The changing seasons can bring a new dimension to mountain biking and for many of us, fall is one of the best times of the year to hit the trail. If this is your first fall riding season (or even your tenth), here are a few things to keep in mind to stay safe and have fun!

Be Aware of Hunting Season

Many mountain bike trails share access with hunters so beware of gun-toting outdoor enthusiasts this fall. Wear bright colors (orange works best) and do whatever you can to look less animal-like on the trail (making noise helps too). Always obey trail closures due to hunting season for your own safety.

Slow Down for Leaf Litter

In many parts of the country fall is the driest season which can mean fast trails. But don’t go screaming downhill just yet – look out for leaf litter! Leaf litter is basically fallen leaves that cover the trail and it can make cornering and climbing very tricky. Pine needle cover is just as treacherous – if not more so – and it’s not uncommon for us to wipe out on easy trails more than once each fall.

Leaf litter can also obscure technical obstacles like rocks and roots so unless you know what’s underneath, it’s a good idea to slow down your first time through. Some trail maintainers get out the leaf blowers at this time of year so check with your local club to see if you can help out.

Getting Lost is Easier in the Fall

A couple weeks ago I went out to Mistletoe State Park for the first time and I found myself having a hard time following the trail. After getting off track for the third in just a few miles I realized I should be looking for blazes on the trees rather than down at the leaf-covered ground. If you do find yourself off trail, retrace your steps and look for signs, blazes, bike tracks (not your own!) or bridges – anything that indicates you’re back on track. Familiar trails may also seem confusing in the fall since trees are bare and much of the undergrowth dies back, revealing new “options” for riding.

Fall Weather Can Be Unpredictable

I always laugh when people remark about the “crazy” weather where they live, especially in the fall. Yep, weather is unpredictable, especially as temperatures shift from warm to cool, so it’s important to be prepared for anything when you head out. Mornings can be cold while afternoon temperatures can get uncomfortably hot (at least here in GA). Dress in layers and bring basic rain gear for maximum protection. Also be sure to scan the weather forecast before you head out for an idea about what you *might* encounter.

Mountain biking in the fall is always fun (night rides!) – just remember these tips to say safe and comfortable on the trail.

photo via Leigh Fazzina’s tweetphoto account.

According to internal surveys, only 11% of singletracks members are on Twitter now – but perhaps that will change once you hear Leigh Fazzina’s story. Fazzina was competing in an off-road triathlon in Connecticut last week when she got lost and found herself far from the main trail. On a downhill section she hit some roots, crashed, and couldn’t get up on her own.

Good old fashioned yelling didn’t help – she was too far from the other racers for anyone to hear her. Fortunately she had her cell phone on her but voice calls didn’t go through. She was, however, able to connect to Twitter to send out an emergency tweet – “I’ve had a serious injury and NEED Help! Can someone please call Winding Trails in Farmington, CT tell them I’m stuck bike crash in woods.” (that’s 138 characters for those keeping count).

Within moments several of her 1,000+ Twitter followers, some as far away as California, sprang into action and contacted local authorities. Fazzina was eventually rescued, bringing a happy ending to her off road emergency. She even recorded a short video on her cell phone as she was wheeled away to the ambulance (watch here if you’re interested). What can’t cell phones do?

When I first read the headline I thought the story sounded a little fishy – why wouldn’t someone just use their cell phone to call 911 instead of Tweeting? However, according to a cell phone expert quoted in this USA Today article, it’s not unusual to be able to send a text message in areas where there is no voice coverage. It’s not clear whether Fazzina sent a text message to her Twitter account or whether she connected to Twitter via her phone’s internet connection. Either way, it’s good to know there’s more than one way to use a cell phone to get help in an MTB emergency! Start collecting Twitter followers now, you never know when you’ll need ‘em.

