The weekend starts...

[Brian Smith]

Who's got the ice packs for the post - Lake Desolation aid?
OK, it wasn't really that bad, now was it?
-Brian Smith



first picture - a small climb on the way to Middle Grove to hit hte base of the climb to Lake Desolation, that one in front in orange is ClimbXXXXX, henceforth known as "THE INSTIGATOR."

second picture, Serotta Jay (Jason Clark), PETE, and Serotta Jared

third picture, taken from near the top, on the way down, none other than "PETE!"

[weisan]

first picture - a small climb on the way to Middle Grove to hit hte base of the climb to Lake Desolation, that one in front in orange is ClimbXXXXX, henceforth known as "THE INSTIGATOR."

Looks like Climb-pal is putting into practice this very common climbing tip:

"Get to the front before the hill. Maybe you can keep the group's speed under control simply by climbing at a pace that's brisk but doable for you. Also, at the front you have an unobstructed path. You won't be slowed by other riders.

If you do get passed, you may wind up at the back going over the top, but you'll still be in contact. However, if you start the climb at the back and get dropped, there'll be a huge gap by the top."

Or is he setting the pace for the group??!! I won't be surprised consider all the training he has done so far in preparation for the Mt Washington assault.

Go Climb-O Go! :banana:

[Chief]

:crap:

[Chief]

Brian,

From looking at PETE in pics 2 and 3, it appears as though PETE changed socks and jersey on the way down. :confused: To do that on a bike is a some feat since Clark Kent required a phone booth.

[Brian Smith]

that is NOT PETE in the 2nd picture.
I'm not, right now, sure of who that was, or of much else besides fermented somethin-er-other.

not that PETE could not accomplish the feat...

[aLexis]

Brian will henceforth be known as typo. Pete is in #3. I had the pleasure of climbing to the top with him this afternoon.

[RABikes2]

Hey!
Driving home from work at 10:35 p.m. tonight, I called Bruce K. to see how his Dad was and if he was going to make it to Saratoga. He answered and the group was at the DPF dinner. Everybody sounded like they were having a great time. Ben got on the phone, Gloria (Sandy's wife), Spoke (I'm waiting darlin'! :p ), and then Bruce. He said Davis and Ron were there, the dinner was wonderful, and dessert was now being served. :)

Have a fun time guys! :D

[RABikes2]

Thanks for the great photos Brian, please send us more as the weekend goes on.

Even though it makes me miss the group and Open House even more this year... :beer:

[Bill Bove]

Rita Ann, last year we were having a great time at the open house only to come home to Florida and endure the "summer of the storm". Now look what's happening all over again, Arlene taking aim at you after dumping six inches of rain on me last night, UGGHHH!!!!

Brian, take lots of pictures and post them for those of us who can't be there with you all, have fun!

[RABikes2]

HEY BILL! Great to hear from you! Bruce says you have a great new shop, CONGRATULATIONS!

It rained off and on yesterday, but hasn't stopped since last night. :crap: I'm heading into the bike shop to finish up some work and then it's a great day to stay inside and PACK FOR RAAM! :D

We are enjoying the pictures, keep 'em coming Brian, thanks!

[Blastinbob]

Who's Mike G., from cyclesports, riding with? Looks like nice weather, it's raining here in Vancouver this morning, i'm getting on a big boat and will be stuck there for the next seven days without my bike........ any sympathy ?

[dave thompson]

.... it's raining here in Vancouver this morning, i'm getting on a big boat and will be stuck there for the next seven days without my bike........ any sympathy ?
If you're taking the cruise to Alaska..........no.

[David Kirk]

I hope everyone has a great time at the event. World class bikes, builders, people and roads can't help make for a great time.

I wish I could have done the Lake D ride with the group. That's still one of my all time favorite rides. I used to live fairly close to there and rode it at least once a week. We used to have an informal "record time" up the hill and I can proudly say I held the record for a few years. I'm guessing it's been crushed by now.

Enjoy yourselves.........these are the good ol days.

Dave

[csb]

i'm lonely

[Spinsistah]

i'm lonely
Yeah, the forum is quiet. I miss the lively banter, weird photos and general overall silliness too (Sandy, BBDave, FLY). Who was it that said I got sucked in with only 11 posts? Absolutely correct. I'm going next year and I'm looking forward to meeting whomever comes to Cincinnati for the Sunflower Revolution.

