schnauzers.ws

Allaire State Park, NJ

Given some of the recent events that have taken place in my biking life, I decided it would be a good idea to just get away on my own and release some of the angst that has been building these past few weeks. I figured a ride on my own would allow me to concentrate on my own riding technique and not have to worry about others around me. Don’t get me wrong, I like riding in a group, but I just needed to chill out a bit. This way I can go as fast or slow as I want and not have to worry about anyone else. I chose Allaire State Park because it was far from the rest of the world, I know the place well, there are some very steep short climbs that would challenge the SS, and I could shoot myself out of a cannon on the flat twisty sections.

It was 24F when I hit the parking lot and just a few cars. The sun was warm as it starts to do with spring coming, so it really didn’t feel all that bad. The wind was starting to pick up though as was called for, so I knew it would feel a lot colder when I was done and sweaty from the ride.

I start off hitting the usual suspect downhill to the river. I love the drop-offs that the poorly designed water bars have created in this section. Fun stuff and not too hard on the body even on a hardtail SS. It seems more fun on a 26" bike though as the 29er wheels don’t fly as high. I make it to the bottom and this section that is usually mushy, is frozen solid. Very nice!

The frozen trail really lets you pick up the speed but I knew it wouldn’t last long as I would have to climb out of the river valley soon. Not a sole in sight as made my way around every turn. What made me sad was the amount of widening that has taken place in this section. This park has plenty of mileage on trails that are never muddy, so why do they insist on riding the muddy section when it’s soft? Thankfully, the summer sees light traffic in this park and it should recover.

Onto the climbs out of the valley. This pics don’t show how steep it is and my shoulders were killing me when I reached the top. Although I have the power in my legs, I need my upper body strength to make it up. Maybe I didn’t learn how to do this the correct way but it feels like I pull my self up the hill. Hey, whatever works. The exposed roots don’t help on these tough climbs, either.

What goes up certainly must go down again.

Well after some more tight twisty greenery lined singletrack I turn into tunnel of fun. Another favorite section of mine with drop-off after drop-off. This time I launch the bike and clear two drops. Woo hoo! First time I’ve done that. Of course, once again it puts me at the river bottom and I climb again leaving me at an eroded lookout area. I figure this is as good a place as any to be humble and think. So I do.

I climb a little further to the "high country". LOL!

Then point my front end down to the low country and take the sandy chute to the bottom.

Now on the other side of the park I can let things rip! Just some great flowing fast singletrack over here. It’s hard to go slow in this section and I don’t. When people see the 34/17 gearing on my SS, they look at me like I’m cray. How do you ride that, the ask. I say it’s really an ideal gearing for this area. It lets me open up without spinning like a hamster on the flats, gives me just enough torque to get through sand, over log piles, and it’s not that bad for a short climb when you have momentum. That’s the part the geared riders just don’t get. One of the things that really get my goat is a geary in front of me grannying it up a short hill at 2 miles an hour. That causes me to practically trackstand behind them on the hill and makes it a lot tougher to complete the climb. I had none of that trouble today!

I take a detour to the pits, just to see if anyone is playing. Nope. So I think about this drop in:

Nah. Not on the SS. Maybe on the new bike, we’ll see. Of course, it’s easy for me to say that now. I’ll chicken out when the time comes.

So it’s down the pine tree lined trail at top speed back to the car. Twelve miles in about 1:15. Wow, that’s one of my fastest times. I stand by the car and I am feeling really pumped. The legs are strong, no hard breathing, plenty of time left in the day. WTF, I do the whole thing over again! Twenty four miles of solitude goodness and I never saw another person on the trails.

I think I’m better now, but I still have some hatred for certain people. It’ll go away with time, though. Oh, and lots of riding!