Well, it's been four months of grinding, sweating, and bleeding but we're through the worst of it. Today officially marks the end of training for the TransRockies. Just a few easy spins now for the next two weeks to keep the blood flowing and taking the time to get your bike in order.
This weekend had some thrills and spills. A record number of flat tires (7 over three days, Jay had 4 of those plus a spare with a hole in it), one bike written off with Watson going down hard (for no apparant reason other than he was trying to keep up with Jay), Paul finishing Wildhorse with 2 gears, and Miyagi's hardest crash of the year came in front of a school bus while standing still in front of Kurt's place.
Obviously the bikes need some maintenance and parts replaced so get them into the shop this week!
Drink lots of water, go to bed early, and take care of yourselves. The next time we grind, sweat and bleed together is in the TR/TR3 baby!
Congratulations Potlickers!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Epic Ride
The word epic gets tossed around a lot. For example, Bill and Ted used it to describe their excellent adventure, Specialized have a line of bikes that carry the namesake, and Homer wrote a couple of "epic" poems - but nothing Achilles ever did could compare to the Potlicker ride on July 11, 2010.
The weather was perfect, the trails were tough, the climbs were high. Ten Potlickers set out to conquer the Cox, ten came back. A little muddy, a little bloody, exceptionally sweaty, and very happy. One flat tire and one set of locked up breaks were the only issues, aside from Miyagi's incessant rambling about his heart rate and Kurt's inferiority complex (which are personal issues so they're easily overcome).
We could talk more about it but pictures and film tell the story best
The route: Powderface - Prairie Creek Trail - Jumping Pound Ridge - Coxhill - Lusk Pass - ending with beers and burgers at Rafter Six Ranch
The weather was perfect, the trails were tough, the climbs were high. Ten Potlickers set out to conquer the Cox, ten came back. A little muddy, a little bloody, exceptionally sweaty, and very happy. One flat tire and one set of locked up breaks were the only issues, aside from Miyagi's incessant rambling about his heart rate and Kurt's inferiority complex (which are personal issues so they're easily overcome).
We could talk more about it but pictures and film tell the story best
The route: Powderface - Prairie Creek Trail - Jumping Pound Ridge - Coxhill - Lusk Pass - ending with beers and burgers at Rafter Six Ranch
Click photo for Garmin infoPart of Trevor's descent down Cox
Waiting for more photos to post. We know there are a lot from the Aid Station (special thanks to Kurt who picked up the food and the wives who manned the station).
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Jul11 part of Cox downhill
Video seems stuck on half speed for this bit. Clearly I rode it twice as fast as this...
Monday, July 5, 2010
Important info on Self Seeding for TR/TR3 Day one time Trial
Fernie Stage 1 Time Trial Details
Schedule of Events:
Non-UCI Licensed Riders 9 AM - 11:30 AM
Self-Seeded (See Self-Seeding Instructions Below)
Fastest to Slowest, 30 second intervals
Self Seeding Instructions for Non-UCI Licensed Riders:
The Stage 1 Fernie Time Trial shows off some of the town's favourite trails, with plenty of narrow winding single-track that offers incredibly fun and rewarding riding. This stage is ideally suited to a time trial day, where riders are spread out over the course and there are no bottlenecks where the course enters a section of single-track. Of course, being on stage 1, we don't have any objective basis on which to order the start lists. To minimize the passing and maximize your enjoyment, we have developed a self-seeding system where you can choose where you want to start in the pack. Just imagine you are lining up for a mass start on the first day, and you would choose where to place yourself in the staring corral. Of course, this is a subjective system, but give it your best guess to minimize either waiting for an opportunity to pass other riders, or moving to the side to let people by. For teams, if you think one rider is slower than the other, use the slower rider as your guide. Once we have the data compiled we can create a start list that is roughly fastest to slowest. Unseeded riders (who do not complete the survey) will be placed at the back of the start list.
To give you a better idea of what to expect in Stage 1, here's a quick run-down:
Start to Kilometre 3.5 - Road and Double Track – good passing
Kilometre 3.5 – 6.4 – Single-track Climb - narrow trail with switchbacks. Fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 6.4 – 9.5 – Single-track Descent - narrow trail through the woods. Fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 9.5 – 10.3 – Road Descent and Climb, Checkpoint 1, good passing.
Kilometre 10.3 – 15.3 – Rolling single-track with occasional wide sections, or short road sections, moderate passing
Kilometre 15.3 – 20.8 – Gravel Road - good passingKilometre 20.8 – 28.5 – Rolling single-track - fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 28.5 – 30 – Wide Trail and Road Finish - Good passing.