I’m not sure what’s going on but the news over the past three days has been full of mountain bike related accidents, injuries, and even deaths. Maybe it’s the weather that’s putting more people on their bikes or maybe it’s just coincidence. Either way, hopefully this post serves as a reminder to ride within your limits to avoid ending your season early (or worse, permanently). In case you missed it:

• Local Youth Pastor Breaks Neck Mountain Biking (Missouri)
  
• 12-year-old Dies After Summer Camp Mountain Bike Accident (Colorado)
• Police airlift Bedminster man who broke leg mountain biking (New Jersey)
• Man Dies After Serious Mountain Bike Fall (Australia)
• Injured Mountain Biker Rescued West of Bend (Oregon)
• Lost Mountain Bikers Rescued from Eagan Park (Minnesota)

Again, this is just 3 days worth of headlines. And beyond the headlines there are easily dozens more cases each day of mountain bikers suffering from heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and dehydration on the trail. Ride smart this summer to avoid mountain biking injuries!

Now this is a troubling development: officials in South Wales, UK are warning spectators at this weekend’s Kona Mash-Up at Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre to keep a tight eye on their rigs because organized criminals may be lurking behind the scenes. Apparently at an MTB event at nearby Margam Park last month thieves made off with roughly $45,000 worth of bikes!

Clearly these crooks are organized and they’ve done their homework to know downhill bikes are expensive and easy to swipe in a big crowd. Just imagine, you lean your bike against the outside wall of the restroom – sixty seconds later the bike is gone.

We’ve heard too many stories lately about mountain bikes being stolen – and not just campus cruisers, nice, custom rigs. In fact today I lost my Yakima roof rack and two bike trays in the Home Depot parking lot near my house. Working in broad daylight in a busy parking lot means these guys are pretty brazen! Of course in this case, like many others, I bear most of the blame myself (left the car door unlocked which made it easy to remove the rack clips).

Bottom line: keep your bike stuff locked up tight wherever you find yourself this summer – the bad guys are everywhere!

Bikes are kind of like dogs. You play with them, you take them places, you feed them and get them new accessories. Sometimes you take them to the vet. If they’re not working out, you put them up on craigslist so a new family can enjoy them, or drop them off on a farm out in the country where they’ll have lots of open space and chickens to chase. And sometimes they get old, their frames crack, and they die. Losing a special friend to old age is often sad and emotionally difficult. But what about when that friend is taken from you by force?

A man in Peterborough, Canada was bikejacked while riding home the other night. According to the report in the newspaper, the rider was approached by some dude who pushed him off his bike. Then the bikejacker rode off with his Trek 4300. A terrible way to lose your ride. If my car were stolen today, I probably wouldn’t give a crap. I’d file a police report and have the insurance company write me a big fat check. But if my bike were stolen, I’d probably quit my job and curl up in the fetal position and cry for weeks.

As cycling becomes more popular and cars become more expensive, bike culture will become increasingly less civilized. How long until there are chop shops dedicated to stealing bikes and parting them out on eBay? How long until someone pulls a gun on you and demands that you surrender your S-Works Stumpjumper FSR Carbon? Hopefully it will never get to that point. But in light of chronic bike theft, reports of bikejackings, and urban trail systems popping up, it might make you think twice about riding through the rough part of the town forest.

Does anyone have any stories about bike robbery?

Portal Trail photo by dauw.

Bad news out of Hartford, CT: A mountain biker who was injured at the West Hartford Reservoir (managed by the Metropolitan District Commission) sued and won $2.9 million from a jury. Maribeth Blonski, who once hosted a mountain biking television show on a local access channel, was injured when she clipped a steel gate installed to keep vehicles out of the area. Blonski broke four vertebrae in her neck, though the long term implications of her injury are not mentioned in the article I read. The jury did find, however, that Blonski was (only) partially responsible for her injuries.

As mountain bikers we all need to take personal responsibility whenever we ride because when landowners get sued, they close trails to bikes. For every landowner who loses a lawsuit like this, there are easily a dozen or more who get scared and close their trails just to be safe.

