Singletrack Sunday- Moosic Mountain, PA

Singletrack Sunday
Place: Moosic Mountain, PA
Ridden: September 2013

Here is our first installment of Singletrack Sunday. Every Sunday we will be highlighting the most interesting and/or favorite trail system from the previous week via a video.

This week we traveled up to the Dick and Nancy Eales Preserve at Moosic Mountain, near Scranton, PA.  It was an area once slated to become a business park, but is now a preserve maintained by the Nature Conservancy.  The area undergoes controlled burns regularly.

Trail report, well, it was rocky. Areas of chattery baby-heads mixed with large, flat rock formations to ride over. The trails were well maintained and it was obvious many hours went into the building of these trails based on the abundant rock armoring, rock bridges, and bermed corners.  Not too much climbing, most of the trail system in on the ridge top. 

All in all about 11 miles of trails; lots of little side loops need to be taken to get in this many miles.

Below are two videos. If you watch the one directly from the blog the quality is not the greatest, it's a bit grainy.  The Vimeo link has a better quality video but may take longer to download.  Also, not changing the videos to full screen helps keep them more clear.

Direct from blog version


Vimeo link

Pisgah Stage Race Recap and Final Dirtwire.tv Videos

So it's all over.  Five days of awesome racing in Pisgah National Forest. The days were tough, the courses gnarly, and at times I think we did more walking with our bikes than we did riding.  Times were spent catching up with old friends and making new friends, all the while enjoying the beautiful trails and mountain views.

Of course events like this are not possible without the people that make is happen.  Blue Ridge Adventures puts on great races.  Thumbs up to the race organizer, volunteers, and town of Brevard for hosting such a wonderful event. Lori and the Sunset Inn made racers feel at home and catered to what was needed. Blue Indigo Catering, New Belgium Brewing, and Shannon Ridge Winery kept us fueled all week long.  Thom Parsons and Land of Sky Media made some awesome race highlight videos to showcase the week's riding and racers efforts.

Joël and I look forward to returning to Brevard in the future.

Now, time to sit on the couch and recover.

Thom Parsons/Dirtwire.tv Interview
http://dirtwire.tv/2013/09/pisgah-stage-5-jess-and-joel-farlow-in-a-word/

Stage 5 Highlights- check out all the SVB  jersey coverage
http://dirtwire.tv/2013/09/pisgah-stage-5-gopro-highlights/



Pisgah Stage Race Day 5- Endless Rain and Mud

Pisgah Stage Race- Day 5
Land of Waterfalls Loop
September 21, 2013
25 miles, 3186 feet climbing
Written by Jess
Video and photos by Joël

Transylvania County is called the Land of Waterfalls. There are over 250 falls of varying size throughout the county, and during the ride today we passed a few and were around water for most of the route. And not only was there water from the rivers we rode by there was water from the sky all day- it rained the entire time we were riding. At times we were surrounded by fog, guess that is the side effect of riding in a rainforest at a high elevation.

Today’s stage was a point to point- meaning we started at a different spot that we ended. As riders gathered in the morning to load our bikes onto the trailers for transport and load ourselves into the school bus the mood was jovial; everyone seemed in good spirits and happy that today was the last day of racing.

The ride on the bus was an interesting one. A school bus seemed much roomier and more fun when in elementary school.  It was a tight squeeze for most people, especially the taller guys.  Joël and I were sitting over the back wheel; which as a kid was the best spot; as an adult riding a bus up a bumpy, gravel forest service road it’s not the best spot.  By the time we arrived at the race start all the racers were ready to get off the bus- our legs were cramped and butts hurt from the bumping and tight quarters.

The race started with a four mile gravel climb that then turned into about a mile of single track before the top.  Joël and I pushed hard up the climb.  We only had about 20 minutes over the 6th place duo and we wanted to make sure we solidified our spot.  20 minutes may seem like enough but with our history of making wrong turns we didn’t want to take any chances.

The major downhill of today’s route was called Farlow Gap. It’s known to the locals as the scariest downhill in Pisgah.  At the racer meeting the director told us that everyone would have to walk sections of this descent- and he was right.  Joël and I attempted to ride as much of it as possible, but we spent a good portion running with our bikes. On our way down we stopped to check in on our friends from Curacao- Hans had broken his nose! (FYI- he did finish today). 

As Farlow Gap came to an end, the next few miles included single track with loose, chattery rocks and rooty drops, gravel roads, and even some pavement which took us by the Pisgah Fish Hatchery.  These fast sections soon came to an end when the next climb began.