For riders with a UCI license, we will offer a separate start time between 12:30 and 2:00 PM, starting with Open Men, followed by Open Women, with a 10 minute break between categories. These athletes will be ranked according to their UCI ranking in the XCO discipline, starting with top ranked riders first.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Have you participated in TransRockies or a similar stage race before? If so, approximately where did you finish in the field overall?
In your most recent mountain bike race (if applicable), where did you finish overall in the field?
Where would you guess that you would finish this stage overall (all categories)?
Are you an experienced racer or stage-race finisher? If so, rank yourself a little higher. If not, rank yourself a little lower.
Are you a technically proficient rider (steep or loose climbing, switchbacks, rooted downhills, narrow trails)? If you are proficient, rank yourself higher.
Is your goal just to finish, or to get a good result and be on the podium? If you're shooting for the podium, rank yourself higher, if you just want to finish, a little lower.
To submit your response please complete this 5-minute survey.
Please note, if TransRockies does not receive your response you will start at the back of the pack. Start lists will be posted at sign-on in Fernie on Saturday, August 7. Be sure to check your start time and report to the start area at least 20 minutes prior to your start!
Schedule of Events:
Non-UCI Licensed Riders 9 AM - 11:30 AM
Self-Seeded (See Self-Seeding Instructions Below)
Fastest to Slowest, 30 second intervals
Self Seeding Instructions for Non-UCI Licensed Riders:
The Stage 1 Fernie Time Trial shows off some of the town's favourite trails, with plenty of narrow winding single-track that offers incredibly fun and rewarding riding. This stage is ideally suited to a time trial day, where riders are spread out over the course and there are no bottlenecks where the course enters a section of single-track. Of course, being on stage 1, we don't have any objective basis on which to order the start lists. To minimize the passing and maximize your enjoyment, we have developed a self-seeding system where you can choose where you want to start in the pack. Just imagine you are lining up for a mass start on the first day, and you would choose where to place yourself in the staring corral. Of course, this is a subjective system, but give it your best guess to minimize either waiting for an opportunity to pass other riders, or moving to the side to let people by. For teams, if you think one rider is slower than the other, use the slower rider as your guide. Once we have the data compiled we can create a start list that is roughly fastest to slowest. Unseeded riders (who do not complete the survey) will be placed at the back of the start list.
To give you a better idea of what to expect in Stage 1, here's a quick run-down:
Start to Kilometre 3.5 - Road and Double Track – good passing
Kilometre 3.5 – 6.4 – Single-track Climb - narrow trail with switchbacks. Fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 6.4 – 9.5 – Single-track Descent - narrow trail through the woods. Fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 9.5 – 10.3 – Road Descent and Climb, Checkpoint 1, good passing.
Kilometre 10.3 – 15.3 – Rolling single-track with occasional wide sections, or short road sections, moderate passing
Kilometre 15.3 – 20.8 – Gravel Road - good passingKilometre 20.8 – 28.5 – Rolling single-track - fewer passing opportunities
Kilometre 28.5 – 30 – Wide Trail and Road Finish - Good passing.
For riders with a UCI license, we will offer a separate start time between 12:30 and 2:00 PM, starting with Open Men, followed by Open Women, with a 10 minute break between categories. These athletes will be ranked according to their UCI ranking in the XCO discipline, starting with top ranked riders first.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Have you participated in TransRockies or a similar stage race before? If so, approximately where did you finish in the field overall?
In your most recent mountain bike race (if applicable), where did you finish overall in the field?
Where would you guess that you would finish this stage overall (all categories)?
Are you an experienced racer or stage-race finisher? If so, rank yourself a little higher. If not, rank yourself a little lower.
Are you a technically proficient rider (steep or loose climbing, switchbacks, rooted downhills, narrow trails)? If you are proficient, rank yourself higher.
Is your goal just to finish, or to get a good result and be on the podium? If you're shooting for the podium, rank yourself higher, if you just want to finish, a little lower.
To submit your response please complete this 5-minute survey.
Please note, if TransRockies does not receive your response you will start at the back of the pack. Start lists will be posted at sign-on in Fernie on Saturday, August 7. Be sure to check your start time and report to the start area at least 20 minutes prior to your start!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Happy Canada Day Potlickers
Rest your weary legs, fix your bikes, we're back on the trails on Monday.
I think Mark took this pic - found her at the top of Jumping Pound Ridge on Father's Day.Monday, June 28, 2010
TR3 Scouting Report
The crew that went to Fernie this weekend has this to say about the first 2 days of the TR3: (Thanks to Trevor for the scouting report and the Garmin info).
