My son, who was 15 at the time, wanted me to go with him for a bike race at Ole Bull state park in Potter County, PA. I thought, “Why not!?” Camping with my son, time to talk, a bike ride, and enjoy.” As we got there we pulled up next to a guy that looked approximately my age with a small foreign SUV and a bike worth more than his car (according to my son.) As we lowered our tailgate and I grabbed my Huffy he really gave me an odd and amusing look. Especially after I put the kickstand down.
The race is called the Midnight Maddness. You start at 12:00 noon with something called a LeMans start. The race is over at midnight that same day. Your results are based on how fast you do the 12 mile circuit and how many laps you do. Now my competitive juices are kicking in. In my age group 40-50 yrs. old there are about 7 of us, including the guy in the small SUV with the expensive bike. Knowing I was not going to be the fastest I decided to bet on multiple laps. As we started and everyone took off I laid back and just went an average speed. Approximately 3 hours later I finished the first circuit and took a look at the leader board. I was 6th out of 7. I went and got hydrated (I didn’t have a water bottle on my Huffy). I noticed the guy with the expensive bike in his tent only a few spots from ours. I checked out his number and realized he was in 3rd place. It didn’t look as if he was going to make another circuit. I think he may have been tired from constantly pumping air in and out of his tires. Why he did this was beyond me. I decided I was good for another lap, which I did at a leisurely pace.
The next day was the awards ceremony. I rode my Huffy over and put my kickstand down, not realizing at some events they actually have (Huffy tosses). As they got to my age group they called my name for 3rd place. My strategy worked! Remember the guy with the expensive bike? He HAD been in 3rd but my extra lap made the difference.
As we put the tailgate down to throw the Huffy in, the guy with the small SUV and the expensive bike gave me again an odd but amusing look.
Do you have an activity on your bucket list that you have wanted to do since you were a kid, but something has always been in the way of you completing it? For me, it was riding a full out-and-back of the Ghost Town Trail.
Prior to June 2018, I only had ridden sections of the trail. I would put limits on myself like time, mileage, lack of company, and ill equipped bicycles or gear. The furthest I ever would ride was 10-15 miles before telling myself I need to turn around because it would put me back at my car in just the right amount of time. Ride from one trail stop to the next 3, and turn around. I had other things that needed to be completed for the day.
The first time I experienced the GTT, I was around 5 years old and it consisted of me riding over a brown snake, screaming, and wrecking while my grandma watched in dismay. I made it 3 miles (round trip) that day, nowhere near our family’s goal of 6 miles out (12 round trip) to the Eliza Furnace in Vintondale, PA. Time had passed and our family tried the trek again, same goal, and this time we had success.
The Ghost Town Trail (GTT) is part of the CCCRA trail system in Cambria and Indiana counties of Pennsylvania. It has been recognized as the 2020 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year, a pretty spectacular achievement for this geographic region! If you want a beautiful scenic view as you ride, this is one of the trails you must put on your list. All seasons, it has something to look forward to. Streams and bridges, coal country history, natural beauty & wild life, and small towns, this trail will offer it. The GTT’s main system is 32 miles in length, stretching from Ebensburg, PA to Saylor Park in Blairsville, PA. (If you are riding from Ebensburg to Blairsville, make note that you will be riding down the grade.) There are extensions off the trail, and the association continues to add more each year with grants and funding. The CCCRA does a great job with these trails and maintenance. They have mile markers, restrooms, and picnic areas all along the trails. They have maps and visitor info at the multiple trail heads with plenty of room for parking. Check out this link for more info from the CCCRA on the GTT and other trails: http://www.cambriaconservationrecreation.com/ghost-town-trail/#
So how/why did I finally manage to do this full 64 mile ride at the beginning of June 2018? All the pieces just fell together. I had been riding more miles thru the spring. I made a list in my head of things that could go wrong and none of it seemed like it couldn’t be managed. I had a bike and gear that would complete the task without being too strenuous on me. I had a like-minded friend enthused to do the trek: The birthday boy Nick! I made the time do it, with no limits on when I needed to be done for the day. We parked a vehicle at each end of the trail, Ebensburg and Saylor Park. In case we had any issues with flat tires, fatigue, or injury, we had an out if needed. Thankfully we didn’t have any serious ride-ending issues. Our plan: start at Saylor Park, ride up the grade to Ebensburg, and then ride back down the grade to Saylor Park. Overall the grade gradually changes 1120ft beginning to end. You don’t really notice the change. We kept with an average speed of 12.5mph overall. Going up the grade we tried to keep the speed average around 12, and coming back down we tried for 15mph avg. I think the top speed I had was 20mph for a short period. With Nick’s bike and physique, his top speed was 30mph. We completed the ride in 5 hours.
