Easy going today

Once more - Sunday is Trevors ride day. Good there were so many riders and speeds to choose from today, so PyZahl did the hills real quick and took it easy from that on for some recovery of last days long ride.

All that done... a well prepared Cappuccino and some Goodies from Tilda's always is a good idea :-)


And some chillin on the Couch in the afternoon sun later.

Last Century of the year

What a great December day! PyZahl managed to get a very late in the year Century ride done, 169km/6h ride time and not a minute left before the last ray of scattered sun light was dimmed away.


This photograph was taken in the Orient Point State Park.

Here is the GPS log, almost complete, a few minutes/miles are missing due to an empty battery...

Rocky Point to Orient Point
	Check this out! You can view this activity online at MotionBased. The Map Player is especially cool because a 'Dot' simulates the movement on a map (You just need to download the Adobe SVG Viewer).

Mountains of the Big City >>Top of the Rock<<

A great clear but chilly day it was. PyZahl skipped riding and went to the big city with an good friend to get high above the city on "Top of the Rock". What a view, almost as good as a real mountain, but all man made.





















And as the sun started setting colors were intensifying very nicely.














And back down in the valley inbetween tall man made Rocks...

where is Nikolaus -- nite ride

6th of December. PyZahl though it is a good day for a MTB night ride in the woods south of Shoreham -- and it was. He managed to get home just in time to jump on the bike and ride to the Shoreham meetingpoint, just some 15min.

Here about half the way, some bike needed a little tuneup...













About 1h20 later, we were all back at the parking lot, a great ride. PyZahl just had to roll home from now. But wait, where is the Nikolaus? In his neigbourhood he scanned some like this looking homes, but nothing, guess was too late.

no food is no good

Sunday is Trevors ride day. This day was not PyZahl day -- short on sleep hours, got late, running short on food the day and night before.
However, PyZahl did hard to get up by 6am, knowing things were not optimal he had some good big bowl of Muesli and a Cappuccino. So far so good.
The ride starts at 8:30 in SB and PyZahl decided once more to ride there -- an 33min ride on the little hilly North Counrty... route from his home. He jumped into his bike suit and on his bike just in time to have a few extra minutes.
It was about 7:45 and chilly, about 1°C that time, but the sun was up and rising, birds were singing, it was so nice and quite this morning, almost no traffic that Sunday moring out there.

But the wind chill was there, going fast feld like buring on PyZahl's arms and face, but not too bad.


At the meeting point the number of riders was already impressive and more were coming, PyZahl did not counted them all, but there were more than 25 for sure.


A little delay due to some flat (or such an issue) fixing on the parkinglot... (this could have been PyZahls luck if it had happened later....) but it was not.


So the peleton formed and a long paceline was moving back the same route PyZahl came along this morning already, but at warp speed. Passing Rocky Point and heading out to WWSP all fine. On Sound Ave some really stupid car manovers were going on, worst ever seen -- one car pasing us at decent speed, but hell, what's that -- there is one more car coming from behind with crasy speed overtaking that first car while still left of all of us, it was running over the grass all the right and was gone -- PyZahl never saw such scary thing before.

The speed of the paceline was varing a lot, not to the slow side, not, some sprint like pulling inbetween, PyZahl hates that a lot. All this ended up in an little messed up pace line, not so nice. At about that point a few got dropped already and/or some mechanical problem occrred -- but seamd like the tail of the group did not cared at all and, well, PyZahl tried his best to hang on for some more 20 miles... He got slowly hungry and did harder to hang on -- not food stop so far and about at (his) mile 50 (from home) a sudden out-of-energy made it impossible to keep up:-(

He run on emergency power, followed the group just in sight for a while until they turned into Bartlett... he finished the final hills by his onwn slower pace and took a more direct route back home via Miller Place Rd.

Happy but very hungry back home.

Lesson learned: need a banana mounted on the handlebar.

Querfeldein Biking at Cathedral Pines

Just for the log:

Saturday was Cyclocross Race training at CP, pyzahl tried hard to keep up on his hummveelike Fully MTB... One or was it two? warmup and scouting laps plus five race laps, each about 13min.

Then a full all of CP lap with all the fun diamonds, about one good more hours and a little cool down goofing around the field to make the 2 1/2 hours full :-)

One more great day at CP.

no bike :-( friends :-) and (too) many people & talks

Last six days PyZahl left his bikes behind at home and visited friends in MA on the weekend and spent the week almost all time indoors listening to too many not so really very exiting talks about matter and so. Summary: way too less excercise, even PyZahl managed to get an good hour of running along the river Charles in, and too much bad food. But always good to see friends, old coleagues and get an update on what's new at the forefront.


