June 8th (Afternoon) and June 9th (Morning)

June 8th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with butter and peanut butter

o   Afternoon: 2 Dad’s cookies, 2 baloney and cheese sandwiches on Rye bread

 

I’m not sure how much more I will worry about tracking my food and drink. I think I’m fairly settled into what does or doesn’t work for me, and so I will probably stop tracking this in a while.

 

Anyways, today’s ride was pretty good. I felt strong and fast, and yet my time wasn’t all that great, so I guess what I felt like wasn’t quite accurate to what I was actually doing? Hah! Anyways, I still missed the two switchbacks going down into Peterson’s creek, and in fact I walked most of the short, nasty section between. Coming down into Peterson’s creek was a bit scary as I realized my back brake was really doing nothing. Thank goodness my front brake was working really well, at least. But at the first nasty switchback, I came in a bit hot and fast so I stopped to see what was going on and it turned out that my cable was too short and therefore the brake arm was hitting the brake body without fully clamping the pads on the disc. Oops! I really need new pads on the rear brake, so they must be worn almost right down now. So, I grabbed my Allen key and did a quick on-the-trail fix that worked pretty well for the rest of the ride. But, man, even the brake arm and body were very hot by that point! I was extremely careful not to touch the disc itself as I would’ve for sure left some charred flesh on it had I tried... Ouch!

 

Going up the other side was really good. I made it even farther up than yesterday (by maybe a couple of feet) ‘till I bogged down in the deep sand and spun out. I also made the last stretch without losing traction today, meaning I’m back to my 3 stops and less than 1/4 of the way walking again. The new back tire was not too bad. It still feels a bit squirmy on the climbs, but I’m getting used to that and learning how to better control where my back tire is at all times. As for traction, it didn’t really let me down at all today. I might try turning it around for even better traction this weekend (screw the rolling resistance issues!).

 

Frolek’s land was good and fast, but I suddenly had a strange thing going on with my front brake. It suddenly became extremely grabby, to the point where anything but the lightest of pressure just about sent me over the handlebars. By the time I was past Rose Hill, it stopped and was more normal, so I have no idea what was going on... Maybe a bit of cow dung on the disc??? :) I might be onto something here... Anyways, I took the bypass again around the last hill at Rose Hill, which is really an enjoyable trail. And then I followed the pipeline trails through to Juniper, pushing it faster than normal, trying to gain confidence in my cornering and downhilling abilities. As I came off the pipeline trail at the end, I met up with Brian again, so we rode together into Juniper for the last stretch.

 

So, for day number 2 of full riding both ways, I still feel really good and that’s quite encouraging! I was worried that with the additional riding, I might burn out right away and not last the week, but so far so good.

 

June 9th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 2 hot hamburgers (burger, bread and gravy)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

This morning felt really good, but again my time was still about 3 minutes longer than Monday so I guess I didn’t feel as good as then! I had to re-wax my chain again this morning as it was already very squeaky after only two days. I guess with all the mud and rain, it shouldn’t surprise me. This wax is made more for dry weather riding really. The weather was a bit drizzly the whole way in this morning, getting heavier the closer I got to work. But, not enough to start making puddles again (one sunny day yesterday and most of the puddles have already dried up). I still missed the one hill on the pipeline section at Rose Hill, but I know I can make that one. Maybe I need to hit the granny gear for it? It’s just a tough shift to make, though, in the middle of a steep climb so we’ll see if I can do it properly. There’s a section right where I stop that would probably be where I’d need to hit the shift if I can. But, the rest of the way through to Peterson’s creek was good. Going down was still a blast, but that tough sandy switchback still got me. I can’t seem to make the turn in the deep sand, and really need to work on my control in sand. So far, that’s the one thing that seems to consistently screw me up, so it is something I really need to work on. Granted, the skinny back tire probably wasn’t the best choice for sand!

