tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18597680118249996222024-03-05T03:20:23.450-08:00Low Pressure ProductionsWhere fat and four inches isn't a disappointmentGrant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-66245211245211015612016-02-19T07:34:00.001-08:002016-02-19T07:39:16.618-08:00Finally the race is on.<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey All,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
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<span data-offset-key="87mli-0-0"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">So this is a (bad) pic of the trails for tonight's race. massive thanks to Red Mike for doing three laps of the the most packed trails, providing us with a good spine to base a course on. Most of the trails are good to go, others(the really fun ones) are a bit too soft still, so the course is getting modified. It won't be as fun, but, the chute is still in, which is killer! Maybe the grotto, if I'm feeling like a dink, and want to make you walk 50 meters...</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f1vv4-0-0"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hampton Park, Ottawa, tonight, race starts at 8pm-ish. 10 bucks with drinks and snacks after.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f1vv4-0-0"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Come!</span></span></div>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-84663203251017126652016-01-24T15:08:00.001-08:002016-01-24T16:09:50.062-08:00LPP, season five!Well, shit.<br />
<br />
I didn't realize this is the fifth year I've been doing this, until I looked back at some old posts. No wonder I've been so slow to get off my ass and start the season; who wants to celebrate their wooden anniversary?<br />
<br />
There is a couple of reasons for the slow start: First, the total lack of snow until after the holidays. Second, I had a couple of mental blocks for doing races; there isn't a lot of creativity in regards to new places and formats this year, which I suspect people have come to expect from me. I was(and still am) not certain folks would be into repeats of small events from years past.<br />
Third, I don't have the time to do something bigger and better, which as the fatbike scene explodes here in the Ottawa valley, I expected that would be needed.<br />
<br />
But then I thought about it, and decided, I'm not going to sweat it. In fact, rather than do it bigger and more professional, I'm going to do it cheaper and easier. Folks with more money/time/ambition are going to do big races for people who actually want to race. The three events I am going to do are for friends, and friendly strangers, who want to ride hard for an hour, then hang out with a drink in hand.<br />
<br />
That's it. And really, there is nothing wrong with that.<br />
<br />
So, that said, here is the format:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Show up before the start time.</li>
<li>Pay ten bucks into the kitty</li>
<li>Race for a while, or just ride kinda serious-like. </li>
<li>Stop. Don't ask for results; only the top three will be noted.</li>
<li>Top male and female finisher split half the kitty. </li>
<li>The other half goes towards drinks and nibbles.</li>
<li>Hang out. Have drinks and nibbles.</li>
<li>Maybe there will be some more prizes, but don't bet on that.</li>
</ul>
There are going to be three races, all will be announced in the next little while. All of them are race at your own risk. All of them are on open courses, so deal with that. None of them will have permits, so will be announced the afternoon of the race.<br />
<br />
First race is Saturday, Feb 6th, at 8 pm<br />
Second race is either Saturday, February 27th, 8 pm, or Sunday February 28th, in the afternoon (this one may actually be legal!).<br />
Last race is Saturday, March 12th, 6:30 pm. If there is a classic fatbike race in Ottawa, I humbly state this is it... Those that know, know.<br />
<br />
<br />
