Friday, May 13, 2011
Cover Shot!
Check Out my latest cover shot for Get Out There Mag of my Sister Emily Batty riding some trails in 3rox.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
You want me to cross that!
Big day in the saddle yesterday exploring the intricate network of logging roads north of Sudbury. The riding was actually fantastic! I had been planning on going into the Ishpatina ridge via the overland route for a few years. The other day I was telling Ryan Atkins about it and he was keen to join me! Sweet! We decided to giver a go early in the season before our lives would be threatened by black flies and Mosquitos. I also had a sneaking suspicion that the water levels may be above the norm for this time of year. Either way it was going to be a good day of training and exploring future route possibilities.
We Drove up Tuesday afternoon and arrived as far as my Matrix would go. We got stopped by a 200m stretch of overflowed river that had the road ahead of us under some serious water. We set camp 24km off the "paved" road (hardly that). We were roughly still 46.5km away from the point at which we were going to be dropping our bikes then only 7 more km's of hiking/running/bushwacking to the summit of Ontario!
We awoke at sun up the next morning with a good frost covering the tent and car. It was a chilly night for May 4th but the sky was clear and the day looked to be great! We hit the trail peddling our bikes at exactly 830am. Anyone that has had to deal with navigating logging roads know what a nightmare it can be. Sometimes your standing on what seems like the most major road you have seen in the last 3hrs and somehow it isn't on the old 50,000 topo map. Other times you expect to find a good road that the map shows and get to that point only to find a scraggly overgrown path.
We managed to trace the original route to the Sturgeon river crossing via 39km of soft muddy logging roads that were definitely not being used anymore. As we neared the point that we so dearly needed to find, we managed to find a beautiful logging highway for us to follow most of the way back to the car! We were not going to have to slog through some of the strangest and weirdest mud that I have ever seen and ridden. It was crazy, you would be riding along on what seemed to be completely dry gravel and then the next thing you knew you and your bike were standing in 18 inches of slop.
We hit the river crossing which was sure to be our achilles heel of the trip at exactly 3hrs after we departed the car. We were met by a large group of ATV'ers that were also hoping on getting across the river that looked about 8ft deep and moving extremely fast. They were locals and seemed to know the area well. Apparently when you don't see the big rock in the middle of the river, you DO NOT CROSS! You will be swept away, as the fellow gent proceeded to ramble off stories of guys who thought they could get across in the past and suffered a ATV loss or two.
After a brief visit with the friendly Quaders we decided to head back to the car via the Stoobe rd route. It ended up being roughly a hour faster via the route home vs the route there.
So all in all we didn't tag the top of the ridge, we got pretty close. We figured after we crossed the Sturgeon river then road for 6.5km dropped the bikes then ran/bushwacked the remaining 7km to the summit we were only 2.5hrs from the top. We hit a major road block (literally) and there was no way we were going to get across the river, it did happen to cross my mind a few times...
We Drove up Tuesday afternoon and arrived as far as my Matrix would go. We got stopped by a 200m stretch of overflowed river that had the road ahead of us under some serious water. We set camp 24km off the "paved" road (hardly that). We were roughly still 46.5km away from the point at which we were going to be dropping our bikes then only 7 more km's of hiking/running/bushwacking to the summit of Ontario!
We awoke at sun up the next morning with a good frost covering the tent and car. It was a chilly night for May 4th but the sky was clear and the day looked to be great! We hit the trail peddling our bikes at exactly 830am. Anyone that has had to deal with navigating logging roads know what a nightmare it can be. Sometimes your standing on what seems like the most major road you have seen in the last 3hrs and somehow it isn't on the old 50,000 topo map. Other times you expect to find a good road that the map shows and get to that point only to find a scraggly overgrown path.
We managed to trace the original route to the Sturgeon river crossing via 39km of soft muddy logging roads that were definitely not being used anymore. As we neared the point that we so dearly needed to find, we managed to find a beautiful logging highway for us to follow most of the way back to the car! We were not going to have to slog through some of the strangest and weirdest mud that I have ever seen and ridden. It was crazy, you would be riding along on what seemed to be completely dry gravel and then the next thing you knew you and your bike were standing in 18 inches of slop.
We hit the river crossing which was sure to be our achilles heel of the trip at exactly 3hrs after we departed the car. We were met by a large group of ATV'ers that were also hoping on getting across the river that looked about 8ft deep and moving extremely fast. They were locals and seemed to know the area well. Apparently when you don't see the big rock in the middle of the river, you DO NOT CROSS! You will be swept away, as the fellow gent proceeded to ramble off stories of guys who thought they could get across in the past and suffered a ATV loss or two.
After a brief visit with the friendly Quaders we decided to head back to the car via the Stoobe rd route. It ended up being roughly a hour faster via the route home vs the route there.