Miles 13 to 20 were the last climb of the Pisgah Stage Race. Whoo-hoo! Up until mile 19 was on an old logging road, some gravel but mostly grassy or dirt trail.  At mile 19 the route turned into single track that meandered to the top of the mountain.

This is where the fun began.  Six miles to the finish- pretty much all downhill.  This section of trail is all newly made machine built trails.  These trails were built with a mini-bulldozer and resemble a roller coaster in their shape- quick, punchy little hills with swoopy banked turns.   For those of you that know Allegrippis Trails- very much like this. Time to go fast.  Joël and I, along with Thom Parsons, hooted and hollered all the way down. Because of the rain the trail as a bit slick at places, so we had to use some caution, especially in the corners.  Even with our reduced speed, it was still an awesome descent.

The trail ended directly at the Brevard Music Center.  A quick loop of the center grounds and through the finish chute we went.

Joël and I put in a time of 3:24  putting us 5th for the day and solidifying our 5th overall team placing.

And so that's it. A few mishaps here and there but we made it through. Both Joël and I feel good about our race and will be back again.

Finishers mugs and T-shirt



Stage 5 video recap











  

Pisgah Stage Race Day 4- Yellow Jackets and Missing Four Miles

Pisgah Stage Race- Day 4
Raw Revolution’s Promised Land Loop
September 20, 2013
25 miles (or 20 for some), 5970 feet climbing
Written by Jess
Video and photos by Joël

This stage has been described as the race staff’s favorite loop.  The entire course took place around Mt. Pisgah, which is why the route has been named “The Promised Land”; a reference to the peak in which Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land.

Day four was a rude awakening.  Waking up the in the morning Joël and I were moving slow and both of us commented that everything hurt.  Not only were we tired; muscles were sore and achy and we were mentally spent also.  Neither of us really wanted to even get on our bikes, let alone do a race.  In talking to other racers around the hotel, everyone felt the same.  Three days of racing was catching up to everyone.

Today's stage started and ended at Wash Creek Campgound.  A nice little area for a race venue but the bathroom was less than desirable; a single-toilet outhouse that was filled just about to capacity. It was clean but stinky!  For those of you that race (or have family that does) you know how important a bathroom can be on race morning.   Most racers ended up using a tree or bush over the outhouse.

The race started off fast with a two mile gravel road climb. Wow, did it hurt, my legs did not want to turn the pedals. Joël and I had been starting off just behind the lead group the past few days, I told him that would not be happening today. We kept a good pace but didn’t push too hard. The course soon turned onto single track that meandered its way up the mountain for another two miles.   By the time we hit the single track I had worked the kinks out and was feeling good. We were riding with two other duo teams so I picked up the pace and told Joël that I wanted to drop them.  The trail was a nice mix of packed dirt with areas of loose, chunky rocks and roots, something Joël and I are good at riding on so we used it to our advantage.  Pushing the pace the other teams were soon out of sight.

After climbing we were rewarded with a fast, steep, technical descent.  Once again thank goodness for my dropper seatpost.  Joël and I hooted and hollered the whole way down, enjoying every minute of it.  I love it when I get to say “rider back” to multiple men who are all off and walking.

Once at the bottom the single track twisted and turned through mountain laurel, ferns, and crossed many creeks. It was beautiful and fun riding.  Joël and I (along with a few other racers) got stuck in a swarm of yellow jackets.  Each of us got stung, which for Joël can be an issue due to insect bite allergies.  He carries an epi-pen but thank goodness didn’t need it. After a stop to take some antihistamines we were on our way again. 

As we recovered from the bee incident, we realized something was not quite right.  Joël and I, along with another racer, were riding on a gravel road. There were course markings on the road indicating it was part of the course. But we weren’t supposed to be on a gravel road until mile 12.  We questioned a spectator, who told us yes, we were in fact on the race course and would be getting to the aid station soon.  What!? The aid station was at mile 12, our cycling computers indicated we were at mile seven. 

Upon arriving at the aid station we found out there were multiple people (by the end of the day about 15-20) who went the wrong way. The course had a four mile extra loop that came off of the main loop.  Course marshalls were not there yet to direct racers early in the race so many people went straight by the extra loop.  A group of us waited around at the aid station for 15 minutes or so to wait to be told what to do.  It was decided that anyone who went wrong could continue and would just be given a time penalty later.  So off we went.