TR3 day1 scouting trip recap:
About 2km of road/cutblock (powerline) then a tough climb, steep, roots, switchbacks. Get in a good position along the first 2km as you'll be walking in a long line up most of the big climb. A sweet downhill, fairly smooth and flowing. The most comparable trail in Bragg would be to climb up Moose Packers, down Race of Spades (no TTFs).
Over to an area called Ridgemount which is great rolling single/doubletrack through forest with short sharp climbs, great flowing sections and some fun downhills. Over the highway and another sharp climb on new trail with a slightly steeper downhill then a roll out on gravel track back to town.
Unfortately, they are still building day 2 course but the first part is a long gravel road. The rumour is the downhill will be 'blue' standard (steep but not crazy). The last 35km is mostly dirt/gravel/paved road.
Garmin reports:
Friday (closest to actual, just add more in ridgemount area)http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38191550
Saturday (more in ridgemount but we dropped the section north of H3 due to fatigue!)http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38490481
TR3 day1 scouting trip recap:
About 2km of road/cutblock (powerline) then a tough climb, steep, roots, switchbacks. Get in a good position along the first 2km as you'll be walking in a long line up most of the big climb. A sweet downhill, fairly smooth and flowing. The most comparable trail in Bragg would be to climb up Moose Packers, down Race of Spades (no TTFs).
Over to an area called Ridgemount which is great rolling single/doubletrack through forest with short sharp climbs, great flowing sections and some fun downhills. Over the highway and another sharp climb on new trail with a slightly steeper downhill then a roll out on gravel track back to town.
Unfortately, they are still building day 2 course but the first part is a long gravel road. The rumour is the downhill will be 'blue' standard (steep but not crazy). The last 35km is mostly dirt/gravel/paved road.
Garmin reports:
Friday (closest to actual, just add more in ridgemount area)http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38191550
Saturday (more in ridgemount but we dropped the section north of H3 due to fatigue!)http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38490481
Chain Suck!
Good article on chain suck from Orsler
http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/
Chain suck can spell doom for you in the race or really screw up your day and cost a fortune when training. Understand and avoid it.
http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/
Chain suck can spell doom for you in the race or really screw up your day and cost a fortune when training. Understand and avoid it.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Bike Maintenance and Repair Event
Next Tuesday, June 22 from 7:00 to 9:00 Shane Toth from The Bike Shop will lead the Potlickers through some basic bike fixes.
Mike Medwid has offered his shop to host the event.
Great opportunity to learn some valuable tips that could save you a very long walk out of the bush.
Stay tuned for more details!
Mike Medwid has offered his shop to host the event.
Great opportunity to learn some valuable tips that could save you a very long walk out of the bush.
Stay tuned for more details!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Potlicker Lore - Where's Trevor?
If you know a Potlicker, you've seen him wear a "Where's Trevor" t-shirt. One fine evening the 'lickers were reaching the tail end of a brisk end of summer ride through some of Kananaskis Country's finest single track. Potlicker Trevor was "feelin' it" and decided to make a final push ahead of the group to reach the parking lot and get the habachi and refreshments ready for the team.
A noble effort.
The rest of the riders that evening made their way to the parking lot with dry throats and a hankerin' for smokies and were fully expecting both to be ready with Trevor manning the tailgate barbeque.
But there was no Trevor.
They waited.
No Trevor.
Waited some more.
No Trevor.
Concern set in and the boys began their search. After a couple of hours Search and Rescue was called in and as nightfall fell and the hours of darkness passed, the Potlickers were dealing with the potential loss of one of their own.
Meanwhile, after a wrong turn, Trevor was searching for a soft spot under a tree to spend a long, cold, lonely evening, hoping there were no hungry bears or cougars watching him settle in for the night.
Once he'd had some sleep and light broke the next morning, Trevor was on his way, in search of the damn highway.
Early that morning, a fellow Potlicker found Trevor making his way home down the highway.
Don't ride alone.
Carry supplies.
Stay safe.
To purchase a Where's Trevor t-shirt email mark@admaki.ca
Proceeds go to the Search and Rescue Alberta
I've rode with Trevor...he still has no sense of direction.
Welcome to the Potlickers official site
This is the first official post for the Potlickers Mountain Bike Club site. This is where we can schedule rides, share riding experiences, post training tips, and keep the group in touch while building comraderie amongst the group that now numbers in the tens with members in Bragg Creek, Cochrane, Stony Plain, Edmonton, and Cold Lake.
This is also way cooler than anything the Warriors have.
This is also way cooler than anything the Warriors have.
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