1st person video from Vegas

Mark shot some nice video at Las Vegas. Check it out.

1) Bootleg canyon:

Bootleg Canyon - Boulder City, NV from Mark W on Vimeo.

2) Cowboy trails:

Cowboy Trails - Las Vegas, NV from Mark W on Vimeo.

Rocks are punier at 9/10ths scale

In physics we have the idea of scale invariance. Here's how it applies to mountain bikes: You can think of 29" wheels as 10/9ths the diameter of 26" wheels, but you can just as well think of the wheels as the same size but the 29er sees all the rocks at 9/10ths scale. So that means the terrain is about 10% smoother on 29" wheels. Of course, on the trail, additional factors affect ride quality (wheel flex, geometry, suspension, etc.), but wheel size matters.

The 29er wheel is larger than the 26, but the step is the same size:

Equivalently, the wheels are the same size and the 29er rides over a world that's 9/10ths as big:

photos from JDM

Matt Kellerman has a great write up of the Julian Death March with lots of amazing photos. If your thinking of doing the ride next year, this will give you an idea of what the course is like.

Archipelago Ride - ride report

In keeping with the "string of islands" idea, this ride report will be a string of impressions.

Archipelago Ride - pics and impressions

The Polynesians navigated from island to island in the Pacific. On the Archipelago Ride, you ride from open space park to open space park, tracing out some 40-50 miles through San Diego - from La Costa to Penasquitos. It's an amazing and thought-provoking idea. Amazing that we rode through and between La Costa, Elfin, Hodges, San Dieguito River Park, Black Mountain, and LPQ - almost entirely on dirt. Thought-provoking to imagine all the in-between spaces that could become an awesome trail network if they just had a little more singletrack and less fireroad, a little more advocacy, a little more access. Richard Julien is the man behind the Archipelago Ride. He's a tireless advocate for SD mountain biking, working to connect the archipelagos, build trails, and expand access. Many thanks for his efforts. Also, big thanks to North of the Border Bikes for their support and for opening up the shop for the after party.

Pics after the jump, ride report to follow.

JDM pics and writeup

Nice write up on the Julian Death March, with pics. Thanks again to organizers and volunteers.

Redefining epic

My idea of an epic ride is an all-day outing in the backcountry, something like Tour De Noble [description gps]. Check out bikepacking: multiday, 300+ rides. No support. The ante is upped.

Pulling ahead on downhills: pedal before resting

A downhill after a climb is a great place to recover. But if you're racing to the bottom, it's better to pedal past the top before easing up. The video after the jump demonstrates this in a very controlled setting, with two carts rolling down a pair of smooth ramps - analogous to cyclists coasting down a smooth hill.

Julian Death March results...

are here (preliminary). A little hard to interpret since there were several distance options, but...

There were 78 finishers total. 28 did the full 86 mile course, with Brent Prenzlow winning in 6:25:02. Another 30 or so riders did the 64 mile option, led by Clifford Clermont in 5:09:27.

I did the 64 mile option in 6:12:24, or 6th among those who only did 64 miles. But 11 more riders finished 64 miles before me and went on to ride loop 2. Nice work guys.

First in the women's division was a tie between Heather Ranoa (whose husband Jason runs the SoCal Endurance races at Vail Lake) and Shalyn Gates in 9:36:05.

Julian Death March ride report

"You probably shouldn't ride for the next several days." This was my doctor's advice on Friday, the day before the Julian Death March. Almost two weeks ago, I crashed at Bootleg Canyon, landing with a football-sized rock under my lower back. The soreness hadn't improved since, but riding hadn't made it worse, either. But during the last few days, I'd experienced some mild tingling and weakness in my legs and feet. Diagnosis: soft tissue bruising and swelling. Prescription: rest and steroidal anti-inflammitories (could I get some EPO w/ that?). Does that mean six hours in the saddle is a bad idea?