Single Track Sunday- Christmas Cross, Carlisle, PA

Single Track Sunday
Place: New Frontiers YMCA Camp, Carlisle, PA
Ridden: December 2013

The video is brought to you this week by Frosty...OK, it's really Joël dressed as Frosty.


This is the second edition of the combined Christmas Cross and Trail Doggie World Championships Single Track Sundays. Last week showcased the Trail Doggie World Championships. This week is Christmas Cross. Both races were produced by Fast Forward Racing Productions (Zach Adams); held on the same day, at the same place, and follow the same course.

Costumes were encouraged for this race.  Joël represented Frosty the Snowman; Jess was dressed in various Christmas inspired apparel. The goal of Christmas Cross is to have fun, and if you can go fast that is an added bonus.  Presents were hidden along the course, of which Jess collected quite a few.

The course was not your typical mountain biking course; no rocks gardens or mountainous climbs. Instead there were short, steep ups and downs (some which required walking), a sand pit, a huge log that required heaving one's bike over, and weaving through S-turns while negotiating hoping over a downed telephone pole. The aid-station consisted of beer and bacon.  Oh, and all of this was in inches and inches of mud.

The race format consisted of the winner being the person who could do the most laps in 50 minutes. Each lap was 0.6 miles, which meant A LOT of laps, about nine to 10 for most people.

It was a festive atmosphere both during and after the race. Despite the rainy conditions, most people stayed to enjoy homemade chili and heckle other racers.

As for results, Joël was 4th open men, Jess 1st open women, and friend and fellow SVB racer Matty K 2nd masters men.


Direct video link below

(Note: if you want the video to look less grainy; after you have the video full screen go to the bottom right corner and click on the options icon (looks like a gear wheel) and choose a higher quality setting, i.e. a higher number. It may take some time to load but the picture quality will be better.)


For additional Christmas Cross action, check out the Fast Forward Racing/Smoking Rabbit Productions/Zach Adams video at:



Single Track Sunday- Trail Doggie World Championships, Carlisle, PA

Single Track Sunday
Place: New Frontiers YMCA Camp, Carlisle, PA
Ridden: December 2013

The video this week goes to the dogs.

The Trail Doggie World Championships and Christmas Cross was a fun, relaxed race held by Zach Adams/Fast Forward Racing on a YMCA camp grounds in Carlisle, PA.  The event was held more for the fun of it than actual racing.

For the World Championships, dogs and handlers completed the course together. Dogs had to cross the line with their owners, who could be either riding or running (no runners took part, only cyclists)  The course consisted of two 0.6 mile loops.  There were bridges to cross, logs to climb over, and obstacles to avoid.

Cliff and his friend Barnaby traveled down from the Lehigh Valley to race. Cliff also caught up with his old friend Lona and made some new friends at the race.

In a nutshell, it was chaos.  Even the best trail dog was diverted by fans, scared by large foam animals (archery range target animals where one of the obstacle areas), and the fact that dogs will be dogs- they just wanted to play.

First place was taken by Lona, Cliff second, and Barnaby third.

After the trail doggie race there were races for humans only; Christmas Cross. For this race costumes were encouraged and presents were hidden along the course.  Stay tuned for footage from this next week.


Video below, just click on it to watch



Single Track Sunday- Snow-filled Walking Purchase Park, PA

Single Track Sunday
Place: A snow-filled Walking Purchase Park (aka Sals), Fountain Hill, PA
Ridden: December 2013

We know that Sals was a previous Single Track Sunday location, but this time it is completely different than the previous edition due to the fact that now there are many inches of snow on the ground.

Walking Purchase Park, aka Sals, is a trail system located in Salisbury Township, PA. It is open to hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and hunters.  Overall there is about 12 miles of trails.

So far this winter (wait, it's not even winter yet, that doesn't start until December 21st) we have already received more than the normal amount of snow. This means we will probably be riding in the snow until spring comes along.  Riding in these conditions brings along a whole new skill set- slipping and sliding around, unseen rocks and roots, and the drag created by the snow it's self.  It is fun and challenging in its own special way.

There are special snow bikes with big wide tires and our regular bikes can be outfitted with studded snow tires if needed...but so far we are riding along with the regular equipment. Who knows what the rest of the winter will bring; will our bikes be enough, will we need these special winter products, or will we just end up on the home trainer (stationary bike)?


Since nobody objected to this new video format, we are keeping it this way.


Single Track Sunday- Ray's Indoor, Cleveland, OH

Single Track Sunday
Ray's MTB Indoor Park, Cleveland, OH
Ridden: January 2011

It's Throw-Back Single Track Sunday this week. This video was filmed in 2011.

This past week we rode places that have already been seen on previous videos. Additionally, nothing spectacular happened on the rides this week so we really felt we had nothing worth highlighting and sharing. Thus, a throw-back to a pre-GoPro video. This video was made with an entry-level camera.  It did a good job but it is not quite the same as the GoPro.

Ray's MTB Indoor Park is an indoor mountain biking park located in Cleveland, OH. It is a huge warehouse filled with man-made obstacles that challenge the skills used on the trail. There is everything from skinnies and rock gardens to a pump track, jump lines, and a huge foam pit to jump into.

It's a great place to ride- super fun and a good place to work on skills.  Many hotels and places to eat located in the vicinity, thus easy to make a multiple-day trip.  Despite being quite the drive, Ray's is well worth the travel.

Trying something different for video playback this time.













Single Track Sunday- Bear Creek, Macungie, PA

Single Track Sunday
Place: Bear Creek Mountain Resort, Macungie, PA
Ridden: November 2013

This ride was at Bear Creek Mountain Resort in Macungie, PA. Being that it is a resort, there is a hotel, along with the trail system, frisbee golf, a pond, and skiing in the winter.  It was the venue for the 2013 Mountain Bike National Championships, and will be hosting this event again in 2014.  No Jess for this ride, just Joël and some friends.  Clifford had a new friend named Lucy for this ride.

The hiking/ mountain bike trail system at Bear Creek is a perimeter loop of the ski resort and is approximately 7 miles. There are some alternate trail options. If all of them are taken, there is about 10 miles of trail. Don't be fooled by the length of the trails even after the trails were "dumbed down" for Nationals, this is still some of the most technical/challenging riding the Lehigh Valley has to offer.

After the ride some people have been known to take a dip in the pond to cool off (but beware, goose poop is plentiful). There are also a few restaurants in the hotel that have great post-ride food and beverages.

Vimeo link for best quality video.


Direct video for quick viewing

Due to video editing problems no direct link right now.  Try the Vimeo link, it may take some time to load but it is much better quality video.






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