lewis morris is dope

I'm no stranger to that course...though I expect it has changed since 1996

@Phil Maronilla Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out

Raced Lewis Morris Challenge in Morristown NJ yesterday. This was my first mountain bike race. Great course and fun vibe. Saw a bunch of people I've met at NJ CX races. I'd love to do more and would be stoked to have time teammates come out with me. 

The course was singletrack with a lot of climbing. It wasn't super technical as there weren't a lot of rocks, but there were lots of roots and fast twisty sections. I used my CX skills to hop the logs that were a bit too challenging for my limited mtn biker skills and 26 inch wheel bike. 

The race started like a cross race. I was third row back for the start and was quickly redlining as I was passing guys on the climbs that started immediately. I got to the back on the leaders but lost contact when I got stuck behind stragglers from the field that started before us. 

I never saw the leaders again so I wasn't sure of my placing, but I picked off riders from the prior group. A couple of guys passed me, but they were leaders from the field behind me except for a guy from Marty's (hosting club). He would distance me on the descents and I would claw back time on the climbs. 

The last 3rd of the race was mostly downhill and I lost the Marty's rider completely. He finished over a minute ahead of me in 3rd place. I finished 4th. I chatted with the Marty's rider and he told me how the course is a favorite place for him to train and he particularly loves bombing the last part. Didn't hurt that he was riding on a 29er with 3 inch tires. 

I felt I did okay for only getting a quick course recon and riding on my 14 year old full suspension bike.  The fact that it has never gotten a tune up says something about how much use it has gotten over the years. It may also explain why my chain jammed on one climb. Oops. I think I am going to use my bike much more often now, especially in preparation for CX season. Who wants to ride?

I'm your huckleberry...

@twoyacks I'm not sure what a huckleberry is, but I am hoping it doesn't involve shoes held together by gaffer tape

trying to find shoes online...Red Beard hours are tough for me...probably going to Brands in the morning...sigh

If you know your size/brand, redbeard will ship purchases to you. I know they stick Giro as well as other shoes

What Patrick said... you will not be able to beat the RedBeard price (or the awesome Giro shoes) figure it out, you won't regret it!

I will call....and yacks gigatic flat-wide Fred Flintstone feet only fit in Shimano

Dude. Sell some of that extra hair and buy yourself some new socks already.
#sockgame

@twoyacks - there are trails in Alley Pond park? How does it look?

Cunningham is better...but Alley Pond is closer to my house.  I'm trying to put together some kind of loop in Alley Pond...it's changed a little in the last 12 years

This year I've decided to start exploring some of the mountain bike trails on Long Island besides Cunningham and Stillwell. I figure I will report back here so Kissena's can decide if it is worth heading out either on a mtn or CX bike.

These past two weekends I checked out Edgewood Preserve about an hour from Brooklyn. The first time through Edgewood I got seriously lost. There are something like 18 miles of trails and I discovered you can go around in circles if you miss a marker. Unlike Stillwell and Cunningham there are no drop off, roots, logs to jump over, pump tracks, or sandy or gravely sections. There are a lot of twisty small up and downs that will test your bike handling skills. These are usually marked with yellow markers. There are also some blue and red that indicate more advanced trails.

If you go, you MUST check out section 11 it is crazy fun. This section has a lot of sweeping descents and climbs. While I did not check out all the blue and red sections, the ones I did seemed fun but not as fun as Stillwell or Cunningham in my opinion. There are a couple of unique characteristics like riding along an abandoned rail tracks (see photo below) which is best on a bike with suspension. These sections make frequent use of riding through hilly gorges where you start on one side, descend into and over the the other side and repeat. fun.

The aspect I didn't care for is that there are a lot of narrow twisty sections that go over small bumps. It was a lot like threading a needle which isn't my idea of fun on a bike. hese sections may be okay on a CX bike, but on a mtn bike I found myself hitting my bar ends on the trees.  Some of this is because I don't have enough time on a mtn bike to know how long my bars really are, but I was also riding in snow in sections which made it difficult to keep the lines I wanted. I was often sliding out and hitting the trees around me. Annoying. 

