Fall in Connecticut

Today was one of those fall days where it wasn't that cold but it felt freezing. 54 degrees when I rode today on the Upper Gussy trail and it felt more like 38 degrees. Wind was whipping around especially at the top of the mountain. I got a quick hour ride in before the dreaded trick-or-treat march around the neighborhood.

It was31 years ago today

75 Degrees Mandates Mountain Bike Ride

Its was a ridiculous 75 degrees and I met my friend Andy for a ride at Blue Mountain. We rode all the way to the summit. A slow, sometimes grueling, ride on amazing singletrack thru the fall foliage. We were in a rush to get done before dark or the impending rain so we never stopped for pics or video. I only took this one video at the end in the lot.



I also took some video on my drive to work today just to give you Florida boys a taste of the fall foliage around the reservoir near work. Funny thing is I forgot it also records sound so you'll hear some of Howard Stern interviewing Mike Ditka.

BMW vs The Turtle

Careful of those Horse Treats on the Trail

 Sherri and I went for yet another ride today. Second day in a row. We tried an old rail-trail that runs through the Southbury area. I don't know where it ends but we did about 6 or 7 miles. I heard it goes much further. The trail is a little more rough than the trail we do on Pepper St and as you can see from the pic there are horses riding here too.

The weather was looking ominous with light rain as we started out. My buddy Mark was making fun of me for wearing pants yesterday and today was no different. I don't like being cold on these mellow rides. Sheesh, I don't even break a sweat.

I'm so psyched to have Sherri out riding. She really seems to be enjoying it.

Nice Day to Ride

The day started off cold. We watched Korey's soccer game in the morning with temperatures as low as 42 degrees. By 1PM it was nearly 60 degrees and Sherri and I headed out to the rail-trail. Beautiful day to be out. My back is still really sore, but not enough to stop me from riding.

These flat spinning rides are a great contrast to my grueling climbs up Blue Mountain and Upper Gussy. I hope to get out to Blue Mt again in the beginning of the week.



Bono

would of been 70

Big Mountain Ride Today

Took a 2 hour ride with my friend Andy and a guy who runs Westchester Mountain Bike Association. He showed us some of the trails at the very top of Blue Mountain. What a ride!

This is me on a 6 foot roller. As my friend Andy said "the videos don't do justice to how steep those rollers really are".

And here is Andy and Chris. You can tell by looking at the trees in the distance that we're near the top of the mountain.

I went down hard at one point. I navigated a tricky rock face section and then hit a small rock at the end. Came to a complete stop and got pitched over the handlebars. I landed on my back directly on a rock. Back is killing me but I think its just a muscle bruise.

Here is Chris on a roller.

Century Map

My first Century

Time to refuel

rest stop

First spill

No Ride Friday

Weather here sucks. I am hoping to get a ride in tomorrow morning if the weather cooperates. I also hope I've kicked my cold by then. In the meantime, how's that for a cycling jersey?

This company has tons of cool beer jerseys. Check out the link below:

http://www.squidoo.com/cycling-jerseys-beer

Mi Yard

Temporarily Down

No riding for me for a couple days as I woke up with the beginnings of a nasty cold yesterday. I overdosed on Airborne and Emergen-C yesterday and I actually rode the stationary bike for about 20 minutes. This all seemed to help because I am feeling a bit better today. I think I averted what could have been a really bad chest and head cold. The suckiest part of it was I missed out on a 2 hour ride with friends on the great trails near work. It was a beautiful sunny and 64 degrees in the afternoon. Damn!! We're re-scheduled for next Tuesday.

One of the reasons I believe I got run down was all the gigging and music parties over the weekend. Its all so much fun but sometimes it catches up to me.

Recognize anyone here?

Oh, and one more thing, sorry Rays......

Go Yanks!!! Cliff Lee ain't nothin!!

Golf Tournament

Second Day in a Row with Sherri

Sherri and I rode again today. We hit a trail that was converted from an old railroad line. Its really beautiful along the way with farms and country houses lining the trail. I could smell wood burning in the fireplaces which reminded me of Mike's post the other day. The trail is hard packed dirt. Very flat and very smooth. A good place to spin consistently. Total length is about 3 miles. We went from one end to the other and back for about 6 miles.

It was cold this morning. Probably about 48 degrees at the start. As you can see I went with the wool jersey and a balaclava.

Here is one end where we turned around. The view is of Wolfe Park. Man made beach, lake, fields, concessions etc.

Mountain Biking with Sherri

Sherri and I rode on the fire road today. It is a slight incline the entire way in and it was a bit challenging for her. She was a trooper and hung in there til the first clearing near the top. With some consistency I bet this will begin to feel easy for her.

It was a cooler day even in sun as you can see by Sherri's fleece.

I opted for the double jersey thing as I rode Jason's old Cannondale hardtail. Sherri rode my full suspension Specialized.

We saw this hiker along the way. Later we saw her tucked in the woods sitting down on the ground reading.

Back at the lot goofing around without a helmet.

Hey Mike...I like your pics from today's morning ride. I see all your descriptions are typed in the label area. Did you know you can also type in the box where the pictures go and add a lot more verbiage? Like I am doing here.

Osprey

Farm

Early Morning on Trail

Sunrise on the road bike

I set out today at 6:10AM for a ride on the North County Trail in Westchester. This picture is taken on the old train tressel bridge that crosses the Croton Reservoir. It was a cold 46 degrees and I only got in about 45 minutes. Had to be at work by 7:45.

Here is another pic with slightly different angle. You can see my new Cateye headlight.

Stevie Ray

Jeters House

Thats one good lookin Bar mitzvah kid

Cuzins

ZB signs

ZACHeeeeee

nice tie

Cuzin Dean and me