Rain, rain is here to stay, we’re going riding anyways!
We’ll avoid any sensitive trails this week but we’ll still get out for a rip.
6:45 at sportwheels, bring your rain gear and we’ll jet from there.
It was a good ride tonight with a fair size group of riders. We even explored a new trail out at MacDonald Park. And the rain held off. Yeah!! Tomorrow night … Women’s Group Ride.
DAY TRIP!!!
When: July 11th
Where: Links (Kentville)
The links is a trail system that beginners and advanced riders will enjoy. It combines mostly smooth single track with short sections of double track, some bridges, and of course some fast descents! A definite must visit trail!
Details:
Meet at Sportwheels 9am. Park in the back parking lot and we’ll carpool to the valley for a day of awesome riding!
Necessities:
You and your bike!
It would be wise to bring extra water, some riding food (gels, energy bars or similar), and some bug dope.
This is a great opportunity to enjoy one of the best trail systems in the province!
Mike, Eric and I won’t be on ride tonight as we have other plans. Hope to be on the ride next week. Happy riding.
Well, the rides are going quite well so far! We’ve had a steady group of regulars as well as a good mix of new riders as well. We are riding a lot of different areas and of varying skill levels. I am trying to mix it up as much as I can and am basing the rides on those who attend. It’s a very dynamic way of doing things. So, just remember to meet at the REAR parking lot of the shop at 6:30 - 6:45pm on Tuesday nights. Try to be on time so we can get the most riding time out of the night. Bring some water, and if you can a spare tube. We can help you change it, but if you have the room in a pack or baggie bring one along. And you gotta have a helmet.
Please tell your friends and co workers about it. It is the perfect way for someone who may be a little hesitant to try it on thier own or nervous or just not knowing where to go and cut those mountain biking teeth to get out and give it a try. You can have a used $89 department store jobbie from the 90’s or a high-zoot race bike and anything in between. Just remember to come on out and have fun.
And to our regulars who are out there with us now, please remember that these are family and kid friendly rides, so please be mindful of language and topics discussed. We have younger riders and even those who are older but a little gentler with us on the rides, so keep it clean, fun and try to help out with any questions the newer folks might have.
Hope to see you guys out there with more and more folks joining you!
Aaron
Aaron will be leading the charge this coming Tuesday July 20th.
I realize it’s calling for less than perfect weather but let’s take the wait and see approach. He will choose an appropriate trail if the adverse weather arrives.
Aaron, do you have an idea where you are riding tomorrow night?
Well folks, I have a nice little surprise for everybody this week! Barbara and I did some scouting and found some really nice stuff to bring the ride group out to. There are no big hills like up in Barrett’s property, the dirt road portion is smooth as silk, the double track is absolutely gorgeous and there are nice wide bridges big enough for a car. It’s even hybrid-bike-friendly! This is the ride to bring those potential newbies on to give them a very unintimidating introduction to the sport. You can ride right out to the back side of Grand Lake eventually on this trail network. If some chose to carpool from the shop, this would be a good ride to do it on. We will have a map at the store to make sure you all get there alright. We saw deer and rabbits last time we were here last night. There are two beautiful meadows to ride through, and the views are spectacular at some points. Remember to bring some water and if you can, a spare tube. And a healthy sense of adventure. It’s about a 12 to 15 miniute drive from the shop, so come on out and bring a friend or three! This won’t be a hammer fest, but you XC fire road racer-types would love to check it out so you can put it on your list of sweet spots to ride. See you tomorrow night!
Aaron
It sounds good Aaron. Looking forward to checking out a new trail.
So it was an eventful ride last night. Lots of people and a new trail for me. Just before the first hill, I was gearing down when my chain got stuck … fixed that. Then we are riding through this grassy area, my front wheel goes down into a rut and down I go. Apparently I wasn’t the only one. I get up and back on the bike and we carry on. I enjoyed the ride and was pleased with climbing the hills. We get back to the vehicles and that’s when I discovered that I had lost the key to Eric’s vehicle. He has two vehicles; I was driving one as I picked up Jeremy and the bikes, and Eric was coming from the Valley in the other vehicle. I felt terrible. It was too late to go back and look for the key but I figured it must have fallen out of my hydration pack where I fell. I was relieved to know that Eric did have a spare key at home. So we piled the three bikes into the vehicle he was driving and we had a plan to look for it after supper on Wednesday night. Aaron offered to help as well. Tonight, we were five minutes from arriving at the manor when we received a call from Aaron saying he found the key in the spot where I fell. We met him in the parking lot behind the manor. Many thanks to Aaron for his willingness to help … and answered prayer.
nice work Aaron… great to have people like you in the cycling community
This coming Tuesday August 3rd, I will be in Gore preparing for Gorefest.
I invite anyone who would like to join me in a Preride of the course to meet me at the farm anytime after 5pm. If you would like to car pool meet at the shop in Sackville about 5:45 - 6pm so we can take advantage of the sun.
Aaron will be still available for a local ride at the regular time of 6:45 from the shop.
Clarification:
I realize that anyone coming up to ride Gore will be delayed as most work til 5ish. I’d say that 6-630 will give more time for people to make it to Gore.
Feel free to contact me by email, phone or message if you will be up and we’ll work it out!
CyclingGirl and I will be at the shop for 6PM.
You betcha!
Well … we had a good ride at Gore last night. That is some sweet singletrack where we first entered. I had some moments of brilliance, as I like to call them, and some walking. I would really like to do that first loop two or three times and I’m sure I would be even better at it. Part of the issue for me is getting use to the trail and relaxing into it. There was a fair number of people out as well which was nice to see. Anyone participating this weekend at Gorefest, have an awesome time.
Well … we had a good ride at Gore last night. That is some sweet singletrack where we first entered. I had some moments of brilliance, as I like to call them, and some walking. I would really like to do that first loop two or three times and I’m sure I would be even better at it. Part of the issue for me is getting use to the trail and relaxing into it. There was a fair number of people out as well which was nice to see. Anyone participating this weekend at Gorefest, have an awesome time.
great to ride new stuff forces you to learn new techniques and keep improving as a rider
I’d love to see some new stuff added to the course - I suspect I’ve done well over 100 laps of that course in its various forms over the years and although I still love it, I sure wouldn’t be opposed to a change of scene!
^^ are you and troy up for a casual lap saturday after the skills clinic ?
Maybe, Matt, depends what time we’re done. We have to head home and feed dogs and have supper before we come back for the evening but if the clinic doesn’t go to late then I’m all for a spin!