Selfie, stopped this time, not rolling.

Will I do it again?  Most certainly and after seeing the swag that people got for fundraising, next year I will work at fundraising so I can snag a sweet long sleeve riding jersey.  Those were very sweet.

Mountain Bike Race: Stinky Spoke

Today I got invited to the Stinky Spoke Mountain Bike Race.

Ok, let's do an inventory.

• Out of shape: Check
• 1 Mountain Bike Ride in past 6 months: Check
• More than one Mountain Bike Ride in past 6 months: Nope
• Race includes a large vertical gain: Check
• Past years have seen snow (I know, like really, snow in Seattle, who'd have thunk it), sleet, rain: Check

Ok, let's do it.

Now, how to maximize my training for a race in, did I forget to mention, 14 days!  Yes, January 18, 2014.

Well, tonight I am doing squats and kettle bell to put my legs in pain.  Then tomorrow running.

Then I will figure out the rest the next two weeks as I attempt to not finish in last place :-)

Let's rough this plan out:

1. Sat: Strength Training (Kettle Bell, Squats, Lunges)
2. Sun: Run
3. Mon: Ride
4. Tue: Swim
5. Wed: Ride
6. Thur: Run
7. Fri: Ride
8. Sat: Run
9. Sun: Strength Training (Kettle Bell, Squats, Lunges)
10. Mon: Ride
11. Tue: Swim
12. Wed: Run
13. Thur: Ride
14. Fri: Easy Run
15. Sat: RACE!!

That's looks crazy compared to my last 6 months of "training."

How far?  How long?  Heck if I know, let's wing it with 40 mins for runs, 45 mins for swims, 1 hour for rides, and 20 mins of strength training.

I will report back here with progress.