The weekend he left the island was picture perfect warm riding weather but he spend the day traveling by buring gas.















River Charles at sun set.
















Oversized.

Very Important

While checking out Cyclocross components PyZahl found an very important part at CyclocrossWorld:

CyclocrossWorld Cow Bells

Now you can cheer on your favorite racers just like they do in Europe. A must have for any event.





Quite a fake cow bell...

What a great late November day

Can it be better? The mercury climbed up to 18 C today and the sky was steel blue!

This morning there was a nice A ride from Krebs, nothing exciting, here a regrouping, not yet all there.





Once around Krebs, PyZahl discussed some Cyclocross Bike options.... but more research needs to be done.

Later the day the even warmer weather and sun asked for little more riding and PyZahl's favorite North Country road was calling -- out to Wading River, little around the hilly WR neigbour hood and proceeding to Wildwood SP.





a quick stop and look at the North Shore...



heading back home PyZahl decided to do the Wading River hill on the left of the Duck Pond and well, down the hill a sudden hissing stopped the ride, PyZahl hates nothing more than fixing flats.

Thanks & Giving alias "Turkey Day"

Today morning, as PyZahl arrived back home from NYC late and went to bed not before 2:30am, used the rainy day to sleep looooong and relax. It's "Turkey Day" or "Familiy Day". However, PyZahl is home by himself, as his Family is far away overseas, a little bored and writing up all this blog.... Many things to sort out at home, a good day for that.

Today there was only a little bit of turkey in PyZahl's meal plan and no overeating -- only a lack of excericise due to all day rain.

And it is still raining...

Looking forward to ride tomorrow morning 9am with blue sky.

TOSCA

Last night PyZahl dressed up in a differend suit and headed to the Met in the big city with friends and watched and listend to Tosca, an action loaded story in three acts. PyZahl had a good time, however, he did not like the crowds of people in the big city so much as he is not used to it.

Tuesday Night

... last Tuesday PyZahl left the lab around 6pm to meet at GR (see right) for a nite MTB ride. Great night, dry, cool, dark.

Good group of riders showed
up and PyZahl had a hard time to keep up this night - excuses are always good: very tricky, technical tight and winding trail in the woods, steep at sections -- and all new and unknown terrain for PyZahl at night were quite a challenge, and this in combination with his service over-due bike, worn cleats -- always getting unwanted off and out the cleats at most inconvenient times and not very well tuned full suspension, also need an overhaul :-(

But no big deal... just missed one turn getting a little behind in the dark, but confident with all this LI type of MTB trails, just keep going until you are back out :-)

Hey all of you -- sorry, PyZahl did forgot his camera this nite and he only remembered a few names -- , we must to do this fun ride again!!

5th Episode of STUND

Die fünfte und vorerst letzte Episode von STUND ist online!

Hier gehts zum Download: STUND #5 (rechte Maustaste > "Speichern unter ...")

"This is it! it's all over now. STUND is done and it's time to give you all the best stuff rolled into one complete package. We say goodbye, for now, to the STUND crew and thank everyone for their support. In this episode we do a little recap of the tour, check out some unseen footage, and best of all, roll all the bails into one juicy segment. Get it while it's HOT! "

A just so different world

PyZahl is chilling a bit and browsing the MTB News forum where he meet his swiss bike buddies first. It is just a so different world of biking.

Great Ride and Cheesecake

Today is Sunday and nothing special but the usual Early Bird ride which in the winter becomes Trevor's ride. What a day, high 50s, crystal blue sky and long peleton of fast riders. PyZahl did still not managed to get his CCD a glimpse on the impressive long moving pace line... you have to imagine about 25 cycles moving fast wheel on wheel. No Deli stopps today, but on mechanical halt.

















That ride done, PyZahl found himself hungry and the idea of his labmate going out for lunch and checking out a new opening of The C**************y was just right and a happy ending with some geat Cheesecake never felt better.

Cross Bike "Race" exprience

Some thing new for PyZahl, today at CP he joined the East End Rideres and few more for an informal Cross Bike Race. A cross coarse was laid out, a bit of everything, a fast paved section of road, dirt road, few sections of "technical" single trail form CP with some (optional) logs, grass, sandy road, and woods with some jumps. Two warm up and test laps, 5 race laps took about 1h10. PyZahl was pushing his fat tired MTB today -- should he get an Cross Bike??? He is undecided... He was a bit slow compared to the EE racers, even he did hard but some how was not really tired after the 5 race laps and did on full CP loop after that.