Gear for this chick:
2013 Fuji Traverse 1.3 ST (hybrid bicycle), Five Ten cycling shoes, crankbrothers hybrid pedals, helmet, water bottle containing 50:50 Gatorade and water, honey stinger chews and energy gels, peanut butter and banana sandwich, peanut butter and PICKLE sandwich, Ozark Trail hydration backpack, biking padded shorts (a must), IPhone 6s, wireless headphones, charging pack for phone, Garmin Forerunner35 watch, hand pump, multi tool.
Gear review: First off, for any long ride, run down the gear list with your buddy. Compare what you both have and see that you’re not over carrying or missing anything. My bike was great for this trek, but with a hybrid, you settle for average at times. I had to exert more energy to keep pace with Nick on his road bike. But it was definitely less work and energy than if I had been on my 10-speed Mt. Climber (Walmart) bicycle I purchased when I was 8 years old. Riding long miles, especially on a rails-to-trails system is way more comfortable with clip-in pedals. To be able to not only push down but pull up on the pedals helps increase your efficiency of the ride. Making sure you have plenty of hydration and caloric recovery resources will help before, during the trek, and after you finish. You are going to burn the calories on these long treks. The chews, energy gels, drinks, and sandwiches were light and plenty to carry for the ride. We also had more food and drinks in the vehicles at half-way and end, so we weren’t carrying it all. Pickles and pickle juice are great recovery for any physical activity. Padded shorts will save your butt, literally! I’m not saying you need a pillow, but if you’re riding with the standard seat, having some cushion between it and your behind will make a big difference. The multi-tool came in handy for making minor adjustments for a more enjoyable ride. It’s important to listen to your body on every journey, because every ride will be different. Personally on this trek, 10 miles in, I could feel my right hip flexor straining as we rode. We stopped, I dropped the seat slightly and from there on out, no pain in my hip. Easy fix, but if I hadn’t made the adjustment I could have seriously injured myself. You can’t always tell how a trail surface is going to feel until you’re actually on it. Tire pressure is something that may likely need adjusted to make a more enjoyable ride. Prior to a ride, I usually have more air in them than needed. I start the ride, feel how it’s going and let out air as needed to adjust to the surface. Sometimes though the surface changes mid-ride and you would benefit from increased tire pressure. Hello hand pump! Make the adjustments and go. Having the phone with the Strava app, and the Garmin Forerunner35 was good to see our cadence throughout. It’s not needed, but it helps.
If you are an average individual like me, be prepared for DOMS: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It hits you 24-48 hours after a vigorous activity. We did this ride on a Saturday and it hit me that Monday after the ride. My calves, quads, hamstrings, back, abs, and arms screamed at me for 4 days. But it was soooo worth it to finally do this ride.
Ever get an idea to jump on your bike and pound some long miles? Be it dirt or road, preparedness can make or break your trip. After personally completing a few gran fondos, gravel days, racking up miles crossing states and even circling the Hawaiian island Oahu I feel qualified to suggest these simple yet oftentimes overlooked tips. And while these tips are true for almost any ride, they very much matter on longer distance journeys!
1. Know your capabilities– Don’t just jump in with plans of putting on 50 miles if you have only ever pedaled around the block until now, plan your trip for completion and within your personal physical limits. Riding across the USA sounds amazing, but physical and mental strength definitely need to be earned to complete such a journey. Pushing yourself for longer distances is a good thing, but don’t go cliff diving, step up small so you don’t run in to burnout or even worse injury.
2. Have a plan– Any long trip should be backed with an escape plan, a meeting place, an exit route, or even a friend waiting at a 1/2 way point to boost your spirits. When possible always ride with a friend or group, this can greatly reduce the chance of injury in case of an accident, and accidents can happen! In this modern day, not carrying a cell phone would be ridiculous to say the least, cell service is available pretty much everywhere these days so calling for a ride when you break a chain can prevent a long walk in the rain on a cold dark night, and who doesn’t want to post about their trip in real time to social media- Insta or it didn’t happen! Not only carrying a phone, but letting someone reliable know when and where you are going is also a great idea.