 

Going up the other side was my best effort yet. For some reason at the beginning I had trouble and even had to grab onto the fence at one point (no foot down, so still counts, right?). I ended up losing it on a very easy corner, so I guess I shouldn’t take anything for granted. But, I then made it up to the troublesome switchbacks (I need a name for these two switchbacks, like “The Devil in the form of a Switchback #1 and #2” or something? A bit long I guess..) After walking past the second switchback, I got back on and actually made it right up and about 1/2 way through the sandy section which was awesome! If I hadn’t missed the corner at the bottom, I would’ve only had 2 stops going up when I’ve been taking 4 the first two days this week.

 

The last two paved stretches up Springhill and Hugh Allan were not too bad all things considered, and I’m very stoked that after three rides in I still feel pretty good. I’m very excited that I can do this, and these tough sections will only get better as time goes on.

 

June 7th (Afternoon) and June 8th (Morning)

June 7th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1-1/2 bottles of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, 1 banana

o   Afternoon: 3 pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, 1 apple

I hit the 1000km mark on my odometer today! I know I’ve ridden a few weeks without the computer, so I’m technically over the 1000km mark before today, but as of this afternoon it has been officially recorded and now documented. Cool!

Today I felt a bit sluggish. Not at first, mind you. At first I actually felt pretty good really. I made it down into Peterson’s Creek fairly well, still missing the two same switchbacks, but riding between them. At the top, I got off and lowered my saddle a bit as I always do, and then just as I started to go, I heard some bikers coming down. I barely got off the bike and pulled it off the trail in time for them to fly past me. They were going faster than I thought possible. It was very impressive at the talent they had to handle this trail with that type of speed and control. However, it was extremely annoying at the aftermath they left of the torn up trail! Plus, this trail is full of hikers, bikers, dogs and kids and at those types of speeds, there’s such a huge chance of them running into someone or causing a crash. Add to that the fact that the first guy wasn’t wearing a helmet... Anyways, they did about run over another biker who was pushing his bike up the hill, along with a hiker behind him. Their comment to the biker was something to the effect of “This ain’t a hill for pushing bikes up, Old Man”. Wow... And they say our youth nowadays are fine... Actually, maybe they don’t say that, but it was completely retarded nonetheless. Again, incredible skill, but an equally incredible lack of brain matter (guess that’s why he doesn’t wear a helmet, nothing to protect up there anyways).

Going up the other side was awesome! I made it the furthest up yet for my first stretch. I usually stop just at the bottom of the sandy switchback, but today I rode right through almost to the top of it (got bogged down in the sand pretty bad). If I can make it through that, I could essentially keep going ‘till the steep rocky section, meaning I might even be able to ride about 2/3 up without stopping. That is, if I can make it through the sandy section, and that’s a big if as it is very deep. Unfortunately, though, I lost traction on the last stretch and stopped and couldn’t get going again so I had 4 stops going up again.

I have mixed feelings about this new back tire. Granted, I only have 2 rides on it yet, and on the way in this morning I loved it. However, it felt very squirmy on the climbs this afternoon. Almost as if the back end was constantly tracking a bit off angle to the front. I think it might be a bit due to the narrower tire, and instead of floating over obstacles or dips, it gets pulled around them, bumping side to side more easily. When I lost traction going up Peterson’s creek, it was a section where the gulley in the trail (dug in by the rains) is about 3 inches wide by maybe 1-1/2 inches deep. I usually cut over the gulley right there, but today the back end slid out on me as I was pedalling, and on that narrow trail I panicked and put a foot down. I think the more I get used to this kind of thing I will be able to ride it through. So, I will withhold my official judgement for now.

It seemed to be sunny all day, but I did notice some rain around the area between Juniper and Sahali during the afternoon. However, it must have just poured like crazy. There were so many puddles where there has never been puddles yet, and lots of mud. I made it home very muddy and wet, which was surprising as I was actually expecting more of a dry ride today with the sun. Maybe with all this rain lately the ground just can’t soak any more water in? Anyways, the ride was fun once I just said “screw it” and got muddy. It does bug me that I just washed the bike, but whatever. Sometimes you just have to return to your kid-like roots and play in the mud, right?

