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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Granite Lake to Hilltop loop

Here's a quick recap that I forgot to post from Saturday Jan 16th...

I was dog/house sitting for the week...so the ride started from my sister's place on Granite Lake. In the morning before Brent showed up, I took the dog out for a little cruise up the road. I figured that she would be cooped up all day while we were riding so I gave her a good run while I could. It was also a nice 30 minute warm up for me.

Great Picture Courtesy Of BKM

We wanted to make the best of all daylight hours...so the first rule was "no sweat to Barronett". We took the first hour or so to just loosen up and feel out the day's conditions, snap some pics etc. before doing any tough work.

Hats Off!

Gorgeous day! --for January-- 35 degrees and sunny. It was strange to actually feel some warmth on your body when standing in the sun. This doesn't happen much in January.

Wisconsin Steel

We planned for a pit stop out at Hilltop restaurant. So, from Barronett- 29th Ave to H, to Lake 32 road - we then jumped on a section of the snowmobile trail that took us right to Hilltop. Wings and Beer!

Creek Crossing

From there we loosened up for a few miles on the road again before jumping on the lakes...our route back to town!

"Ice Road Biker"

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Bucks Lake, Fire Lane, Wagner Road (trail), Perch Lake Loop

I loosened up for about 45 minutes on the trainer Sunday...it was a nice and easy recovery spin session after the previous day's 5 hour Blue Hills Inn loop. After finding out Monday morning that Brent's car wouldn't start, which turned in to a day off from work...I also had the day off and we figured we better hit the roads/trails. We threw the bikes on the rack and shot out of town for a nice Blue Hills loop starting from Bucks Lake road.

From Blue Hills Biker


There were some really neat photo opportunities at this creek...and there happened to be a parking space (actually a campsite - note to self) there as well. We planned to be riding on hard-packed snow (dirt roads) all day so we pumped the tires up to about 40psi. We both assumed this would be a nice and easy loop - not too grueling as we were still sore from Saturday's ride.

From Blue Hills Biker


We were cruising along making good time on the roads while snapping some pics. We get to Wagner road and conditions start to change. It started as a hard-packed road, but little by little we notice more and more snowmobile tracks and less and less hard-packed snow. Eventually it's not plowed, it's only a groomed trail...and not nearly as hard-packed as we would like. Soon enough we're spinning on what are nearly mashed potato-like conditions...but, at this point we're over halfway through our loop, so there's no turning back!

From Blue Hills Biker


We drop the psi down to about 20 just to stay afloat. The sun begins to go down...pretty quickly...and we are still nowhere! With the awesome scenery around us we didn't mind so much.

From Blue Hills Biker


What an awesome sunset!

From Blue Hills Biker


However, the real problem is...it's getting dark...and really cold, really fast. My toes are starting to feel like ice cubes. We continue to spin, spin, and keep spinning the granny gears on the trail with our big fat low pressure tires back to the road. I cruise with Brent for a little while, but eventually choose to hammer back to the car as quickly as possible.

From Blue Hills Biker


It's now pitch black outside except for the slightest starlight reflection on the snow...and the batteries are frozen on my headlight. So, I follow the blurry white tunnel in the dark, pushing the heart rate up to over 200 bpm for about the last 40 minutes. I begin panting, grunting, then yelling and screaming at every hill not knowing when I'll be to the top of any given one, likely scaring away any wildlife within a 5 mile radius. All I really had on my mind was getting to my sister's ASAP for some burgers and a Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA! I finally round out the loop and make it back to the car in just over 4 hours. Yo BKM...next time we leave earlier mother lover!

I'll leave you with the last picture taken for the day. Brent's camera fails after this...its batteries have also frozen...

From Blue Hills Biker

Blue Hills Inn Winter Loop

I have a few rides over the past week that I need to recap...I'm already getting behind...and I just started this thing! This post is a recap of my Saturday Jan 9th, 2010 ride. This was a tough one. Before the 9th I was just doing some light jogs, and maybe a few short rides while recovering from the Holiday feasting and boozing. Although I hadn't yet been on any challenging rides in 2010, it will certainly be tough to maintain this level of intensity...
On that Saturday, feeling pretty sluggish after the Holidays I decided it was time for a good ol' 4-5 hours of outdoor suffering...I needed to punish myself for slacking during the Holidays. On Friday I went for about a 6 mile run around town, and I'll admit that I was feeling a little stiff the following day. I hadn't been running much at all for several months, as most of my preparation for the Tuscobia Ultra involved regular cycling....little did I know...hehe, running was what I should have been doing!
Brent and I decided to jump on the bikes at about 1:30PM, and our goal was basically to "head east, maybe we'll end up at the Blue Hills Inn". We left from my apartment and crossed the lake. When we left it was about 6 Fahrenheit - we were expecting a high of 12, but it was already after noon and I don't think the temp got much higher than that the entire ride.
We head east with the intention of jumping on the snowmobile trail at some point, so we zig zag northeast until we hit one, then follow that trail straight east out to the blue hills. It's beautiful heading out there...flats, flats, flats...hills approaching until you're immersed in more rolling Wisconsin hills than you know what to do with. The occasional run down houses and shacks also confirm your location....nowhere!
With no map on us...we decide that 22nd ave is the road to follow. I remember from summer rides and glancing at the map a few days before there being a dead end which turns in to snowmobile trail. That trail should take us directly through county forest to our destination....our mid-way warm up point and food stop...we just didn't know how far that was.
My guess was no more than 8-10 miles of snowmobile trail, so at the pace we were making on the semi-packed trail conditions (at least they were ridable), which the hills only make worse, we're looking at hitting the food stop within 2 hours. We're spinning along in the snow, committed to the entire route at this point...but after roughly an hour...I'm starting to wonder where the heck the next road is. At the point when I'm thinking Brent is about to call it quits (not that quitting is even an option...), we see the best sign all day - "STOP AHEAD". Ahhh...food, a few beers and warmth.
We pop in to the Blue Hills Inn for a few Leinenkugel's and some BBQ pork sandwiches and fries. There were some very nice people out for a Saturday snowmobile ride chatting away, completely perplexed why the hell we were out there on bicycles...and riding on the snowmobile trails nonetheless. "Why don't these guys just get something with a motor?"
With a full stomach and slight buzz...we hammer the roads back to town. Clearly, we're not making it back by dark.
We stopped at the Village Dell to pick up a 12er....but I couldn't resist also snagging a 22oz of Central Waters Hop Harvest - 100% Wisconsin grown barley and hops....tasty beverage after a great ride!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Tuscobia Ultra Report


