M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[UMStan White]

even I have to agree that's a Heh!

[lineygoblue]

Only thing that is missing is the streamers from the handlebars ...

[Rob F]

talent prefers to plug his streamers into other available holes

[THE_WIZARD_]

heh

[hack]

Post of the Year.

[Optimus Prime]

Yesterday I decided to do my third century ride of the year. This one is arguably the hardest organized single day ride in Ohio. 90 miles of up and down --gads of climbing -- before a merciful bike path finish. The day started at 7:30am -- cold as an MFer. Dismally gray. The heavens spitting a bit; unable to draft without getting soaked. By the time the sun emerged we were heading straight into a 15-20mph wind which, after 70+ miles, was a mulekick to the jewels. My brother and I managed to finish with an average in the mid-17s which was a small miracle considering my legs were junk at mile 50.

Nearly 6 hours of suffering. And I missed watching Ohio State play yesterday. I think I came out way ahead. I'd bike up Mt. Everest if it meant I could avoid watching them get shutout by MSU next weekend. Bah.

Better than Everest.......

Talent, if you ever grow tired of tangling with the horse-drawn Amish on the back roads of Ohio, try Moab, Utah, some of the best in the world. My brother and I flew from Miami to Denver, rented an SUV and drove to Moab, Utah. “The Whole Enchilada” is a must, my bro and I stopped on the RIM for photo op, 1000 feet to river valley below.



Arguably one of the top mountain bike trails on the planet. Linking up several Moab favorites, this trail spans almost 30 miles and has a cumulative descent of over 8,000 feet. over 27 miles downhill descending over 8,000 feet while navigating through 4 climate zones.
The beauty of this ride is not just the sheer scale of it - but its diversity. Starting in high alpine forest at Burro Pass, the ride transitions to aspens, high desert and finishes off plummeting down to the Colorado River on exposed singletrack.

The VIMEO link is 11 minutes long but worth viewing!

[ame="http://vimeo.com/32878878"]The Whole Enchilada: Top to Bottom - Moab, Utah on Vimeo[/ame]

http://vimeo.com/tag:wholeenchilada

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/120339128

[hack]

I generally hate bikes and biking. Bikes are awkward and uncomfortable contraptions with greasy chains that like to bite my ankles. Plus mountain biking is such an injuries-certain activity, and I've always felt that that's not worth the risk unless it's your main sport. If you'd rather be paddling or climbing, don't take yourself out of the game for the season cause you spent an afternoon dicking around doing something you love less.

That said, it's pretty much the ideal speed at which to move along in nature, and I'm thinking of giving this a second try. Still -- I hate those fucking seats and I hate being hunched over like that.

OP what I've always wanted to do is to bike the Keys -- not mountain biking of course, but when I lived down there and did the drive a lot it seemed for certain that on a bike, with the opportunity to go slower and duck down some of those side streets, lots of interesting things would be found.

[Optimus Prime]

Sure hack, Key West is very "doable" on foot as well. Cyclists actually bike US 1 (Overseas Highway) all the way down from Key Largo to Key West , which is insane. The route is very congested and burdened with serious traffic every weekend making it most dangerous.

[iam416]

Hack:

Buy a pair of bike shorts. They help a ton. And ease into it. 15 miles. 20 miles. 25 miles. Being comfortable on the bike is, honestly, a huge initial barrier. But once you're able to ride for 2 hours in relative comforat -- without your ass aching or back hurting -- you're pretty much good for any ride. I got back into it last summer, and the first time I went 35 I felt like dying. Legs were fine, but good god did the last 5 miles of just being on the bike hurt. Now, I can do 100 and it's not an issue -- though my back may develop a mild ache around 90 or so.

Anyway, I really like it. As you said, though, it's about doing an exercise you prefer. I prefer it. Great weigh to stay fit. 3,000+ miles logged for the year! Though, unfortunately, the season is almost at close.

OP:

That looks cool. I don't mountain bike at the moment. My brother-in-law trains on both. He's in Charlottesville and took me up one of his mountain bike climbs in his SUV. Great route; lots of suffering. Next year I'm doing an "HC" climb with him (and my brother) in Virginia. That should be an hour of pure suffering....well, maybe only 45 minutes...the first part of the climb is mild grade before the 9-15% finishing 5 miles.

[iam416]

This is just too great

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da6K0a5RPUA"]The Dark Meyer Rises - YouTube[/ame]

[hack]

Bike shorts help, eh? Maybe I'll look into that.

[iam416]

Yes, they come with padding, of varying quality, sewn into the shorts. A must have.

[hack]

Sure hack, Key West is very "doable" on foot as well. Cyclists actually bike US 1 (Overseas Highway) all the way down from Key Largo to Key West , which is insane. The route is very congested and burdened with serious traffic every weekend making it most dangerous.

Don't see why. Most of those cars aren't going very much faster than a bike might anyways. (I exaggerate, but you get my point. Nobody's on that road to get anywhere fast. When in doubt, IMO, take up the whole lane and fuck 'em all. Transporation is a zero-sum game anyways...)

[whodean]

OlieO announces they are going to discontinue scheduling MAC teams in order to bolster their strength of schedule? Good move, hope UM does too.

[WM Wolverine]

Doesn't seem to hurt the Big XII to schedule nothing but cupcakes.