June 8th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice, 1/2 a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 peanut butter and butter sandwich, chicken and rice supper

o   Morning Of: Nothing

Another complete ride all the way from home to work! It rained all night, and was actually quite foggy this morning not to mention even more muddy! Coming out of Juniper was kind of neat, with some heavy fog right over the trail. However, it cleared up past Rose Hill and was just overcast the rest of the ride.

Coming out of Juniper. The fog was moving pretty fast through here, so by the time I stopped and took this picture, it was already clearing up pretty good. But kind of neat nonetheless!

I’m really struggling with my glasses fogging up in the mornings, and I’m not sure what to do about that yet. As soon as I slow down for a climb, they fog right over. Then, once I get going they clear up again. Really annoying! Maybe I’ll look into some anti-fog wipes, or I think toothpaste is the “home remedy” or something...

The ride down into Peterson’s creek was good and fast. The brakes were nice and grabby, allowing me to let it go on the straights and slowing me down solidly on the corners where needed. The sandy switchback still foiled me, that’s a tough corner up and down! Going up the other side I’m sure I’m over 1/2 the way walking up. I biked more today than yesterday, and I think that will only continue as I learn this trail. But, I made it to the top again with time to spare, and not too bad energy wise. Springhill is surprisingly easy. While I don’t blast up the hill (not by a long shot), I find it not too bad. There’s one section in the middle where I start getting the “burn”, but once I crest that section, the rest is a good spin in a few harder gears.

Beside the Merrit highway, on the east side, they’ve been doing a lot of construction for a new strip mall of some sort. As such, they’ve built a dirt walking path to direct those walking or biking around the construction site. This is nice and all, but it is a muddy, sticky mess this morning! There’s a quick, steep, granny-gear climb right at the beginning and I was spinning the whole way up, but at least I made it. After that, it wasn’t till I made it to work that I finally got the rest of the mud out of the tires, as from there it is mostly all climbing up Hugh Allan to Pineview. As such, there’s only a couple of sections where I can get enough speed up for the mud to go flying... :) I was pretty tired at the top of Hugh Allan, but I’m feeling pretty good now. The sun looks like it’s trying to make an appearance, so that’s cool. Granted, it won’t be very “cool” but very, very hot all too soon... Then I can finally stop complaining about the rain, and start complaining about the heat... :) Isn’t that just human nature?

June 4th (Afternoon) and June 7th (Morning)

June 4th (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 large coke (from McDonald’s)

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter (no butter)

o   Afternoon: 6” roasted chicken sub from Sub Way

Well, food wise I was OK today, but that large Coke was a bad idea... It did not sit well with me at first, but about 15 minutes into my ride I started to feel better again. However, it was pouring when I left! My first ride in heavy rain. And, man, going down Hugh Allan and Springhill I was trying to slow down because at 60 km/h those rain drops really hurt! They felt like light to medium hail actually, depending on my speed and the size of the drop itself. Crazy! But, once I got to Peterson’s Creek (completely soaked through and through), the rain stopped. Well, it didn’t actually stop, it was just moving East faster than I was so it out ran me thank goodness! The rest of the ride was dry as far as no rain.

Heading down into Peterson’s Creek was not too bad, but still really tricky with the rocks and gulley’s. I missed the same two switchbacks, but at least rode in between them (with my foot down for most of the section). The ride back up was a good one, as I made pretty good distances on my climbs, and still only stopped three times so that is awesome that I have been able to do that so consistently now. The rest of the ride was really good, actually, and I felt pretty decent in all, which is good for a Friday. I took the bypass around the final climb at Rose Hill, and then the main trail into Juniper as I had to be home as quick as possible (Taryn’s Ballet recital at Sagebrush theatre tonight).

