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CCC Mtn ride is canceled

Tonights mountain bike ride has been canceled. Looks like a lot of rain is headed our way right around go time.

Eventually, we will get one of these rides to go off as planned...

Brandywine Ride is leaderless for a few weeks

Weeknight rides

For the week of Monday,September 26th, our evening rides will start at 5:45p. The loops will be shortened to accommodate for the fleeting daylight. Please be sure to have a rear blinkie light on your bike for all the remaining evening rides. Safety first!

The Ride to Vegas: Final Thoughts

To get this right, I need to start at the beginning: I had two weeks notice for this ride from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. I always want to do these epic adventures, but two weeks? My family knows I thrive on this stuff, so they always support me no matter how unreasonable my request. Thank you so much Rich, Jim, Sophia, Henry, Susan, Mom, and Dad for encouraging my whims and taking care of business and family whilst I participate in these ventures. I always ask too much but you indulge my need for growth and adventure.

Thank you:
Nancy LaRocque, for organizing, inviting me and cat herding all week! You did an amazing job.
Nic Sims, for telling Nancy I'm good for a laugh, for pulling me untold amounts of miles and for always providing a silly face, story or gesture. Entertainment plus.
Glen Adams, for being my Voice of Reason when I thought the altitude would put me "in the van", for speaking so calmly while I panicked, for pushing my sorry self up a big climb at the expense of your much needed energy, and for acting like none of it required a thank you.
Simon Dunne, for constant encouragement and a wheel to draft that left me in a vacuum. You smiled all the way from SLC to LV. It didn't go unnoticed.
Kim Hughes, for entertaining me from the airport pick-up to the bar in Vegas. You added that much needed female touch to a mostly male endeavor.
Chris D'Alusio, for your constant kindness and understanding, and your amazing company up a 30
mile climb. I really enjoyed the opportunity to hang out and chat. I'd say I want to be you when I grow up, but we both know I'll never grow up.
Anthony Sinyard, for dragging me around, coming back to ride and chat with me when I was riding by myself, humoring me, and letting me share the margaritas!
Rebecca Rusch, for encouraging me to push harder and not just give in. For making me laugh everytime you call me PattyCakes and for all the fun side conversations post-ride. There are some things neither of us will ever understand!
Greg Martin, for similar encouragement, tolerating my incessant dinner chatter and for keeping me in the pace line.
John and Johnny from High Desert, for keeping me in stitches with your two-man stand-up act and friendly encouragement every step of the way.
Dan from Victory Velo and Shane of NorCal for looking around to make sure I was still in it and providing much needed friendly faces and kind comments when I was struggling the most. Knowing how strong you are, yet how compassionate you could be was a huge deal to me.
Doug Emerson from UBikes, it was like having an old friend to hang out with every day. We could compare how we were feeling and make a team decision on how to proceed. I can't imagine having done it without you.
Glenn Fant of NorCal, you speak with your legs. Your talent amazes and inspires me but the best part was watching you talk about your son. Your passion for cycling is secondary to your passion for family and that speaks volumes.
Ben Capron, you are always light hearted, smiling and fun to be around. Just being near you makes things better. Can't wait to get going on NICA with you. It's going to be awesome!
RaeLynn, my roommate, you are inspiring. It's amazing what you can do given what you've been through. Keep up the good work, sister!
Michael Robertson, photographer extraordinaire, your work is beyond compare. Sorry for the deer in the headlights! I enjoyed getting to know you better. Now, get to a doc who can help you and get back on your bike.
Mark, Mark, Simon, Tim and Noah of Western Spirit, you took such good care of us and cooked us the most delicious meals! I can't wait to plan a sweet mtb trip with y'all. You rock!
Patrick, Daniel and Robert, it was great riding with you both. Keep up the great work.

These types of challenges teach you what you are made of and give you the opportunity to forge bonds of friendship that will last a very long time. I truly appreciate the opportunity I was given and I hope that I contributed something to each of your experiences, as well.

The Ride to Vegas: Day 6 the last ride

The day started early for the fast guys that were choosing to ride another 120 miles. They rolled at 6:45a. The rest of us ate breakfast and loaded bikes, gear and bodies into the vans to be shuttled out part way. They decided that my group would ride 50 today and the casual pace group would ride 30 or so.

