Riding the Ridge

Carrie, Wendy, Beth, Janalyn, Jen

Everyone calls it something different. I have always known it as the "Ridge Trail". We met at the top of the loop and crossed the road. We climbed for a bit and did some descending, ending up at Mud Springs. We took a right and climbed up and then flew down the what is often referred to as "Joy" (for good reason). There were some puddles up to that point and we thought the climb could be pretty wet, so we skipped the dirt climb and came up the road from Cascade Springs. We were back before we knew it. The temps were cool, the trails were just damp for the most part, and it was a great evening to be riding bikes with the girls.
I have been asked about whether we are going to do it next month. It is not necessarily scheduled, but if I have interest and trail suggestions I could be talked into it. Leave some comments and let me know.

August!?

Wow, I cannot believe it is almost August. Where did the summer go? For our Ride Like a Girl on August 5th, we are going to head up the Canyon. I will be going up Provo Canyon because it is closer to Mad Dog Cycles (in Orem) where we will meet at 5:30 pm. We will leave promptly and head up to the top of the Alpine Loop. We will hit some sweet single track in that area. It is going to be fun.

Good Group and Good Times

We had a good group last night out at Dutch Hollow. Some of the regulars from last year were back in attendance, like Jen, Jessica, Jolene. Anderea, this year's die hard was definitely there. Then we had some great new comers Leslie, Beth, Stephanie, and Kathy.

 Jen, Stephanie, Kathy, Andrea

 Leslie, Beth, Jess

 Jen, Jess, Beth, Andrea, Leslie, Jolene, Stephanie

 Andrea, Jess, Jolene

 Jen, Beth, Leslie

 Grandma's Stephanie and Kathy (yes, Grandma)

Andrea, with input from Jen and Jolene, picked a nice route. Some steady climbs and super fun descents. We hit Aqueduct and Barrell for some down hill whoopee flow. Twice. It was that good. We also hit part of Sage and Cottontail. In all it was a really fun group. Hope to see everyone again!

Jen

Andrea

Leslie

Beth

Jolene

Stephanie

Kathy (on her 1st MTB ride)

July 1st Plan

We are going to ride Dutch Hollow. More info can be found here. I have only been there one time, but it is a cool little network of trails. Andrea is well acquainted and has volunteered to help guide this ride. (Right, Andrea?) While we are going to meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm, I included directions below. I will see you there.

From Provo Canyon, drive east to the end of Deer Creek Reservoir. Right where the water ends, turn left (north) on U-113. Zero your odometer. Drive north 3.8 miles into Midway, and turn right (east) as U-113 turns right in the middle of town. 0.4 miles later (mile 4.2), turn left (north) on 400 East (River Road). This is the road that goes just to the west of the memorial hill. At mile 5.4 you'll hit a traffic circle. Take the first exit (not the driveway, though), so you'll turn from north to east. At mile 6.1, a sign points you to Dutchman Hollow - Dutch Canyon. Turn left and drive 0.5 mile on pavement. The pavement ends at a turnaround where the Dutchman Way trail begins, GPS N 40° 32.495' W 111° 27.224'. Turn right downhill at the sign for Wasatch Mountain State Park. The preferred parking area is 0.3 miles down the gravel road to your right. Trailhead info (and bathroom) is at GPS N 40° 32.704' W 111° 27.187'

A couple of riding opportunities

So this Thursday Mad Dog Community Ride is going to be at Lambert Park. This is open to all who are interested, but it is a good trail for those who don't enjoy the climbs so much. Standard protocol though--meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm. Departure time is usually by 5:40 at the very latest. Jessika is one of the ride leaders this week so look for her. It should be a good time.