If you want to work on bike handling skills on your CX bike, this is a good place to do it. Focus on the White and Yellow trials and try out Section 11. The blue trails should be fine on a CX bike and if you want to explore further check out the Red trails. Enjoy

(ahem...)

https://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb-trails/duluth-mn-unexpected-mountain-bike-destination/

Thanks for the report, @PatrickGrehan. Keep 'em coming. Google maps shows a LIRR stop right near Edgewood. Easy access from Brooklyn for those without cars--nice. 

@MaxThorn  I thought of checking for an LIRR stop but assumed there would be none nearby. Probably not far from the Tanger Outlets which are in Deer Park. Glad I was wrong!

@Jules That looks awesome, but might be a little far for most of us ;-)

... Maybe one day

PatrickGrehan said:

@Jules That looks awesome, but might be a little far for most of us ;-)

... Maybe one day

I'm working on a Kissena pre-cx dirt destination training camp

Today I checked out the Glacier Ridge mountain bike trail in Farmingville.  I’d been out here a few years ago and liked it. Today I had a blast.

It consists entirely of sweeping turns with a lot of short climbing and descending. There are no logs or boulders or other mountain bikey obstacles. The drop offs are minimal. It’s mostly hard pack soil with well marked trails.  It’s easy to get disoriented as the routes are twisty and there are a lot of trail options but it’s easy to find the main (blue) trail and find your way back. 

These trails are perfect to work on your cornering and handling skills on a CX bike. The only time I wished for a front suspension was a short new section on that hadn’t been smoothed out yet. 

You can take the LIRR Ronkonkoma line to Medford and ride north about 15 Minutes to the trail head. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/1537239245

I’ll probably head out again on a few weeks. I’ll post to the Group Ride thread for anyone who wants to join. I can also lend out a CX or MTN bike or two. Shoot me a line if interested. 

I'm in...I'll ride the Slingshot (which is currently in the pit getting a new chain & cassette)  I also have a mtb that someone can ride.

twoyacks said:

I'm in...I'll ride the Slingshot (which is currently in the pit getting a new chain & cassette)  I also have a mtb that someone can ride.

Here we go

Cross posted with group ride Thread:

I am planning to head to Glacier Ridge for trail riding on CX or mountain bikes this Saturday at 9:30. I posted a description of this Long Island trail in the mountain bike thread a few weeks ago. The course is perfect for a CX bike. If you don’t have a CX or mountain bike I may be able to lend you one. 

You can get there by train. Either take the LIRR Ronkonkoma line to Medford and ride north about 15 Minutes to the trail head or take the Babylon line to Rockville Centre and I will pick you up and drive to the trails. 

Looking at the train schedule I see a train that gets to Medford at 9:50. There is a 7:43 train out of Atlantic Terminal that will get you to Rockville Centre at 8:35. Let me know if you’d like to join. 

Weather should be good

Yacks is in Hershey...otherwise me and my hydraulic rim brakes would have been down.

Checked out Glacier 8  - Hidden Pond mtn bike trails in Hauppauge on my CX bike today. Nice flowy trails with LOTS of climbing. You’re almost always either climbing or descending. Only a few roots to speak of and nothing too technical with the exception of a few jumps. There are easy trails as well as some more difficult (twisty town hill) trails. 

The bad news is that the overall length of the trails is pretty short so you repeat the same loops over and over. Doesn’t really justify driving out from Brooklyn except that it is adjacent to a public pool that could be fun after a ride on a scorcher. I cut my ride short after my back started protesting after 90 Minutes. I had the trails to myself, with the exception of a turtle I met on the trail. 

I didn't realize that Long Island turtles had gone to the dark side.

Kate Courtney is now on the lead of worlds with one lap to go!!!!!!! 
(nbc sports gold or red bull tv broadcasting