Splendid!

Yesterday was one of those absolutely splendid days to live in Asheville. Erinna and I got out on a hike with Zoe in the afternoon and even though our original hike plan was thwarted by the parkway being closed we ended up discovering a route that I'm sure we will do again and again in the future.

  As we were getting off the exit for home I noticed the time and that if I turned-and-burned I could make it to Kitsuma for a ride with Mike B. and Kassi D. that I had been invited on earlier in the day. Sweet!
Mike, Kassi, and I started at the gate on Old 70 at about 6:15pm and the pace was set pretty high right away.

 Just before we attacked the switchbacks Kassi mentioned that Mike had not been on the trail since the machine work last year, much less the rework that Shrimper did just a couple of months ago.

 The trail is in fabulous shape right now and Mike and I cleaned everything all the way to the top (except for stopping at the overlook we didn't dab once).

 I was on the 1x6 so that was proving to be especially tough for me but I made it.

 I took the lead for the descent since I had the most powerful lights and we were FLYING down that trail. Kitsuma is a lot like a downhill pumptrack now. We all cleared the second hill with the switchbacks and I had gained 10 seconds or so on Mike by the time we were at the Old Fort campground.

We all turned our lights off for the return trip to the vehicles and it was a beautiful night to do so. Stars by the billions, wispy clouds, and city lights made for a brilliant light show. Temps were in the 50*'s, too. A great night to be in the woods with friends. Thanks for getting out guys! Next time I'll remember to bring my nice camera.

Which is better? 45 minutes of dancing with my 2 year old girl

or 45 minutes of riding in Pisgah?
Sorry bike people. Dancing with my 2 year old wins.
I did get our for a quick ride today after doing business with the U.S. Forest Service. A little Thift Cove, some Grassy Road, and the best Sycamore has to offer. I had a belly full of cafeteria lunch, the parking lot was filled with beautiful people, the climb was a great warm up, I passed 3 groups of hikers on Sycamore, I was back at the highway quicker than I had anticipated, and I met a few 111K racers (I probably have met them before) at the end.
Short. Sweet.
Oh, and Zoe and I have been dancing and playing since I picked her up from childcare. Awesome. I'm on cloud nine.

For those wondering about the newest Pisgah Productions event: Details will emerge very soon.

B A N G ! ! ! ! and then... I was in the air.

What is it about me and February yard sails? Last night I got out for the Tuesday Night Dinner Club for the Big M. Starting at PMBAR start/finish->276->477->Clawhammer->Maxwell->Black->Thrift->Grassy Road->Sycamore->276->Thrift->Sycamore Connector->Sycamore->276. The crew started as 12(?) and whittled down to 3 by the last little loop. The roster: The other Eric W., Jeremy H., Ian B., Dave W., Trent B., (I didn't catch the girl's name), Zach B., Jody F., Eric C., Mike R., Than W., and myself.
For now, a quick description of the crash: After leading out through the tech section of the Black Mountain descent I let Jody, Dave, and Mike go ahead. I was on Mike's wheel and we were flying down the relatively buff lower section and railing through the berms. I was thinking all sorts of positive thoughts: There is no one I trust more to follow down the hill than the person I was following (Mike R.),  Kenda Nevegal tires are perfect for the terrain,  The trail is in perfect condition for traction, etc. Then... BANG!!! as I pushed into a corner my front tire blew off the rim. Mike and I must have been going about 25mph and suddenly I was in the air without my bike. Unlike last February when I flew over the bars and immediately said to myself 'Oh Shit!' last night as I flew I was overwhelmed by calm. Kinda like 'Well, this is fascinating. I just heard a shotgun and now I'm in the air. Hmmm... Interesting.' and I hit and somersaulted down the trail. When I came to a stop there was a bunch of commotion around me and my back felt a little tweaked.  I got up and felt OK though and after Than had finished changing my tube I had waffled back and forth but decided to continue on. For the record, this morning I feel fine. A few new scrapes but that's it. Well, I've got to get the little one ready for daycare and myself ready for work so I'll try to continue later. There is more to the story of the night that includes racing Eric C (he didn't know it), Eric C also making the best navigational choices, and everyone huddled around a grill at 11PM eating roasted pizza at the end. Great ride everyone!