Hmmmmm, what shall I do?

No plan, need advise :-)

However, after that fun workout PyZahl drove to the bike shop to pick up replacement MTB shoes at Byron Lake, PyZahl is very happy -- if things break and warranty covers it :-)

The Big Ride - X Long Island by MTB in two days

We made it. Rocky Point to Montauk by MTB on almost 100% single trail.

On Friday the 10th PyZahl helped preparing the "Big Ride" logistics, dropping food and bags off at our good host at about 1/2 way, positioning cars and leaving cars at Montauk Rail Road Station.

What a great day, Friday was awesome. PyZahl was almost tempted to ride his road bike back home as he brought it, but for saving "legs" he decided not to do it all teh way, but rode home from Manorville, not the direct route but a little more secenic via Wild Wood SP in a slow and high cadence mode.

My recovery afternoon after that recovery and preparation ride back home, because PyZahl was crasy enough to do a 10km beach run on Thursday night with moon light.

Later in the day PyZahl had a oil burner service man at his house, what turned the kitchen into a black sooty mess and the afternoon chill was disruped by an unplanned major house cleanup :-(
The good thing, Friday night PyZahl went out on short notice for an Italien style pasty dinner. Very good.

Saturday, day 1

Start at Rocky Point, KK, hitting the trail at 8am. Here are a few selected photos:

Finish at Mark's around 4:30pm. Bikes stored away for next day.

Transportation over to the Youngman's house for the great Big Ride party :-)

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Sunday, day 2

Start at Mark's at 7:30am. Hitting the trail after a short road section. Little rain sets in.

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Finish at Montauk just after sun set, just in time.

Go here to see More Photos

is this art or functional

Review on equipment: Back home from last night ride inspecting the "component" shown here looked funny.

PyZahl is just wondering if this fancy looking material is of any use at this location. He really likes the light weight and stiff thing but does it need fancy optics if they are less protective and easy rippable?

Start into the winter

Switching to winter mode this Sunday.
PyZahl did the first time the EBs Sunday winter route it was a good ride, it was hilly :-)












Late addition from Saturday: a good North Fork ride from WR-duck-pond, very early, very nice, very cold.

CP @ night

PyZahl is too tired that late to write more than that ride was hell of fun once more...

About the flying Birds and Pumpkins

Sunday Morning, PyZahl still had all the clocks on sommer setting, but that in mind one hour more to get to the birds launch at 730. Some little storm was going on... They flew out to Cutshogue in no time.
But then there was the return, gusts were blowing riders almost off there bikes, but thanks to a secret alternate route home all the birds made it back.







Later the day PyZahl went to a Pumpkin-Carving party, here is the result.

Off the trail

PyZahl went out for a fun Wednesday night ride at CP. 5 riders showed up...
He tried out his new Stonebite Triplefire with helmet mount and Camelback monted light control the first time under real riding conditions at the tight and winding trail in the woods of CP. It was a 100% success. The trail riding was almost as good as at day time, using a dual TF setup, one on the handlebar with narrow beam (12-12-35 degree beam) and a wider beam on the helmet for perfect near vision (12-35-35) and the ride turned into a night flight . The little extra weight on top of the helmet from the stripped down TF with external control was to PyZahl's surprise no issue at all, he did not even felt it at any time. He used a buff under the helmet, because it was cold, this also helped to hold the helmet in place and worked out perfect. Could not have been better.

And as usual, PyZahl is taking the picture and hides himself -- only the bike mounted TF showes it's light beam at the far left , a little outwards.

So we all were flying along the trail, got separated at times, some fun... and managed in a way to go wrong way and a little off the main loop and did some extra riding. Hell of fun.

Monday is National Autumn Century Day (TOSREC)

Review of Monday's ride.

Added Note (2015-11-03): This is going to be the annual TOSREC in future with a few route modifications.

Here is the long awaited photo & GPS report for the "NACD" we did this Monday in CT. Meeting was at the 8am Orient Point Ferry and start and end at the Ferry Dock in New London.













GPS Log:

20061023-NationalAutuumCenturyDay-CT
	Here is the real route and GPS track log of todays National Autuum Century day -- well, a little more than a 100mi, but see yourself and chack out the cool Track-to-GoogleEarth feature and all the other links and data tables :-) Check this out! You can view this activity online at MotionBased. The Map Player is especially cool because a 'Dot' simulates the movement on a map.