Hale

As always a good ride. Met up with Paul and Pat and we decided to do a reverse loop throwing in a couple of good trails in between which was recipe for a great ride. We started on wiggle and it was very tricky in the opposite direction but a fun challenge. Pat had said he had not been riding much and said he would be hurting but it was quite the opposite, me and paul played catchup most the ride while Pat lead us onto some great trails. A much larger amount of leaves were on the ground than expected, the weather has been far from fall with little wind and 80 degree weather. I am going to buy a rake this week and start raking some trails to give back to the other guys that do a good job in most the places I ride. Anyway back to the ride, halfway into it Pat snapped his chain, with some repair he got it back going and shortly after the chain going once again where he called it and walked back to the car. So me and Paul rode on and made our way into the north end of the park. Light was fading in the thick and the lights went on and man it was tough for a little bit with some overgrowth and not getting a good eye on the trail ahead of me on the rigid. It soon opened up where I was able to see my tire, and the hapiness continued. We were losing the trail from time to time which was a bit frustrating but all the more reason to get in there to rake. Across the road and the last stretch of single track ahead of us. All went well and back to the parking lot we were where I parted ways and rode home. Two great rides in the last two days and can't wait for the next! Got new tires coming today, I can't wait for the rain to stop to get back out there!

Hale goody

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The Mix At Case

Tuesday night ride pulled together at 6 and yet again it was Derek Paul Bentley and myself. I got my 29er back rolling and it was good to be back on but only had like 20% of my rear brake which made the evening tricky but still doable. We set off at 6 and headed uphill, things were going well and I was getting used to the one gear in back which I can't wait to replace with a 22 tooth. We looped up n around just about every trail without crossing the bridge. It was a great mixup of trails thatI really enjoyed. Got stung crossing one stream yet again, it was dark but that sucker found me and really pissed me off. Lights went on and I had much better success with my junk Lights and motion strapped to my bar with my combo headlamp which made riding much more easier on the eyes and brain. Still I would like something twice as bright but my setup definitely works. We ended our second to last trail on a difficult par 4. Gears would certainly come in handy on the last climb to the fire road. All in all another fun sweat, mosquito filled evening of good fun! Got some new gear on the way can't wait!

Twisting at case

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Quiet Time

Set off on yet another venture to Case sunday afternoon. I was lounging around all day saturday and enjoying it, John posted up a ride for 9:30 but I was feeling quite lazy still and I knew I would have alot of work to do chasing him around for 3 hours. So I took care of all the stuff I needed to do in the morning and even got the car waxed! I wasn't really planning on riding but it was in the back of my mind. By 1:00 I was thinking more and more about it and by 3:00 I was on the trail with bentley. We Got alot of rain friday so Case was the plan which didn't matter to me cause I love the place. We got started at the pond lot and made our way uphill. It was very warm out being 80 degrees and humid but the bugs were out but not as bad, I did put 100% deet on myself since I am so sick and tired of getting hit. The legs felt great, probably from giving them good rest after wednesday and thursday beating but they were strong on the geared squishy kona. I made my way to the viewpoint where I came upon some familiar faces so I followed them down to line st where they were parked and I set off on my own again. Took a silly spill when my front tire washed out on me suddenly, it's a front suspension kind of thing I wasn't prepared for which sent me off the bike whacking a good bit on my ankle. I shook it off and wondered if I could continue riding and as I rode it felt funny but it did feel better. Bentley got spookled by some guy with a huge walking stick, he either defensively aimed it at him or something because I have never seen him so spooked, Bentley struggled to find a way around him so he ran past him as fast as he could barking ahead of him in intimidation it was quite hysterical watching the whole thing go down. Made my way over to the side of ther reservoir where there is a hillside with singletrack popping up and I am liking it. Around the reservoir and up to the water crossing. Over onto blue and to the car we went. It was a really great ride at my own pace, a slow 5.0 average mph was not very fast but it was nice to be out on a great day and I was extremely glad I decided to get out and ride. I am doing pretty good at averaging 3 rides a week and I hope I can keep it up.

Case hippy

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Case Fall Fakeout

Just when I thought it could not be warmer or more humid and buggier, it got even worse! It's not a huge deal because ti still beat the crap out of sitting on the couch. It was another Case ride after a rainstorm and this time it was a little slicker than the day before but that was not stopping this fella from getting out. We all met at 6:00 and got to cranking, my legs just about went numb from climbing the first hill, I had full on charlie horses all the way up and considered shutting the engine down but they warmed up luckily. My legs have been acting funny this week I seem to be more sore and feeling different since I have been riding less. None the less I still kept John and Paul in my sight as they sped off ahead of me. Bentley as loyal as can be enjoyed running by my side was we strolled through the woods. I got a flat after launching off a rock and I paid the price dearly. The mosquitos were absolutely terrible as they bit my unprotected back where I can't reach with the bug spray. A speedy repair but not fast enough. John mixed the ride up a little bit and took us through a good playground of rocks where I at least got to play a little. Things were going good and legs felt better than the day before. Off around the reservoir and back we went. A very good ride as usual and as always can't wait for the next one!

