Review: Women’s Club Ride Apparel
I always strive to ride more and lately, I’ve been doing pretty well with my quest to spend more time in the saddle. I’ve been using the bicycle for transportation more than I ever have, doing the 15ish-mile commute a few days a week and riding to and from social events instead of driving whenever …
Behind the Scenes at Dirt Rag’s Dirt Fest
Mountain bikes, food, beer, live music, swimming, boats, wheelie contests, more mountain bikes, and a couple thousand of your new best friends, all in one place. What could be better? This is Dirt Rag’s Dirt Fest, the largest mountain biking festival east of the Mississippi, and the second largest mountain biking festival in the country. …
Review: Endura Women’s FS-260 Pro DS Bibshort
Ever since I started mountain biking, all the guys I rode with always raved about bibshorts and their unmatched comfort. A sentiment I often heard was once you go bibs, you never go back. However, as a woman, I’ve always been hesitant about wearing them. I tend to pee a lot. If a ride is …
6 Ways to Gain Mountain Biking Confidence
As a beginner mountain biker, I think one of the toughest things to grasp is how to have the confidence to “go for it…” but it’s also one of the most important things to learn. It’s something I still struggle with constantly, and I’m sure many of us riders do. While there is no easy …
Ride Report: The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
In 1968, a 13-mile section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was bypassed in favor of a new route that did not require the use of tunnels, which were causing a lot of bottleneck issues as the road began to see more and more automobile traffic. The old road still exists, and about 9 miles of it …
Ride Report: Rattling Creek, Pennsylvania
The area known as Rattling Creek is located in Weiser State Forest, about an hour north of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I had heard great things about the mountain biking there, but never had the opportunity to check it out, despite the fact that it’s only a couple hours from home. Last weekend, I had a rare …
Wednesday Nights: A Gathering of Knobby Tires and Like Minds
The Wednesday night bike ride seems to be a tradition across the nation. It’s a midweek escape from the hustle and bustle of the working life, an opportunity to let off steam, something to look forward to other than the weekend. Here in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, the Wednesday night group ride is a sacred ritual to …
Review: 45NRTH Wolvhammer Winter Mountain Bike Shoes
Until the explosion of the fat bike, cycling was a warm-weather sport for most people. But now, as more of the masses take on the snow and frigid temperatures, there’s also more of a demand for high-quality cold weather gear. 45NRTH, based out of Minnesota (where they really know cold), meets that demand with their …
My Top 5: The Best Mountain Bike Trails in Central Pennsylvania
I grew up in central Pennsylvania, but I always envisioned myself leaving and moving either out west somewhere or to northern New England—two places that I thought had more to offer for an independent, outdoorsy woman such as myself. It wasn’t until I began to travel after high school and into my college years that …
An Unconventional Ride: Biking on Frozen Standing Stone Creek, PA
Here in central Pennsylvania, we’ve been in a deep freeze lately, with temps regularly dipping below zero at night and barely creeping out of the single digits during the day. While the frigid air adds many challenges to even the easiest of rides, it also allows for the opportunity to explore new corridors normally impassible …
Race Report: Frozen Fat 2015
When the alarm woke me Saturday morning at o-dark-thirty, I felt like I got hit by a train. My head was pounding, my stomach was queasy, and my muscles hurt. Coffee helped, as did the small amount of food I choked down because I knew I’d need to fuel up for the 30 miles of …