At the drop off point, it was drizzling so we gathered the appropriate gear and got going. The terrain was rolling hills, challenging at times but offering recovery in between efforts. We had a great group. I was highly entertained by John and Johnny from High Desert Bicycles in NM. They are like watching a stand-up act that is always in progress. World Champion Rebecca Rusch and her boyfriend Greg chose to join our group this day, as well. They worked extra hard all week physically pushing one of our riders to keep her in her group. My friend, Doug, from UBikes Boulder was also a welcome addition as we were feeling pretty like-paced all week and he's a Moorestown native so that makes him a cool guy. Patrick from Red Kite Prayer, Robert from Right to Play, and Simon from Specialized rounded out our group.

We mostly tried to keep it together. J&J rode off for a bit by themselves, no doubt continuing their schtick. I was mentally feeling closed in by trying to maintain other rider's climbing paces, so I went ahead during a flat fix and pedaled some solo miles.

We got to the designated meeting point for the three groups and started to roll with the slower group, riding easily so the big boys would catch us. They had 14 flats en route so they were further back than expected. We mistakenly thought the bike path from here on would be about 10 miles before our arrival into Dirt Demo. Too many miles later, we were all hungry, tired and ready to be done when we finally saw Dirt Demo ahead of us.

We arrived to cheering and lots of cameras but were more interested in finding the food that awaited us. They popped open about 8 bottles of Champaigne and we celebrated the finish of a great 6 day effort. It's always bittersweet when these things end. Our bonds and our memories will last a long time, but it was good to know we wouldn't need to get back on our bikes again soon!

The Ride to Vegas: Day 5

It's all about the altitude. I'm a sea level flatlander, so Day 5 put many doubts into my already less-than-confident self. It was a 118 mile ride day with a serious climb not too far from the start. The group is strong and can climb at a pace I just can't sustain, and the altitude at the 5800' start was causing me to panic. My friend, Glen, was the voice of reason, once again, and settled me down. Reminding me of all the techniques to take in more oxygen, he really got me back to sanity. With a helpful hand on my back, he kept me moving until I was back with the big boys. My new friends, Dan and Shane, were very encouraging along the way and my buddy Doug from Boulder was more than willing to drop off the back of the group at around 50 miles so we could pedal at a sustainable pace. The scenery is more enjoyable when you can look up!

Nic Sims, from Specialized, dropped back to ride with us and we rolled right along- quickly ticking off the miles. Along the way, we picked up another rider, Patrick, who had been shuttled out to start a bit into the ride. In a few more miles, we latched onto Noah from Western Spirit- our guides for the week. This day we had a beautiful, long descent near the end. It was easy to get up to 45mph but I ran outta gears at that point.

There were quite a few challenging "bumps" (climbs) in the road over the 118 miles but we hung together really well and made the full 118. After such a rough start, it really turned into one of the better rides of the week. It was the perfect decision for Doug and I to drop off. I still felt like I could have done ten more if needed.

We ended up in Mesquite Nevada that night. It was the plushest resort/hotel this week. We had some time to get our massages and relax by the pool before dinner and we stayed up a while after talking about the day's events and realizing that our trip was almost over. It always seems like a long ride but it passes very quickly.

Day 6 will take us into Las Vegas. Actually, Boulder City where the Interbike Dirt Demo is being held. Sounds like we will shuttle out a ways then ride 40 miles. The Big Boys will ride the full 120.

Five days down, one to go.

The Vegas Ride: Day 4

Another chilly start today, but 53 is better than yesterday's 48! We rolled out of Panguitch at 9a under sunny skies but headed into questionable conditions. I had planned to do the 30+ mile climb by myself but Chris D'Alusio (Director of Advanced Research for Specialized Bicycles) had other ideas. He had done an extra 50 miles yesterday and was looking for a "recovery ride", so he joined me up the mountain. The grade was never more than 6%, so it was nice to have someone to chat with and ride alongside. The miles passed pretty quickly considering it was all uphill. I struggled with breathing at times as we started at 6636' and went up to 10,630'. Glen Adams from Specialized had schooled me earlier on how to get past the dizziness by breathing in deeply through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. That helped for the dizziness and stopped me from panicking, but didn't have any effect on how fast I could turn the pedals! I've learned through the years to ride within my limits so it just meant going a touch more slowly as I adapted to the altitude. Chris and I had a nice conversation and I found out that he spent some time, in his youth, living, racing and making pizza in Philadelphia!