No pics so you get ones of my doggys

Case fall fakeout

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Case Mixing it up

This wednesday Derek posted up a wednesday night ride which I have gotten to attend for the second week now and I was very glad I did. The ride was set for 6:00 and it was derek, paul, bentley and me. I was lacking energy from the start which was troublesome with the rig and it unfortunately lead to me not being able to keep up with those two as I would have liked but it really was no big deal as long as they didn't mind waiting for me from time to time. I forgot to start the gps in the begining but I imagine it was off for a mile or riding. We did recieve rain earlier that day but sun and clouds made it a great start to the ride. It was way warmer than I liked but the ride was going on regardless. We climbed up mountain and I felt it heavily on my legs, they were already sore and weak for some reason but I was going to power through it and try to keep up. We started to take quite a different route from any other ride Derek has lead which made it a good change from the standard routes. We went and rode a really good piece of trail abover the reservoir that I really enjoyed. I probably like it so much because its smooth and twisty down the hill and not very rocky at all. I wish that area was bigger so that more trails could be in there but I am happy with what it has. Lights went on and up tinti we went, another tough climb for me with bentley at my side. Downhill to blue and at the bridge where we cranked in the darkness back to the car painfully for me. I was slow the whole ride but stayed consistent, I really hope I can get another light for night riding, it is proving difficult with just a headlamp I don't find myself looking ahead nearly enough. Mighty good ride and finished it up with nice couch time and the new season of modern family. We will see if tonight's ride happens.

Case mix up

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Hale Of a Good Ride!

Really great ride opn saturday with Paul and John. Paul posted on the bikerag and was looking to get to Hale and saturday pulled together and the three of us were all set for 11:30. As usual I was excited for the ride and even Bentley was showing enthusiasm as I was gearing him up and left the house and he ran all the way to the homestead to meet with the fellas. We set off on the standard trails and it was so nice not getting torn up by the mosquitos let me tell you! I quickly lost Bentley as he yielded to the back of the pack and I began to worry about him since he is always by my side but with another dog in our pack and a rider behind me he was yielding to anyone behind him, smart doggy. Made our way up the what I would call a ridge kind of and found a huge long log ride that I stupidly did not take a picture of. Must have been good 50ft and I decided waht the heck I will try it, the get on was very tricky but not that hard, I got both tires on the log and began to ride and my balance and speed was perfect and I kept yelling out loud "what the hell" I am still on this thing more than once while I kept going and going and going! It was a long log ride thats for sure and I was very surprised how I rode the entire thing on the first shot but it felt great! We then sped downhill and onto bi-polar where midway I hear Paul yell bees! and before I could think I was already hit on the arm. We pedaled quickly out of there but not before Paul got hit twice and I assume Bentley did not get hit but he did have a funny look on his face coming out of the brush. I had not been stung by a bee in a long time and it sucked. Judging by my swollen elbow the jerk got me pretty good. Off we went to a tough one, scoliosis. I was on the full suspension so thing definitely went smoother but still one tough mother. John had the great idea of shooting over to the north side of the road which was good news which would add some miles and more mellow trail. I think the north side is underated and I always enjoy riding that side. I was slowing down by now, they kept disapearing in the distance but my good pal Bentley kept me by his side and we powered through it. We hit some more log rides along the way which I unfortunately did not conquer but did manage to ride bits and pieces but John and Paul dialed them in and had success. Soon we hit the car and we parted ways and I rode my bike home and reflected on a great ride! Fall is welcomed with open arms despite the snow that will soon fall.........

Hale full pull

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Wednesday Cruise Through Hale

Another great ride at the Nathan Hale forest. I had a tough 90 second commute from my house but I still had the energy left to ride for the next 2 hours. It was hot and humid and miserable again as it has been lately, but I was prepared for it with a full camelpack. I left Bentley at home since his panting antics are out of control when we get home and he hasn't ridden much so I gave him the next few days to rest. Off I went onto the north side Hale which gets so little love but it is growing into my favorite. I still have a few trails to adventutre to in there but I certainly seem to ride the main one. The full suspension was awkward and taking me off the pedals more than I would like, its quite a change going from rigid to plush full suspension but after some time I quickly adjusted. I would really like to have a hardtail to compare between the two but as always my dreams are crushed by lack money in the account. Thats ok cause I am very fortunate to have two functioning bikes. Back to the ride, it was super buggy but I was prepared and instead of using OFF I went for my 100% deet spray on my arms and legs. I managed to get it on my lips which made it to my mouth and numbed it for a good while. So on and off the whole ride my mouth was going numb from my camelbak line rubbing my arm and then me drinking but it was no big deal. I was done with the north side after 45 minutes and got cracking on the south. I found a great trail last time I was in there and I really enjoyed it since its not on the usual loop that my group rides take. I rode the section and was not sure how I was going to link it to another stretch that I am familiar with. With the help of my iphone I got myself on a trail I have never ridden. It was a really great trail too, it winded perfectly up where I wanted to be. It always such a great experience when you find a new stretch of trail that was just out there waiting to be found. It led me to a familiar trail and I was riding it in the opposite direction I normally would which switched things up and it was great. So many times I have ridden the trails I ride on my group rides without much variation, its nice being on my own and picking the trails to mix up a little bit. I ended up down at the back of the park where I slowly and tiredly made my way up the doubletrack to a fun twisty trail that I forgot the name of. Dark was falling fast and I had to close my loop out earlier than what I had planned. Got to the pavement and to home I went on yet another great ride this week! Can't wait for the weekend it is looking cool and sunny!

