Adam C. Hegedus

Today’s ride brought me to a scenic little gem called Coopers Gap. About a 20 minute or so drive from Tussey, in what can probably safely be called, the middle of no where, is the aforementioned gap. Five of us met up at the side of a road somewhere between Lewistown, Penn Roosevelt State Park and Rt 322. When we arrived, let’s just say it was raining… hard. But we drove all the way there, so let’s mount up. The names of the trails were a little bit of a blur, but I know that skittaka, dear tick and beautiful were all included.

Coopers Gap Ride (8/2/08)

All in all it was yet another fantastic ride. Unfortunately for me, I had a fair amount of trouble keeping the rubber side down on all of the wet rocks. So after a little blood, a few bee stings, and some tired legs, I had another great time. Beautiful was a trail I had heard a lot about. It’s a lovely trail that rides along the ridge of what ever mountain we were on. It was fantastic… and rocky… I lost skin.

Big thanks to Greg for the GPS tracking and both him and Nick for waiting for me!

Get on your bikes and ride.

I had a chance to ride with the Mountain Bike club this evening, and had a really great time! Carrie and the girls went to visit Mame and Bop (that would be Carrie’s parents… no idea how those names came about), and I got a chance to get out and ride.

This was today’s ride. The ride along the Tussey Mountain trail (also called the ridge trail) was really great. Beautiful views, rolling terrain and a smattering of tricky rock gardens all made for a good time. Then a super fast descent on the Camp trail made me remember why I love this sport so much.

Get out and ride… you won’t regret it!

Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to ride in my first mountain bike race, the annual 24 hours of Big Bear. It was a lot of fun, and a race that I would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in getting into endurance mountain bike racing.

This year, I am determined to race again. I have three options at my disposal:

• The Stoopid 50 - a 50 Mile race through some of central PA’s great trails, many of which were never used in events (or by me!)
• The Wilderness 101 - 101 miles of fun (and more than likely, pain). This one starts outside of Coburn, PA and winds around until you’ve ridden a century in the dirt. 2 years ago I called Big Bear, “My Everest”. This title has been passed down to the Wilderness. This one could be out of my league… who am I kidding… this one currently IS out of my league!
• 24 Hours of Big Bear - Round 2 - I was really pleased with how I rode last time on this course, but I really think that I could do better. If this is the race for me this summer, then I look to turn 4 laps instead of 3 (each lap is about 13 miles) and do each lap under 1:45 or so… That’s a pretty good goal, and I think I can do it.

So that’s what’s in store for this summer. Hopefully one of these races will have my name in the books…

It was about this time last year that I was getting ready for my first ever mountain bike race. I had a blast and did a lot better than I thought I would. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get the team together to race this year, but hopefully I get another shot at Big Bear.

Last year, I was (thankfully) able to borrow a Cannondale full suspension bike from a friend. After that race I told my wife that I wanted to buy a new bike next year… Well, little did I know that my wonderful wife remembered that conversation and a few weeks ago, told me to start looking… so I did.

There it is. Tomorrow, I’m going to pick it up. It’s a fairly big step up (in equipment and price) from what I’m riding now, and I am really excited about it. It’s my first bike with full suspension, hydraulic disc brakes, Fox Racing shocks, and many more accoutrements necessary for some serious fun.

Now I just have to get my fat… well, I need to get in shape.