Team Red Wheel

T-7 days til the Dirty Kanza

I don't know about you, but I'm excited. So many questions going through my mind this year:

Is Stoney gonna podium this time? My $20 says yes.

Will Corey intentionally get himself killed so he doesn't have to get married the next weekend?

Will it be any easier to deal with the heat now that we're not wearing black jereys?

Will Nick pose for any more sexy pics like the one below?

I think we should keep a stockpile of Tallgrass at the final checkpoint. Holy shit, it's almost here.

 

It's Tuesday and it's like 80 degrees outside.

Are we riding Binder tonight or what?

I'm in meetings until after 5, but after that I'm grabbing my gear and I'll be out there. Maybe after the ride I can sing us some tunes from back when I was a rock star.

 Hope to see you there.

Saturday Ride in Mokane

I'd like to do a longer ride Saturday morning. I've got shit to do later in the day, so this gravel-jam will begin at approximately 730 am in beautiful Mokane, Missouri. This may or may not be a scouting ride for parts of the Cedar Cross.

Shitty weather will not be grounds for ride cancellation. The only thing stopping me will be the Hams Prarie gas station...their sandwiches are delicious.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/73295094

Don't forget dog-spray and gummi bears

TNT Ride 3/1/2012

 

Katy Trail paved pavilion at 6:30. That's right, we're leaving from the "full blown" parking lot. We gon' ride to Tebbetts and back. It's 70 degrees for crying out loud.

Bring your own gummi bears

And the scouting continues..

                                     Northern entrance to the Moon Loop

I figured people might like to see a few more photos of the Cedar Cross course. I had a couple of days off, so I set out to do a bit of trail cleaning and find some new gravel.

I also wanted to get an idea of what the area would look like after 2 days of solid rain; Turns out it looks pretty damn fun. The picture below was taken on Burnett School road. This bit of gravel is usually dry, but when it rains the water has to go somewhere..

          Hmm..might be a good idea to put some fenders on the ol' cross bike

A few more miles down the road, the gravel was almost too smooth, as if I was the only person to have driven on it. Turns out I was right:

(You don't even want to know how much money this is costing me)

Then I was off to the Devil's Backbone to move some leaves off the trail. For those who don't know, the southeastern portion of the Backbone was only recently acquired by the Forest service. Thanks to this development, the course will now be taking you past 3 DEAD END signs.

Upon entering the Backbone trail, there's a short, unmarked trail that I can only assume was created by the property's previous owners. From this trail, there are several cliff-faces where you can step a few feet from the trail onto a rock ledge overlooking Cedar Creek. You can literally see for a mile in either direction, it's beautiful. Photos are forthcoming

As the trail descends, you get to cross this waterfall:

                                   *This spot is also normally dry*

I'm happy to say that the leaves have been removed from about 90% of this trail, and it is now very rideable. It's also worth mentioning that this piece of trail contains one rock garden that's so nasty I probably wouldn't attempt it on my full-suspension mtb....unless someone had a camera. No photos yet, but it's not like a photo would do justice anyway.

It was getting dark, so the work came to an end. Rather than make the 45 minute drive home, I hiked up to one of the bluffs along the Smith Creek Trail and made camp. Lemme tellya, those woods come alive when the sun goes down. I've never heard so many coyotes in my life.

Thankfully, this fire was just big enough to keep the Boogeyman away

 

Thanks to some frozen feet and an angry bladder, morning came early. A quick hike back to the truck, and I was on my way to the Moon Loop. I'm pleased to announce that this trail is about 80% leaf-free now. The only problem is that horses are rutting the trail and leaving massive piles of shit to clean up. This is nothing new.

 

Trekking along, I found another example of equestrian laziness:

                                                         So lazy

Rather than move the tree off the trail, people just blazed a new trail past it. This literally took me 2 minutes to clean up, and I can only wonder how long that tree laid there.

 

                                                  Seriously. 2 minutes.

Later in the day, I met a pair of horseback riders who thanked me for cleaning the trail. They seemed oblivious to the destruction they were creating and the mountains of shit their horses were leaving behind.  Since they were so nice and since it was Christmas day,  I decided not to pull my gun.

 

At the Big Branch Creek crossing, there is a strange and interesting rock wall. I have to assume it's man-made, and I can only guess at its historical significance.

 

                                     This has to be man-made, right?

 I think that's about all I'm willing to share for now. This race is only 5 months away and there is still a lot of work to be done. Maybe I should be doing more work and less typing?

Just so we're clear, I am NOT creating any new trails out here, only clearing leaves and downed trees from trails that already exist. I've been in contact with the local forest service, and they are well aware of my activities.

                                                        *Before*

I have no desire to go to prison for trying to organize a free bike race, so there will be no new trails cut by me. This thing isn't about new trails, it's about showcasing the ones we already have. Aside from having a great time on a kickass course, The whole point of this race is to get people out here enjoying these trails and working together to bring them back to their former glory.

 

                                                         *after*

Soon I'll be adding a place on the website for people to RSVP. The way I figure, if we know you're gonna be there on raceday, we'll be more motivated to get out there and make this course even better. When it's posted,  please take a moment to add your name to the list (if you plan on racing). You'll totally make my day.

 

           

 

 

The Cedar Cross...coming to a taint near you!!

**I guarantee you ain't never been on this trail**

 

Mark your calendars and tell your wives...on March 25th, 2012  you shall embark on one of the greatest biking adventures of your life...The Cedar Cross. This non-race will cross 2 counties worth of gravel, singeltrack (that you didn't know existed) and National Forest land. There will be be beer, blood, barbecue, spoke-cards and prizes for top finishers.

Admission Fee....What admission fee? This shit is free.

Tell you friends to tell their friends. This will be THE Monstercross event of 2012... or your money back.

 

Berryman Ride on Sunday October 2

Cary and I are going to ride Berryman on Sunday October 2 to get some pre-riding in for BT Epic.  We'll ride the Berryman Loop starting from the Berryman Campground and then some of the OT.  Start at 9 am?  Who's interested?

 
 

Peat