I'll announce the first race location the morning of Feb 6th.<br />
<br />
Until then,<br />
Flounder.<br />
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<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-58179746823754065322015-02-01T14:40:00.001-08:002015-02-01T19:22:57.874-08:00Nakkertok, part one.Well, that went all right.<br />
<br />
About 48 people showed up to see what Nakkertok could offer fatbikers. Despite the soft conditions (temperatures went up plus 4), the reviews from folks coming back to the cabin for food and drinks were positive. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2ROpjqXlWSG83vmwsPWydrK_LM0aFO-viavy17PKWSRgUF38xmtc0Hfwh0zpBG-yH6cLMfx20PIIiwPK_UBlUO3LaR9bb0nEQYdwH8B-7qb6Tna5Zn1ZKqG-XdUx6lylM8GRpVR9njrJ/s1600/chili.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh2ROpjqXlWSG83vmwsPWydrK_LM0aFO-viavy17PKWSRgUF38xmtc0Hfwh0zpBG-yH6cLMfx20PIIiwPK_UBlUO3LaR9bb0nEQYdwH8B-7qb6Tna5Zn1ZKqG-XdUx6lylM8GRpVR9njrJ/s1600/chili.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making vege chilli for the masses!</td></tr>
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Generally speaking, folks loved the terrain, which is ridable, provided the right conditions. The steeper, more backcountry parts of the system were hard slogs, as the trails had not set from the grooming due to pretty severe cold, and the warm temperatures made it worse as the day went on. The cabin and the woodfires were great to start and end the day in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_gMHWtyK2pAKxka8GPAmaCvcyq4ZSXAeB3b15K0ZhfvuyCnX6t1EN9EOcu5PMTB2AAdsCKvkfAx5ZkdgJImCE1ei0kMg2uN0qKBy67odMQop4DjJylx2QJhrW5KHP-AGQELwmrF_vLQU/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR_gMHWtyK2pAKxka8GPAmaCvcyq4ZSXAeB3b15K0ZhfvuyCnX6t1EN9EOcu5PMTB2AAdsCKvkfAx5ZkdgJImCE1ei0kMg2uN0qKBy67odMQop4DjJylx2QJhrW5KHP-AGQELwmrF_vLQU/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apres-fatbike attire in the great cabin that Nakkertok has.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SACqxuSwpMu1d7vRiqOmqtzB4rGsRNROuwjl2KloQ8zzI5c084Sd-t3-bw-XVo2Eq36RVxsWMSLFJCHLL4v46smEZPpiB2rpe80GxMC-Z4bvuP3EMqklFXcKx7eFVrDHf887030j6bhZ/s1600/IMG_1097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_SACqxuSwpMu1d7vRiqOmqtzB4rGsRNROuwjl2KloQ8zzI5c084Sd-t3-bw-XVo2Eq36RVxsWMSLFJCHLL4v46smEZPpiB2rpe80GxMC-Z4bvuP3EMqklFXcKx7eFVrDHf887030j6bhZ/s1600/IMG_1097.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jon in the woods.</td></tr>
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Was that to say the trails were unridable? No, folks were out for hours at a time, but it was more of a slog and more hike a bike sections than you would expect from a groomed trail. Still, people had a good time. The folks at Nakkertok and the skiers out on the trails were friendly, which is what really matters with a test event like this. Figuring out the grooming for the trails is just a matter of experience for the folks up there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz69myRFuiT__jCJz6PycNNbJyBSHgQI7v_DkSnKFILMHfTF0yEI24NuIOa-umC34bqNl8IznUdnzefyQVR33k5bmVin5-VMXDI-Ase-WvMeH9-rlp4G4Yg8tAuv8c5KLBxJ6OreK-0hF-/s1600/IMG_1103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz69myRFuiT__jCJz6PycNNbJyBSHgQI7v_DkSnKFILMHfTF0yEI24NuIOa-umC34bqNl8IznUdnzefyQVR33k5bmVin5-VMXDI-Ase-WvMeH9-rlp4G4Yg8tAuv8c5KLBxJ6OreK-0hF-/s1600/IMG_1103.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg, Marcel and Ted coming back for a looooong loop.</td></tr>