June 7th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1/2 bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 1 glass of juice, 1 glass of water

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 3 pieces of pizza, 2 pieces of watermelon

o   Morning Of: Nothing

Well, I have officially completed a milestone today! One of my goals for this summer was to ride the whole way to work from home and I did so this morning. NO BUS! I have been thinking about this for about a week or two lately, and made the choice this weekend between buying another month’s worth of bus tickets (I used my last one on Friday) or a new back tire... So, I chose the tire... :)

The new tire, a WTB Weirwolf 2.1. A bit on the narrower side, but a good fast and grippy tire for loose and dry conditions.

For anyone out there that does routine jogging, hiking, walking or biking, I urge you to try your regular route backwards! It was awesome, like a brand new trail with a bunch of “Deja Vu’s” all over the place. :) It was so much fun to ride my usual route the opposite direction, and wasn’t that bad for climbing. There are definitely more ups than downs going West, but it wasn’t bad. I missed one of the climbs on the Rose Hill pipeline trails, but I realized at the top I was in the third gear still, so I’m sure I’ll be able to make that one with the right gearing soon. Going down into Peterson’s creek on the West side is a blast. The trail is not technical at all, but really fun and fast the whole way down. The one sandy switchback did foil me and I had to put my foot down and didn’t quite make it around the corner. But, with some work, this will be accomplished.

Then came the east side... Uggghh... Well, I walked probably 1/2 the way up if not more, there is really no “easy” section of this trail (as I have noticed coming down, it’s tough!). I did make it up past the first two switchbacks which wasn’t easy. The trail is fairly steep there, the turns are really tight, and the gulley’s and rocks are tough to manoeuvre to say the least. So being able to make that section was awesome. But I came up to the switchback that I rarely make coming down and, to no surprise, I didn’t make it up either. I pushed my bike all the way up ‘till the sandy sections and rode from there (with all the rain, these sections actually are rather easy as far as traction and stability).

The climb up Springhill is long, but not extremely tough. A decent spin in the three easier gears on the back for the whole way. And then I climbed Hugh Allan again, and this was not bad either. The final stretch was a brute, especially being tired from the riding up to this point, but still not horrible.

All in all, the ride was really quite fun and it was exciting to be able to pass this milestone this early in the summer. It took me 1 hour of riding time, about 1 hour and ten minutes total time, meaning that I got to work about 20 minutes early. So, as I was budgeting about 1-1/2 hours, this was great news for sure.

Now my next milestone, conquer Peterson’s Creek (east side)! I will now set a goal of conquering the west side as well, but I’m thinking not ‘till next summer at least... That will be a brute of a climb mixed in with some good technical riding for sure.

June 3rd (Afternoon) and June 4th (Morning)

June 3rd (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter, 2 Dad’s cookies

o   Afternoon: 1 cheese sandwich, 1 toast English muffin with peanut butter, 1 orange

 

Today’s ride was not too bad. Going down into Peterson’s Creek was tougher with the torrential downpours we had last night. The gulley’s were deeper and wider (they were getting somewhat better before yesterday). I had a few “tense” moments of going where I didn’t intend to, but I was able to save it both times thankfully. I didn’t make the two usual switchbacks, and rode the section between them again, but with a foot down. Going up the other side was pretty good. I made it further than normal on each stretch. I even realized, as I stopped at the sandy switchback, that I may have been able to keep going? Again, another case of the mind giving out before the body I think, especially because of habit in this case. I kind of doubt I’d make it through the switchback with the sand as deep as it is, but it would be interesting to try. I made the last section again without stopping, meaning that my total stops is still down at 3.

