Today:
Mt. Bike 22 miles
Yesterday:
Run 11 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles
Sunday:
Off
Got out for a ride today on Jill's Pugsley. The plan was to ride it up the Treadwell Ditch Trail until it was too muddy and rooty and then continue from there running. Thing is I never got to a spot that was too muddy or rooty for that beast. Ever since moving to Juneau I have been harassed by wet roots while mountain biking. Some of them are so damn slippery that you just can't get over them without falling on your face. Trying to ride some of these roots on a standard mountain bike involves always hitting them perpendicular to the root itself. If you hit it with any kind of angle you are hitting the ground real quick. With Pugsley though it just doesn't matter. You just point that monster tire down the trail and pedal. Luckily this is the case because the head angle is so slack that at slow speeds it's not entirely easy to control, although I did fare much better with this after a few miles of getting used to it. When it was all said and done I was able to ride further on this trail then I ever have before, and the trail is currently about as wet and muddy as it ever gets. Can't wait to try it out when the trails are a bit dryer, unfortunately I have about 6 months to wait for that.
Mt. Bike 22 miles
Yesterday:
Run 11 miles
Bike Commute 3 miles
Sunday:
Off
Got out for a ride today on Jill's Pugsley. The plan was to ride it up the Treadwell Ditch Trail until it was too muddy and rooty and then continue from there running. Thing is I never got to a spot that was too muddy or rooty for that beast. Ever since moving to Juneau I have been harassed by wet roots while mountain biking. Some of them are so damn slippery that you just can't get over them without falling on your face. Trying to ride some of these roots on a standard mountain bike involves always hitting them perpendicular to the root itself. If you hit it with any kind of angle you are hitting the ground real quick. With Pugsley though it just doesn't matter. You just point that monster tire down the trail and pedal. Luckily this is the case because the head angle is so slack that at slow speeds it's not entirely easy to control, although I did fare much better with this after a few miles of getting used to it. When it was all said and done I was able to ride further on this trail then I ever have before, and the trail is currently about as wet and muddy as it ever gets. Can't wait to try it out when the trails are a bit dryer, unfortunately I have about 6 months to wait for that.
I was hoping to capture a particular muddy stretch of trail, but like usual none of it really showed up in the photo.
4 comments:
Good blog! With your considerable experience training in the rain, what is your preferred rain gear?
my preferred rain gear depends on what i'm doing and what the temperature is. generally when i'm running in the rain i generate enough body heat that i don't even attempt to stay entirely dry, but rather wear stuff that's comfortable when wet. for me that tends to be multiple thin layers where you can simply add more layers when it's colder. and shoes that are well ventilated and thus drain water quickly. it isn't possible to run on trails around here and keep your feet dry so instead you just have to accept that your feet will be wet and use the best shoe for letting water out quickly. lately i've been really digging Montrail Odyssey's for this purpose.
biking however there is enough cooling taking place because of the speed at which you are travelling that if it's below ~45-50 degrees and raining it is very important to stay as dry as possible. neoprene booties are a must as well as either neoprene gloves or insulated ski type gloves if it's below ~40. as far as keeping your core dry in the amount of rain we get here nothing really works completely. no matter how much companies like to advertise that their material is 100% waterproof and 100% breathable it just aint so. it's really quite simple logic: if moisture can get out it can also get in. that said though the best thing i've found for at least coming close to staying dry are the cheap velcro closure, mesh vent side plastic cycling rain jackets that you can usually pick up for $20-30. they aren't pretty and they aren't all that comfortable but if you're serious about staying dry in the weather we get it's about your best bet.
Thanks for the great response, much appreciated!
I tell you what I told Jill... Showers Pass jackets or anything made with Event fabric. Keen makes a few of their shoes with it.
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