Trace Ridge with The Pony

It's always a treat riding with Ian. Today we knocked out the classic Trace Ridge loop. From the first gate->5000->Spencer->Trace Ridge->Res Rd->5000 back to the Jeep. Ian had a hard warm-up but about half way up Spencer he found his mojo and we were flying. We both almost cleaned from Spencer to the top, we both dismounted for the super slickery washout-gully at the top of the descent, and both topped out at about 25mph on the fast parts near the bottom. There was no opportunity for photos during a downhill like that so, for your viewing pleasure, photos of Ian climbing:

Asheville Allroad with Mike B.

From Westville->Riverside->WTWeaver->Kimberly neighborhood->Macon->Old Toll->Sunset->(gravel) Patton Mountain->Town Mountain->(gravel) Webb Cove->Beaverdam->Lakeside->through Woodfin->Riverside->back to Westville.

The temperature was hovering all day at an unseasonably warm 60* but with a threat of rain at any time. Mike and I got out during the perfect window between rain showers.

Mike had said that he wanted to take it easy but he was not telling the truth. As soon as we hit Town Mountain he was standing and hammering. We HAD been chilling up to that point so his burst was a surprise. His bike limited his descending though and I caught him again before the gravel descent.

I took the lead for the gravel and the bigger wheels/gears got me to the bottom about 15 seconds ahead of Mike. Rather than heading straight back to town at the bottom of Beaverdam we took the road though Woodfin and down by the river. Mike broke off at Richmond Hill and I stopped at microlocal park near my house for a photo or two before coasting back home.  Thanks for getting out Mike B.!

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Short and Sweet.

This afternoon I got out for a little over an hour on the allroad bike for an allroad ride. From West Asheville->Clingman->downtown->College->Town Mtn->???->Baird->Sunset->Patton Mountain->Town Mountain->downtown->Clingman->back to West Asheville.
I'm still reeling from the after-effects of Icycle weekend, especially from the crash on the downhill practice run. My hip is pretty jacked. Add to that a bit of lingering dehydration and you get a slow and lazy Eric. It took forever to get out the door then I moseyed downtown and didn't start to feel warmed up until Sunset. The gravel road (Patton Mountain) got me excited though and I pushed pretty hard to the top. It's a beautiful day today in West Asheville with bright sunny skies and temps around 60 but at the top it felt more like 45 and I didn't have an extra layer.  I took the easy way out and dropped back into town rather than continuing up and over to Webb which was my original plan. I hit 43 mph on the way back down so, you know, it turned into a quality ride after all. A bit short but still not bad for a Tuesday. 

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Who ARE we right now?

 photo credit: Brado 

Icycle 2012. What can I say? The Icycle is officially the one event that I've been to more than any other (strictly as a participant). I think my first time up there was in '98 or '99 back when Claude and Jason ran things. The Icycle is best described as a midwinter party where a race breaks out every now and again. Cross Country during the day and downhill race at night. I arrived at Fontana at 9:30AM and settled into my room then rode over to the rec center and for some reason or another signed up for both the cross country and downhill races. My first cross country race in 10 years started at 11AM and it took just over 90 minutes for me to complete the three laps. I don't know how I did but I felt great so that's all that really matters. Well, I only lost one place during the first lap and two during the third and I made hairball passes on the downhill every time.
The 'special test' at Icycle is then to not start partying too hard before the downhill race starts at dark:30. Hanging with Shrimper and his bugle at the bottom of the downhill during the expert/SS race made that test especially hard, too. I tore myself away from the constant laughs and Mike R., Jody F., Tomato, and I were on the shuttle truck by 2PM to start our practice runs. The first few times chasing Mike down the hill were maybe the fastest I've ever dropped the Turkey Chute. We were on fire. My first run in the lead was punctuated by a spectacular high speed crash by yours truly. Mike was obviously very surprised and relieved that I wasn't injured. I figure I got in a total of 15 or so runs down the .5 mile 500' drop course before my 'light test' run and my one timed run. By the time my start came around it was cold as hell and I was a bit fatigued by the day's events so I didn't try to be a hero, I just rode the course one more time. I don't know my place but if I recall correctly my timed run came in at 1:48.
Then, everything became a bit blurry. Icycle. Too many funny moments to try to recall. Too many good friends to try to list. Oh, and bike racing. You should be there next year.

View 2012-01-28 10:59 in a larger map