So all in all we didn't tag the top of the ridge, we got pretty close. We figured after we crossed the Sturgeon river then road for 6.5km dropped the bikes then ran/bushwacked the remaining 7km to the summit we were only 2.5hrs from the top. We hit a major road block (literally) and there was no way we were going to get across the river, it did happen to cross my mind a few times...
Monday, May 2, 2011
Great week, busy week.
I have had 2 solid weeks of long miles with tons of intensity tossed in since I arrive home from Sea Otter. I managed to fight the worst of the weather that April was able to throw at us. It seemed to honestly be raining more then it wasn't. I raced O-Cup #1 at Mansfield tired and fatigued enough that I barely felt like I should start. I ended up having a blast chilling for the first 2.5 laps before I decided that I was going to try and catch the 5 riders infront of me. Then there was the passing.... It was such a fast course and with so many riders given'er out there, the passing seemed to be a bit sketchy... All in all it was a great day out for the Trek Canada Team!
On another note, I am doing some last min packing for a quick jont into the Ishpatina Ridge. It is the highest point in Ontario at 693m above sea level. 2.5hrs (roughly) north of Sudbury we will leave the car as far as we can drive it. Ride as far as we can, ditch the bikes and continue the 14km round trip (bike to bike) distance to the summit. Hopefully the weather holds out and given the early season timeframe navigating through the forest should be decent. I will give a full trip report later this week.
Wish me luck!
On another note, I am doing some last min packing for a quick jont into the Ishpatina Ridge. It is the highest point in Ontario at 693m above sea level. 2.5hrs (roughly) north of Sudbury we will leave the car as far as we can drive it. Ride as far as we can, ditch the bikes and continue the 14km round trip (bike to bike) distance to the summit. Hopefully the weather holds out and given the early season timeframe navigating through the forest should be decent. I will give a full trip report later this week.
Wish me luck!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Life on the road.
Sea Otter classic wrapped up yesterday and with the perfect temps it ended up being a great weekend of everything that was biking. A big highlight was definitely Emily winning the XC and out sprinting Catherine Pendral. Here is a couple photo's of her crushing.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
When shit is going down, you better know how to move.
I had a great week with some solid training rides and I managed to get out and play in the mud twice, getting covered head to toe in not only mud, but a large amount of dog poop. Actually I couldn't believe how much poo was out there! Maybe people will start to realize that it takes almost no effort to flick you canine's crap off the trail so riders don't have the pleasure of tasting what your pooch had for dinner last night.
On Wednesday I had a solid 3hrs off road and with all the mud, ice and snow I managed to crash zero times. I was amazed at how well I felt and how much fun it was to get completely wrecked in the springtime trail conditions. En-route home while crossing a road at a 2 way stop intersection I decided I could crack the throttle and dart across the busy highway with tons of time to spare.
Little did I know that the township was in the mist of cleaning off the roads and with all the gunk left over after a long winter season it sure ended up being slippery. I laid my mountain bike down right in front of that oncoming car that I had thought I would be able to beat.
Before I hit the deck I was already scrambling to get out of the way of the 2 tons of steel bearing down on me. I didn't look to see where exactly that car was, all I knew was that I needed to move as fast as possible! It happened in split seconds and felt like two minutes. It is kinda crazy how sometimes when you are thrown into a situation that could end up tragic how you instinct and reactions move before you even know what is happening. I was literally already scrambling out of the way before I hit the asphalt. Ironic that I can ride 3hrs in the crappiest conditions and within a few minutes of home on a flat paved road I crashed.
On another note I have been reading, well actually listening to "Born to run". It had been recommended to me by a handful of people. It is a great book and a excellent read, that I recommend to any athlete. Whether you are a runner or a cyclist it is sure to motivate you and maybe even make you look at your sport from a slightly different angle. I crushed the 12hr audio book in 2 days and I will probably listen to it again sometime soon.
Sea Otter is this coming weekend, should be a good one as the weather looks like it is going to be sunny!
On Wednesday I had a solid 3hrs off road and with all the mud, ice and snow I managed to crash zero times. I was amazed at how well I felt and how much fun it was to get completely wrecked in the springtime trail conditions. En-route home while crossing a road at a 2 way stop intersection I decided I could crack the throttle and dart across the busy highway with tons of time to spare.
Little did I know that the township was in the mist of cleaning off the roads and with all the gunk left over after a long winter season it sure ended up being slippery. I laid my mountain bike down right in front of that oncoming car that I had thought I would be able to beat.
