35 mile backcountry ride. Sun, Rain and Hail. That’s Colorado mountains for you. Finished with the jankiest trail I have ever ridden. Came away unscathed, so that’s a win.
Hail on the water!
OK, @FrankTuna and @The_Conductor and anyone else doing Grateful Gravel this weekend, I scouted out Jones Brook/Chase Road to check out the flood damage. I’ve ridden through Moretown a couple times since the flood and while there was definitely some damage, it shouldn’t affect the route at all.
Jones Brook Road got fairly washed out, but crews are working pretty hard on repairs and it’s mostly done, with a few sections of very chunky fresh gravel.
Chase Road is the Class IV section and it’s about the same as after last year’s flood. It’s fairly chunked out, but it’s actually a pretty short section of gravel (maybe 1/8 - 1/4 tops of a mile) that’d probably take no more five minutes to walk the entire thing, which is probably unnecessary. As long as you ride relatively conservatively, it’ll be totally safe.
Here are some pics:
This is the start of the Class IV, the left-hand side is totally rideable, although it’s likely to be muddier this weekend.
There’s a spine down the middle here you can climb, with steep pitches to either side, but you can clear it with a bit of speed.
This is pretty rideable if you pick the right line, although it’s steeper than the photo makes it look.
The section past the tree is pretty loose and fairly steep.
Past this, there’s a right at the top, then another hundred or so yards of chunky stuff to the top of the hill., after which it opens up and is pretty straightforward. Also, refrigerators.
So I guess I should pre-ride and drop off some bottles to stay cool in those refrigerators 
Thanks for scouting this out @FergusYL !! I guess we’ll have to see what the route looks like after 3 days of rain Tues-Thurs, but at least the forecast for Fri and Sat look good. Are you on the Thundero 700x48’s? Think they’ll be OK if it’s muddy this weekend? I have some Race Kings or Rene Herse knobbies I could use, but I’ve been really happy with the Thunderos so far but I haven’t had a chance to try them in too much mud.
I’m really looking forward to Grateful Gravel but I’m a little intimidated by the climbing. Glad I can fit tiny chainrings on my Cutthroat!
Yep! Still running the 700x48c Thunderos and don’t have any hesitation about running them this weekend.
Here’s the route, for reference. For the climbing, there are really just three hills worth noting. It’s mostly fun, rolling climbs through a really beautiful area apart from that. The Mad River Valley is great, and one of the only places in Vermont I’d happily live in other than where I am.
The first is steep and you hit it cold after the downhill start. I went out too hard on this first hill, got some all-time power records (great!) but burned a few too many matches early and suffered the rest of the way (not so great).
The second is Roxbury Gap, which is steep and fairly long (1054 feet, 8.7% average grade according to Strava). I did a terrible job pacing and fueling last year, so I was out of gas when I hit it, and it’s one of the grudge rematches I’ve been training for all year.
The last isn’t particularly special, the organizers just routed it so you get to the top, then go up and down in circles a few times in a way that feels a little gratuitous so close to the end. That said, this is probably aggravated by the fact that there was a torrential downpour that started a bit after noon last year, so I was eager to wrap it up.
I plan to be there unless things go sideways with work. Will be on Thundero HD 40s.
First climb I didn’t even know what was going on. Silly me, I just put myself with the front and went with it…ended up being a 17 minute sweetspot effort practically cold. Roxbury Gap is fine because they don’t make you do the whole thing from the bottom. It’s steep, just take your time. From there, you’re home. The last climb is reasonably unremarkable.
Overall, it isn’t an unrelenting course like some other options in VT (see the Dirty Project).
Yeah, it was genuinely a really fun ride. It’s also worth noting that @The_Conductor is much faster than me.
Tried Galena +1 on Biggin Hill. 20minute intervals, accepting two traffic stops but as usual it was a bit pointless trying.
Got in two intervals and ran out of time/will.
10min intervals can be done, but it’s hardly a beautiful route. All that stress to avoid doing it indoors seems pointless but that’s what TR wants….
EDIT
I can’t see guidance on when to select “I did not pass” in the survey…?
The only reference I can find is from last August:
So yes I think I’ll change it from Hard to Fail as I only did two intervals of three.
If you work in DC / Northern Virginia, Long Bridge Aquatic Center has a great pool.
Local Wednesday night MTB race. It’s hard to describe this as an XC race, as it’s a big ascent followed by a big descent. And pretty much redlining heart rate on both the up and the down. 
Bonus pic taken from the course, but a few weeks ago. I thought for half a second about taking a pic with my phone this evening, but high likelihood I would have dropped it in my hypoxic state.
I am on vacation, so I tried a day bike tour package in Buenos Aires and had great time. I rode bicycle through lively neighborhoods and lovely parks, enjoying the city’s special charm and very nice weather. Later, I go for running along the beautiful paths in Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur.
If you are planning a trip to Argentina, need check https://gowithguide.com/argentina/buenos-aires
because they give personalized tours.
I still have one week here before going to Chile where I will meet my best friend who I haven’t seen for a long time. Wherever I go I make sure to still have physical activity. Health is wealth. Cheers!
Carter was in my calendar but I opted for a more ab lib Z1/2 Gravel ride of a similar duration.
I chose a near out and back route to maximise the gravel. From the door to the A1 (the big road pointing 11 o’clock). Fortunately I go under the A1 as its a motorway. The section over Haddon is a rural lane and Bullock Road past the golf course and Oundle Road to Elton are pretty quiet, To complete the triangle the track from Elton back to Bullock Rd (by Over End) is all bridleway except the A507 crossing. I’m then back over the Haddon Hump (lanes) to the bridle way which takes me home 
First real ride on my 32mm tyre and it felt good. When we said we were doing the extra 5miles route I really decided to test it out. I never went deep into the red but I gave it a lower threshold effort for circa 20 mins. With the aim of recovering in the pub, lol the pub was shut for a private function, so me and a mate went to one closer to home.
Well done 
5 min strength + sprints
Prince William County, VA, USA
Nice, relaxing ride in the country side with a little bit of structure (4 x 5 min low cadence / strength work and 5 x 10 sec sprints). Been rebuilding a fence … off-bike TSS is real! Definitely needed this chill ride to loosen up.
Eight full-length sections done. 28 full-length and two half-length sections, and three gates to go.
Was able to ride to our vacation destination. Did 105km and 1400m. Decided to use the proper climb as a test to see what I can do after 2200 kj. Did 296w for 20min could have been a bit more if I had the mental energy to suffer more and had to stop for a few seconds because of oncoming traffic. Still was pretty ok considering my training after the marmotte was pretty inconsistent and it was a really hot day.
Rouye through Emmental was pretty nice.
An almost ideal day for this morning’s group ride.
I set a few year power records up the 6% Harringworth hill (that’s the high point in the ride) and lol, you can see how long I had to wait at the top.
I came back and scrolled the Olympics coverage and thought it looked boring and went out on the gravel bike.
Lol, I didn’t scroll far enough, I’ve just watched the women’s cross-country MtB 