Every time we saddle up we make a choice and sometimes that choice can have unforeseen consequences. Mountain biking is a dangerous sport (that’s part of what makes it fun) and just like everything else, there are risks involved. If something seems unsafe to you (like a metal gate), get off your bike and walk around it or even better, get back in your car and go home. Don’t risk hurting yourself and ruining a good thing for everyone else.

This past weekend I rode at the SORBA CSRA Bike Fest at Clarks Hill Lake in east-central Georgia and the weather was absolutely perfect. This was my first time riding the Bartram Trail / West Dam and at the end of the day I clocked more than 22 miles in the saddle across the fast, flowy singletrack. SORBA CSRA is busy working on extending this section of the Bartram Trail to connect to other area trails and it won’t be long before you can string together 40+ miles of singletrack in a single ride.

Anyway, it turns out it’s hunting season which means mountain bikers need to take extra precautions to stay safe on the trail. Bike Fest organizers did a good job spreading the word so I stopped to buy a $2 hunter safety vest on my way to the trail that day. I learned a few more tips about biking during hunting season that I thought I’d share here.

• Avoid riding during dawn and dusk hours. It turns out this is prime hunting time, especially during deer season, plus the low light conditions make it difficult to make out colors and shapes in the forest. If you think you might be caught on the trail in the early evening, bring a light or two to make yourself more visible. The best time of day to ride during hunting season is mid-day.
• Wear orange and/or bright colors. You can pick up a cheap orange safety vest at most outdoor shops and it’s well worth the investment. Avoid wearing camo patterns on your clothes, Camelbak, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to make a little noise. Hunters may not like to hear this but making noise with a bell or even your voice will let them know you’re not an animal. Several years ago I was riding with some friends and after beating everyone to the top of a climb I started yelling to let them know I was first. Little did I know there was a hunter in a tree stand not 20 yards away and he was pissed I had scared his deer. He fired his gun into the air to scare me and it worked. Hey, at least he knew I wasn’t a deer and he wasn’t aiming the gun at me
• Check for closures with local land managers. Some trails are closed to bikers at certain times to minimize conflicts with hunters. Make sure you know when those times are and observe them.
• Be alert. Sure, hunters need to look out for us but it’s a good idea to look for them as well. Be particularly alert around forest clearings and look for orange hunters’ vests wherever you are. If you see a hunter, give a wave and make eye contact if you can.

This poor guy didn’t survive his encounter with a hunter

Be careful riding this fall, particularly if you ride in areas shared with hunters. And watch out for those leaves on the trail too – those things can be slippery and they usually hide the nastiest rocks and roots

So yesterday I didn’t get a chance to post on the blog and it was the first time in months, if not years, that we missed a weekday post. I left the house early yesterday morning intending to post in the afternoon after my ride at the IMBA Epic Bull Mountain trails but barely made it back after getting severely exhausted and dehydrated. Here are a few lessons I learned (and re-learned) during my ordeal.

Avoiding Dehydration, Heat Stress, and Exhaustion

1. Don’t ride alone, especially when you’re tackling a challenging route. Riding alone is never a good idea but it’s even worse when you’re heading to a remote trail system. In 4.5 hours on the trail I didn’t see a single person and if I had collapsed it would have been a long time before anyone found me. I did let mudhunny know where I was going ahead of time so at least the rescuers would know where to start looking for me. Still, riding for hours at Bull Mountain alone was stupid.

2. Do your homework before hitting the trail. I had a vague idea about which trails I wanted to ride but I didn’t research all of them ahead of time. The book I brought with me was published 12 years ago – clearly out of date – and I didn’t even know how far I’d be riding by stringing several loops together.

3. Bring plenty of water – then bring some more. I filled my 100 oz. Camelbak for the ride and honestly at the beginning I wanted to pour some out because the thing was so heavy. I ran out of water around mile 16 which was a really bad feeling, especially since I knew I was miles away from my car. If you can’t carry all the water you need, plan your route with water stops in mind (convenience stores, spigots, or even loop back to your car for a refill).