Before I hit the deck I was already scrambling to get out of the way of the 2 tons of steel bearing down on me. I didn't look to see where exactly that car was, all I knew was that I needed to move as fast as possible! It happened in split seconds and felt like two minutes. It is kinda crazy how sometimes when you are thrown into a situation that could end up tragic how you instinct and reactions move before you even know what is happening. I was literally already scrambling out of the way before I hit the asphalt. Ironic that I can ride 3hrs in the crappiest conditions and within a few minutes of home on a flat paved road I crashed.
On another note I have been reading, well actually listening to "Born to run". It had been recommended to me by a handful of people. It is a great book and a excellent read, that I recommend to any athlete. Whether you are a runner or a cyclist it is sure to motivate you and maybe even make you look at your sport from a slightly different angle. I crushed the 12hr audio book in 2 days and I will probably listen to it again sometime soon.
Sea Otter is this coming weekend, should be a good one as the weather looks like it is going to be sunny!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Home!
I made it home safe and sound! 2480km's from Golden CO to home in just under 24hrs!! I drove straight, stops were minimal and for fuel only. No I didn't speed, the car was set on cruise at a max of 1 mph or 2 over the limit. It was actually a pretty relaxing drive. I managed to write the below few paragraphs whilst waiting for my matrix to be re assembled.
Sitting in a transmission shop in Denver Colorado, chewing on some “Mike and Ike’s” from the candy machine as my beautiful Toyota Matrix is being reassembled. I have had a full 48hrs in Denver that was very far from being a planned stop. I had left the concrete jungle of LA Sunday at 5pm and after 1550km’s I arrived in a random parking lot somewhere in Denver. That parking lot ended up actually being the town called Golden. I called CAA or AAA down here to get a tow. I mentioned that my front end was locked up and that I needed a truck that can lift the front drives off the ground. Of course they sent me a float truck. Well that's not going to work...
I had been sitting across 2.5 handicap parking spots in front of a walmart and I had already waited 45 mins for the first truck and now I had to wait another 45 mins for the 2nd truck. I didn’t have a clue where to get the matrix towed to, so I opted for the Toyota dealership. They were incredibly helpful and given my situation were as good as they could have been. They were unfortunately way out of my price range.
I ended up getting a hotel for the evening needing very much badly to sleep on the current creek that I had found myself up. The next morning after a very good nights sleep, I decided that I was going to get the car towed to a reputable transmission shop right around the corner from where my hotel was. So far these guys have been amazing! Seriously, the guys here at AC transmission have been exceptionally helpful and will hopefully have me on the road by 1pm this afternoon.
The broke down car has given me a chance to have a full 48hrs to explore the area and I must say WOW! I am super stoked with the riding around here. I have ridden some of the coolest trails that I have ever ridden. 20mins from my hotel doorstep I could hop on fast, flowing, steep trails. There were so many cyclists out there on the trails and even on the massive network of paved bike paths I was so impressed with what the area was offering up.
Every person that I have dealt with has been exceptionally friendly and helpful. They have made a really shitty situation not so shitty. Cool looks like the car is gtg!!!! home here I come.
Sitting in a transmission shop in Denver Colorado, chewing on some “Mike and Ike’s” from the candy machine as my beautiful Toyota Matrix is being reassembled. I have had a full 48hrs in Denver that was very far from being a planned stop. I had left the concrete jungle of LA Sunday at 5pm and after 1550km’s I arrived in a random parking lot somewhere in Denver. That parking lot ended up actually being the town called Golden. I called CAA or AAA down here to get a tow. I mentioned that my front end was locked up and that I needed a truck that can lift the front drives off the ground. Of course they sent me a float truck. Well that's not going to work...
I had been sitting across 2.5 handicap parking spots in front of a walmart and I had already waited 45 mins for the first truck and now I had to wait another 45 mins for the 2nd truck. I didn’t have a clue where to get the matrix towed to, so I opted for the Toyota dealership. They were incredibly helpful and given my situation were as good as they could have been. They were unfortunately way out of my price range.
I ended up getting a hotel for the evening needing very much badly to sleep on the current creek that I had found myself up. The next morning after a very good nights sleep, I decided that I was going to get the car towed to a reputable transmission shop right around the corner from where my hotel was. So far these guys have been amazing! Seriously, the guys here at AC transmission have been exceptionally helpful and will hopefully have me on the road by 1pm this afternoon.
The broke down car has given me a chance to have a full 48hrs to explore the area and I must say WOW! I am super stoked with the riding around here. I have ridden some of the coolest trails that I have ever ridden. 20mins from my hotel doorstep I could hop on fast, flowing, steep trails. There were so many cyclists out there on the trails and even on the massive network of paved bike paths I was so impressed with what the area was offering up.
Every person that I have dealt with has been exceptionally friendly and helpful. They have made a really shitty situation not so shitty. Cool looks like the car is gtg!!!! home here I come.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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