On top of Ohio!

Bjet and I wanted to get in some solid training for Mohican, some endurance miles plus climbing. We heading out to Shawnee Forest for some gravel (we just got rain the day before in Cincinnati, so I figured my original idea of hitting Versailles for a long ride was a literal wash).

Learning from past experiences, there is the Shawnee State Forest area then there is the actual park area with designated fire roads. The area includes a lot of homes, some very impoverished people with very angry and hungry dogs looking at my legs like there were hunks of ham. But if you park at the Lodge area along Turkey Creek lake, you are dead center in the middle of all the fire roads. Tons of epic riding to the North and South!

There were a few 400-500 ft climbs, where Cincinnati's climbs are typically 200-300 ft. Once on top, you get some pretty epic views of some rolling Ohio hills. We rode one ridge line that was just incredible.

We got off to a late start because Bridget had a work meeting. Plus we bought some post ride groceries. I originally planned to start riding about 1:30, but it ended up being 3:15ish! Uh oh. After getting lost a couple times we were starting to get scared if we would make it back before dark. Fortunately, I was a Boy Scout, and I was wise enough to bring a tail light and a head light. We were racing against nightfall and we finally got back to our car just as we ran out of dusk! It's not cool to not know where you are PLUS being stuck in the dark in a place where some of the locals don't take kindly to lycra.

I think we might go back in a few weeks!

Epic. Failure.

I have this issue where I try to set up some epic rides and I don't get to do them. Sometimes on the weekend I'm recoving from a tough work week and I don't pack my gear the night before, then I sleep in, next thing I know I'm getting out to ride an hour later than I wanted and a lame mechanical will cost me more time and training.

A couple weeks ago Bjet and I headed east for an epic training ride for Mohican. I set up a 54 mile route through Shawnee Forest last weekend. But we got off to a late start and once we got there Bjet's tire was flat (How flat was it?! Flatter than a Kansas pancake...).

We got to riding and the hills out there are pretty nice. Tons of gravel roads and their hills are a bit longer — kind of like little foothills of the Appalachian mountains. In fact, this area is nicknamed the little Smokies.

We got about 18 miles into the ride and realized we were running out of daylight. So we had to head back to the car. It was actually good though, we found some nice deserted roads. There is a lot of poverty out there, and a lot of loose dogs that chase you. That combined with the gloomy weather made it a smidge more depressing than a "soul ride." We've ridden there twice, once out of Blue Creek and once out of Rome/Stout on the river — both times it is has been hard to find a place where you can feel it's okay to park a vehicle, plus you end up riding through a lot of residential land. The good thing is most drivers are actually pretty nice.

Here is a post of our last ride there in 2010:

We hope to head back again in the next couple of months for some Mohican training. It might be fun to get a Rogue/BioWheels/Columbus possé group ride together. Perhaps ride once in Shawnee Forest and another time in Scioto Trail.

I would suggest to park at the State Park Visitor's Center and to use as many of the Forest Service roads that you can link together. There are also bridal trails but I haven't ridden them — we use these gravel roads as an alternative training ground when mountain bike trails are too wet.

Let me know if you want me to post some maps or if you want to join a future group ride.

Long Hours

In the Office Chair
I've been reminded that I am a pro-designer not a pro-cyclist lately. One week I barely trained due to 15-17 hour work days. Good thing I kept bike commuting, otherwise I wouldn't have been training. Plus the roads are pretty clear at 1 am and 5 am.

But I was so sleep deprived I forgot how cross-brakes don't stop for sh*t and I crashed on a downhill in Indian Hill. It was right in front of a family reunion in a park! Hilarious. Perhaps out of pride, I always pop back up and wave at people and try not to lick my wounds in front of others.

Rekindling a Little Romance
Bridget and I have been training a lot more together lately! She used to be the only person I would ride with. But we have been so busy the past two years and on different schedules we rarely train with each other. I know she was unhappy with her form going into Cohutta (but still got 10th!) so we have been training a lot more together and I have been putting the hurt on her!

We had two really nice Velo Dates. One was a sleep-deprived Friday night (where I crashed) where we rode up to a pizza place called The Works in Loveland. How do you get pizza grease out of spandex? The second was a little sunset picnic on the Purple People Bridge followed by a hill climb competition up to Devou! Lovely.

In the Saddle
Some of my weekend rides have been shortened due to rain or poor planning and my weeknights rides have been a little shorter due to work. But here and there I have had some fun epic rides on the weekend.

One was a semi-hilly century with my teammates Joe, Rachel, Geri, Gerz and Mott. It is incredible how quickly 6 hours flies by when you have great company! We rode up to Loveland and then down in Kentucky on Amsterdam and Route 8. They finally killed me on the final hill! A total wall!

Another ride that got botched was Bjet's and my first attempt at riding in Shawnee State Park. There has been so much rain lately that I didn't want to tear up trails. We got out there too late to ride the long hours I wanted, and the locals we first met were hostile and the roads weren't marked along 52! Some people out there don't respect the beauty of the place they live in — litter constantly along the roads. We did some "American Flyer"-esque dog sprints! Then we came upon this chicken farm with all their chickens all over the road. Add to that a pack or 6 loose dogs flying at us! We had to gun it as chickens were flying everywhere and dogs were on our heels! I was surprised some farmer in a straw hat, no shirt and denim overalls didn't come running out with a shotgun!

Last weekend was my last chance of putting some hardcore training into my legs. Friday night got rained out. We tried to ride but I didn't feel like forcing myself to ride in the drizzle and thunder. Saturday I turned the screws on myself and rode every hardcore hill I could think of between Indian Hill, Loveland, and Batavia. I put in about 6 hours and 96 miles. Then Sunday I did it all over again. Bridget never rode a century! So we did a very similar route minus a couple climbs and added on a few more miles. I was hurting, but it was great to have a powertap with heart rate monitor to observe how I far I can push myself once the "elastic has snapped." Plus watching Nibali and Basso in the Giro that morning stoked my fire! How do they do that?!

I will be riding over 1000 miles this month! I think my work is down. Time to rest up and get ready for the big event.