2021 Mountain Biking

[Primoz]

About a week ago I wrote it was my last mtb ride of a season. Well, after almost 20km of mountain running yesterday, and with another day of nice weather before cold front with lot of rain should come, I thought it's not going to be too smart to run another day, so I went to check what kind of trails they have around Ajdovscina. It's little city almost exactly 100km from my home, and it's one of first places in Slovenia, where they started to build whole bunch of legal mtb trails (in Slovenia most of trails are officially illegal), but I have never been riding there until now. It's in Slovenian Karst region so they don't have much of climbs I thought. Well I was a bit wrong about that "flat terrain" It was only 35km, but average speed was pretty much lowest one ever with only 10.8km/h. But that "flat terrain" produces 1500m of ascend in those 35km and some really awesome trails, that even I can fully enjoy on my xc bike

Not too proud of this speed

I guess now it's really time to pack my bike and get my skis out

 

[nay]

65 degrees and perfect yesterday. Cold and fog today.

I’ve been skiing at A-Basin for a day and the mtb has been better so on we go.

 

[Andy Mink]

I got a nice ride in today after waiting for things to dry out. There were still some damp spots, some gloppy spots, and some puddles but for the most part the trails held up well to the deluge earlier in the week.

I've ridden past this a few times before it occurred to me it is an alternate route.

Coming out of the alternate route.

One of my favorite switchback routes. Pretty rocky with steep don't tip over areas.

This spot always has a lot of cobble but moreso after the rain. It'll rattle your fillings out.

Just a cool cloud.

 

[4ster]

Back for more…

 

[Tom K.]

I got a nice ride in today after waiting for things to dry out. There were still some damp spots, some gloppy spots, and some puddles but for the most part the trails held up well to the deluge earlier in the week.

One of my favorite switchback routes. Pretty rocky with steep don't tip over areas.

This spot always has a lot of cobble but moreso after the rain. It'll rattle your fillings out.

Andy, if my home court trails looked like that I would without a doubt own a 29+ bike with 3.0 tires.

Yikes, but good on ya!

 

[Andy Mink]

Andy, if my home court trails looked like that I would without a doubt own a 29+ bike with 3.0 tires.

Yikes, but good on ya!

I don't know any different. Someday...

 

[AmyPJ]

If only he’d been riding with a bell, I might have heard him coming before he plowed into me while he was ripping downhill

 

[Philpug]

Ooof. Should look real bad in a few days.

 

[luliski]

If only he’d been riding with a bell, I might have heard him coming before he plowed into me while he was ripping downhill
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Oh no! What cut your face, the other bike?

 

[Andy Mink]

If only he’d been riding with a bell, I might have heard him coming before he plowed into me while he was ripping downhill
View attachment 147033 View attachment 147033

Can't like that! Any other bumps and bruises? Was the other rider apologetic?

 

[AmyPJ]

Oh no! What cut your face, the other bike?

I believe his shoulder slammed into my glasses/face. I'm not sure what hit my knee.

Can't like that! Any other bumps and bruises? Was the other rider apologetic?

My left knee appears after xrays to have a deep contusion on the patella. It hurts like a mofo. My left index finger has a bad contusion and I can barely bend it, although xrays are negative for fracture. All of these are from the impact with him and not from me hitting the ground, as the brush caught me like a big net. (Grateful for that!)

He was very nice and a ski patroller who went through the whole protocol with me. I got launched off into the bushes upon impact and I was REALLY upset. Ironically, the impact broke my Timber Bell. I asked that he replace it and also that he get one of his own. It would have eliminated the collision as I'd have heard him even from a distance. I was riding with bar mitts and am pretty sure my finger would be broken without them. My hand is pretty scraped up even though I had those on and was wearing gloves.

Not happy. And yes, Phil, I have quite the shiner. How embarrassing.

 

[Doug Briggs]

If only he’d been riding with a bell, I might have heard him coming before he plowed into me while he was ripping downhill
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SMH.

Not happy. And yes, Phil, I have quite the shiner. How embarrassing.

You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing wrong. A patroller should know better than many about traveling in control and with respect for others. HE is the one that should be embarrassed and, more particularly, ashamed with himself. I have little tolerance for people that disregard the basic rules of safety.

I hope your injuries heal quickly and fully.

 

[robertc3]

Glad to hear the damage wasn't worse Amy. Scary sounding crash.

Got out for a ride with my son this weekend. It was the first day day after some serious rain. The up track was in great shape.

Some of the way down was riding down a flowing stream. I wanted a kayak at times. We were shaken to pieces with the cobbles of the stream sections. Note to self, avoid Preston Railroad after a rain. Trails on the up track side were probably much drier.

 

[AmyPJ]

SMH.



You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing wrong. A patroller should know better than many about traveling in control and with respect for others. HE is the one that should be embarrassed and, more particularly, ashamed with himself. I have little tolerance for people that disregard the basic rules of safety.

I hope your injuries heal quickly and fully.

Thanks, Doug. I think he felt really badly. He apologized more than once and stayed with me all the way back to my house. I hope he gets a bell and uses it. I got checked out to rule out fractures. Our trails aren't super busy, and there some really fun downhill sections that have blind corners. This was one of them.

 

[Philpug]

I am really surprized there are not more of these incidents, we have two way traffic on single track.

 

[Andy Mink]

I am really surprized there are not more of these incidents, we have two way traffic on single track.

I was heading down the switch back section on Halo yesterday. It's a lot of rocks on the side of a fairly steep face that is convex so you're always somewhat blind going around what amounts to a big, long sweeper with the side of the mountain in the way. You also are very much paying attention to the rocks pretty close to in front of you. I met a guy coming up; he stopped just before I did and we had plenty of room. He had the ROW as the climber but stopped so "he didn't ruin my fun". I stopped because he had ROW. We wished each other a good ride and moved on. I have a bell but don't think I had it on in that section though I should have. I can see where head ons can happen even with bells only because the rattling of the downhill bike and concentration on the trail and the hard breathing of the uphill rider and concentration on the trail, plus the obstacles between the two.

 

[Philpug]

@AmyPJ

 

[nay]

Man GPS is whack with this solar storm - my ride on Saturday looked like a spaghetti monster on Strava, I recorded 600’ more climbing than usual, and it only showed 4 segments.

I was trying to use my iPhone for directions today and it kept telling me to go back and wouldn’t recognize I was on I-25.

Gonna have to be old school until this passes.

 

[AmyPJ]

I was heading down the switch back section on Halo yesterday. It's a lot of rocks on the side of a fairly steep face that is convex so you're always somewhat blind going around what amounts to a big, long sweeper with the side of the mountain in the way. You also are very much paying attention to the rocks pretty close to in front of you. I met a guy coming up; he stopped just before I did and we had plenty of room. He had the ROW as the climber but stopped so "he didn't ruin my fun". I stopped because he had ROW. We wished each other a good ride and moved on. I have a bell but don't think I had it on in that section though I should have. I can see where head ons can happen even with bells only because the rattling of the downhill bike and concentration on the trail and the hard breathing of the uphill rider and concentration on the trail, plus the obstacles between the two.

When I hear a bell coming downhill while I’m climbing, I yell to them. Plus it gives me ample warning that someone is coming.

I’m getting more sore by the hour.

 

[Andy Mink]

When I hear a bell coming downhill while I’m climbing, I yell to them. Plus it gives me ample warning that someone is coming.

I’m getting more sore by the hour.

Vitamin I and ice.