 

About 1/2 way across Frolek’s land, I started gaining on another rider. He was faster on the technical downhill sections for sure, but I kept gaining on him on the flats and hills ever so slightly. At the end of Frolek’s land, I caught up with him as he had to stop to go through the gate. This rider’s name is Phil, and he works at KMS tools (a stone’s throw down the hill from ACS). He’s been commuting for years, but only rides home (he gets a ride to work in the mornings). Apparently he has been able to ride about 10 months out of the year for the past few years, so that’s really cool to know. I would love to ride as long as possible. He lives near the east end of Valleyview, but rides across the trails through Juniper. So, we rode together into Juniper. He went very fast down the ripped up hills at the pipeline section before Rose Hill. Sure, he had a very nice, full suspension bike. But, he also had the skill (or maybe just the guts) needed to blast down the side where I go fairly slow now due to deep sand, gulleys and rocks. I did catch up with him again, however, at the bypass around the final hill and then we rode together through to Juniper on the pipeline trails (he didn’t lose me this time!) It was a fun ride, and it is neat to meet a few others now riding the same trails for the same reason. Taryn goes to school with a boy who’s Dad also commutes along the same trails to downtown every day, so maybe I’ll meet him sometime soon as well. I think I should somehow organize a get together with all those commuting on these trails one weekend and we could work on trail maintenance, trying to fix up the sections ripped up by the rain or the bulldozer! Maybe...

 

June 4th (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of juice

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: Meatballs, potatoes, peas and salad, 1 piece of bread with margarine, 2 pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, it’s Friday! My last morning ride ‘till next week. It was chilly this morning (about 8° when I left, 10° when I got to work) and overcast. But, no rain so that’s good as I was wearing my new, WHITE, biking shirt Corrie bought me yesterday. :)

 

Anyways, the ride out of Juniper was another successful one, so I’m very happy that I can do this now consistently. The two steeps were good, the down-and-up switchback was excellent, and the two trail dips along with the 2x6 bridge were all completed easily. Now that the brush and branches are cleared away from the second trail dip, I can just concentrate on riding through it. My next challenge on this trail is making the transition from the road to the switchback right beside the dump (about 1/2 way between the trail head and Valleyview). This is a tricky portion as it goes straight up (well, almost) about 3-1/2 feet high. To make it, I need enough speed as pedaling would just get in the way and hit the ground as I go up. But, I have to slow down quite a bit just to make it, as it branches off at about an 80° angle from the road. So, a combination of the perfect speed, pedalling at the perfect moments, and moving me weight just right will mean a successful transition. As of now, I’ve simply made the front tire up and over and then had to put my foot down and push the bike the rest of the way. Once I can clear that, I have no more challenges on this trail and might as well start riding all the way to work... :)

 

The stretch through Kenna Cartwright was pretty good. I decided to take the Kinnikinick trail again today. It’s hard to say what’s worse, higher pain but over faster, or lower pain that lasts longer??? This trail is higher pain for sure. I still walked two steep sections up the first portion before the intersection with the Doc Findlay trail. They are extremely steep, but I think I will be able to make them with better skill and once I’m more fit yet. There is one section that’s pretty steep that I’ve made both times so I’m proud about that for sure.

 

After the intersection, there are two more long steep climbs. Near the end of the second climb, a man walking his dog stopped and waited for me, which was nice and all. Except they stopped on my usual trail, which forced me up a section of trail I haven’t tried yet and I didn’t make it (pretty steep, and I was completely exhausted at this point). After that, however, the trail is an awesome little double-track winding through the woods. No more climbing until the very end, and at that point it is one more very steep climb that I haven’t made yet and, of course, didn’t make again today. However, I did notice a trail sooner that cut up the hill at a better angle, so next time I’ll try and climb that way instead.

 

All in all a good ride, and the best time through Kenna Cartwright yet so that was really cool. A big benefit of the Kinnikinick trail is that I’m out of the saddle more, meaning that I’m not as saddle-sore by the end of the ride as when I spin all the way up Reservoir trail. And the legs recover quicker, so this actually may make that trail worth it!

