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Prep

The VT 400k is this Saturday. We’ll have 9+ starters for a 258 mile loop around VT, taking in some of the nicest roads from Waterbury to Putney and back. I’ve been in prep mode – bike, route, cues, brevet cards, etc. The route is spectacular – scenic, hilly, twisty fun descents (after twisty climbs) and following some of my favorite roads in northern and southern Vermont. Our halfway point is the West Hill Shop, in my old stomping grounds of Putney. The shop is celebrating their 40th anniversary – so we’ll be able to drop in on good food and cheer as we pass the 200k mark.

I’m in fast (relative!) touring mode for this ride so I mounted up the Ortlieb bags on the IF.

Also had to recoat the Showers Pass jacket! So much rain here this spring…

Been tweaking the Fargo and using it for errands and early morning rides. Loving the ride so far, need to find a sweet spot on position for singletrack and gravel / dirt roads.

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Fargo

Some snaps of the new Fargo. She was christened on a rainy 45 mile paved, dirt, mud, and trail ride last Sunday. Only way that seemed fitting was to get her dirty. No pics from the ride worth posting – these are from a tour of the local parks.

Stock everything at the moment. Cables are long and steerer is tall while awaiting the wider of the Woodchipper bars. Still working on position. The current pics show a great dirt road / mild trail setup. If this were to be single track only I’d rotate the levers down to make the drops my primary position.

Not sold on the Thudbuster – have to put it through its paces to see how it shakes out on my normal rides. Certainly nice on there for singletrack, although it is odd that I have some cush on the rear and nothing up front…

Really enjoying the SRAM 2×10 drivetrain. Pleasantly surprised, and if money weren’t an issued I think I’d replace the Campy on the IF with the Red or Rival group.

Long range plans include a tubeless wheelset with a dyno up front to run a Supernova E3 and a custom frame bag. I may move over a Brooks or decent WTB. So far the stock saddle is unremarkable but comfortable.

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Expansion

Continues. Strawberry and blueberry bushes, apple tree, pear tree, and way more dirt than I want to move to the backyard.

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Something new…

3 or more years in the making…

Quiver is now full. IF, Fargo, Pugsley.
(although I do miss a SS/FG bike…)

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Pugsley in the Woods

Been enjoying some mellow time letting my lungs recovered from some lingering affects of asthma. A new round of meds wiped me out for the better part of a week. Feeling human again I’ve been riding early morning laps in the local woods -the high trails are dry and nearly 90% ready for summer riding, with only a short stretch that I’ve been walking. The lower trails are another story – the standing water has disappeared over the last few days, but things are still wet and mucky, and some folks have been riding and widening a few sections of trail which is only serving to prolong the drying out (and damaging the single track hidden within the deep mud!).

I’ve been staying out of the wet sections, but the pugs floats over soft soil. Comparing my track to those that have come before on skinny tires is enlightening. The fat tires at low pressure seem to groom and heal up deep ruts that are left by ‘normal’ sized tires.

I do miss the Soma though. Nothing like a singlespeed for a quiet time in the woods. I was surprised at how loud the chain can be when bouncing along through the woods… and of course the Soma was a good 10 pounds lighter than the pugs.

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Greg’s 300k

Greg has a great post up about his first 300k… he took a ton of photos too (and I snagged these two from him).

Water water everywhere. This was Greg’s first 300k. He did his first 200k on last year’s Lake Champlain ride – pedaling his old converted mountain bike 130 miles in 95 degree temps. The reward for finishing that ride – his new Surly Pacer, which he used to complete the 300k.

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VT 300k Underway

The VT Lake Champlain 300k is underway… and I’m a DNF.

My ideal Friday plan of working, wrenching, and prepping for the ride turned into a marathon session wearing my organizer hat. Due to our almost great lake being well over record flood levels (and still rising) I had to do an emergency recon of the course yesterday. This meant a bike ride to the airport to grab a car rental followed by a 188 mile drive around the course + about 40 bonus miles added on to scout alternates. The first half of the course was easy to re-work, but 140 miles into the ride we had significant potentials to strand / trap riders with flooded roads – and no easy way to either rescue folks and sag them back or provide realistic, dry, and safe alternates. After consulting the NY DOT and VT AOT and not being assured 2 key roads and a ferry would be 100% operational if water levels continued to rise – we worked up a solution to continue the ride on a modified out and back course. This is a bit sad as some of the more challenging (and scenic) terrain had to be left out – but it is a great compromise to keep everyone safe, allow us to continue the event, and take advantage of the great weather today.

Once we had a solution I needed to make it happen. Multiple course changes to avoid flooding had me creating new cue sheets and brevet cards from scratch to account for the flood detours. And I re-cabled the IF on Thursday – so I still needed to wrap the bars. My Friday went from modest and relaxed to frenzied and stressed. I think I finally turned out the lights at midnight. The alarm rang at 3:15 so I could be at the start by 4:15.

I signed 9 riders in, handed out updated cues and cards, and sent everyone off. I tagged along at the back hoping to make it about 30 miles in to one of my favorite cafe stops where I could eat, get some coffee, and have a clear(er) head to decide how to proceed. I made it to the first minor uphill, maybe 4 miles into the course, and my elevated heart rate was very noticeable. I then went into a wheezing asthma attack.

So, I rolled it back to the start and hung out in case any stragglers arrived, then made my way home to rest. Greg has since called in that he was just leaving our planned breakfast stop – and aside from the wind (it will be a tailwind in 15 more miles) – he was having a great blue sky day. Wil is a bit further up the course at the first control and he’s annoyed with the wind – taking longer to cover the 51 miles than he thought. The wind will likely keep blowing this morning which will mean a tail wind to the turn around control. Hopefully it will die down this afternoon.

I’m envious and a bit sad that I’m not out on the course – but very thankful I was able to make this go for everyone who put in effort to get here and ride our VT events. As I learned last season – riding and organizing doesn’t seem to mix very well…

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Swamp Thing

Local trails, drying out. Areas that are wet will likely stay tacky through the summer. The real wet is on the two track and dirt road that was flooded in the Intervale, where most of this mess came from.