LeeLikesBikes's blog

Last weekend I got a taste of long-distance racing at the Park City Endurance 100. I wouldn't have said this during the race, but I still like bikes.

Course maps snagged from the race site.

The course consists of five singletrack loops which weave between and above the Canyons, Park City and Deer Valley resorts. On some mountains you climb straight up then bomb straight down. In this trail network, you gain altitude like sand grains falling in an hourglass -- a bit at a time. At the top you flip the hourglass over and drop and swoop and roll your way back to the bottom, where you have some food and flip the hourglass back over. At the Endurance 100 you gain 18,627 feet worth of sand.

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(This also appeared on Lee Likes Bikes.)

Do you often find yourself in a gear that's too easy or too hard? Here are two simple solutions.

Q: When pedaling on a DH I'm often in the false (too light or heavy) gear so I thought about how pros do it. Do they plan their shifting, e.g. "before the 5th corner I have to shift to 4th gear?" Or how do they manage to be in the right gear?

A: Jonas, they do two things:

1. They plan ahead. Downshift before you enter the turn, so you're in the right gear when it's time to pedal. You want a gear that's easy to get spinning, but that you can spin for a while before you have shift. Which leads me to ...

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Yes, Colorado now has its own High School Mountain Bike League. Here's how to join.

Last year, we had an incredible State Championship Race for middle school and high school juniors in Black Forest, CO. This year we'll have an entire race series! The League is open to all High School athletes and includes seven races this summer with some Mountain State Cup races, a stage race and a NORBA event.

You will carry your best 4 out of 7 race points to the Final Championship Event, where racers will receive double points. Even if you don't race with a Club or Team, you and your high school friends can register, and the 2005 League race season points will support your Individual and School totals for the series and final.

All series racers must be in or entering high school for Fall 2005, carry a year-round NORBA license and complete the CHSMBL Registration Form and Code of Conduct.

Check out the series schedule and download all forms at the Junior Cycling page on www.racemsc.com. Scroll down.

Registration is free. Just be sure to sign up before the first race in Crested Butte.

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How dangerous are downhill and freeride? Well, that depends on which voice you listen to.
Q: How many serious injuries are there every year as a result of DH freeride etc. ... I mean compared to the amount of racers and at what level do the injuries increase????? I have been reading a lot about broken necks, comas and stuff lately in the mountain biking world. Is it just that the injuries stand out or is there a need to be concerned???? My wife bugs me about racing even though I race sport DH. I don't huck 30 foot cliffs but I love stuff under 15 with a great transition!!!! Should I listen to her or are the statistics on my side???? I know you can injure yourself doing all most anything, including bass fishing!!!!

(Originally posted on Lee Likes Bikes)

Q: Dr. McCormack,
I started jumping and doing stunts about 9 months ago. For the most part fear kept my poor skills in check, in the beginning. After riding a wave of good luck, I bit off more than I could chew and am now close to being done rehabing a clavicle/rotator cuff issue. I've been all over your site, and have found heaps of really great insight. I took to heart some advice you gave a kid who had some real broken bone issues, and I am now getting ready to put it to use when I start freeriding again here shortly. My plan is to start small, master every step, and assess my skills more accurately before I take off.

Thanks,
Adam Leahy

A: Dr. McCormack ... I love that! Check out this action:

Lee Likes Physics

When you drop off a curb or a house or whatever, you accelerate downward and gain energy in the form of momentum. Momentum = your mass times your velocity. The heavier you are and the farther you fall, the more impact energy you have. A 200-pound rider and bike dropping five feet generates 1,360 kg m/s2 worth of energy. I know that's meaningless, but it's a big number! A 10-foot drop generates 2,718 whatchamacallits. Impressive.

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Hey Lee,

I was checking out your write up on Whistler, wishing I was there riding with you. Something really struck me when reading about your last day of riding, and I wanted to get your input on this. My buddies and I were in Whistler in mid August for three days of riding. Now I know how it is to ride with your bro's and to be pushing your limits, but that is just it, you have to know your limits.

You and I are roughly the same age [about 600 -Lee], and when I ride at home, I go for around two to three hours, and I'm done. At Whistler, we were the first ones on the lift, and the last ones down the mountain at the end of the day. By the time day three rolled around, I could hardly get out of bed in the morning! My buddies poked fun at me, but I told them I might only be riding for half a day, and that I was cruising, no first time attempts at stunts. One of my friends went out hard, and I knew he was hurting just as much, if not more, than me. By lunch time I was actually loosening up and feeling a flow on the trails, so my buddies decided to do Crack Addict. I went first, rode the whole thing clean, log, drops, everything. My friend who had been pushing hard all morning, had one of the oddest looking get offs -- and broke his leg! What a drag!

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(Originally posted on Lee Likes Bikes)

Lee,

You seem to like the Enduro 130 so I thought I'd ask a question from a pro. Not sure what's up with the geometry or what to do about it.

Specs from Specialized:
69.5 degree head angle / 13.2" bottom bracket
70.5 degree head angle / 13.9" bottom bracket

One is too steep for trail riding and still too low bottom bracket in my opinion for riding up rocks?

The other is OK but way too low bottom bracket.

I'm not real happy with these options!

Which setting do you use?

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