 

June 2nd (Afternoon) and June 3rd (Morning)

June 2nd (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter (no butter), 1 banana, 2 vanilla Oreo’s

o   Afternoon: Perogies with potatoes, bacon bits and sour cream

 

Well, after a lunch like that, I was in no shape to ride today! I guess, by the time I actually would’ve gotten on my bike I was feeling better, but I felt very sick all afternoon ‘till about 4pm. And then the rains came down. So, those two items along with the fact that Corrie was already in town with the bike rack (ready for after Taryn’s soccer practice today), I bummed a ride with her and we went for dinner together instead and then to Taryn’s soccer practice (which was actually cancelled due to the rain, and as they have yet to cancel for rain this really was a nasty downpour!). On the way, Taryn lamented as to why she always had to play soccer in the rain... Poor girl! We tried to console her that soon enough the sun would shine and seemingly not stop for a few months, but obviously we’ve been experiencing more rain lately than normal I would think?

 

June 3rd (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 glass of water, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bacon and cheese burger (big mistake), fries, 2 pieces of white toast with peanut butter (no margarine)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Well, I really should’ve just had the plain burger last night. It would’ve been a few dollars cheaper, and less heavy on my gut! This mornings’ ride was actually pretty good for the first stretch to Lansdowne. I made the two steeps for the third time in a row, and the down-and-up switchback. I stopped, however, on the second trail dip and cleared the branches and brush that were constantly grabbing my arms so I guess I can’t say I made that one... :) The rest of the ride was fast and flowing to Valleyview road, and then on the streets I felt pretty good, pushing myself to a fast time of 18-3/4 minutes (my best time yet is 18.5 minutes).

 

However, the fat and grease and cheese of last night’s binge burger finally caught up with me through the Kenna Cartwright park. I was slow, tired, and very sore. I rode the Reservoir trail the whole way as I usually have done (other than yesterday), but felt pretty exhausted. Still no rest stops, so that’s cool. But every gear felt tough, no matter how easy it actually was. It doesn’t help that the mud and dirt have made my chain rather squeeky and groany by today (normally one good waxing on the weekend lasts the whole week). I guess I’ll have to remedy that tonight for sure. Still, I made a decent time of 32-3/4 minutes which is about average for me so far. However, I will second guess my burger choices in the future!

 

June 1st (Afternoon) and June 2nd (Morning)

June 1st (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multi grain toast with peanut butter (no butter), 1 small bag of Sun Chips, 1 banana

o   Afternoon: 1-1/2 tuna sandwiches, 1 piece of sesame seed toast with peanut butter (no butter)

 

His name is Brian.

 

Let me back up here. Back on the 6th and 7th of May, I noticed a biker behind me as I left Juniper in the mornings. Also, on the 13th of May I noticed a biker that ripped up the trail going down into Peterson’s creek, and then I followed him up the other side (noting that he walked the same sections I did). I also caught up with him right at Rose Hill that same day and followed him most of the way into Juniper. And, more recently, on the 31st of May I finally stopped on my way out of Juniper to talk with him briefly, learned that he commutes to TRU, and then I left.

 

Today, as I rode down into Peterson’s creek (which was still pretty tricky and I missed the same switchbacks and the steepest section just before the second one), I noticed him riding up the other side. As I started at the bottom, I noted the time as he was just cresting the top (I wanted to see how far I was behind him this time). I had a decent climb up. I say “decent” simply due to the distance made, I feel anything but decent as I climb that nasty hill! With about 1/4 of the climb left, I noticed a jogger and her yappy dog coming up behind me, so I figured I’d better get moving so I didn’t get passed by her! As I started the final stretch (which about 1/2 way up used to be my 4th stop), another biker came over the top, stopped and waited for me. Well, now the pressure was on! With a jogger hot behind me and a biker waiting for me to get out of the way, I pushed harder than I normally do. I made the stretch, but seriously felt like puking at the top! Ugghh...

