Topic: North Creek Time-Trial

[RiskEverything]

I'd like to set up a little time-trial event on Alafia's North Creek Trail. Have someone at the entrance with a radio and someone at the exit with a radio and stop-watch to time how fast people can do the trail. It would be awesome helmet-cam video since NC has almost continuous action. Since it's a pretty short trail it wouldn't take too long for most riders to get through it, and if we had more stop-watches we could run 2-3 people at a time, just space them out ~ 5 minutes from each other.

I've done a continuous run before when testing out a bike that didn't have a water-bottle cage so I didn't bother stopping for a drink. It was fun but I had no idea how long it took me....

[jro]

I would be more that happy to help.  I have some radios but no stopwatch.  Let me know when you plan on doing this and if I can make it I will come and help.  All my test rides that I have posted have been on NC.  Results would give a good view of ride times and if we could classify the rider with their time then this could help others figure to some degree where they fit for group rides.  Its just a thought.   

[jro]

Last week I found a stop watch and took it with me to NC.  I started at the beging split and stopped after the final climb before the split. The one with the tree in the rode.

First run 15 min
Second run 14.33 sec
Third run 14.44 sec

Next day
First run unkown the stop watch stopped at 5 min
Second run 13.33 sec
Third run just for fun no time

I am just getting back into riding. So I do not know how good or poor this is but I had fun because I started to risk a little more each ride.

[Kevan]

I hope you are out there riding with someone when you try these things?

Last thing anyone needs, especially you, is for you to be in a hurry on this intermediate trail and run into trouble.

Remember:  You are responsible for yourself on the trails.

Having friends with you on the trail can make a huge difference.

Just ask Bunny.

[Homer 2-Niner]

Remember:  You are responsible for yourself on the trails.

Having friends with you on the trail can make a huge difference.

well said...

its not a bad idea to have somethings like this for comraderre (spelling) but like Kevan said..  lets make sure we

do it safely..

we dont need anymore broken parts if we can help it.. whether people or bikes!!   

-bob

[Gregg]

Since you asked........

I would absolutely positively echo that sentiment!!!!  Should you have and accident, I would recommend having Bob (trek8500) with you. He is very cool and collected in an emergency situation. I speak from experience!

We all tend to think that it won't happen to us. It can. Hopefully it won't, but the thrill of pushing to the edge is why we are out on mountain bikes.

You may think that you are a good rider and that you can avoid something terrible. I am a good rider and never thought that I would break my leg, and spend 3 months recovering.

I am not trying to scare anyone. Hell, I am back on the dirt and can't wait to get back to Alafia. But if there is only one thing that I have every done right, it is never ride tougher (intermediate and above) at full steam with out friends nearby.

That is not to say that I don't ride alone sometimes. It can be very theraputic, just keep it down a notch.

Bunny (gregg)

[firebiker]

The thing is, you can be injured on any level trail. My worst injury was on double track going to the trail head.    I felt like an idiot. I think we can all sometimes become complacent and screw up. I also sometimes ride alone. I just try to mitigate the danger by taking it slow, having the phone and letting someone know where I am and when I'm coming back. All I can say is never over estimate your self and never under estimate the trail.

[Gregg]

You are absolutely right Firebiker. That is really the point that I think Kevan was trying to make by saying "You are responsible for yourself on the trails".
I too make sure that I always have my phone, ID, and insurance card with me. The phone also can come in handy when the friends that you are riding with want to take pictures of you being loaded on to a stretcher and into the ambulance. 

Yes that really happened!


Ride safe, Ride well, and rembember "Chicks dig Scars"!

[Vélo]

...rembember "Chicks dig Scars"!

yes chicks do dig scars, especially when there's a good story to go with it!   

also, gregg you mentioned having your cell phone with you... i think this is always a good plan, and everyone should have the ranger's phone number in their phone, as he/she may be able to get to us quicker than the emergency response crew.  i don't have all the numbers, but some of them went around on the yahoo!groups emails awhile ago:

Alafia Office - 813-672-5320
Alafia Ranger Cell - 813-917-1009
Wilderness Park Ranger - 813-426-5583

I can't guarantee these numbers are correct, as I haven't had to use  any recently, but i doubt they've changed.

[CrazyWhiteGuy]

yeah, packing you cell with you is a good idea. Just try not to land on them, trust me, it hurts and your phone will break eventually. I'm on my 3 in a little over a year.

[Gregg]

Yeah I am on my second!  Another thing that I have been doing lately is carrying a radio. I have been doing this at flatwoods since I started riding again.
the Rangers tune to channel 1/0

Bunny

[Homer 2-Niner]

Good Stuff you guys!!!

-Bob 

[EllsRider]

      At the risk  of starting a hazardous situation .... I 'll proceed with caution. The trail is 2 miles long, going 10 mph average speed would mean completing the trail in 12 minutes.  That being said, mathematically speaking,  I would guess that I could ride that trial in 9 -12 minutes.  One day I will satisfy my curiosity and time myself on  that sucker.  Only ride at your limits.

     I held back up in the mountains this past weekend because I didn't feel comfortable allowing gravity to take completely over. Doing a road ride, I maxed at 38 mph while the other riders were doing 48 -52 mph. I wussed out and applied brake pressure to control my speed.  I am not an experienced roadie  and I am not completely dialed in on my road bike.  I have never gone that fast, I have never used my brakes going that fast, I have never had to steer the bike going that fast, so there was brain power processing lots of info as I was bombing the downhills and I played it safe and backed off. That being said, I stayed within my limits and I am here to write about it. I have read that a roadie was killed  up there last weekend going too fast down an infamous hill that was part of the Tour deGeorgia and could not control a corner, losing his life.
      Later in my ride  two of the guys were pushing each other on the last downhill, going into a sharp corner, they both were out of control. As they negotiated the turn at 30 mph, their back tires were slipping out from under them and they ended up sliding sideways through the corner off the road. One ran off the road, staying up right,  the other slid  through the corner, off the road, crashing into a ditch and  fortunately ending up in the ditch and missing trees. However, if there would have been an oncoming vehicle around this blind bend, they both had no control to avoid the situation. They were lucky to walk away unhurt. For me, it was a thrill going 38 mph.   Having witnessed part of it, it looked  just like the crashes on TV!!!   

[Gregg]

That sounds incredible Ells!  It is hard to imagine that there was no road rash!!

I am all for timing yourself in order to help yourself improve. Just make sure Bob is with you, and you have your cell phone, just in case.

I am curious where did you stay? I have a friend who lives at the base of Fort Mountain. He rides up that thing every morning before work.

I had the pleasure of driving his 911 cabriolet up and down that mountain. It didn't suck!


Bunny

[firebiker]

I know what you mean Ells. When I was in Colorado last summer a guy hit a deer on a insanly fast down hill. (roadbike) It was the same one I rode once a week. I always felt like a wuss because I was passed on a regular basis. There were guys passing vehicles. Scared me to death. I like the dirt so much better.