The closer we got to the top, the colder it got. Temps got as low as 39 degrees. At this point it was intermittently hailing and raining, so we were equally cold and wet. We caught up to Doug Emerson of University Bicycles in Boulder CO, as he was having a mechanical issue. We continued on with Doug and the rain and hail was now really pelting down hard. Fog was rolling in so we were losing our visibility as well as our ability to be seen. This is a scenic route and a Sunday, so there was a moderate amount of traffic as well. The top starts to roll a bit, so the ups were matched with some downs and our speeds increased exponentially. It was at this point that I realized I needed to seek out a support van as my brakes were not adequate in the conditions and my fingers were frozen, despite having full-finger gloves on. I was wearing arm and knee warmers, jersey, vest, long sleeved jacket and rain cape, yet was still shivering beyond control.

I realized that it was bad when Chris said "I can't believe they left us up here". (By that he meant, I can't believe they left You up here, as he continued 17 more miles to the bottom after I climbed into the van.) They hadn't left us, they were just up around the corner and out of sight at that point. They had had other frozen riders to pick up and get to the hotel, so there were less support vans. Nancy, our trip planner and fearless van driver, followed Chris down the sketchy descent. We could see his arms shuddering from the cold and he did a controlled weave heading into every corner to scrub the speed that his brakes weren't able to lessen. I sat in the van, shivering, while watching his amazing control and technique on the descent. It was quite a relief once he had descended out of the fog and we could see the ground was dry.

Almost to the bottom, we could see touring riders, poorly dressed, headed up the mountain. I could feel the pain they were about to experience, but could do nothing about it. Back at the hotel, my room not quite ready, I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and hung out next to the heater while the gals made my bed and cleaned my bathroom. A nice hot shower and a Coke later, I am back to "normal" and ready to set my sights on tomorrow's 118 miler into Mesquite Nevada.

The Ride to Vegas: Day 3

Today's ride was from Richfield to Panguich Utah. Not a lot of elevation change today so the boys ramped the pace up quickly. There was an enticing, empty, bike path for miles before we had to hop out onto the road. The scenery was absolutely amazing and almost able to take my mind off the burning in my legs. Chris D (key to the design of the Venge!) and Ben Capron (of NICA High School mtn bike league) did a nice job of keeping me in the pace line after the group split and the pace went to 28. At the 55 mile mark, I couldn't stay in so I dropped off and settled into my own pace. It was nice to be able to look around more and enjoy, rather than having to focusing on not losing the wheel in front of me. I spent the next 24 miles cruising over beautiful roads, looking over my shoulder for the group I thought was right behind me, and hearing Phil and Paul in my head. "She's on the rivet, sadly, there's no way she'll hang on and not get caught by the chase group". Strangely, I made it back before being caught and still ended up finishing my 79 miles with an 19 average.

The gang then decided that we needed to get in the van and go see Bryce Canyon. So we took an incredible road trip that was beyond breathtaking. After dinner, we grabbed a bunch of bricks behind the motel and built a frame for a sweet bonfire. The police haven't shown yet but it's only a matter of time! Three days in with three more to go and I'm having an awesome time. Wish you were here...

The Ride to Vegas: Day 2

Knowing that I'm a "tweener" (I'm just hanging onto the fast group but too fast for the second), leaves me with a small measure of trepidation every morning before the ride. Will I be strong enough to hang onto the Big Dogs or will I have to do a big solo effort today? While the altitude (5200' at the start) isn't overwhelming, it still taxes my system more than my normal riding conditions. We started the day in Nephi UT and ended in Richfield, 74 miles later. It was a fairly flat day, only 1457' elevation gain, but that just meant we would ride at a much faster pace. I got in the mix so I wouldn't fall off the back when the dial got turned up. I vowed to Ride Smarter this go around and I held to my promise. I sat in the pace line, moving up to within two or three of the front, then dropped to the back and took cover. I wondered all day when the rope would snap and I would be riding on my own. As luck would have it, we were moving so fast that the 74 miles were done before I ran outta gas. The best part is we are staying at a Holiday Inn Express so I should be capable of pretty much anything tomorrow.