 

However, as I came to the Frolek’s fence, the biker was there. So, again we stopped and chatted for a while, and this time I actually introduced myself and found out that he rides the same trails to Juniper (across Frolek’s land) as I normally do. So, we rode together home. It was fun, I discovered I was as fast or faster on the flats and hills, but he definitely was faster/better on the technical and downhill portions. He showed me two bypass trails that I hadn’t seen or tried before, so that was neat. The one trail is just after Frolek’s land where the dozer wrecked the transition from the road to single-track (where I have to clamber up the 8’ sand cliff now to get to the trail). The bypass is a bit further down the road, and is a hefty climb back up, so I’m not sure if I like it better (other than the bonus of being able to stay on the bike). As it is a new trail just being developed, it’s still pretty grassy and sandy, but ride-able at least! And the second bypass is at the final hill on the pipeline section at Rose Hill (the climb I’ve never made). The bypass trail heads south, with a bit of climbing (but doable climbing) and then switches back and heads north again, dropping right at where the pipeline trail intersects Rose Hill road. It was a really neat trail, though, narrow and right along the side of the hill (meaning if you got too close to the edge and fell off, you’d slide a good 10+ feet ‘till stopping and then would have a hefty hike back up!).

 

So that was fun to have some company on this ride. I learned that he has been riding for about 15 years, but just started commuting a few months ago and just started commuting via the trails for about a month. I guess he does a yearly ride with his buddies for about 5 days through the Chilcotin mountains, towing a trailer with gear. He said last year he was very ill prepared and paid for it dearly, so this year he started commuting as a training process for this year’s ride. It was neat to be able to keep up with him, but I noticed he often preferred to spin in an easy gear where I liked to crank it up a bit faster in a harder gear. So I’m sure if he chose the same gearing as I was, he would’ve been just as fast on the flats and climbs. I’m sure we’ll meet up a few times in the future now as well, so we’ll probably have a few rides together yet.

 

June 2nd (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: Chicken, peas and potatoes, 1 toasted English muffin with peanut butter (no margarine)

o   Morning Of: Nothing

 

Another successful trail ride out of Juniper! I made the two steeps again, the down-and-up switchback and the two trail dips, so that was sweet! I felt like I was hitting some good speeds on the double-track again since the rains left me a few sand piles that slowed me down. Now that I know the sand locations and can mostly avoid them, I’m getting my speed back up again. Also, with the front rotor having the extra power, I’m able to really let it go on the final downhill portion where I normally held back not trusting my ability to slow down enough for the corners.

 

Coming through Kenna Cartwright park, something possessed me to attempt the Kinnikinick trial today. I’m not sure what evil forces conspired against me, but my bike violently turned and lurched up the trail and there was nothing I could do to stop it... :) Anyways, enough of the dramatics. I did the trail and it was pretty brutal and it was pretty fun, all at the same time. Two climbs stymied me and made me walk, but the last 3/4’s of the trail I did make. Basically, the difference between this trail and the Reservoir trail is that the Reservoir trial winds its way up the side of Mt. Dufferin. Kinnikinick, on the other hand, basically goes straight up and over. And as such, it has about 6 very steep sections of trail to conquer. As I only failed two, I felt pretty good about myself! Plus, my time in the end was about 2 minutes shorter than my average time when I take the Reservoir. Will I do this trail every day? Not sure yet, maybe! It was a neat trail for sure, and climbing a steep, narrow trail is good for my control and endurance that I need on the Peterson Creek trail, so we’ll see if those evil forces grab me again another morning...

 

May 31st (Afternoon) and June 1st (Morning)

May 31st (Afternoon)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Morning: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 bottle of water, 1 cup of coffee

o   Afternoon: 1 bottle of water

·         Food Intake

o   Morning: 2 pieces of multigrain toast with butter and peanut butter (less butter than normal), 1 banana and 2 vanilla Oreo’s

o   Afternoon: 3 pieces of pizza

I’ve noticed that I’m drinking less water during the day, I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing??? Anyways, today’s ride was technically good but physically tiresome. I made the stretch down into Peterson’s Creek up to the first troublesome switchback, but then rode the section between it and the next one which I haven’t done yet since the big rain. So, really, this was my stretch through here since the trail was torn up. On the way back up I made it right to the bottom of the sandy switchback. I also made it passed the stump at the top where my normal 4th stop is and thus made it in only 3 stops again for the 2nd time. The whole time I had to convince my brain to shut up and quit whining. Once that was accomplished, my body kept going like I know it can! :)

