Test Riding

It really was love at first pedal stroke. I hope I never turn into one of those overly enthusiastic 29er advocates, screaming at people from my 29" soap box telling them to sell everything 26" they own. But, I must admit the temptation is certainly there. It really is that nice of a ride.

I decided to escape the cold weather in Victor and head down to Southern Utah on Friday to get to know my Nine. I figured it was a good idea to get some real trail time in before lining up for the first Pro XCT this coming weekend in Fontana. Plus, after officially passing Inferential Statistics as of Friday at 5 pm I thought I deserved an extra special road-trip treat. 2 days, 90 miles of trail and nearly 10 hrs of saddle time have me giddy about the upcoming race season on big wheels.

You've probably heard it all before: 29ers steamroll over rocks, cruise on the flats and corner like rally cars. True, true and true. Big wheels changed my tire preference, too. I have been a religious Karma user for years and never really fancied the Small Block 8. I am now loving the Small Block on the big wheels, even in the loose technical stuff. Go figure.

Climb up to Kolb Reservoir

Yesterday, I pieced together a dirt-pavement-dirt ride to get some miles in. Left from Hurricane, rode the Hurricane Rim Trail over to Virgin and hopped on the pavement climb up to Kolb Reservoir. Beautiful, steep and gave me a good 1.5 hours of steady climbing. I had to turn around when it just got way too cold with all the snow on the ground at around 7,000 feet.


Today we're off for a few nights of camping out at Gooseberry with some more long rides on tap all week. I'm at the end of a huge block of training for my first 100-miler of the season, the Cohutta 100 and although I'm getting a little tired, new bikes have a strange way of keeping me motivated.