The Ride to Vegas 2012 Day One

Our first day on the road left Salt Lake City shortly after 8am this morning. We rode 80 rolling miles, then headed up Mt Nebo. It was a 113 mile ride with 7162' of climbing elevation and a max of 9400'. We rode the first 79 miles at an 18.8 average. I was shocked to not be gasping as I passed the 7000' and then 8000' signs on the side of the road. The climb was 20 miles! The sweeper van grabbed me at 97.08 miles after 6 hours 24 minutes on the bike. My legs both locked up as I got off the bike and I stood there propped up by my Amira for 5 full minutes (in excessive pain) before shuffling toward the van. The evening massage was excruciating but necessary, so I "manned up" and dealt with it. Now I'm hanging out in recovery tights, hydrating. I want to send major props out to my riding partners for all their support and for letting me hang off the back of the way too fast for me pace line. I love you all...

(I couldn't figure out how to post pics from my iPad but I'll do that when I get home)

Until tomorrow!
Patty

Good Morning Irene?

If it was a normal rain storm coming, we would take our chances and ride under grey skies. But because of the threats of high winds, etc., we will err on the side of caution and cancel today's ride. Monday's weather looks promising, we will see you then!

Brandywine ride is canceled

Out of respect for the trails, the Brandywine ride has been canceled for Sunday, August 21st. There has been too much rain and we don't want to leave the trails in rutted condition. Thanks for your understanding.

Too much rain

We got quite a bit of rain on Friday, so the Sunday morning mountain bike ride has been canceled. Sorry kids, but we are trying to obey the Rules of the Trail. The trails at Camden County College dry quickly if you are looking for an alternate ride location.

Thanks,
Patty

Tues Night D Ride...

...is cancelled due to weather. Seeya Saturday!

No ride today

The Brandywine ride has been canceled due to rain. We are choosing to be responsible as riding wet trails causes trail damage. See you next time!

April showers bring ride cancellations

The Saturday rides are canceled due to wet weather. See you Monday night!

Casual Tuesday

Threats of rain and very high winds have us pulling the plug on the D ride tonight. In the meantime, we have a D ride on Saturday at 8am!

Ride Time Change

The Saturday road ride moves to 8am this weekend. Sadly, this in NOT an April Fool's joke. All rides (D, C and B) go off at the same time.

D= 22 miles at 12-14 mph, C= 35 miles at 14-16 mph, B= 38 miles at 16-18 mph.

Most weeks, members of the B group opt to do extra miles, so come prepared for up to 50 if you'd like to join the overachievers and do some extra miles!!

Now, cross your fingers for better weather.

Patty

No woods, yes road

Barring precipitation or temps in the teens tomorrow, we are meeting at the bike shop at 9a for a 2.5 hour road ride. The Brandywine ride is canceled until April 24th. I will be road riding in Spain in early April and don't want to risk injury before the trip. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Patty

Sleep in this Saturday

Looks like the winds will be dangerous, so we are choosing to cancel the Saturday rides for safety reasons. Check this out, they're calling it a High Wind Event. Just when we thought it would be nice riding weather...

A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS THAT A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE.

Get your indoor chores done this weekend, as it will be great riding weather really soon.

Patty

We'll be riding soon

This yucky weather and these icy roads will soon be a distant memory. Todays rides have been canceled for safety. Put March 14th on your calendar. The weeknight rides start in 37 days!!

I know you know this, but...

The Saturday rides have been canceled. One day soon, there will be sunshine, warmth and streets filled with laughter, not snow... But for now, we ride inside.

Think spring,
Patty

Too cccccold

Sorry kids, the AW ride has been canceled due to extremely cold temperatures. We will try again next week...

Too icy

Once again, for the sake of safety, the Saturday morning ride is canceled. Cross your fingers for the weather to change and get rid of this snow and ice... Hope to see you soon!

Beginner mountain ride...canceled

The snow is falling and is supposed to continue, so we are canceling the 2p Beginner Mountain Bike Ride at Gloucester Twp Park.

Saturday ride is canceled

Old Man Winter just keeps coming to visit. There is light snow falling and the 'feels like' temp is going to be 23 at 9a so, therefore, I have no option but to cancel the road ride. The good news is that we are only just over 60 days away from the weeknight rides starting!

Rules of the Trail

The unseasonably warm weather has given us lots of melt-down, thereby making our beloved Brandywine trails too wet to ride Sunday. As much as we all want to ride, we need to abide by the rules of the trail and stay off them when they are in this condition. Camden County College might be in better shape as it dries much faster than other area trail systems. Or be completely sure and hit the road!

Happy New Year to you all and see you soon,
Patty