If you are looking for an all girls ride, there is a ride in Corner Canyon at 5:30 pm also on Thursday. If you have never ridden in Corner Canyon, it might be fun to see how the other half ride. While UT County is primarily old hunting/deer trails, Corner Canyon is all man created. So while there are some steep pitches here and there, it is much more flowy both up and down. There are not quite so many sustained steep climbs. It is a really nice area. They are meeting at Corner Canyon Equestrian Center (maps.google.com) 1266 East 13400 South, Draper, UT 84020-9767.

Just keeping you in the loop.

Big Springs

Andrea, Jolene, Kathy, Janalyn, and Jessika joined my on Thursday for a lap or two at Big Springs. The weather was ideal. It was warm in the valley, but a bit chilly getting ready. I even tossed some arm warmers in my jersey pockets just in case. I did not need them though.
We stopped at the road crossing and practiced unwaiting the front wheel and/or bunny hopping a small log. Everyone made the first steep section past the road. We regrouped before the descent and before entering the meadow.
It was a great group. I took some pictures, but they were with my phone so some of them did not turn out so well.

It is almost June 3rd

On Thursday June 3rd, we will have Ride Like a Girl. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and it will be a beautiful summer (technically late spring) night. Attendance has been low thus far (Andrea and Tracy are troopers), but hopefully this one will be better. I am thinking Big Springs. We will meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm and then go over to the trail (which is always subject to change).

I should also mention that I will be out of town on Tuesday and Wednesday--I have Girls Camp--so if you have questions or comments and I don't respond that would be why.

May 20th

Okay, so technically the advanced Ride Like a Girl is supposed to be on Thursday. But I am bailing. Let me give my excuse and then some options though.
My excuse: I got a new bike. It is really, really sweet. But I am terrible at riding it. Really! I switched from grip shift which calls for a simple flick of the wrist to Sram trigger shifters. And before the grip shift, I rode Shimano. The point being I cannot remember which thumb lever goes up and which goes down under pressure. Needless to say, I need to get this down by the weekend's ICUP race. So when the Weekly Race Series announced they were again moving their Wednesday night race to Thursday, I realized that I needed to opt out of Ride Like a Girl so that I can practice in a race format.
Option 1: That being said I know there a few of you, okay more like several of you, are likely going to be doing the Weekly Race Series anyway. And if you have never done one of these, I would highly recommend it. It is a great, laid-back atmosphere to try your legs at racing.
Option 2: Mad Dog Cycles hosts a group ride on Thursdays. This week the Hodnetts--Tim and Jen--are hosting it. So there is still a group ride taking place and you don't have to worry about being the only girl, because Jen will be there. These are really laid back and you will fit in just fine.
There you have it. I will do Ride Like a Girl for sure on June 3rd even if the mid-week race gets bumped again for weather.
See you on the trails. 

Chilly Times @ Lambert Park

Andrea and Tracy braved the colder weather to join me at Lambert Park tonight. It was a good time. The trails were in great shape as was expected. Tracy made some great progress. Both Andrea and I were pretty spent from the Weekly Race Series last night. But we still got some practice cornering.
Ride Like a Girl is off to a slow start, but I am optimistic and pointing to the weather for the low attendance. Hope more will join us next time--Tracy said she would come back and I am holding her to it.

It is May...

and the weather is looking delightful. We are going to meet at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm on May 6th. After we have gathered, we will jump in our cars, head to a trail, and go ride our bikes. The big decision is what trail to ride. I have been hunkerin' (is that the right word?) for some Lambert Park. I am assuming that it is dry and in good repair. Those of you in the area, could you verify?

If not Lambert then something by the mouth of Provo Canyon as a back up. Who is with me? 

Map of Lambert Park Trails

Directions:

Take I-15 to the Alpine/Highland exit, just south of Point-of-the-Mountain. Drive straight east 5 miles towards the mountains, turning left at the stoplight in Highland (where you see the grocery store and gas station). Drive 2 miles north into Alpine to the 4-way stop at 200 North. Turn right. At the next stop sign, turn left. You'll be on 200 East, which becomes Grove Drive. Continue northeast on Grove for two miles. The road will turn 90 degrees to the right. Pass two streets on your left, then arrive at a T in the road. Turn right, across the river. At the fork in the road, go right for the Bowery parking area. Pass the High Bench dirt road on your right. About 300 feet further up the paved road, keep straight as the main road turns right, entering a smaller road. The Bowery pavilion is on the left, 500 feet up the dirt road, with a parking lot on the right. (Toilet, pavilion, water.)