[Kevin]

Jealous as hell.

Kevin

[RABikes2]

Jealous as hell.

Kevin
Since I was at the Open House last year and am aware of the who, what, where, and when of it's happenings and the great fun I had with our forum buddies..me too, Kevin.

Maybe some of us can visit Cincinnati for the Sunflower and meet Spinsistah and get a wonderful visit in with Kathy (Krumme) and David in August.

Well, the forum should be "alive" with stories and photos by tonight! :D

[Bradford]

that is NOT PETE in the 2nd picture.
I'm not, right now, sure of who that was, or of much else besides fermented somethin-er-other.

not that PETE could not accomplish the feat...

Brian,

That's me in the second picture. I can't believe you forgot the best apprentice you ever had. ;)

That's the last time I give you a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada!

[Smiley]

Brian , was that U that rode the freaking hill on a fixee , bet you Captain Kirk never tried that .
Sorry to have missed riding Deso on a tandem .

[aLexis]

Brian , was that U that rode the freaking hill on a fixee , bet you Captain Kirk never tried that .
Sorry to have missed riding Deso on a tandem .

Now Brian will henceforth be known as 42x15, his insane gearing up Lake D.

[David Kirk]

You are correct........i've never gone up Lake D with a fixed gear. More power to you.

I'll bet coming down was fun.........in that stick in the eye type way.

My first road bike was actually a track bike with a fixed gear. I rode it for years in the Utica/Rome area of New York.....not flat! It was fun and extreme and simple. I used to commute on it to work 20 miles each way. I look back on that and think I weren't so smart.

How did the Saturday ride go?

Dave

[Brian Smith]

SS - sorry, we all look much more alike from behind with cycling garb on, actually I was just commenting to my girlfriend that I was glad to have been able to give you that brazing demo Saturday.
Smiley - as aLexis says, yes that was me on the fixee of sub-optimally chosen gear. I thought that the ride was going to be smaller in size and that showing up on that bike and dressed as I was, people would feel less of a competitive vibe. Riding up there on that bike made me consider more what it must have been like in the days of yore when "they all" rode fixed gears up over and down terrains much more severe than that, for very long stages day after day. Coming down made me wish that the Daimler's flat fork crown was wider to serve as a footrest! My position on that bike is not the best for 150 rpm descents, and holding my feet against the rear axle bolts was risking a foot in the spokes nightmare, or bad dream anyway. A fixed gear drivetrain is just so much more engaging than a single speed freewheel drivetrain, so I guess the real "fix" is a rig that puts me in a position to really spin, but that bike is just my sub-$350 commuting solution.
David - From my perspective Saturday's ride went fine except that I chipped my paint on the bike's first ride since its respray, F*^&#@! I learned a new technique - taking a bunch down the wrong road for a few hundred yards and then u-turning to head back for the correct road as a manner of bringing a scattered group back together! OK, one u-turn was due to unknown road construction, and another was a planned u-turn on the itinerary, but a few others might have come in handy post-hills! I heard comments from those who thought it was hilly to those who thought it was flat, depending upon where they were from and conditioned to ride. I hope nobody had a bad time!
Plenty of Sierra Nevada afterward back at the factory was nice!

[Bruce K]

Brian;

No worries from me. That climb was bigger than anything I've done to date. For any of you PMC'ers I think it puts Purgatory to shame.

The weekend was a blast (or blast furnace depending on your perspective).

I won't mention the h-word. I think Paul Levine and Ben put enough in the DPF kitty over that!

It was great to meet and ride with some of the newer forumites. I hope Duh-g (his wife's handle for his forum identity) really does become our newest member very soon.

We need more gatherings like this. I would suggest something around the MIchelob Ultra GP of Cylcocross here in Gloucester in October but at least 1 day would be more spectating (for those not inclined to ride the cross race) than riding I think. If folks have any interst anyways, let me know.

Once again, thanks to Ben and all the other staff folks (there are just way too many of you to mention by name) for making this Open House the best ever.

BK

[Bradford]

We need more gatherings like this.
BK

I second the motion. I had a blast and look forward to doing it again.

[Ginger]

I'm a touch sad that I missed the gathering. I had fun the last two I went to. My knee wouldn't have made the solo 12 hour drive.