All right - I figured that I better include my FIRST race report ever on my first blog! Although I'll have the eternal doom of receiving a DNF on my first bike race...I was certainly physically and mentally prepared for this race, and have no regrets on the outcome. In retrospect, it was an awesome time, and an awesome learning experience!!!....

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www.tuscobiaultra.com - Saturday December 19th, 2009 - DNF - Summary: Pushing your bike and 25lbs of gear 16 miles through the snow!

With a forecast of "Wintry Mix"...freezing rain and sleet the evening before...we were all pretty optimistic about the trail conditions. What many of us thought would be a 8-10 hour day of hammering to Park Falls on nice hard packed snow quickly became a hike....not a bike race. This was a day for Pugsleys only.

The story starts with one minor issue the evening before. When completing my final gear check and filling up my camelback bladder I noticed a small hole on the top. I figured this was an easy fix with some super glue...so I sealed up the leak and filled the bladder with Haterade. I tipped it upside-down and it didn't seem to be leaking anymore...problem solved. In the morning I loaded up the rest of my gear and was at the trailhead by 6:30. While waiting for the shuttle from Park Falls to deliver the rest of the racers I had some time to check out the other rigs. Most everyone was riding Surley Pugsleys - fat snow bikes with oversized chain stays and forks to accommodate 4 in wide rims and tires. I had my standard summer MTB - a Paramount rigid steel 26er set up with some studded tires...which over the past few weeks had treated me quite well on the trails even with snowy conditions. Once the other racers arrived I had some comfort in knowing I wasn't the only dude with skinny tires.

The race begins...and it only took about 100 yards of attempted riding to realize this was going to be a day from frozen hell. Looking around I noticed that everyone was having a difficult time getting moving on their bikes. My psi definitely must be too high...so I drop a little air out and once again jump on to hammer away. I quickly realize that's not working either. Aside from a few guys up front, everyone (including many Puglsey riders) seemed to be hiking/pushing their bikes...we’re moving so slow that the bikers are getting passed by the hikers and skiers pulling gear toboggans. I would come to a section where the ground/snow seemed harder, so I'd jump on the bike and pedal 30-40 yards...only to hit another soft section and nearly lose control, once again ejecting me off the bike in to the trees. Argh....so I continue to push/fast hike/run with my bike and 25lbs of gear...hoping that trail conditions will eventually improve. Looking down I notice the bootie cover on my right shoe has torn, the bootie is slipping off and snow is getting jammed in to my shoes…it was only a matter of minutes before my feet begin to get cold and wet. In an attempt to reach down and slip the bootie back on and remove the snow, a stream of liquid pours over my right shoulder… it’s my Haterade….and at this point it has leaked all over my back and leg. I was now soaked head to toe in 20 degree weather! With no sag wagon available, my only option was to push another 12 miles or so to Birchwood (at this point I had traveled 3 miles tops). As I continue to push along I catch word from 2 other riders who had already bailed (on Pugsley's) that trail conditions improve north of Birchwood – “You can jump on there and fly!”….fat chance! I continue to push along while chatting with another skinny tire guy...and conditions only get worse. On this section we now have the pleasure of inhaling hazy blue snowmobile exhaust while we’re soaking wet and suffering. After pushing a few more miles, reason finally came over us. We bailed out at the next rode…this just wasn’t our day.

I’ll be interested to see how many bikers actually finished. I think the count was less than half when I called it quits. It was a 24 hour race for the skiers and runners...I’m still waiting for the results. After all that glorious suffering, I felt a little relieved when I found out that the gentlemen who bailed with me is one of the best mountain bikers in the Midwest. At least there's some consolation knowing that I cracked with best of ‘em. Oh well…there’s always next year! Time to build up a Pugsley!

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Welcome to the Blue Hills Biker Blog!

Greetings! My first blog post!

With my newfound interest in the sport of cycling, a growing interest in photography, and the desire to share with you some of the awesome things associated with cycling in northern Wisconsin, I am bringing you the Blue Hills Biker blog. In this blog you'll hear miscellaneous banter about rides and routes taken, equipment and gear used, or really anything that I choose to babble about, take pictures of, or laugh at. You might see some random Youtube videos that I find entertaining, but hopefully they're relevant to the sport of cycling or fitness in some way or another. You might see some pictures of the bikes I ride and on what terrain I ride them. You might see gear used in the conditions that they are meant to be used. My main goal however is to log my rides, hikes and runs, take pictures and tell stories that I might enjoy years down the line. If you enjoy reading them and following them too...good for you! I will appreciate your feedback and comments. In the mean time however...I will quit babbling and go ride my bike!