Locally Global Big Fat Bike Day

I forgot Saturday was the Global Fat Bike Day until Regional Headquarters contacted me through the underground fat bike channel.  See what happens when you neglect to check in at the FatBike forum at mtbr.com for a month or so.  It's an annual thing, the first Saturday in December, so I don't have any excuse really, but I had other plans with Debbie.  Which I was promptly able to wiggle out of.  Others in the group of 12 or so weren't so fortunate.  It's tough to get everybody together so some went there own ways, and 3 of us - Eric, Pat and myself - were able to coordinate schedules and meet at Antoine Peak's West Trailhead at 11am.  

I woke up early to the sound of heavy rainfall and checked messages - anybody going to be the first to bail?  Friday night's forecast said the rain should clear out by 10, and when I checked the radar map early Saturday it, it was going to stop after 8.  That was a good sign, and it appeared we were on.  I packed a little bit of everything and headed out.

From the North Side, the trailhead is a straight shot from Francis to Bigelow Gulch and I arrived a bit before the others.  I expected mud, but the forest/service road from the trailhead was covered in a thin sheet of ice even after the rain a mid-30]s temp.though the temp.  Not promising.  Eric and Pat arrived and we figured we'd give it a try since were there already, and didn't know if our backup Riverside Park would be any better.

Trailhead pic stolen from Pat - this is after we were done

Surprisingly, the bikes rode easily over the ice and we headed up the peak.  We were well prepared - each of us had our own flask. We climbed up the peak, and had a blast on the way down. And great brew at 12 Strings Brewery afterwards to top it off.

A few pics, more over at 26InchSlicks.

Eric and Pat

i was going for the burly fatbiker he-man
pose, and missed it by a mile or so

this is what happens when you a) don't take the time to transfer a rear rack
from one bike to your fatbike to fashion a mudguard out of, and b) then
don't wear your plastic pants you brought along.

a little gopro vid

   

Black Friday/Sunny Sunday rides

a few lazy notes about last weekend's rides before it gets too long past to post them:

Friday morning I woke up feeling a little off, and wondered do I really want to bike the Black Friday Ride?  Then I thought about it - I'm lucky enough to have the day off, and I'll feel better if I go ride (thanks, mom - that sounds like something she would tell us when we were kids - go outside and play!).  Besides, I had my Pugs Neck Romancer all ready to go.

I biked from downtown to the start at the Scoop on the South Hill.  The temp was in the 40's, but the wind was brutal cold, and I had second thoughts about my choice of clothing - 3/4 shorts, long-sleeve t-shirt and light base layer.  Real glad I threw some arm warmers in my bag before I left.  I made my now traditional (ok 2 years in a row) stop at the Rocket Bakery at 14th & Adams for a latte and no-bake cookie to fuel the ride.

There were five of us - 3 mountain bikes and two fat bikes. Let's see, John, Glen, Justin, me, and um, a strong rider on a Pugsley.

Either the wind died down, or I got used to it, or the trees on the hill protected us but it quickly got warm and off came the arm warmers and wool beanie.  The High Drive bluff trails are fun to ride, and I don't get up there often enough.  

No pics, didn't feel like digging the phone out of the zipped up pocket on my shorts.

Turns out I didn't have to toss the heavy Pugs N/R across the creek - we modified the route a bit from years past and skipped the creek crossing.  It was a most excellent ride.  I posted it at garmin connect - take a virtual ride here. Finished with some well deserved brews at River City brewing.

Sunday rode to the YWCA to meet my wife then over to the Backyard on Broadway (formerly the Broadway Bar and Grill) for breakfast then back home. Took the long way there, went on Gov't Way and then when I was crossing the Sandifur Bridge, a heron landed in one of the pine trees across the river.  Another I-should-carry-a-better-camera-than-the-phone-but-smaller-than-a-DSLR-moment. Something small with a good zoom, decent quality pics and can fit in a Revelate Tangle or Feedbag.

hint: above the brownish trees in the lower middle lower of pic