This post has nothing to do specifically with Motorcycles. It doesn’t really have much to do with Bicycles. I call it space filler. Space filler is exactly what this time of the year feels like – in regards to Motorcycles or Bicycles. January/February is just sort of that time of the year when we wait for the season to be on 2 wheels.
This post is also just filling the time between late December, when it feels ok for my posts to not be about Motorcycles or Bicycles. The National Enduro in South Carolina is just 8 days away. I cannot wait.
Last week in Europe
I was in Zurich last week for 3 days of meetings. They were good as far as meetings go. Meetings get your job done, but even when they are about bicycles they don’t really make you go faster on a bicycle or a motorcycle. I know that surprises you, as it does me as well. The meetings involved lots of sitting in a room all day, lots of eating too much food and lots of beer in the evenings. Again, none of that is bad in itself, I just fail to see how that will help me go faster on a 2 wheeler. I’m just sayin.
But, the better part of that trip was over the weekend. I went to the UK to visit Matt and Chris. Friends who live there and most importantly they live near a great MTB area in Woburn Sands. A huge forest area reputedly with about 60km of singletrack. I cannot attest to there being 60, but I do know there is a lot. On Saturday, we rode in the cold and rain and of course mud. It is the UK afterall. They had had a ton of snow in the weeks that led up to my visit. But, recently it had been warm enough to melt all the snow. Then of course it rained nonstop the day and night before I arrived. Even though it stopped raining as we went out for a ride, the ground was absolutely saturated. We got good and muddy after riding for 2plus hours in the forest. I did not care. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
On Sunday, we had arranged to ride with a few others. But that did not really happen, so we went out just the 3 of us again. Over night it had cleared up and magically the trails had also almost completely dried up. I have never seen a set of trails go from a quagmire to nearly perfect tacky dirt overnight. Wow.
We rode for 3 hours and saw an amazing number of mountain bikers out on the trails.
Before I did damage to this rig on Saturday!
The crew after riding on Saturday.
The extent of the mud after day 2 ride. Amazingly dry!
On the day 2 ride, we also spent some time at the dirt jumps there. There must have been 50 people riding the jump area. I could not believe how good the area was. It consisted of a ravine flowing down with multiple lines going all ways. Many many jumps, tables, drops, sweet berm turns, gap jumps everything. Wow. If I lived there, I do not think I would do much else. I wished I had a big bike and a full face helmet.
The lower third of the jump park. The only decent shot I got. But, wow!
Marquette with Hanna
Hanna and I are in Marquette Mi. now. Yesterday we spent the day touring the school, meeting with some professors meeting with admissions etc… This is a fabulous place it feels a lot like living in the mountains. There is a ski hill right outside of town, there area a bunch of sweet mountain bike trails, the ski area runs the lifts on the weekends in the summer for a great little DH area, there are cross country trails ski trails right in town, there is a dog sled race that goes right through town in February. The town is filled with great coffee shops, decent sandwich places etc… There is a city wide internet service. Sweet place. If it was me choosing a place to go to school in the midwest, this would be very near the top pick. Duh.
This afternoon we are going out on the alpine hill. Do a little bit of skiing, get a great burrito this evening at the Border Grill. The Border Grill is probably Hanna’s favorite mexi place. Good stuff.
Some Motorcycle Stuff
Tomorrow night I have both Pheonix SX race and Anaheim 2 to watch on Tivo. Don’t tell me the results, as I have successfully avoided knowing any of that up to this point. It is going to be an extravaganza of SX watching on Tivo. I cannot wait. I know that Liz will be excited to see that happen.
Out for now. Next posts will probably be while we are making our way through the National Enduro in 8 days. I am going to try to do a helmet cam video from the race (with my Vio Sport camera – also from Marquette). I will post pictures up etc…
Joe
303 Off-road 