Instead, the MMBA was doing a group ride on the High Country Pathway with 80, 40, and 10 mile options. 80 miles in one day on a mountain bike on one of the most varied trails in Michigan. No. I didn't do it. About 50 people showed up for the event, 15 started the 80 miler, 6 finished. Awesome people, Great event.

I took my Kirk and rode on the roads in the area. Beautiful (but hot) ride.

I miss riding with you guys.

Ginger

[David Kirk]

Hey Brian,

Where did you guys ride? It wold be fun for me to hear the route.

I'd have traded weather with you all that's for sure. Mountain weather is always changing and we can see the extremes. Yep....it snowed today. It's going to be 70° tomorrow and 80° the day after. It was a good day to stay indoors and get some work done.

later,

Dave

[William]

Who's the Tony The Tiger wanna-be in that first photo??? :rolleyes: ;)

Now going back down the mountain was my favorite. :cool:

I had a blast meeting everyone (too many for me to list or remember everyones names) at the gathering and I will certainly be going again next year. :banana:

Thank you Ben & the rest of the Serotta crew! It was a wonderful time. :banana:

A special thanks to the Bradford & Mrs Bradford for letting me ride in the trunk of the car. I know it put a strain on O'le Bessy the Subaru. AR for putting me up, and Ma Ride for laying out such a great morning spread (I needed the caloric density). :)

Climb. Ooooorange!! :cool:

Sandy. It was great to finally meet you in person (I hope the eye patch & gold teeth didn't scare you ;) ). Just to let you know, Rhea Basset was mad at me because she couldn't come and meet you too so she let me know by chewing up all my Dugast Tubulars. :crap: ;)

Until next time...

William

[Climb01742]

I hope everyone has a great time at the event. World class bikes, builders, people and roads can't help make for a great time.

I wish I could have done the Lake D ride with the group. That's still one of my all time favorite rides. I used to live fairly close to there and rode it at least once a week. We used to have an informal "record time" up the hill and I can proudly say I held the record for a few years. I'm guessing it's been crushed by now.

Enjoy yourselves.........these are the good ol days.

Dave

dave, what was your time? quite a little hill. gets your attention. would be a great hill to train on.

[Climb01742]

brian is my new hero. to ride desolation on a 42x15 fixie is amazing...wearing sneakers, no less. he's a monster. he even gave me a push!!! i'm not worthy. a truly remarkable feat, brian. ;) :D

[keno]

with reason.

keno

[David Kirk]

dave, what was your time? quite a little hill. gets your attention. would be a great hill to train on.


My best time was 17:03 from the leading edge of the bridge right at the bottom ( about 200 yards for the intersection at the bottom) to the firestation sign at the top.

We used to joke about doing Lake D as a century. It's 5 miles up and 5 miles down for a total of 10 miles round trip. It's 1000' of vertical. 10 repeats and you've got a century that is 50 miles and 10,000' of downhill..........how hard could that be?

It's a really cool ride to go up and over the top. It used to be a few miles of dirt up there before the paved descent. It made for a cool loop with killer views. The descent on the other side is waty too much fun.

Dave


Dave

[Climb01742]

wow, 17 minutes. serotta jay was the first up the hill on friday (18 minutes, i think he said.) then he kept timing the rest of us. my brain was severely oxygen deprived as i passed his timing point, but i think he called out 21 minutes. i have much respect for 17 minutes.

[David Kirk]

When doing this ride with others we often raced on the way down too. It's fun to pull up next to your buddy at about 50mph and say something like " is your front skewer tight?"

Dave

[Bradford]

I want to lodge an official protest!

I had no idea I was being timed when I slipped into my barely-keeping-the-bike-upright funk. If I had know, I easily could have lowered my 29.20 time down to 28 and change!

Oh well, someone has to lug that red lantern up the hill anyway, it might as well be me.

[Bruce K]

HOW DARE YOU try to take my Lantern Rouge away!!! :rolleyes:

I believe I get to hold that title until next year. Fire Station?? There was a Fire Station up there? I never saw it. :crap:

I've definitely got to get out and do some hill repeats once life settles down.

It's back to FL Thrusday morning (9:00AM flight). Unfortunately, things do not seem to be progressing very well down there.

Hey Bradford, can you say "Virtual PMC Rider"? I hope it won't come to that.

