[lmxloco]

"Mongoose" wrote

For my training, I go out every other day and climb our causeway (bridge over our river) which is a steep 15 to 20 stories high.

I don’t know what I’d do if the main source of climbing was bridges over waterways. I know I about went crazy when I went to the coast the last time. I took my road bike with me and the only climbing I managed to get in was when I went out of my way looking for bridges.

I don’t mind riding on relatively flat road for long periods, but I felt I needed a change of pace…hills usually provide that. In the case of my ride along the coast, bridges provided that. 😃

[lmxloco]

…and keep in mind, there is no shame in getting off to walk your bike up a hard climb. I’m sure we’ve all been at that point at one time or another.

The thing about hills is that for as much pain as you might have grinding your way up, the pay-off is almost always very rewarding. I’ve never had a hill that I’ve climbed where afterwards I’ve thought, "well, that was a waste."

Either it’s a nice downhill adrenaline rush, or a fantastic view atop a ridge, or simply the knowledge that every time your muscles ache you’re only getting stronger.

I used to hate hills, and while I still struggle with them at times, I will now actively seek them out. As everyone else has said, saddle time is really all you need. There used to be a few trails I completely avoided because the first time I tried them I ended up walking half of it. Now they’re some of my favorites.

Keep at it, the strength, stamina and climbing skill will all come with time.

[lmxloco]

Welcome back to the addiction!

You definitely live in a good area…there are some nice trails around WS and Greensboro. If you don’t mind the short drive down this way, parking at Bur-Mil Park off of 220 right north of Greensboro will net you close access to several great trails (Owl’s Roost and Wild Turkey I highly recommend).

As far as Hobby Park, it’s definitely on the tougher end of the spectrum. I’ve been there once a while back (when I wasn’t as strong) and the climb there was more than a little humbling.

If you ever want to swing over this way, send me a message…we’ll get together and hit the trails…I’m always looking for someone to ride with. There are still trails around here I haven’t ridden, too!

There are also a few guys on here from the triad area, so if you ever want a partner to ride with I’m sure most of us will be glad to accommodate.

[lmxloco]

Good article, but I can’t help but take note of the line:
[i:3b6tch1i]There’s a bike that’s unloved in every garage in this country.[/i:3b6tch1i]

I don’t know about everyone else, but while my parents certainly have a few old mountain bikes in their garage (I don’t, I keep all mine 😃), they certainly aren’t in the best shape. They’ve talked about getting rid of them, and this Pedals for Progress thing sounds like a good idea…I’m just curious about the bikes they get, what kind of shape they need to be in (ride-able, or just fix-able i.e. no major problems).

The $10 fee is nothing, especially if bikes are donated "as-is".

[lmxloco]

I think you might’ve misunderstood EZ-E. I was agreeing with you 😃

I was just saying that if Charlotte area bike shops had any inkling to carry these lists from other areas (maybe the triad) then Uwharrie would already be listed there, and thus wouldn’t need to be listed on the Charlotte map as well. On that note, too, I’m not familiar with the Charlotte trails so I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing stuff in Greensboro for other areas of the state, especially Charlotte (My brother is now a CM police officer, so I can stay with him and make a weekend out of it!)

The triad area has great trails, but only a few of them, so it makes sense that Uwharrie be included in ours.

That’s all. Happy riding!

[lmxloco]

Keep in mind, too, that you also have Uwharrie on the Greensboro/Triad area list, and it’s always possible bike shops would want to have lists for both areas since it’s only an 1 1/2 hour drive. I’ve driven much farther than that to ride. 😮

[lmxloco]

I feel naked without a computer. It’s not that I really care about how many miles I do (besides, I know the mileage of all the trails I’m regularly on anyway), but I do keep a fairly detailed log so I can keep track of progress.

I have fun when I ride but I also do it for fitness purposes so it certainly helps me to know how many miles I’ve ridden, how long it took, etc. Then again, the log I have is pretty darned detailed…but I’m cool like that. 😎

Maybe it’s some sort of weird addiction from when I used to be a hardcore roadie.

[lmxloco]

"Genevieve" wrote

I’m looking Virginia or NC … What time separates Va from NC ?

It sort of depends. Say from Roanoke to Greensboro might be 2 1/2 hours? Something like that…it’s been a while. Then again from Greensboro to the Tsali trails is about 4 hours, and they’re in the same state. Depending on how long you’ll be in the area you could do several nice trails in both states in a few days, easy. Maybe not one trail in each state in one day, but doing one trail one day, driving at night or early in the morning and doing a trail in the other state isn’t out of the question at all.

Then again, depending on where you are….for instance, you could easily do some trails in the Danville, VA area (Anglers Ridge, for example) in the morning, then take the short drive to Greensboro and do Owl’s Roost in the evening, giving yourself plenty of time for rest and refueling.

[lmxloco]

"Genevieve" wrote

Thanks a lot for all the information !

But if I would have to choose he 3 best trails (that means : a lot of single tracks, climbing, technical part, you know, some trails to train 17 years old athletes) what would be your pick ?

😀

What area exactly will you be in?

In NC, the three best trails (or trail networks) that I’ve ridden:

Tsali
Uwharrie
Owls Roost

Out of those three Owls Roost is the most technical. Tsali is in the mountains and depending on where you go has some good climbs, but nothing really technical. Uwharrie isn’t extremely technical either, but it has some well kept singletrack and, at least on the Keyauwee section, has a nice climb.

The new trail in Greensboro, Wild Turkey, has received rave reviews so far, but I’ve yet to ride it. It is supposed to be more technical than Owl’s Roost (both trails are in the same area). but I’m not sure about climbs. Given the area, any climb might be short but steep, and the trail will probably have an overall fast feel to it. The area here (Bur Mil Park/Country Park), have several areas with nice trails, all within a few miles of each other by greenway so you aren’t driving from place to place. By far my favorite area to ride simply for this reason.

[lmxloco]

…and as for trails, if you come to NC and don’t ride Tsali then you would be missing out on quite an experience.

Other than that there are a lot of good trails around the Bur Mil park area here in Greensboro (Owls Roost is a good, technical trail) and Hobby Park (in Winston Salem) is a nice trail to ride, though the big climb there would be hard on a beginner. Other than that, I’d suggest checking out Uwharrie National Park just to the northwest of Troy, NC.

Any other trails near the capital or other trails in the mountains other than Tsali I’m not familiar with.

[lmxloco]

These guys hit it. April’s as of late have been relatively warm and very nice riding weather, but every once in a while we’ll have a late cold front come through. It still shouldn’t be so cold as to hamper good riding in the afternoon, though.

My riding log from this past April shows afternoon temperatures ranging from the 60’s to the 70’s (to near 80)…which is perfect for a guy like myself.

And yeah, April does typically see a lot of rain here, so be prepared to deal with that.

[lmxloco]

The only ones that I’m even aware of that’s under that price are made by Oregon Scientific…though I have no personal experience with them. The ATC-2000 has received fairly decent reviews on Amazon, but I’d assume that like with most products, the more you pay the better quality you’ll get.

I would also assume that the OS stuff is probably good enough for most people that just want to relive trail experiences without worrying about DVD quality playback.

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