While we’re on the subject of water, here’s a survival tip I learned in the Boy Scouts: don’t conserve. It turns out that plenty of people have been found dead due to dehydration with water still in their canteens. Drink all your water until it’s gone and you have a better chance of making it home.

4. Know your limits. This is a tough one to admit but clearly I didn’t understand my own fitness limitations yesterday. I rode 22 miles with about 3,500 feet of climbing which would have been a cinch when I was training for my metric century but clearly I’m not in that kind of shape at this point. Add in the hot and humid weather and I really wasn’t prepared for such a long ride.

5. Know your equipment. Fortunately I didn’t have any mechanical issues yesterday but I was riding an unfamiliar bike which may have contributed to my exhaustion. Make sure you get a few “check rides” in on a new bike before heading out on an epic adventure so you know what to expect in terms of comfort, weight, performance, etc.

What To Do When You’re In Trouble

Even if you do follow all these tips you may still find yourself in a dangerous situation on the trail, whether it be due to heat stress, dehydration, exhaustion – or all three. Here are a few ways I’ve found to cope.

1. Stay calm. A positive mental attitude is the most important thing to bring with you. Tell yourself that you’re going to make it and you will. Sing a song, repeat a mantra – whatever it takes to keep yourself focused and moving forward.

2. Conserve your energy at the first signs of exhaustion. Taking the climbs easy will help you regulate your body temperature while coasting the downhills will result in a nice breeze. Drink water frequently if you still have some left to help with leg cramps. Stop to rest in shady spots so you can push through exposed areas.

3. Change your riding position frequently. Hop off the bike and walk a bit to stretch your back; straddle your top tube while coasting to stretch your thighs; adjust your Camelbak shoulder straps tightly on climbs and loosen them on descents to take strain off your shoulders.

4. Back track if possible. When you’re tired the last thing you want to do is get lost so try to return the way you came, especially if it’s the shortest route back. Also a GPS can help you find a shortcut or at least keep you on the right track. I got lucky yesterday and took a wrong turn that ended up saving me a couple miles on the return trip – but I won’t count on that happening again!

5. Drink whatever you can. Back in high school I had a friend who became severely dehydrated on a bike ride, so much so that he was delirious and barely able to walk. None of us had any water to offer and with miles to go to the car we filled our friend’s water bottle from a nearby creek. The water revived him enough to get back safely – though several hours later he got sick from the water. Fortunately by then he was in the hospital where they were able to treat him for dehydration and his stomach problems. If we hadn’t given him any water who knows if he would have made it to the hospital at all…

It started raining toward the end of my ride yesterday and I was able to catch a few drops in my mouth that really kept me going. Those few drops probably didn’t hydrate me much but the relief from dry mouth was a big psychological boost.

Bottom Line

Fortunately my story has a happy ending and I made it back without requiring medical intervention but it could have easily ended badly. Let’s all try to be safe on the mountain bike trail this summer…

2009 Specialized Rockhopper Comp

If you bought a new Specialized mountain bike between June 2008 and February 2009 check this out: Specialized is recalling 14,000 2009 model bikes due to a serious fall hazard involving the handlebars (see below for a list of specific models). In one case a rider’s handlebars broke and the resulting crash left the guy unconcious with a puncture wound. Ouch. Then again, no one said mountain biking was a 100% safe…

If you own one of the bikes listed below Specialized says you should stop riding it immediately and bring it to an authorized Specialized retailer so they can replace the handlebars. The handlebar in question is part of the HL series and is marked “ALR-13 NTFOV” beneath the ride side grip.

Affected MTB models:

• 2009 Cross Trail Comp
• 2009 Myka HT Comp
• 2009 Myka HT Elite
• 2009 Rockhopper
• 2009 Rockhopper Comp
• 2009 Rockhopper Comp 29

Some 2004 Specialized road bikes are involved in the recall as well – find out more here if you think your bike may be affected.