After leaving the aid station, the trail descended for about a mile. It was extremely washed out, thus some more walking with our bikes. Rumor has it no one rode this section.  Following this was a short section on road and then the climbing began again.

The first few miles of the climb were on a gravel road.  We were passing people but also getting passed. It was tough to figure out what was going on due to so many people missing a turn. Who did the correct course versus who did not?  We still were trying to race but it was mentally difficult and frustrating to know who to worry about and how much time was there between us and the other duos. This manifested in some tension between Joël and I, each of us calling the other grumpy and miserable at times.

After the gravel road we turned onto Trace Ridge Trail. It pretty much went straight up the mountain.  Using even the granny gear did not work at some places…time for more walking.  Luckily the steepest parts, ie the walking parts, were over shortly and we began riding again soon.

After reaching the top, the downhill was a repeat of what we rode up in the beginning. Much more fun going down than going up. This trail took us all the way down the mountain and then onto a gravel road.  After a short grassy double track climb we descended a technical, fun, rocky trail to the finish line.

So after talking to the race director, the decision was made to add time to everyone who missed out on the extra loop.  The race staff would get our minute per mile time, and add on the time it would have taken us to ride the four miles we missed.  Sure, not the most accurate but fair enough.

Joël and I finished with a “corrected” time of 3:34 for 8th in the duos and keeping us 5th overall.  The mistake today really cost us.  Only one more day of racing tomorrow. Due to loosing time for a wrong turn on day 2 and the mishap of today it really is going to come down to racing on the last day. We can't move up in the placings but the 6th place team is only 20 minutes behind us; so anything is still possible for tomorrow.


Finish line

Waterfall along the course

Stickers of each stage profile with mileage, aid stations, and type of riding (road, gravel, trail, etc).  Useful to put on the bike top tube or handle bars to know what to expect when riding.  I added some extra motivation and hints to mine.



Video recap of stage 4, not the best video quality due to Internet difficulty.



Dirtwire.tv collaboration with Land of Sky media highlights Stage 3- Joël makes a tough water crossing look easy

  

Pisgah Stage Race Day 3- The Longest Day

Pisgah Stage Race- Day 3 
Sycamore Cycles Carl Schenck Loop
September 19, 2013
34miles, 5178 feet climbing
Written by Jess with some input from Joël

Sorry, no video today, technical problems with the camera

Today’s stage was in the Cradle of Forestry, which is the location of the first forestry school in America- The Biltmore Forest School. The grounds contained a forestry museum, original school houses, church, and historic sites. Not only a nice place to ride but historic and educational also.

After about a mile or two on pavement and gravel road to help spread people out, the single track started with a steep climb.  Joël and I pushed hard while on the road section to get a good position heading into the single track, this worked well, we were positioned in the front half of the race.  In fact, we were directly behind the first place duo team.  After some joking with them that we were coming for them, they slowly pulled away on the climb.  Joël and I soon noticed that two of the duo teams that were just behind us in the overall rankings were close on our heels. No rest for the weary, we needed to keep a good pace.

The climb went on for about five miles after which we were rewarded with an awesome descent for approximately four miles.  The first part of the descent was technical with some decent drops but then it soon turned into a fast, flowy trail nestled within the rhododendron.  Without risking a crash, I tried to occasionally take my eyes of the trail to look around, it was beautiful!

After the fun of the downhill, we hit Squirrel Gap Trail. This trail was like a bumpy rollercoaster ride, tons of short steep ups and downs with rocks and roots thrown in.  It also happened to be all along the side of the mountain, so going off the trail meant tumbling down for quite some time through brush and trees.  No looking around here, my eyes were glued to the trail. Which was good, because at one point in the middle of the trail was a grouse.  The first wildlife we have seen the entire race.

Soon time for another climb, which seemed never ending.  All in all the next climb lasted for just over ten miles.  It started out on a grassy trail, which looked to be an old logging road now grown over.  It then turned into single track which got steeper, and steeper, and steeper.  The rocks and roots were plentiful.  As the inclined became steeper, the riding decreased and the walking increased.  In fact at times I can’t even call what I was doing walking, it was more like shuffling. I did everything from push, to pull, to carry my bike; Joël carried it at times for me so I could climb up drops and over boulders.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we made it to the top.  We were warned by the course marshall that the downhill had some “switchbacks from hell”. Wow, he was right. We descended 1600 feet in two miles, all of which included steep drops, boulders, logs, and tight switchbacks.  By the end both Joël and I hurt all over- hand cramps from gripping the bars, backs from the bouncing, and quads from standing with our butts behind the saddle. All I can say is I am so glad I have a dropper seat post and a full suspension bike.

