What's New

March 15 , 2009 - Coastal Trail Ride

Beautiful, sunny day, but a bit windy in spots. Rode from Jodhpur Trailhead to Point Woronzof and back with Bosey. 17 miles, 2 hours.

 

March 14 , 2009 - Hillside Ride

Another verynice day - had to go for a ride with my boy. Started at the Native Hospital at Tudor and Elmore - rode up Old Rondy to Rover's Run, then up to South Bivouc, up Tank Trail to Moose Ridge back to Tank Trail and then did the 2.5 mile loop, then up to Hilltop Ski Area, down to Campbell Airstrip and then back to the truck. Excellent conditions, nicely packed. Lots of bikes out today. 18 miles.

 

March 8 , 2009 - Moose Drewl Bike Race

Just finished the Moose Drewl bike race in Palmer. It was a bit soft and required a lot of pushing - abrout 4 of the 13 miles, and the riding parts were not much better. It took me 3:17 to finish, but I finished. The winner did it in under 2 hours. A great experience. The race is put on by the Vally Mountain Bikers and Hikers (VMBaH) - there was great barbecue after the race - rally nice folks.

 

 

February 21 , 2009

Beautiful, sunny day - great for a bike ride on the hillside. Took Bosey. Left from Sullivan Arena parking lot. Took Chester Creek Trail thru APU, over Old Rondy Trail to Rover Run and up the hillside. Explored trails - Bivouc, Tank Trail, etc. 2.5 hrs., 22.5 miles.

February 15 , 2009

Took Bosey for a ride on the Hillside - his first 20 miler! Nice day. Warm at 35 deg., overcast. Trails are all in excellent condition, riding is very fast and fun. We averaged about 10mph. Lots of people out skiing, bikiing and hiking. Left from Abbot loop trailhead, up past Service High to Hilltop, then back and out to Campbell Airstrip, down Old Rondy Trail and back up to Rover Run, back up to Hilltop/Gasline trail, back down to the airstrip, then back to the truck. 20 miles, 2:15.

February 9 , 2009

Just finished the VaMoose 25 mile bike race in Willow, Alaska. It was a nice day, especially after the sun came out. Temps about 5 degrees F. A fun race through snow machine trails. See more photos in the Photo Gallery and at the event Web Site.

---

January 5, 2009

Well, I got a new bike for my birthday (12-26). It's a fat bike - made for riding on snow. I've been using my mountain bike, with special wide rims, called SnowCats. They make the tire spread out so there is more surface on the snow, to keep from sinking in. And, you can run them with lower pressure without worries of getting pinch-flat on the rims.

 

The new bike has rims that are twice as wide as the snow cats, and they run a tire that is 4 inches wide! The widest tire you can run on a regular mountain bike are 2.4 inches. They really make a difference on the soft snow - I can go places I never could before. Check out the Winter 2008 photo gallery for more photos. I'll be doing the Frosty Bottom race on Jan. 17th again this year. Last year I came in 21st out of 43. Not sure I'll do any better this year, but at least I'm out of the house.

---

December, 2008

I've had the I.T. Department open for six months now. Business is steady. My daughter, Kimberly, has been working as my office manager - she has been indispensable, keeping the office running smoothly while I am out on service calls. Looking to add a technician after the first of the year. All the doom and gloom about the economy seems not to have had much effect here in Alaska. Then again, we're all usually 'hunkered down' here in the winter anyway.

 

Still riding my bike as much as I can. Winter riding for my second season - I really like the winter for biking, more than the summer even. It is so much more quiet, and isolated. It sometimes seems like simply surviving is part of the experience. Average temperatures are 10 to 20 degrees and I wear only insulated tights, a thin wool shirt and a light cycling jacket, plus a merino wool beanie and neck gaiter. Have to have an insulated water bottle holder or the water freezes. My average ride is 1.5 hours, but I like to do 2+ hour rides every couple of weeks.

 

I've been going with our big lab/great dane mix dog, Bosey. Winter is perfect for him because I average 8 to 10 mph, which is a nice pace for him. I take him for rides up to 15 miles and he loves it.

Coast Trail with Bosey. 2:50pm, 12/20/2008
Click to view full size image

Winter solstice was yesterday - the days will start getting longer. There is always a noticeable mood shift when the solstice comes. We have made it thru the darkest days and it will be getting better every day.

---

November 29, 2007

Been very busy with jobs and clients.

Physically - I have lost over 50 pounds since February and went from a 42 waist to a 36! It feels great.

Activities: I started bicycling in May when Brendon brought home an old Schwinn Super LeTour that was a little rough. I fixed it up and replaced a bunch of parts and got hooked on road riding.

 

I joined the Arctic Bicycle Club and started riding in the club events. My first event was the Hope Time Trial - it is a 12 mile out and back that starts at the Hope cutoff. It was a lot of fun.

 

Over the summer, I entered a lot more events, including the Fireweed 400 (50 miler), the Ride for Life (2 day trip to Seward), and the Seward Relay/Solo race (127 miles) - that one kicked my butt!

 

I am riding in winter mode now - got the mountain bike set up with Snow Cat rims, studded tires, pogies, plus all the warm gear. Winter riding is a lot of fun and a real good working because of the heavy bike and the resistance from riding in snow.

 

Speaking of snow, it has all gone away and the trails are wide open. Weird weather (been a lot of that over the past few years).

Coastal Trail - 11-24-2007

I'm planning on entering the Susitna100 50k race which is in February. I'll need to do a lot more workouts on the trails and in the snow, but it should be a fun event.

---