Last Thursday

Work has been long and stressful, happy anytime I get a test message that simply says, "Dirt?" Well yessir, I would be more than happy to participate!  Squeezed in a little less than a full lap at Tranquility, trail conditions were perfect (before the snow that is). The weather is tricky sometimes with the cool chill of the wind. Check out the makeshift headwarming gear on Paul! Refreshments afterwards with Dave N, Paul, and Pete.

Snow!

Why am i always stuck in surgery when the snow just hangs on the trees. I need to get out to take some pictures! Doesn't help that we overlook a golf course either. happy friday all!

A quick go on the new section

Sorry about the sound. Just turn the volume down. I thought this was a full loop but it is not, just riding the far east section of the new trail. I guess I must have stopped the video.

Riding the new section at Tranquility from DJ Chi Wai on Vimeo.

Finally a warm MNR!

This might be my first MNR of the year? Sorry Dale, it's been too cold for me and work has been nuts. Anyway, with yesterday's trailday done at Tranquility, I couldn't wait to try out the new stuff. It's still a work in progress, especially west of the wetlands area and in the standing water section. But it is nice. Still a little bumpy in some areas just because the dirt isn't packed down, but it is pretty fun. Going from the bridge, to the turnaround before the wetlands, and back to the bridge is about a one mile loop. I did this mini loop a couple of times and it is pretty fun! You can easily pedal through it pretty fast making for a consistent cardio workout.

Dale was leading the pack, with Eric the sod cutter right behind 

 

 Brian coming up. Yes Paul and I both taking pics is probably overkill, but there can never be enough paparazzi!

 Never enough Mikes on the trail

 Glad to see that Chris is out on the saddle

 Dave N!

I of course, fell down right away when I met up with Paul by the creek of the new section. My lower back is actually killing me now even though I landed on my shoulder. But the ride must go on!

Wiping out in the new section at Tranquility. MNR from DJ Chi Wai on Vimeo.

Shortly after, the regular MNR crew showed up and Paul and I joined them. Made our way west to the pine trees and houses. Wow, so many yapping dogs. That will be annoying.

One of my favorite pics to take while on a group ride. To see the riders all grouped in an arc along the trail. Watch out for those ruts, they'll get you. Just ask Susan.

 Waiting our turn

It was good to see that many people out on the MNR. Paul was guessing around 14 showed up? Not too shabby. I called it quts early, skipping the old sections and I headed home to do some laundry and cleaning. Definitely not as fun...

The dips look more intimidating than what they really are. 

 Chris going through

 Paul

Mike was just a blur through that dip

Dave was having so much fun he decided to run it twice!

 Heading back to the bridge

First trailday of the year

Boy did we get a lot accomplished! I just so happen to check my Facebook at 2am early Sunday morning. Posting by Dale about a trailday at Tranquility that same day. Sure why not!?

The weather was nice and there was lots to be done. We had two groups working. One working with the sod cutter to put in the new trail section at Tranquility north of Fort Street and the other group would be cutting trees on the west side of there. I chose to help with the sod because I thought that would be more fun and possibly easier. Boy was I wrong. At first it was no problem. After a few hundred yards, you could feel it in your obliques. Try raking two inch slabs of mud, dirt and grass two feet off of the trail. It wears on you! But the few hours of work were well worth it! We got a chance to ride it tonight at MNR...man that sod cutter works great!

 

Eric was cutting the sod, while both Daves, Todd, Dale, and myself cleared the way. 

You like to ride, so...

help out with trailday Sunday 3/20 at Tranquility. I just saw the facebook post by Dale. Link below to the THOR blog with what needs to be done to the trail.

http://thor-trails.blogspot.com/2011/03/trailwork-at-tranquility-tomorrow.html

Let's Ride!!!

Finally, a real blog entry about biking! Which is what this blog is suppose to be about! This afternoon, we got the okay from Dale to ride Tranquility and that we did! There were quite a few folk out enjoying the weather. Some first time riders were out with Rob, Paul caught up with me in the north side tree section, and I saw Todd finishing his lap just as I was backing out of the parking lot.

Good turnout at Tranquility. More cars showed up later. 

Ray's indoor bike park going up. I wish! Some progress on the tennis courts

The southside of Tranquility is in pretty good shape. Almost like how we left it before it snowed. The north side on the other hand was pretty muddy. Lots of deep ruts and lots of people going off the trail to get through. Hopefully more sunny skies and warm temps will be in our near future to keep drying the trail. Felt good to be out there again. Like seeing a long lost friend that hibernates in the winter.

The deer stopped to check us out. See their white tailed butts? Paul was trying to cover his eyes. 

Paul made the innerloop climb his b*tch! 

The end of a gorgeous day! 

Tranquility is open for your pleasure!

It's like music to my ears! Per Dale, Tranquility is now open! Please read the THOR blog for updates.

http://thor-trails.blogspot.com/2011/03/tranquility-is-open-for-riding.html

mt bike team photo

Check out this photo and look at the team. Then read the paragraph and see if you noticed what they point out in the picture. I totally missed it.

mt biking team photo

New toy and beer

Got a new lens. Got some new beer. I read about this banana bread tasting beer on a blog. Might be disgusting, who knows? Saw it at HyVee thought I would give it a try. Brewed in UK. Will let you know how it tastes after tonight.

Also got myself a fisheye lens attachment for my Lensbaby. will try to get out tomorrow to take some pictures. Pretty excited, I've always wanted one. Not necessarily a true fisheye, but heck, it's only a fraction of the cost. Cool new pics to come!

Lake lights up at night

Cool little article. Check out the pics by clicking on the main pic in the article. Pretty cool stuff!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20110309/od_yblog_upshot/lake-lights-up-at-night

The North Face has biking apparel now

Haven't been on the bike much so sorry for the lack of updates. I'm just sick of the cold weather. I'm waiting for it to warm up a little bit before I hop back on the bike. I've been lifting pretty hard five to six days of the week, but the cardio is nonexistent right now. I'm sure I'll pay for it when spring hits!

Anyway, the more options the better when it comes to bike clothing. I wish that biking apparel wasn't so expensive. I didn't check prices, but everyone knows how expensive The North Face clothing can be. We'll see if any of the lbs carry their gear anytime soon. Link below to the new line of clothing, bike gear, and hydration packs.

http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/activity-biking