Virginia Vacation- Part 1

Nankman Adventures
Event: Virginia Vacation- Part 1
Place: All over George Washington State Forest, Virginia
Ridden: September 2015

Click on video to play

Ah, a vacation.  A week off from work, no house chores to do, and time to relax. How do most people spend their vacation...on a beach, in a fancy hotel, a spa maybe?  Well, the Nankmans spend their vacation living in the back of their van while driving from one mountain biking destination to another. This week's post highlights the first half of our week of vacation.

Day 1: North Mountain Trail to wildlife road, near Catawba. The loop is about 30 miles total. North Mountain Trail was not he best way to start our riding vacation.  The climb up the mountain was pretty much hike-a-bike switchbacks. Once on the ridge it didn't get much better.  Some places the trail was awesome, other places it was steep and overgrown, and thus walking happened again. The descent down the mountain from the ridge was awesome, fast and flowy.  The wildelife road back to the parking lot was probably the best part of the ride, it wove around the side of the mountain with beautiful views of a creek and the mountainside.  Has potential to be a great ride, just needs some trail maintenance and cycling shoes better made for hiking rather than riding.

Day 2: South Pedlar ATV Trail system, near Otter Lake. About 13 miles total/ This place was a blast. Purpose built for ATV and motobikes, the trails were wide, groomed, and super fast. It was almost like riding Allegrippis; the trails had tons of "humps" that were great for launching off of.  We rode early and on a weekday, and thus avoided any ATV/motobike traffic. Definitely a fun place and something different to do.

Day 3: Douthat State Park, Millboro. We rode mainly the outer loop which was about 20 miles; the trail system within the park is probably about 30-40 miles total.  Lots of great and super fun single track.  The climb up Stoney Run Trail goes on forever, switchback after switchback.  The Mountainside Trail is aptly named; it skirts around the side of the mountain on a super narrow trail bench cut trail. Beautiful lookout from Tuscarora Trail.  Some trails here are flowy and smooth, others are gnarly and rocky; so a good mix. The state park has great facilities; the showers are super hot and the campsites are nice sized.  We would recommend this place for a multi-day mountain biking getaway.

Day 4: Sherando Lake Trail System, Lyndhurst. Main singletrack loop of Torry Ridge and Mill Creek about 18 miles total, but there are other trails there to add more miles. We made the mistake of accessing the trails from inside the park; don't try to go up the Blue Loop Trails- impossible. It was one mile of straight hike a bike up rocky steps and steep slopes. Best is to park at the Mill Creek parking area. Torry Ridge Trail is pretty much one constant rock garden, super technical and fun. Mill Creek Trail descends down to the hollow and meanders along a creek; it's a smooth and rolling trail. Mill Creek Connector pretty overgrown, it was a challenge at times to follow the trail. Overall a good loop but we learned what trails NOT to take next time; worth riding but get info from locals about which trails to use and where to park.





In summary, the riding the first half of our trip had it highlights and lowlights. Some trails were super fun and awesome to ride; others had us cursing and wondering how long to the end.  To ride here means to climb...and climb...and climb.  Some days were were climbing for about an hour to get to the ridge top, only to spend 15 minutes flying down the other side of the mountain.  Get your climbing legs ready to ride in George Washington National Forest.

Other highlights of the first half of our trip included hiking on the Appalachian Trail (just some short hikes with Cliff), a visit to the Natural Bridge, driving (and eating dinner) on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and stopping at the Peaks of Otter Winery.

Stay tuned next week for the second half of our Virginia adventure.

- words by Jess
- video by Joël

Kingston Trophy Marathon Championships, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Single Track Sunday
Event: Kingston Trophy Marathon Championships
Place: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Ridden: September, 2015

Click on video to play

As we were looking into places to ride and potentially race over the three day holiday weekend, we decided we wanted something different, something fun, and something that was in a place we had never ridden before. Thus, we decided on the Substance Projects Kingston Trophy Marathon Championships 80K marathon race in Kingston, Ontario.

Yes, some may say we are crazy.  Who decides to pack up their dog, their bikes, and leave after work on Friday evening for a Saturday race that is in another country...we do, OK, so yes, maybe we are crazy.  After sleeping in a Cracker Barrel parking lot over night, we arrived at the race location with ample time to register, get ready, and stretch the legs after traveling.

The race was a two- lap course (half-marathon racers did one lap). Overall the Kingston area does not have the climbs, descents, and rocky sections like we do here in Pennsylvania (which I admit, both Joël and I look forward to those type of terrain features); but what this race did have was so many crazy and interesting course attributes that it kept us guessing, smiling, and on our toes the entire race.

Most, if not all, of the race course was on private property. The first section of the course was tight and twisty.  Many places my bars just made it between the trees. After this came the barn, yup, the race course went through a barn. Pretty cool. After the barn was pump track, and wow, it was impressive. If ridden fast enough, riders could get air over many of the jumps. The course then wove it's way through a marshy area with a beaver dam right next to the course and tons of bridges to ride over; some of them if one went off the side it would be a wet and murky end to your ride.  A rocky section of the course had some nice rock gardens and technical drops and short, steep downhills.  A few short climbs here and there throughout the course added some vertical gain.  

Along the entire course strange objects were seen- old cars and old bikes, a statue of what I would assume was a yeti-like creature, little buildings in the middle of the woods, and signs for route 66 and beaver construction areas.  A very fun course to ride.

If the course was not fun enough, the post-race festivities were top-notch.  Endless hamburgers, salads, and drinks for all racers. A swimming pool for a post-race dip. The podium and award ceremony was pool-side, and winners were expected to jump into the pool from the podium. Racers were allowed to camp at the race site before and after the event. Post race camping included fun conversation and beers around a fire-pit with our new Canadian friends. What a great event!  It was certainly well-worth the travel.

As for results, I was first overall female. Joël was trying to have too much fun on the pump track, and twists and turns and sustained a few crashes; he then decided to take it easy to avoid further disaster but still ended up seventh in the open men category.

- words by Jess

- video by Joël

- extreme fun rolling in the dirt by Cliff