The last few miles were on a gravel road.  A great way to spin the legs out and relax.  Final time 4:58, 5th for the day and keeping us 5th overall.  Our good ride today put in a good amount of extra time between us and the teams behind us.  After finishing we took some time to visit the forestry museum and educational and environmental exhibits in and around the Cradle of Forestry.
Joël showing off his wheelie skills for Thom Parsons and Dirtwire.tv


Museum at the Cradle of Forestry

Entrance to race start

Looking Glass waterfall 

Pisgah Stage Race Day 2- Asking Directions of Darth Vader Can Result in Trouble

Pisgah Stage Race- Day 2
White Squirrel Loop
September 18, 2013
29 (plus a few extra) miles, 5118 feet elevation gain
Written by Jess
Video by Joël

Waking up and getting going was a little more though today than yesterday, but both Joël and I felt fresh and ready to go.

As with day 1, the race started and ended at the base of Black Mountain trailhead. But the course was much different than day 1.

The race started with an immediate climb; gravel double track then rooty and twisty single track.  Everyone was huffing and puffing with legs screaming to get a good position right from the start.  After a very painful first mile, we were rewarded with a fast, flowing downhill.  There were a few roots and drops here and there but they just made the descent more fun. After coming out onto a road and riding a short stint on pavement it was time to repeat the climb that we started on. During the previous downhill and road section, Joël and I passed two of the duo teams. It felt good to be moving up in the ranks.  But this would soon change.

After the original climb, a volunteer dressed as Darth Vader was directing racers. Somehow an entire bunch of us (some people estimated as many as 20 riders) went the wrong way.  The course was marked for a turn later in the race and Darth Vader seemed to be pointing that way so that is where we all went. After a mile or two of downhill we were stopped and told of the wrong doing. We all turned around and climbed back up to reconnect with the correct trail. To add injury to insult, it was more climbing which turned into steep single track and eventually more walking sections.

As with yesterday, Joël gave me a push during some of the uphills. Today he also carried my bike on some of the walking sections. He can walk faster while pushing two bikes that I can walking and pushing my bike on my own. That is what racing as a duo is all about, helping each other out to go as fast as we can.

The rest of the race consisted of washed-out technically challenging downhills alternating with long, arduous gravel climbs with a few creek crossings thrown in just to keep things interesting.  Characters such as Spiderman, Wonderwoman, and a gorilla made sure we did not stray from the correct trail as previously.  We had no idea how we were doing in the team standings, because of the wrong turn we took early on we did not know which teams were in front and which were behind us.  But as the race went on we figured that out. We slowly caught up to and passed the teams that as of day one were sixth, seventh, and eighth. It felt good to know that despite adding on a few extra miles (and obviously extra time and effort) onto our day our overall standing would not change.

Both Joël and I finished feeling exhausted.  Was it because of the physical and mental strain of going the wrong way; a more difficult stage; or the fact that it is day two? Or a combination of all, who knows.  After the race we spent some time socializing and trading race stories with our friends from Curacao and those who we spent the day riding with.  Our final race time was 4:24 putting us 5th for the day and 5th overall.

Joël's recap video for today


Dirtwire/Thom Parsons interview with us

http://dirtwire.tv/2013/09/pisgah-stage-1-jess-and-joel-riding-as-a-couple/





Pisgah Stage Race Day 1- How to Hike With Your Bike

Pisgah Stage Race- Day 1
Sunset Motel’s Looking Glass Loop
28 miles with 6678 feet of climbing
September 17, 2013
By Jess

The alarms on our cell phones jolted both Joël and I awake. The alarms didn’t go off much earlier than normal but the pre-race urgency had us up right away, no hitting snooze and going back to sleep.  Our room at the Sunset Inn had a very tiny kitchenette, making breakfast took some improvising .  Breakfast for an endurance race is important, even more so for a stage race. Joël had waffles, sausage links, and eggs.  I had a huge bowl of oatmeal, english muffins, banana, and green tea. After filling our caloric needs, we loaded our jeep, bikes on the roofrack, and headed off the race site.

Today’s stage started and ended at Black Mountain Trailhead in Pisgah National Forest. Most racers were relaxed and talkative while getting ready, all seemed ready to have fun.  The first six miles were a gradual climb on paved road.  Joël and I joined a group to partake in some drafting, Joël even pushing me at times. That’s the great thing about racing as a duo, we can help each other.  Joël is obviously faster and stronger, so he gets to push me at times to help keep our speed up.

