no-SNOW-vember

 Don't get us wrong - we hate that there's no snow yet as much as the rest of you skiers and snowshoers, but Wow! this weather could not be better for mountain biking. Last night's balmy temps, warm breeze, and clear skies made for perfect riding conditions. At least its not 30 degrees and raining! Oh...wait, that's the forecast for tomorrow, I think. Anyways, rock on no-SNOW-vember, the month after octSNOWber. (It's been a nutty year so far!)

Riding into the night.

As the air outside cools and we feel time grow tighter and the leaves change their amber colors we can feel our daylight get shorter.  This is some of the best time to ride here in our Green Mountain State.  As green turns to beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange, our green tunnel takes on a new and fantastic feel.  The trail even seems to change as the leaves fall; we feel them crackle beneath our tires as we carve turns.
    

This Wednesday night was no colorful exception as we rode some of our favorite trails in Waterbury: Perry Hill.    Every light in front or back of you flowing in and out of turns.  Old familiar trails turn new and exciting with the absence of natural light, with only our own artificial headlamps illuminating our way.  Night rides take on a much more personal camaraderie-like feel with friends navigating together through the dark. Night riding with a pack of ten is like no other. This might be why fall night riding is one of my favorites.  The group shares the experience of riding through the dark, staying together, calling out turns or features, guiding each other as we ride.

So as we feel our light fade earlier and earlier each and every day, don't let it keep you inside! An old trusty headlamp or new high-powered riding lamp can show you a whole new world.  One you never knew just happened to be right outside your door; in the dark.

Now get outside.

T.

Riding to Austria, Vermont

Another fantabulously good ride last night out of Stowe Town Loops up to Trapp Family Lodge, which is a little taste of Austria right here in Vermont. This time, we were joined by the wonderful Caroline, Kate, Paul, Aaron, Mike and Dean.

We pedaled on out of the woods and through the cattle field, then popped out onto the road leading up to Trapp Family Lodge. From there we could see the balloon festival down in the valley. 

We continued our pedal up to the Deli-Bakery-Brewery and joined a lively Friday night crowd out on the deck for some brews and food. Mike had possibly the best sandwich of his life, and we all enjoyed the Helles Golden and Seasonal, brewed right on site. 

As I've said before, it's best to enjoy your beer(s) long enough for it to get good and dark for the way back down through the woods. This time we may have taken that advice a little too far...

Thankfully some of us had our lights, though some of us did not, making for a very interesting descent. We all made it, though! And then Aaron and I had a very close encounter with some deer as we rode back to the cars in the dark. It's a long story for another time, but basically I got within inches of a deer butt. Pretty sweet.

Today we're making a garden gate, staking up the tomatoes - which actually have little tomatoes on them! - playing with the dog, and hopefully heading out into the woods at some point. 

Happy Trails!

Is It Time to Ride My Bike Yet?

As I await the drying of our trails...and the melting of the snow that will need to happen first - I thought I would share some of my favorite gear for mountain bike season. Here's three pieces I tried last year that I am now quite sure I cannot live without. And my favorite trail foods!

Ibex Indie Jersey
I freaking love this thing! I have never felt more pretty while riding my bike. I went with the purple from last season, which is gorgeous, and the light wool is heavenly against the skin. And, if you think summer and wool don't mix, as I did, I can tell you that they do. They mix wonderfully, in fact. My only complaint about this jersey is the road-style pocket (elastics) which are unreliable for holding stuff on rugged, bouncy trails, and pretty uncomfortable under a camelbak. I've actually had sore vertebrae after longer rides. Ibex does also make a mountain jersey, with a more comfortable and more reliable zippered pocket, but I like the cut and styling of the indie jersey better.

Osprey Raptor 10 Pack
I was immediately drawn to this pack for the bright yellow color (I love bright colors, and yellow in particular), but stayed for a longer look because of the many features. Nothing is inherently girly about this pack, and I know many men that ride with one, but it suits women well because it has lots of pockets, rings, and divided storage spaces to keep us organized. And, my most important feature: it's large enough to hold a sandwich. Or a light layer. And all of your tools. Which is certainly not girly.

The two best features of this pack: the Lidlock system snugly holds your helmet on your pack when you're packing your car, or throwing your gear in your friends car (read: no misplaced helmets!). And the hydration system is the best one I've ever used, including an easy on-off lid and a magnet to hold your mouthpiece at the ready on your shoulder.

Night Rider MiNewt 250 Cordless Light
This light is the most awesome thing I own, and riding at night is probably the most awesome thing I have ever done! Its maiden voyage was on the infamous Joe's Trail in Waterbury, Vt, and I only fell once! I wore it this time lashed to the top of my helmet (it comes with attachments), and actually found my neck was sore from focusing so much on directing my light beam. The next time I rode with it went much more smoothly, and I tried it on my handlebar this time. That was okay, but I found I like to be able to re-direct the beam in the direction I was looking. So, the light now lives on my helmet. And lived there for the entire fall riding season. We had some great night rides! My personal recommendation would be to strap this light onto your helmet, and then double up with a smaller version on the handlebar. With this two-light system, you can focus a steady stream out ahead on the trail, and be free to also re-direct your lighting to where you are looking. This purchase will extend your riding season well into the fall, and the darkness! It might be the most important piece of gear I own.

Food In My Pack
I am a proponent of real food, and will rarely be seen sucking down a gu (though I do like clif blocks for electrolytes). My top favorite foods, guaranteed to be in my pack are:

• Halleljuah Yes! bar by Red Door Bakery in Marshfield, Vermont. It's a cookie crumb base, layered with chocolate chips, walnuts, and coconut. Fat contains something like 9x more energy than carbohydrates, and these bars are loaded with fat I'm sure, plus the sugar in these bars hits your system fast, while the nuts offer sustained energy. It's the perfect one-two combo: A fast pick me up combined with longer-term energy stores. Don't live in Vermont? You can make your own: Google recipes for the Magic Cookie Bar or Seven Layer Cookie Bar, and feel free to substitute with healthier ingredients. I'm sure they freeze well, too, so you can make a batch and then store bars individually.
  
• EmergenC - you can put this in your water bottle or Camelbak during or after the ride. Look for the varieties with electrolytes included. Also, the wrapper can patch a blown sidewall just long enough to get you out of the woods.
  

Back at it again.

The man, the myth, local ripper- Patrick Kell

The ORS crew got out with mountain bike ambassador and good friend of ours  PK ( Patrick Kell) to night ride Perry hill. This is the man responsible and in charge of all the buzz and good things happening in Vermont regarding mountain biking. We like to joke that if you run into any trouble on the trail, just tell them you know PK, Hah!!

           I look forward to seeing where Patrick takes us the next few years as I have a good feeling that from what I have already seen this guy do in the state of Vermont, mountain biking is only going to get better.  Did I mention this is the nicest guy you'll ever meet and he rips!
Till next week

Cheers

Night riding; ORS style.

Monday night found us in Irish Hill in true Fall night riding fashion. As you can you tell we had a pretty damn good time!
Cheers!

Night riding

So a last second idea to take advantage of this weird and wonderful weather led us up a favorite loop with friends Jase, Levi, Snack, Mike, Sarah and I.  We're lucky folks who dont take a second for granted.   Here's to the night.

Cheers!