Mixing up at hale

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Case 1st Night Ride

Mighty fine ride! It was tuesday and Derek thankfully posted up a ride for Case and I was anxious and eager to get there all day. I had my headlamp ready to go for the most part, I somehow lost the charger cable and was unsure of how much juice was in the battery still but I had a feeling It had enough. I stopped home before the ride and picked up my buddy Bentley and we were off. It had been a little while since I have got out with the dog, it seems he get on a once a week ride which works but he could use more. Anyway we hit the trail and it ended up being just me and Derek as we headed up the hill. It was so humid it kinda sucked but enthusiasm for the ride was greater. We rode over to blue and did the normal ride over to tinti and as I rounded one of the trails corners there was a huge glowing ball of fire from the sun going down. It looked amazing and I wish I had a camera that was good enough to capture the image but the cell phone did a lazy job of it instead. Soon I had the light on as dark fell really quickly, it was tough with the light on since I don't have a great light setup but it does work. I was frustrated with having to focus so much on the ground in front of my tire and not far enough in front of me. It forced me off my pedals a couple of time but it's going to take some getting use to. I can only hope a more lumen light is in my future but with how tight $ is lately it is not likely. But my little Jet Lites A-51 definately allows me to ride safely in the dark. I love this light and its great! The ride was a success and we arrived to the car after 2 hours and 12 miles of riding.

I have put this light in my bike gear dreamssssssss

A pic from Tinti with the glowing ball

Case 1st night

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Middlesex Shorty

Saturday night I saw that John posted a ride for sunday morning and as sunday plans were unclear I did get the ok to go ahead from my awesome wife so I was set to meet john at 9:00 and head down to middlesex. The morning was looking very nice and the trails were in great shape as we began to pedal. The trail has a very fun section that begins at the reservoir which has a good mix in the first 10 minutes of what you will be riding the next 2 hours. Trails were dry to my surprise and free of Irene's debris. We made it out by china rock and began our way back and John got a stick that totaled his deraileur. So with some walking and riding we got out of there after 7ish miles of riding. It was a little disapointing that it was cut short but really wasn't a big deal since we had already been having sich a great ride.

Middlesex mechanical

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CaSe

The usual over at Case on saturday, always a good time!

Standard Caseeeee

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Wet Case

Got a crazy amount of rain the last few days and I thought for sure this ride would not happen, but on my drive to work between pouring rain storms I saw blue sky and then eventually the sun was out! It was a great sight. I guess it was going to be out much the day and it did so which gave a fighting chance at getting on the trail. The time had come and the ride was still on and I was glad since I hadn't gotten to do a group ride in awhile. Some of the normals didn't show so it was up to just me and John which was fine by me. We carried up the carriage path and took a look at the trail and went for it. This weren't even soaked it was crazy, just a few wet spots but no mud. The skies were dark but my legs strong and was still enjoying the ride through the woods. We rode blue out and looped the reservoir and headed back as light was fading. Despit the gloomy dark evening I was in good spirits and had a really great ride! Should be riding tomorrow morning probably back at case since Hale is probably still under water. No pics but I will post a few dream bikes of mine.......I wish I had all the money in the world to buy a sick bike! til then my humble raleigh and 6 yr old Dawg is doing the trick!

Case wet

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Country Life

Finally all settled into our home for the next 11 months. It was a grueling week but luckily it is behind us and now we can move onto bigger and better things. Renting our very own house is a tease as to what it will be like to have our very own house but for now even with renting it feels pretty great to call it home. I live out in the quiet woods which some of you may know is where I like it. Not too quiet with a grocery store 5 minutes away its not that far out. I do have 1500 acres of single track biking and dog walking heaven right at my front door as well! I always dreamed of having trails right at my front door and I can say it is a reality now. I wish I did not have to work 70 miles away which sucks up a lot of my free time and mother nature is not helping much either with fall coming. Still have some things to buy and stuff to move around but this is pretty much settled all in! LuAnn is now 10 minutes from school which I hope she can abuse fully since our family is back in CT for her so important education! The hottest orthodontist you will ever see! On saturday we decided to head down to mystic for a seaside drive and I was very glad we did. Mystic seaport is a very famous coastal town known for its sight and history. We drove the shoreline and admired the beautiful houses before we made our way into town. As usual we wished we lived in such a cool location and I envied their views. We walked around Mystic and had dinner at a very popular S&P Oyster Company. It was very good and was even better being on a date with my wife. We have plans to go back soon and do more things we did not have money or time to do. On sunday we visited the farmers market this sunday which was really cool, got some very fresh kettle corn, two different types of local cheese, farm fresh eggs, and some fudge :) Stuff is pricey but proud and locally grown, the farmers market here in coventry has won many awards. Ahhhh the good life....