Solo at SMBA

I really enjoy mountain biking with other riders. It's great for motivation, skill development and camaraderie. But I end up riding solo pretty frequently, mostly because I often have to fit my rides into a fairly narrow time window. While time was a factor Thursday evening, that wasn't the only reason I was on my own. It had rained hard during the afternoon, and just as I was gearing up at the trailhead, Round 2 started. Wet and muddy trails, rain, and nobody else riding. It was great.

Night Ride at SMBA: 09/27/2012

I had a lot of fun riding the trails at SMBA last night. Since we’re rapidly losing light for Blue Sky’s Thursday 6pm rides, they arranged for Light & Motion to demo some of their lights. I’ve ridden at night just one other time (last week), but I'm really enjoying how it changes the experience of mountain biking, focusing your concentration on what’s within the beam of light, and increasing the sensation of speed. The challenge goes up a notch, but the fun and adventure factor goes up two notches. And riding at night should enable me to extend my riding season right up to the start of ski season.

Mountain biking at SMBA: when is riding no longer “just” cross-training?

I haven't posted much about mountain biking this summer, but I’ve been riding once or twice a week since April. Recently – since June - I've been splitting my time between SMBA and the trails on the Saratoga County forestland (the Kalabus-Perry parcel) out my back door. The two are only about 5 miles apart as the crow flies, yet the terrain and trails couldn't be more different. The K-P county forest parcel is part of the Saratoga Sandplains and the trails are smooth and fast, not a rock or a root in sight. SMBA’s terrain, on the other hand, is what you’d expect from the foothills of the Adirondacks: bedrock is close to the surface, there are beaver flows and wetlands, rocks and roots are everywhere, the trails are technical and challenging.

Upcoming mountain biking events

I've been something of a mountain biking hermit since (re)discovering the sport last summer: I ride solo on the same 8-10 miles of single track out my back door once or twice a week. I ride mainly for fun and for fitness, but I know I'd get even more out of the sport by riding with others and checking out some new trails. Some of the organized mountain biking events taking place in the Saratoga region and Adirondacks over the next few months may give me the opportunity to expand my horizons a bit.

Saratoga Mountain Bike Association's Mix Up the Dirt Festival on June 9 is free and open to the public. SMBA's trail system will be open for members and non-members alike to check out. There will be group rides for all ability levels, demonstrations, vendor displays, a barbecue, and a free raffle.

The HRRT “Hot August Nights” Race Series in Schenectady's Central Park is a 4-race series every Tuesday night in August at 6pm. The course, described as a "combo of flats, twisty singletrack (under the trees) and skinnies," is marked with white squares with black arrows and can be pre-ridden anytime. The race prizes caught my attention: "Beer and prizes will randomly distributed among all racers." Free beer is always indicative of an excellent event, and the mid-week timing fits well into my schedule. I've never done a mountain bike race before and fully expect to get my butt kicked.