After many miles on the road, the climbing really started with a little over a mile on a chunky gravel road.  The next 10 or so miles were a gradual, sometimes steep, climb on single track.  It was rooty, narrow, and had some rocks thrown in for good measure.  We pushed along at a steady pace until finally reaching the top, in which we were rewarded with a few miles of fast, flowy downhill double track on what appeared to be an old logging road.

After stopping at the aid station to grab a quick snack and fill camelbaks, Joël and I were on our way again. Now came another 10 miles of climbing. The first few miles were quite enjoyable, moderately technical single track that slowly wove its way up the mountain. Rhododendron were everywhere and we saw what seemed like hundreds of different mushroom species.

Then the fun began. About three to four miles of hike a bike. Not just the typical push your bike along. This was carry your bike, climb up boulders, lift your bike above your head hike a bike. A few times I had to ask Joël to grab my bike and pull it up a steep incline.  At the top we were rewarded with a beautiful view of all the surrounding mountains.

After walking for what seemed like forever, the last few miles were all downhill.  Washed out trail with loose rocks and steep drops that just appeared out of now where. Numerous times I slammed on the brakes at the last minute to dismount and run down a section of trail.  Joël and I both took a spill on this section, and Joël had to stop to fix a flat.  Luckily the trail finally smoothed out and the last mile or two were on a super fast double track that lead directly into the finish chute.


We finished only slightly bruised and battered but happy with the days ride. Finish time 3:54, good enough for 5th out of the 9 duos (co-ed and mens duos all combined for awards).  After finishing we spent some time talking with friends and fellow racers sharing stories of the day.

Welcome banner at check-in

Racer sign-in race morning

View from top of Black Mountain


Where are we now?


Where have our cycling adventures taken us now? After many hours of traveling we have reached our destination and are ready for some great riding and racing.

We aren't going to tell you, but are looking to see if someone knows. Tell us where you think we are based on the photos and video.














Our bikes- what we are riding and why

The bikes that have gotten us through the season so far.
Written by Joël

Both Jess and I ride the Giant Anthem frame; me in the carbon version and Jess in the aluminum. They are both awesome, but what else would you expect from Giant.      

We both still ride 26” wheels, mostly because neither of us cares for the added weight and cumbersomeness 29ers bring. That said next season we most likely will be riding 27.5”/650b wheels.

Our bikes are clad in the following parts some because they are awesome some because they came with the bike.

Sram XO triggers are bomb proof and never seem to have any issues.  Sram X9 Type2 rear derailleurs; they work well and hold up better than the XO version when constantly getting bashed into east coast rocks.

Sram PC1051 chain and PG1070 cassette; they might not be the lightest but the durability to price ratio cannot be beat.

Both of our bikes came with Avid Elixir 5 brakes, the initial turkey gobble sound was solved by installing some Jagwire blue brake pads.

We both run the same wheels, Shimano XT hubs (I am amazed by how well these hold up given the price) and DT Swiss XR400 rims with the DT Swiss tubeless kit, held together with DT Swiss revolution spokes. We both run a mix match of Continental tires depending on conditions and Jess runs a Kenda Small block 8 on the rear pretty much year round. She says it’s the most versatile tire out there, and I have to agree. We have been running tubeless this year with air pressures ranging from 18-35 psi with good results.

We both run Shimano spd pedals, really why would you even try anything else.

Now this is where things get different Jess has a Rock Shox Reverb dropper seat post (she never wants to ride without one again) and I run a Thompson Elite setback post.

Jess has a Fox fork that has been serviced multiple times but still has managed to build up so much stanchion and bushing wear that there is some play in the fork itself. To add to that it has felt rather gritty from day one, according to Fox some break in time was needed. With  just over 2000 miles of use it still feels the same (is that enough break in time?) The bike also came with a FOX rear shock that we replaced with a Rock Shox Monarch because the Fox one had nonstop issues. My bike came with a Rock Shox Reba fork which has performed flawlessly.  I decided to open it up the other day to see if it needed anything, to my surprise everything inside looked like it was brand new even the oil.  I am still amazed given the wet riding conditions so far this year. I have the same rear shock that Jess now has and it too has been great.

I run ESI chunky grips Jess has Lizard skins lock on grips. Jess has a WTB rocket v saddle, and my butt likes the Giant Contact seat.

Alright I think I got everything.

Our bikes posing for a picture in Zuni, NM




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