3. Know your route– Carrying over from step 2 make sure you know the route you are taking, and also is your bike capable of this route, barreling down paved backroads on your roadie only to end up on pothole filled dirt can make for highly uncomfortable miles, Plan your route around your equipment, you don’t take rollerblades to the ski slope! If off roading/single track, try to find out before you ride what kind of trails to expect, this can also help with initial bike setup and make trail miles happen more smoothly with less stops for tire pressure/ shock adjustments
4. Hydration– Running out of water with 60 miles to go is a real buzz kill. When road riding this isn’t normally a very large issue as gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores and restaurants are found dotted all over the map almost anywhere you go. When mountain/gravel/trail riding, this can be a big issue as at times the closest place to grab some water might be hours away, a clean running stream is a good second choice if you have a water filter or bleach tablets, just practice using either and I prefer to carry both, ripping a filter sucks, but water purification tablets can be had for cheap and take up barely any room in a pack or bag. A good rule is to carry 1.5 times the water you plan to use before your next water stop, Then if the weather turns warm there should be no worry of making it to your next water stop and still have a buffer. Cycling for extended hours can really take a toll on hydration, carrying some electrolyte replacement can be a life saver, Gatorade, PowerAde, drink mixes, honey, pickles, power gels etc.. There are many options Find out what works for your body and your taste, and a 100 mile gran fondo is not the place to try a new energy gel.
5. Be Ready for breakdowns– If you have biked for any length of time, you know the importance of having that patch kit or master link when needed, however, the further you plan on going from access to more parts or bike shops, the more you should pack with you. If running tubeless tires be sure you are able to reseat a bead on the trail if needed and have a proper hand pump or cO2 for re-inflation. On the road be sure your hand pump is capable of the higher pressures normally seen on road bike tires. A patch kit is lite and small to carry but, do you know how to use it? While tubeless technology has come a long way with materials and sealants, carrying a tube zip tied to your frame can save the day if a flat ends up in sidewall or rim damage. Carry a proper multi-tool like THIS and Tire Levers. Some tire and rim brands mix very well and tools are not needed, and others are so tight you swear they sent you a 27.5 tire to squeeze over a 29er rim. The market is flooded with multi tools and gadgets, buy one of high quality and one that contains the proper sizes for the bolts/screws on your bike, this is a great generalization as tools to carry from a road bike can differ from tools needed on a mountain ride. A tool had, is a tool not needed, a tool needed is an end to the ride and nobody wants that.
6. Equipment condition– Did you just ride your roadie on 30 miles of gravel and without even looking at it and head out to pound on the road miles, or did you just head down 5 miles of railroad tracks on your trail bike to get to that sweet sweet single track, either way a before and after ride inspection is always a good idea. Bikes take a beating it’s amazing they handle what they do, a little maintenance here can go a long way. Vibration is the biggest culprit of equipment failure, bolts get loose which can result in threads being worn and components being loose, loose components can cause frame damage, component failure or total loss of control! If you are not comfortable with bike maintenance and adjustments yourself have a qualified friend or bike shop check your bike for you. Losing a derailleur screw at even the beginning of a ride can make for a lousy weekend of parts searching when most bike shops are closed, having spare parts or a backup bike can make all the difference. When preparing for a long ride, check things you might normally overlook, are you tires aged and cracked? Is your chain stretched beyond useable service? Are your gears wore thin from miles and miles of shifting? Are your shoes up to the task? Maybe now is the time to fix that clicking bottom bracket or replace those pedals that no longer spin smooth. The more you and your equipment are prepared, the better chance you have at not only completing, but enjoying every ride you experience.
1. Don’t wear new shoes. A long hike is not the time to break in new shoes, socks, underwear, new anything really. You don’t want to be 6 miles away from your car and realize you can feel the seam in your new socks and your undies are 100% wedgie-fiable.
2. Don’t carry too much weight! 20% of your body weight is plenty, especially if you haven’t been working on Preparing for Your First Hike.
3. Do research water sources! Read books, blogs, trail guides, call state parks etc.
4. Make sure someone knows your itinerary, when to expect you back, and who they need to call if you don’t make contact.
5. Carry warmer clothes than what you think you need.
6. Carry more calories than what you think you need.
7. Are you in bear country? Practice hanging your food bag before you go and know what to do if you see Smokey.
8. Speaking of Smokey…make sure it is safe to have a back country fire and IF it is practice fire building before you go…and in the rain.
9. Take a friend! Introduce someone to the outdoors or take an experienced hiker and learn even more!
10. Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace. And be a rock star and pick up any trash you see!
The more prepared you are the more enjoyable experience you will have. Although, sometimes even the best laid plans fall short…but that’s for a different post.
“Fill your life with adventure, have stories to tell, not stuff to show”
Ellicottville, New York sits in the south west of the state, home to Holliday Valley ski Resort and some rather intense mountain biking trails. Ski resorts are rather empty during the warmer months with general maintenance and new trail building being the only real activity on the mountain, but if you know where to look, biking possibilities are everywhere. Holliday Valley and Holimont are both open for biking however ski lifts are not available for you gravity junkies. IMBA provides an “IMBA EPIC” single track loop of about 29 miles consisting of highly technical rocky single track, a few flowy sections and some gravity experiences up and down. My personal riding experience found the IMBA trail to be rather poorly marked in some transition areas and road crossings, however there are plenty more trails that are not part of the loop to make for a very enjoyable ride.