Again, I just took the regular route across Frolek’s land. There was a big rain storm that I was following, probably about 20 minutes behind it or less, so the trail was pretty wet with lots of puddles. Actually, a rainbow came out at one time, so I tried snapping a picture with my cell phone and will post it here. It was pretty cool!

I should've snapped a shot sooner, as when it first came out the clouds were quite black behind it. Oh well, this is still a decent shot I guess!

The pipeline hills at Rose Hill were pretty tough, and they’re getting pretty churned up and sandy. So now I’m going pretty slow down, which means no speed or momentum to make the next hill up and thus I walked the final two again. The final stretch to Juniper, however, was as fun as ever. It hasn’t changed really at all with the rain, other than becoming narrower as the vegetation gets taller and wider.

All in all, however, the ride was very slow. I had a whopping time of 46.5 minutes, one of my worst yet (and no headwind or detours to blame). My average is typically around 44 minutes, so I’d better get working on that number!

June 1st (Morning)

·         Fluids Intake

o   Evening Before: 1 bottle of Gatorade, 1 glass of milk

o   Morning Of: Nothing

·         Food Intake

o   Evening Before: 2 farmer sausage sandwiches, 2 pieces of sesame seed toast with margarine and peanut butter

o   Morning Of: Nothing

This morning’s ride was pretty tiresome as well. What is it about Tuesday’s? Monday mornings are always so much fun, and then Tuesday mornings seem to be pretty brutal. I looked back, and while it hasn’t happened every Tuesday, for the most part my slowest times are on a Tuesday. This is really odd, and I have to wonder why? Is it because Monday feels so good that I overdo it and ride too hard? Anyways, I had a decent time of 20 minutes to Lansdowne, but I really had to mentally push to get that time as I just wanted to go slow and easy! It helped to have another biker about 2 blocks behind me...

However, even though physically I wasn’t having a great ride, I had a perfect technical section coming out of Juniper. For the first time yet, I made both the steep sections! Granted, I need to either lower my seat next time like I used to do or stick my butt on the back tire as I was way too much over my front tire and was asking for an endo for sure! But, I made both of them with confidence. And then, I made the down-and-up switchback again for the 2nd time in a row, and made both of the trail dips without getting grabbed by any annoying tree branches this time. All in all, a great section, my best yet! So even if I didn’t feel that great later, this really pumped me up this morning.

Going up into Kenna Cartwright I was closing in on an older lady walking her two dogs. As I didn’t want to scare them, I tried clearing my throat well in time, which made the one dog (some Labradoodle-type mutt) turn, bark and then start charging me. I wasn’t too worried, until the lady turned and started yelling at him and running towards us! So, I figured I’d do the safe thing and just stop. As soon as I stopped moving, he just stood there, but when I moved or said anything, he’d start barking at me! Hah! Oh well, the lady was somewhat embarrassed, but hey, I think I know what it’s like to have a dog that acts like an idiot! Plus, he was just doing his job and protecting her. After a brief conversation with her, I kept on and continued the ride, which went well. I met two other bikers coming down the Reservoir trail but other than that it was quiet and peaceful as always. My little chipmunk buddy wasn’t there, so maybe he found a safer breakfast spot this morning.

My front rotor is getting full power again, but still pulses/jerks. Although, I don’t think it is as bad as last time so maybe I’ll try more sanding this weekend. Maybe I just didn’t sand it down enough to fully get rid of the “sticky” spot? Regardless, I love the power I have with the bigger rotor and have to be sure to treat it with respect as it now probably has enough power to throw me over if I’m not careful!