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Mountain Biking Videos

Over the past few years we have collected a bit of video from rides at Ringwood, Allaire, Hartshorne, and Diablo
Here are some video links:
Ringwood State Park
Getting Some Air at Allaire
Mountain Biking at Allaire 2009
NJMBC at Allaire (Webcam Video from Jake)
Diablo Freeride Park
Mountain Biker doing a 5 foot drop

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A Blast from the past (Before me)
Moab-95-Part I
Moab-95 Part II

A Snowy Mountain Bike Ride at Allaire State Park

I awoke Sunday morning to the alarm buzzing at 6:00. I put the Alarm out of reach so that I have to get out of bed to shut it off. As I got out of bed to shut off the alarm I looked outside to see snow coming down. I did not get out to ride last weekend so I was not going to let a little snow stop me, besides I had already loaded my bike inside the car the night before. I got ready dressing extra warm then had breakfast and left to go pick up Katie who would share the car ride down.


The drive to Allaire was a little over an hour and when we arrived the snowfall had been reduced to flurries. But about a inch of snow had already fallen on the trail. We greeted the other riders, then checked our tire and shock pressure, added some lube to our chains and cables then set off. The trail was frozen hard and the riding fast. As the day progressed it warmed up into the 30's and we were pretty comfortable. We started out riding our usual route. After completing the toboggan run (a twisty bermed section that we generally go through at fast speeds trying not to brake and lose momentum) we tried a newer section of trail that we learned a couple of weeks back from the guys at Brielle Cyclery.

After that we rode the lower section of Allaire which can be muddy or flooded when it is warmer. We were rewarded for taking this route. The ground was frozen and the trail elves have hard at work building a series of bridges along the trail including a curved and rainbow bridge. after the lower section we rode "Tiger Woods" backwards then made our way to the other side of Allaire where we headed to the pit. The pit has some drops and jumps. We played around there for a while shooting some video then headed back to the lot. A few of the riders left to get some food and some of us went back for a short loop with a stop off at another Jump pit for some more video and pics.

After that we met the other riders at the Allenwood General Store which is less than a mile from Allaire and has a pretty good grill where you can get breakfast or lunch.

Video from the Days Ride




Ride GPS Link

Lance Down Under and on Versus

The Tour Down Under
For the first time ever, VERSUS will brings viewers coverage of the Tour Down Under to commemorate Lance Armstrong's return to professional racing.
Watch Lance’s comeback from the beginning as he starts his road to the Tour de France on the beautiful streets of Adelaide, Australia.
Coverage Begins Sunday January 18th for Full Schedule goto the Versus website
Watch the last stage on Versus.com! Saturday, January 24th @ 10PM

How to find the Divine Line.

I completed my first mountain bike race in about an hour and twenty minutes
Seven years later I was able to complete the same course in about 30 minutes.
I attribute part of this to my fitness level, but a big portion of the time difference was due to picking better lines. During that first race I had two crashes and had to walk a few sections. One was a large rock garden and the other a technical uphill switchback. At the time I thought no one could ride through the rock garden section. Baby-heads and tombstones littered the area for as far as you could see. The line that I was able to see at that time was all the stuff that I wanted to avoid. I focused on that and stalled my front wheel on the first available large rock. This had me walking the rest of the section. With experience, practice, and riding with people who picked better lines I was able to clear the rock garden by the following season. It is easier because the line I am choosing is the path of least resistance. What follows are some tips to help you pick better lines, clear difficult sections, and keep on rolling (rubber side down).

1) Look where you want to go – I can’t overstate the importance of this one enough. Your bike will go where you look. The tendency is to stare at what you do not want to hit. The result is that you ride right into an object or loose your line. Instead continually scan ahead and pick where you want to go. Make a mental note of obstacles and then focus back on your line. Shift you line of sight from out about 20-30 feet depending on your speed and then back to 5-10. Do not stare down at the ground five feet in front of you this will result in you not having enough time to prepare and react to the trail.

2) Pick the right gear – This one can be tricky. Go into a section in too hard a gear and you will stall. Go in with too easy a gear and you are less stable, bounce around a bit on your seat, and have a better chance of catching a pedal since your cadence is higher in order to generate the same power you would in a higher gear. You want to create a stable platform where you can float above the seat but don’t need to mash down to turn the cranks. You can shift gears in the rear without much difficulty, but make sure that your front derailleur is in the correct gear otherwise if you need to downshift you make get chain-suck.

3) Enter with the correct speed – Speed and momentum can be your friend helping you to clear ruff stuff. The idea here is similar to a speed boat skimming across choppy water.
Of course if you enter a section too fast with no real plan you will more than likely end up over the bars (ouch). Suspension can definitely help here but your technique should be able to get you through most sections. Use suspension as an aid not a crutch.

4) Learn how to weight and un-weight your wheels - When going through a rock garden, over a log, or clearing other rough terrain un-weight the front wheel then the rear. This is a common weight shift that will get you over most obstacles. This weight shift can be practiced right outside your house using any street curb (always practice slow and easy. gradually increase speed and difficulty) Roll up to the curb before your wheel comes in contact lean back and pull back on the bars while performing a downward pedal stroke.

If you are not comfortable with this try performing it on flat ground over a line drawn on the ground once you get the timing down move onto a low curb. Once you are able to clear the front wheel the next step is to un-weight the rear wheel you do this by rolling the bars and shifting your weight forward. If you are clipped in this is easier but you should be able to perform the rear wheel un-weight unclipped as well (when you can do this with flat pedals you have this technique down) If you have ever seen trials ride Jeff Lenosky he does it all unclipped.

Hopefully the above tips will provide you with some food for thought and help you to enjoy the trail more
Good luck and remember to practice progressively and enjoy the process of learning a new skill.

See you on the trails

Mike

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2008 The Year in Pictures

In looking back at 2008 I have done considerably less riding than previous years but at the same time have gained a better appreciation for the rides that I am able to get in. In the past I would do many rides out of habit or necessity. For example pre-riding for a race or a weekly group rides. My riding this year has been more diverse as well completing a century on the road one week, a cross country ride the following, and then some downhill at Diablo. I really enjoy being on the bike I feel it is the best way to enjoy Nature or go sightseeing in a city. You can get around to more places than if you were on foot and are still part of your surroundings unlike if you were in a car or other enclosed transportation.

Here are some Photos and links from rides that have taken place in 2008

January Allaire State Park - Great for winter riding sandy soil -Tiger woods is great.

March - Cunningham Park in Queens NY

Lots of twisty singletrack and jumps but a short loop - Very Fun

April - Papal Pedal: The Pope was in NYC so we took a road ride over the GW then Downtown and over the Brooklyn Bridge

May - Diablo Freeride park (US Open)

Memorial Day weekend my first time to Diablo.

July - Century Ride A story about an "epic" century

August - A great month for some firsts.
Katie Lamden completed her first Darkhorse 40 and wrote a guest post

Doug completed his first road century at the Ramapo Rally it wa my 1st time doing the rally the following weekend I did my second Livestrong-100

(Not Doug)

September - Jorba Mountain Bike Festival A day of Rides, Contests, and Jeff Lenowski. Lots of Manufactures on site such as Specialized and Giant were there with Demo bikes.

October - Return to Diablo: After a summer of riding It was back to Diablo the riding was great. If you have not been to Diablo you should try it.

November - A month with my annual Birthday ride at Mahlon Dickerson and The Thanksgiving Day Ride at Waywayanda

December - We pretty much rode at Skyline and Ringwood