Frozen Onion Report

The skiing continues to go in fits and starts up in Vermont, with brief windows of sweet turns followed by spells of warm weather. Oh well. At least there was a mountain bike race this weekend to mix things up. Yup, that's right: January, snow, Vermont, bike racing in the woods=awesome.

Big thanks to the folks at Onion River Sports for putting the race on. Just as a disclaimer, riding is not normally allowed in Hubbard Park, but last Sunday there was an exception granted. About 35 intrepid mountain bikers decided to test their luck in the ice and snow.

I wasn't too sure how things were going to work out. After all, riding the trainer once in a while hardly counts as training, and skiing is not biking. Plus, when I stepped out on my porch Sunday morning I pretty much ate it right off the bat, it was a sheet of ice out there. So, this should be fun eh. Turns out it was, and more. Every race should be that much fun. In actuality the riding was really good. With Stan's rims and Conti tires I was able to run about 12 psi in my tires, and the traction was great. Which was actually kind of a problem. See, that meant we could ride hard, which meant a lot of suffering. It's been a few months since I've done that.

After the first climb there were two of us off the front, and that's pretty much how things went. We traded pulls, put in a little dig here or there, and stayed together to the line. That sprint HURT. I led it out, which was fine, and started a ways from the line. Turns out I had a little extra kick and got the win. Hey, I'll take it!

Really though, the race was about getting the local mountain bike community together for a great time, and raising some money for VMBA. Both those things were certainly accomplished. Check out Onion River Sports on Facebook for awesome photos of the race.

And finally, a couple of shots of skiing from up high in the Greens on Saturday. The cover was marginal, but we've been saying that for a while, and being out in the woods always beats sitting on the couch if you ask me.

Snow's Back (and a race this weekend!)

The snow was flying when I woke up this morning, and I had a quick window to snag a few turns midday.

Pretty sweet for sure; check out this quick edit.

January 5th, 2012 from French Press Racing on Vimeo.

Just picked up the Zaboo 29er from home the other day too. Turns out there's a mountain bike race this weekend in Montpelier. The Frozen Onion. Sunday morning in Montpelier's Hubbard Park. See you there.

Marginal Skiing

After some sweet skiing over the holidays a mix of rain and warm weather have done some damage. Nope, no powder out there today. But, operating on the "you never regret heading out into the mountains" philosophy, we drove out for some turns today anyway. Was the skiing awesome? No. Did we have an awesome time? Definitely.

It's been good weather to scout some new lines too, explore some back roads I haven't been down in a while, and take in the occasional view.

And hey, by the time I got home it was snowing. We'll take it.

Snow and Smiles

Winter has been slow in coming to the Green Mountains this winter...so it goes. Last week there was a definite feel of desperation in the air, and the promise of a few inches was enough to convince a few of us to camp out up high in anticipation of some morning turns. So we stubbornly booted up grassy slopes to 4000 feet on Thursday night with our fingers crossed for snow.

We weren't disappointed. After coffee and bacon we headed out into 4 plus inches of new snow. Thin. Marginal. Fun! After several laps up high we cruised to the base.

A little farther south the skiing has been decidedly thin, but sweet nonetheless. Marquettes have been essential this year, but with them the days, high fives, and smiles have been adding up.

A quick sunset shot taken just before the last run of the day on Monday.

Cross Training

Well we're deep into December now, and the snow? Not so much. Yeah, I know it's white, but that's largely cosmetic. So while I've been able to sneak in a few turns in this fall, I'm starting to lose my motivation to hike for fast grass. So much for my ski-bum plans so far.

It has been a cool opportunity to do things I don't often do though. Sure, I've been on the trainer some to anchor my training (something I've been oddly motivated to do), but I've also been out for some hikes to scout ski lines. And last night I even played dodgeball. Yup, and it was awesome - though my arm is a bit sore this morning.

All that aside, come on snow gods, you know sacrifices have been made it your honor. We'll all be eternally grateful.

Nationals to the East Coast!

Which coast? East Coast! Finally. After what seems to me like way too many years of high altitude slugfests, USA Cycling is finally bringing mtb nationals back to sea level and the land of mud, rocks, and roots. And while it would be cooler if the race was at Mt. Snow, or somewhere even radder like Kingdom Trails(!) or Pisgah National Forest (what?), I know that won't ever happen. So central PA is still pretty cool.

Check it out: http://www.cyclingdirt.org/article/9164-Mountain-Bike-National-Championships-To-Lehigh-Valley-Pennsylvania-2013-2014

I did a Super D there this summer and the trails seemed pretty cool and fairly techy. Should be fun, and it's never to early to start planning right. After all, I can actually race the big boys this time. Oh boy.....

December Riding in Vermont!

The awesome (for riding) weather just keeps on coming up north. Sunday we caught some 50 degree temps and brilliant sunshine - not bad for December eh?

I actually snapped off my derailleur hanger about five minutes into the ride and of course hadn't brought a spare. PSA: always carry a spare hanger the your camelback! Oh well - as long as it was downhill I was good to go.

Gotta love it right.

A few ledge drops later, and it was time for a spectacular sunset over the entire spine of the Green Mountains.