Parking at Holimont and riding uphill and then across the ridge to Holliday Valley and down Holliday Valleys DH trail proved to be a good mix of climb and descend for a morning ride, the downhill is mild enough for almost any bike above department store grade. My bike for the day was and is my current favorite hardtail, a Salsa Timberjack, this bike is a mix of climb all day, gravel grind or hang it on the lift and slope style down.
Staying just on the two ski resorts was plenty of trail for the morning miles, and the ground itself was kind to my trail dog “Bruce”. After a quick snack and van relocation, I found myself at the top of the ski area in a parking lot on a dirt road at the intersection of the IMBA single track. Mcarthy hill road is just south of Holliday Valley and is the access road to this parking area (42.248878,-78.677196). Pushing forward the single track quickly crossed the top end of the ski resort in and out of the woods. The trailforks app as well as MTB project app both have all of these trails marked very well and the app even allows you to download the map for offline use!
Van camping was easily accepted in the parking area of Holliday Valley across from the golf course, and I believe they offer electric hookup as there were a few others enjoying the parking lot. From the traffic seen on the trails, my opinion is this is an easily overlooked mtb destination, I don’t feel a need to keep it a secret but it is definitely worth mentioning as a mtb location for your bucket list. Nice trails, Ellicottville brewing company for an after ride brew and food, and no hassle van parking made for a very enjoyable very frugal trip!
It’s time to get ready for that first spring time hike! You have the gear, you have the trail picked out, but do you have the strength and endurance to carry yourself the distance! Being prepared for outdoor adventuring is more than just a trip to your local sporting goods store, take some time in these cold winter months to prepare for that first wonderfully muddy hike to the summit and be able to enjoy the views without aching quads and calves!
Before jumping in its important to know a few things about exercise programs…THERE IS NO ONE SIZE FITS ALL (unlike your garbage bag rain parka). Tailor the following program to your level to get the most benefit. You can increase the “hardness” of a workout in 4 ways Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type or the FITT principle…(sorry don’t think you’re going to get a post from a doctor of physical therapy without a little science thrown in)…
FREQUENCY: how often you do the exercise or exercise program
INTENSITY: how hard an exercise is, increase weight, increase reps, or increase sets
TIME: increase the time spent doing 1 exercise, cardio session, or exercise program
TYPE: endurance, strengthening, flexibility
When hiking you will (mainly) use all the muscles of your legs (glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves), your core (abs and back muscles) and your cardiovascular system. When completing an exercise program for hiking endurance we are going to focus on increasing weight to the weight of your pack and increasing reps…more reps=more miles.
10 exercises to keep you on the trails and out of my office
Squat with lateral resistance
exercise band around thighs right above knees, feet shoulder width apart sit butt back and don’t let knees move too forward beyond toes
Split leg squat or lunge
Step one foot forward and lower pelvis knees in 90-90 position can do walking or static lunges
Dead lift
Start with no weight, when using your pack for weight take it off and lift it in front of you like a kettle bell
Calf raises (standing and sitting)
Standing targets the gastric to target the oft forgotten soleus sit and do calf raises with some weight on your thighs
Lateral Lunge/squat
Step sideways and squat
Forward single leg step down
Starting with a 4-6 inch step (stand on a stack of books, pile of blankets, or your bottom step) step down and touch your heel to the step/floor below then lift back up without shifting weight down
Lateral Single leg step down
Stand sideways on step and lower heel to ground lift back up without shifting weight, don’t let your stance knee collapse inward, if it is collapsing inward only lower as far as you can control the stance knee
Step-up
Use a pot or coffee table or chair or stairs, step up and “power through and bring opposite leg up to waist height
Plank with variations
Plank on elbows, plank on forearms if your butt dips or your “hanging” on your shoulders, you’ve fatigued take a break and start again
Good Morning
Similar to a deadlift, but keep your pack on your back
Do 5 of the above exercises 2 days a week and the other 5 exercise 2 days a week (moderate days), 1 day a week do all 10 for 1 set for as many reps as you can (hard day). Start your moderate days with 10-12 reps x 2-3 sets if 12 reps is too easy for YOU increase by 2-5 reps or add a 4th set. Start with no weight for 1-2 weeks. Add weight every 1-2 weeks as your body feels able. Like I said there is no cookie cutter pattern to follow.
Adding weight: if you are 8 weeks out from your planned hike and are planning to carry a 30Lb pack add roughly 4 lbs a week to your pack for your workouts.
Go for a walk or a run 3-5 days a week and take a rest day as needed! Even in shape thru-hikers take a 0 day every now and then. Pay attention to your body and seek a professional’s opinion for any concerns!
Pictures to follow
Casey
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