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My extreme trail-scorcher:

This is the picture from the Gary Fisher web site. My bike is slightly different being size Small (this picture is the Medium size) and it has the following upgrades/accessories:

Speedplay Frogs pedals, Bontrager saddle, Mavic 217 rims, White Industries rear hub, Nuke Proof front hub, Michelin Wildgripper Lite tires, XT 8-speed cogs, XTR skewers, Sachs Powergrip Extreme rear shifter, Bullet Bros. Chain Tensioner, Curve Brake Booster, Lizard Skins headset guard.

Places I've gone mountain biking:

Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

Went in a big group on a day biking trip on a converted railroad trail along the Lehigh river. Two people brought their own bikes, the rest of us rented. A lot of fun but we all went home with extremely sore butts.

Lake Placid, New York

On a camping and hiking trip with friends. My break-in ride on my brand new mountain bike.

Plattekill Ski/Mountain Bike Center, New York

This is a strictly downhill riding place, where you have to use a lift to go up the mountain. I've been there twice. The second time, I suffered a concussion and scratches from a bad fall and had to stay overnight at the local hospital. My helmet was completely wrecked. The manufacturer replaced it for the cost of shipping and they gave me a membership certificate in something like a special club of people who've thrashed their helmets.

Killington, Vermont

Six-hour drive? No problem. We didn't know any local trails then and thought biking trips must always be like skiing trips, far and long. It's still fun to bike at Killington though,if you're staying for a few days.

Mercer County Park, New Jersey

The first time I went there I went by myself and was so impressed with the trails. At that time I was new enough to mountain biking, it was still fun riding alone on mostly flat and short trails.

Clayton Park, New Jersey

My very first real mountain biking trail. There are no lifts, no picnic tables, just park your car in the small dirt lot and ride your bike into the woods.

Cheesequake State Park, New Jersey

Another good local biking place, with several technical short loops accessible from the park road.

Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park

This is a flat and wide trail running along the Raritan river, good for easy rides. This trail goes more than 50 miles all the way to Frenchtown. But, from the trailhead in New Brunswick, I've only gone not farther than 15 miles. Because this trail is not a loop, you have to remember you'll be riding the same distance you went out, so better turn back before you feel tired.

Hartshorne Woods, New Jersey

Now my regular mountain biking trail. It has lung-burning climbs that can melt your legs, race your heart, spot your vision, and even make you puke. This is the best trail I know. It has got plenty of fast narrow twisting singletrack, it has screaming technical downhills, it has logs and roots to jump, stumps to ride over, mud, rocks, soft soil, and sand. There's even a parking lot embankment to practice your jumps.

Huber Woods, New Jersey

And for a change of scenery Huber is just a short road ride from Hartshorne. Except for the lack of climbs and downhills, this trail is just more of the same -- more fun.

Deer Pond Loop Trail, Tupper Lake, New York

Practically 7 miles of roots and rocks. Muddy in places with a lot of bugs, and there's one section of wood-plank walkway over mudland. Georgia and I had lot of fun riding this trail last Memorial Day weekend.

My sweet speed machine:

Once again this is not the actual picture of my bike (my scanner is still in the store). This is the picture of the new model R1000 from the Cannondale web site. My road bike is a lot different because I built it up myself. The frame is Cannondale 2.8 Series aluminum powder-coated matte blue, with carbon fiber fork. And these are the components:

Shimano 105SC Triple group (crankset, derailleurs, shifters, chain, brakeset, and hubs), Vetta TT saddle, Matrix Aurora rims, Continetal Competition 23mm tires, Shimano Ultegra 12-23 cogs, DT double-butted spokes, Trek System 1 seatpost, Trek System 2 handlebars, Profile aero stem, Shimano 535 pedals.

Road tours I've joined

The Five-Boroughs Bike Tour

Forty-two miles around all the five boroughs of New York City. This is the mother of all bike tours, with 25,000 participants last year it was already bigger than the New York City Marathon. This year it had 30,000 participants. The first time I did this tour last year I rode by myself, this year I rode in a group with five others. Or at least we started as a group of six; along the way two in our group got separated in the multitude and basically ended up doing solo rides like I did the year before.

MS Bike Tour

It was called The Advil Bike Tour when I joined it in 1995, my very first Bike Tour. I used my old road bike (long since traded in for my current Cannondale frame), and I wore tennis shoes with clip pedals, cotton sweat pants, the inner wicking layer of my skiing jacket, no gloves, and a baseball cap under my old too-large helmet.

Diabetes Bike Tour

A small tour with relatively few participants. Not good if you don't like getting separated from the pack.

Transportation Alternatives Century Bike Tour

I like the club's campaign for biking as alternative transportation so I'll keep on joining this tour. They changed the route this year and it was a welcome change from all the familiar routes taken by other tours.

New York Cycling Club Century

From upper Manhattan through the George Washingon bridge to New Jersey and back. This ride has an "exclusive" feel to it (it's open to anyone though). Participants are mostly experienced cyclists, mostly members of NYCC. And there's only one rest stop so you know it's not for beginners.

My current longest tour (1997)

Century! At last... but barely.

Months before the event, Timmy and I, had already planned to finally do our first century this year. 1998 was to be THE year. We had debated which ride to do, whether the TA tour, the Ramapo, or the NYCC. The drive to Ramapo we thought was too far so it was soon ruled out. I would have liked to do both the TA and the NYCC, the first one as the preparation for the other. But as luck would have it the two events were scheduled on the same day this year. The TA was a tour through the boroughs of New York (except Staten Island), while the NYCC was a tour from Manhattan over the GW bridge, up the Palisades to Bear Mountain Park and back. We chose Bear Moutain over Brooklyn.

It was a perfect day to ride: a windless, cool, bright fall day. There couldn't have been a more perfect day for suffering.

We started out before light and ended the ride after dark. We had pedaled for twelve hours in what was to become for me both an extraordinary experience and lesson. (My cyclocomputer read just over 12mph average speed, so actual ride time was about eight hours. Hard to believe we had rested for a total of four hours during the ride).

(to be continued...)

1999 Centuries

• Princeton Event - with Jonas and Myrna
• Pumpkin Patch Pedal - with Timmy

2000 Centuries

still to come...

Mountain biking pictures:

Can you spot the differences between the two pictures?

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