2012 Ride of the Damned

Design: Greg Cosgrove

This year's Ride of the Damned will fall on Sunday, May 13th, and is shaping up to be the best yet. Apologies for conflicting with Mother's Day, it couldn't be helped. I hope everyone finds a way to make it work. 

We're doing a few things differently this year, both improvements. First, we're using SportRecon to cover our registration needs. Please visit the event page to pre-register. Registration covers your BBQ meal after the ride, and additional tickets can be purchased on the site for guests. Prizes will be drawn at the BBQ. Registration opens March 17.

The second addition is exciting: the Strava All-road Challenge. Strava is a free app that lets you track your rides and compare them to others. We're challenging riders to compete for prizes based on the segments of the RotD route we create. We'll select challenging sections, both paved and unpaved, for a cumulative time competition. For $1, riders can opt in for the Challenge, use their iPhone, Android phone, Garmin, or any other GPS device to record their ride, then upload it to Strava Sunday night. Results will be posted on Monday.

More details will surface here as we draw closer to May. Please feel free to refer back to posts from pervious years and our flickr site (on the right link bar) to get a sense of the background etc.

OMG

Iain and I headed out for a Wakefield ride this morning, a simple 80k via the 105 and River Rd. The roads were in fine shape. Wrapping up our Pipolinka stop, we decided to do more. Head North, rode some dirt. Started well, wound up slogging my Steelwool Limited, fixed, up some killer climbs. Keeping from walking was all I could do at times, heavily overgeared. Both low on water and food, we dragged our limp bodies back to Pipolinka after 85k of grinding, refueled - La Foret provided my ginseng boosted smoothie - and trudged on. It was easy to tell I'd done my most brutalizing first proper road ride of the season ever as I limped through my garage and into the tub, utterly shattered, and hurting everywhere. What kept me from needing a rescue? Snow biking. I'm certain. All that grinding payed off!

Conditions report for the race tonight.

From Larry:

"I was surprised to find such amazing conditions for snow bikes at Kanata Lakes this morning. One good inch of snow on top of hard ice base. Beautiful making first tracks and so much fun on icy spots where you least expect it! Did two loops around outback from K2. Conditions will probably be superb by sundown as the snow layer should bond to the icy base." If you were waffling about riding in the race, stop. Ride.

Fat Tire Racin'

Well folks, this Saturday night is yer last chance to turn on the gas and dust yer pals in a blinding snowstorm of fury.....Low Pressure Productions will be hosting the finale to the bi-weekly Wednesday night races. Check out the LPP blog for info and stay tuned here and there for more details as they role in.

http://lowpressureproductions.blogspot.com/

The low down - basically it's gonna be a night race at KL. There will be fire, there will be single track, there will be a figure 8, there will be food/drinks and general bush time nonsense. How could you possibly go wrong?

Registration is at 7:30 and the gun goes off at 8:00. Bring warm clothes for apres racing.

That's all for now.

Roller Race Finale!

The final roller race night of the season goes down on Saturday night, and promises to be fun for riders of all abilities, the emphasis being on FUN-Raising. If you've never tried roller racing, come on out and give it a go. Its ok to suck; I freely admit I am pathetic at roller racing, but am happy to put my ego aside in the name of FUN-Raising. How 'bout you?
 When:
■ Saturday March 3, 2012
■ Doors open at 7pm, racing starts at 8pm

Where:
■ Royal Canadian Legion, 330 Kent St., Ottawa

What:
■ you know….. the roller racing event of the YEAR! 500m fixed. 1000m free and the always loved BEER relay!!!!

Proceeds from the event go towards the Selection Quebec Ouest womens team for the Gatineau Grand Prix, 2012

Winter Cycling Survey

Do you commute by bicycle, tricycle or unicycle in the winter? If not, perhaps you'd like to? The City of Ottawa is conducting a survey to better understand the needs and desires of cyclists in the Capital during the winter. Some of us are fortunate to ride on streets that are generally well maintained and quiet. Others are faced with the option of riding routes that are dangerous in the summer, let alone the winter, like Carling Avenue. If you have a vision for winter cycling in the Capital, or merely have gripes you'd like to express, fill out the survey.

http://app03.ottawa.ca/survey/index.php?sid=89742&lang=en

Got the Itch to Build a Bike?

Interested in geting into framebuilding? The jiggernaut could get you going without breaking the bank. I'm no jig-master, but this looks like a great approach for those who will build a frames at the DIY level. Maybe it'll prove even more robust and precise than one might expect.... If you are keen, pledge support and help bring these to market, and your workshop.

Low Pressure Productions: Race report LPP #3: Soft, yet hard.

Low Pressure Productions: Race report LPP #3: Soft, yet hard.: So, Carlington Hill is done. While everyone who attended the race said that it was a great course, it was a small crowd that raced, althoug...

Low Pressure Wednesday #2

Last night's race was well attended and fast. The trails in the park were hardpacked and icy, fast but hairy. Off to a mellower start than the first race, Neil upped the pace once he got in front and it was on. Grant's new stunts were stellar, just great fun to ride, and the pool drop was in terrific condition. I managed to slide out and tweak my floppy knee, but aside from that, all went smoothly. Rob dominated Gut Buster, the main climb, and ended up walking away with the win by a good 10 seconds. I think all had a swell time.

I've uploaded the GPS trace to Strava and created segments that comprise the whole course. If you were out there and recorded your ride, get onto Strava and upload it to join the leader board. It'll be fun to see how everyone stacks up on all the different sections.

This first foray into Strava's features gets me started toward incorporating the site's features into our Tall Tree Cycles events: The Ride of the Damned, The Hell Climb, and Double Cross. We're quite excited about the possibilities for enhancing these events with Strava, and will be trying a bunch of ideas out come May 13th, when The Ride of the Damned rolls.

Low Pressure Wednesday #2!

From the LPP blog:

Everyone,

The race will be happening at Hampton park again. I have some unfinished business with that course, and just to make it less boring for you folks, I am tweaking the route and adding two new obstacles.

Be there by 7:30 to get your nameplates (or bring your own if you remember your name and have a plate), pre-ride is at 7:45 and race starts at 8. Drinks afterward chez moi.

Spread the word!