A Good Call

I did a road ride up to Jamesport today and I can say without a doubt that not riding yesterday was the right decision.  Leaving Chillicothe the gravel roads didn't look too bad but the further north I went there was more snow that was lingering and the rest that had melted was making the ditches and creeks run strong.  A couple spots the ditches had so much water that it overflowed and spilled over the road.  The gravel roads were still very wet and lots of muddy stuff, would have been rough on the bikes.

At The Mercy (Or No Mercy) Of The Weather

I hate to post this as this is the second year that we are (hopefully) postponing our annual ride, we will look into a future date but with so many other rides out now we will have to see.  The current forecast for Saturday is looking really good for temps but with the all day of rain on this past Saturday and roughly 8" of snow the roads are looking to be a sludge/mud mess.  We started this ride to be a challenging fun ride but with these conditions we are afraid the challenge will be keeping your bike functional by the end, to much of an opportunity to ruin a drive train and that is no fun.  I took my fat bike out Saturday and it was a sloppy slushy nasty ride, I had a truck pass me and sprayed me with slush and it froze to my shoes and pant leg (looked like I blew my nose all over myself...not a bad look for me).

Below is the email that Doug sent out to the Green Hills Group.

I hate to say it but Chucky can't see his shadow because he's either looking in a snowdrift or a puddle.

 

I hope Chucky can swim.

 

I can take cold and dry.  I can take cold and snow.  I can take warm and dry.  What I can't take are roads that resemble puddles and mud holes.  Momma nature just keeps playing with my "mojo" with all this extreme temp changes.  Throw in 8 inches of snow, two days of thaw, 2 days of deep freeze and new snow.  Forecast is for warming Friday and Saturday.  I rode 30 miles of gravel/lime sludge on Tuesday and it was anything but fun and I spent two hours cleaning my bike and washing clothes.  That lime sludge is death to a drive train.

Chucky's Challenge was created to be a challenging, but fun, ride in the winter to encourage training in the winter and get excited about spring.  Riding in wet muck is not in the spirit of the created ride. 

Chucky's is not happening Saturday.  I'd say let's do it the following weekend but there is another gravel ride planned for that weekend.

We can keep an eye on the future weather and peek at the Gravel Grind schedule and see if we can find a weekend to reschedule.  I'll keep you posted when I know more.

Looks like we are getting some warm temps this weekend.  Maybe a road ride, but forget the gravel/sludge.

 

Doug

Checking Gravel

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a few days, I was out of town and this is my first chance to get something on here.  Doug has been monitoring gravel conditions in and around Jamesport, the gravel changes daily especially this time of year.  He is waiting until Thursday of next week to have a final route as we want to offer the best ride available.  As a gravel rider you know there are a lot of different scenarios as far as amount of gravel on the road and more importantly the size of gravel put down.  We would like to avoid the "MONSTER" gravel that tends to show up this time of year but that can't be guaranteed.  We have had years in the past that the  roads were perfect early Friday when the course was marked and the next day at the ride we encountered new thick gravel but sometimes you just have to roll with it.

We look forward to everyone coming up next Saturday, Feb 7th for our annual Chucky's Challenge which will start at 10:00 a.m.

Great Weather

Boy today is another great January day, in the 60's yesterday and the upper 50's today with little to no wind and plenty of sunshine.  A small group of us got out yesterday and got a great gravel ride in, most of the roads were blazing fast with one exception and that road was full of new gravel and wasn't my favorite section.  We have been watching the weather, below is our weather app.

 We didn't encounter very much traffic on our ride which is pretty common, I have been hoping to see this vehicle out while out riding but I haven't come across it yet.  I hear that driver is stoned most of the time, but I can't confirm that.

 You ever do any day dreaming while your riding?

Oh um, er um...me neither.

Groundhog Training

How is your training going?

Is the force strong with you?

I talked to this fur ball the other day about helping us maintain a section of our trail at Indian Creek, he is getting his equipment all ready.

Don't forget, we have more than just gravel in our neck of the woods.  We have a some pretty sweet single track at Poosey Conservation Area which is very near Jamesport.  Just something to keep in mind this spring/summer if you are looking for another place to ride.

There are several sections for you to enjoy but the Bobcat loop has it's name because Doug came around a corner and there was a family of Bobcats in the trail.  You never know what you are going to see while your out on the trail.

 

Chucky's Challenge is coming, Saturday Feb 7th 2015!

Light Snowfall

We did receive about 1-2 inches of snow last night, not that much but enough to get the team out and clear the roads.

Wasn't long after that there was some pace lines forming, it's all about teamwork.

After all the fun outdoors there is nothing like a hot home cooked meal.

Ready To Shed A Few?

Wow, now that the holidays are over I know I am feeling a little...swollen.  Wait a minute, I felt like that before the holidays.

 

Don't make this your theme song:

 

 

Now is the perfect time to get out and get some gravel grinding in, hey it might help me....I mean somebody shed a few unwanted yearend pounds.

 

Chucky's is right around the corner, Saturday February 7, 2015!