The cold weather came for the weekend and so did 30+ idiots looking to ride and camp in single digit temps. The weekend is as much a race as any Wednesday night group ride, with organic sprints, competitive climbs, and natural tire rubb'n occurring perhaps a bit more.
After a solid three hours of consuming baskets of fried sweet potatoes and pitchers of beer, the group of twenty odd riders started rolling fat back to the campsite in single digit temps. Couches, Christmas trees, bushes and pallets were not spared from the frozenfat fire.
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| dudefest |
The route for Saturday was a twenty five mile course with a couple of two mile+ snow packed climbs, cross country bushwhacks, and ultra steep technical snow covered descents. With thirty four riders and bikes tucked into a few vehicles the day began with a short shuttle into the central Pa woods. A casual roll-out started riders up a 2.3 mile snowmobile road.
rolling thunder
Somewhere around ten miles into the ride a legally located truck was well stocked with supplies to keep riders both warm and relaxed. After having a beverage and becoming adequately cold standing around a small group of us left the truck. Descending fresh snow on an old road bed our small group of riders was treated to one of the most surreal on bike out of body experiences. The crisp snow whispered under the tires while carving big s turns through a stand of tall hemlocks. Turkey and coyote tracks dotted the trail wandering of the road bed and back on.... naturally you begin to want to follow them.
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| Aid (Bail) Station One: Dogs, Beer, and Good Conversation |
Climbing up an ice and snow covered gravel road for over four miles seemed like it left a number of riders pushing, falling, riding, pushing, falling, riding. The spread of riders from the lead group to the last group was over two hours delaying the aid station just enough where lead riders missed the final turn on the course and where treated to an additional 1500ft climb when the finally started to backtrack. With no course markings and only maps to follow back to camp, riders where ultimately responsible for getting themselves out of the woods.
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| Above: Bushwhacking during the final stage of Saturday. Right: Wrapping Up the weekend at Bakers Hollow. Solid day. |
Costumed riders get three points.
Post Ride Antics:
Tube-O War: two men enter one man leaves. best of three. first to dab.
Sled Pull: one rider pulls a bigger fella on a tobaggon around a cone.
Night Time Derbies - This was the seizure inducing blinky light round.
Saturday's group ride took folks out to Allegrippis for a series of schwag filled stages.
Regrouping out at the vista on the Allegrippis Trails.
Bushwhack Go!
Hydro Loop Group
-PUSH-
Parking Lot Peppers
With five states represented, ages from 19 - 63, and no major accidents or incidence, I think will bring it back again next year. Seems like folks want something more of 50 mile ride next year.