BK

[Spinsistah]

Since I was at the Open House last year and am aware of the who, what, where, and when of it's happenings and the great fun I had with our forum buddies..me too, Kevin.

Maybe some of us can visit Cincinnati for the Sunflower and meet Spinsistah and get a wonderful visit in with Kathy (Krumme) and David in August.

Well, the forum should be "alive" with stories and photos by tonight! :D

I really hope some of you can come to Cinci for The Sunflower Revolution - Kathy and David do a wonderful job organizing this event and it's for such a good cause. Kathy and David are incredible.:)

[William]

I want to lodge an official protest!

I had no idea I was being timed when I slipped into my barely-keeping-the-bike-upright funk. If I had know, I easily could have lowered my 29.20 time down to 28 and change!

Oh well, someone has to lug that red lantern up the hill anyway, it might as well be me.

Time? What time? Someone called out a time? :confused: I was just enjoying all the pretty colors flashing before my eyes.....did any one else see the little pink elephants?? :)


William

[Bradford]

did any one else see the little pink elephants?? :)
William

I saw a 6'6" Tony the Tiger just before everything went black!

[William]

I saw a 6'6" Tony the Tiger just before everything went black!

Now THAT'S scary!!! :eek:

William ;)

[GregL]

It's a really cool ride to go up and over the top. It used to be a few miles of dirt up there before the paved descent. It made for a cool loop with killer views. The descent on the other side is waty too much fun.

Dave

My wife's family has a summer camp on Great Sacandaga Lake. I use the northern approach to Lake Desolation (named Fox Hill Rd.) as a fitness test every time I'm at the camp. Its 3.7 miles and 940' of vertical to the top of the climb, followed by several more miles of rollers to the end of the pavement.

The dirt road that goes the few remaining miles to Lake Desolation is in really rough shape now and I would not recommend taking a road bike through there. In fact, I just built up a cyclocross bike primarily for Adirondack back roads adventure riding. If anyone will be in the Sacandaga area over July 4th weekend or the week after, let me know and we can get together for a ride.

Regards,
Greg

[Rapid Tourist]

The weekend was a blast and it was really great to meet so many forumites!! Thanks to everyone at serotta for putting on such a great event, especially the ones I met including Alexis, Jared, Serotta James, Kelly Bedford.

Highlights of the weekend for me were:

1) Ben Serotta serving me beers

2) Seeing Brian climb desolation on a fixee. unbelievable.

3) I think Davis Phinney kissed me (on the cheek!) , but I was a little buzzed so not sure. :confused:

4) Riding with Sandy!

[Brian Smith]

My wife's family has a summer camp on Great Sacandaga Lake. I use the northern approach to Lake Desolation (named Fox Hill Rd.) as a fitness test every time I'm at the camp. Its 3.7 miles and 940' of vertical to the top of the climb, followed by several more miles of rollers to the end of the pavement.

The dirt road that goes the few remaining miles to Lake Desolation is in really rough shape now and I would not recommend taking a road bike through there. In fact, I just built up a cyclocross bike primarily for Adirondack back roads adventure riding. If anyone will be in the Sacandaga area over July 4th weekend or the week after, let me know and we can get together for a ride.

Regards,
Greg

Greg - We could link up for a ride then. I like that Fox Hill rd, we rode up that a few weekends ago, fancy road bikes 'n all, no problem, though maybe some folks wouldn't like it. The non-paved portion did seem in worse condition than it was last fall, but not too terrible. I'd prefer 25s or 28s, but my 23s were adequate. I don't know why I was on 23s anyway...

Dave - I agree that descending that is fun! Too bad I like climbing up that side better, too!

P.S.

[Tom]

I looked at doing the ride from the Sacandaga side but I came around a corner and there was this red dog that was taller than my Civic.

That discouraged me.

[GregL]

The only hazard on Fox Hill Rd. was the pavement itself. Last year, it was falling apart. When I rode it a few weeks ago over Memorial Day weekend, it was definitely in better shape. It appears that the worst of the holes were patched and the surface oil and stoned last fall. On my cross bike with 700 x 28 Panaracer Pasela TGs, the road was almost smooth.

Last summer, the dirt section at the top was so rough that I would only ride it with my mountain bike. From the sounds of Brian's report, maybe its been graded or at least packed down. I'm looking forward to riding it in about two weeks! Brian, I'll let you know when I'm in the area.

Regards,
Greg