The Extra

We are going to have a supplemental Ride Like a Girl. This is going to be a contingency of women that tags along with the regularly scheduled Mad Dog Group Ride. It is going to be less formal--more like a standard group ride. It will be less instructive and a quicker, more consistent pace.
We are meeting at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem at 5:30 pm. We are going to be riding Whiting Trail in Mapleton. It should be fun.

No Show

So on Thursday I woke up to snow. Driving into Provo for work, it was apparent that they did not get as much snow as we did a little further South. I watched the weather throughout the day and it never really got sunny. But I figured since it was not actually snowing or raining, that I could not rightfully cancel. Although, I was not so excited to  ride.
On the way to the shop, I thought it was cold, but maybe it will not be so bad.
I arrived to at the shop around 5:25. No one was there yet. So I waited and waited and then waited a little longer. I stayed until 5:45 and then I assumed that everyone decided that it was a bit too cold. I was relieved.
Better luck next time.

2010 Outlook

So at Trek's Ladies Night I had an opportunity to plug "Ride Like a Girl" and talk a bit about the plans for the summer. Here is the scoop for those who missed it.
First, Ride Like a Girl will be run like years past. We will meet on the first Thursday at 5:30 pm at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem. This is a little bit earlier, but it will give us more time to ride. We will go over the basics and build on them throughout the summer.
While the first Thursday is for "Girls Only", Mad Dog Race Team will be hosting guided rides on the other Thursdays of the month for all--boys and girls. You of course are invited to join those also.
Coinciding with that on the third Thursday of the month, I am inviting the more advanced riders from Ride Like a Girl to join me for a girls contingency. Essentially, we will join the guys or do our own thing. This will be more of a woman's group ride with a more consistent pace.
So that is the plan and I hope you will join me. And for April 1st, I have not decided where we will ride. Maybe around the mouth of the canyon or Bonneville Shoreline in Orem. Both are pretty dry so far. 

Ladies Night 2010

Ladies Night Out 2010

Click HERE or come into one of our stores to RSVP.

This year's format is "Open House" style. Refreshments provided.

Product raffle and extra discounts for those in attendance!

  

Questions? Call us at 801.222.9577 or visit us online at www.MadDogCycles.com

March 18th Update

So we are on for March 18th at Mad Dog Cycles in Orem. It will be from 6-7 pm. Bring your multi-tool. If you do not have one I would seriously consider looking at what the shop as to offer. Having a bike tool and knowing how to use it is essential. I am a big fan of the Crank Bros. But Parks Tools and others are good also.

Also, LADIES NIGHT is next Wednesday, the 24th, from 6-8.  The format is new this year, and should be lots of fun. RSVP at  www.maddogcycles.com

It's Back

I am bringing this site out of hibernation. It was a long rough winter and I am excited to be riding. Yes, Ride Like a Girl is going to happen again this year. It is still on the first Thursday, but I bumped up the time a bit. I figure if we meet at 5:30 we should be leaving by the shop by 6 pm. This will give us more time to really ride. If you have a tough time getting to Mad Dog by this time just leave a comment and I will work with you. I don't want this change to exclude anyone!

The first meeting though is going to be a prep. On March 18th (not the first Thursday, obviously), I am going to do a recap of simple bike maintenance. This is going to be minor things that may happen while out on the trail. Just simple things like fixing a flat, a broken chain, adjusting brakes, etc. I need to check with the shop on time. I will update shortly.

This will be a great time to get your bike out and give it a once over.