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The best thing is that Nakkertok has decided to let <a href="http://www.talltreecycles.ca/" target="_blank">Tall Tree Cycles</a> sponsor a fatbike event during their loppet weekend! A loppet is a XC ski event that is more of sportive event than a race. The challenge is to complete the whole distance, in this case going from Nakkertok North to Nakkertok South, not to be the first across some line. There are checkpoints along the whole 25km(ish)route, so if someone is in trouble, or going really slow, they are not abandoned on the course. And there is food at the end!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We (LPP and Tall Tree) are calling it The Floppet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pecjubd5VxDrQsAFIiTp5m3nSmeqiKkOy4vPQGspMWLGzP3cYtG2i64kOzxcD1qvlkVq81uaLtrRF30jJi7Jqv_TginDBimmCK9SOvn_74jKvysIsTl-AFjRnigokn_ojUvImeo06Fs_/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7pecjubd5VxDrQsAFIiTp5m3nSmeqiKkOy4vPQGspMWLGzP3cYtG2i64kOzxcD1qvlkVq81uaLtrRF30jJi7Jqv_TginDBimmCK9SOvn_74jKvysIsTl-AFjRnigokn_ojUvImeo06Fs_/s1600/IMG_1107.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cabin full of bikers and skiers. No fights broke out.</td></tr>
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Details are being hashed out, but the Floppet will be on Sunday, Feb 22nd. There will a gear and rider shuttle from Nakker South in the morning (bring a blanket to protect your bike), and a back pack shuttle going back to the south campus. Fatbikers will be leaving after all the skiers, so there will be 250 or so skiers packing down the trail for you. At the end will be food, drinks and desserts. Once the details are sorted, I'll post it all up on here by next weekend at the latest.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Until then,</div>
<div>
Flounder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb8p4dPUFTBuqvfvzUmBR3VO4MpbZauqmsFybRtcfRxMIn4VqO9Q2XRROZJs9CAWYtupsPX4Yc6boezcWpyovvMO2T7HL9nnca1fL6m7mHlfNIvmPbbX535hZSdXi_lh-2VrjXZMjQtRt/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb8p4dPUFTBuqvfvzUmBR3VO4MpbZauqmsFybRtcfRxMIn4VqO9Q2XRROZJs9CAWYtupsPX4Yc6boezcWpyovvMO2T7HL9nnca1fL6m7mHlfNIvmPbbX535hZSdXi_lh-2VrjXZMjQtRt/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parking.</td></tr>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-19080509920958005922015-01-12T17:24:00.001-08:002015-01-17T05:48:39.730-08:00Nakkertok, this Sunday, Jan 18th!Hello.<br />
<br />
Sorry this is coming so late, but finalizing everything took a while, and there some family health issues that needed to be taken care care of, so forgive me. Frankly I have been updating the facebook page more often, which has been unfair to those who do not facebook. I apologize to all of you.<br />
<br />
But hey, the important new is this: This Sunday is the first time the Nakkertok ski area will be allowing fatbikes <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">on their 30 km of trails. This oughta be fun! Now, here is how the day is going to go:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Drive to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://nakkertok.ca/directions/" target="_blank">139 Route du Carrefour</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">20 bucks per adult. Kids can come for free.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone has to be on a bike with 3" tires or wider. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We'll be at the chalet between 9:30 -10 am. When we get there, give</span> us a few minutes to set up.</li>
<li>When we're set up, we'll take your money, get you to sign a waiver (mandatory), and give you <a href="http://nakkertok.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Nakkertok-North-MARCH-2013.pdf" target="_blank">a trail map and explain some of the unmarked possibilities</a>.</li>
<li>Come when you want, there will be someone at the cabin all day.</li>
<li>We'll be making coffee, tea and hot chocolate(powder) so have a drink, and go ride! we encourage you guys to go out, and experiment Do a loop, come back, eat, go out again. You will have until four. After that, we'll be gone, and the cabin will be locked up. </li>
<li><b>Note: it is your responsibility to have tools and a map in case you get lost or have a mechanical. There will be no patrols. If you are going to push the 4pm curfew, bring a light. </b></li>
<li>If you do come back after 4:30, your stuff will be outside the cabin. Maybe we'll leave you a bowl of soup. Can't promise it'll be warm, however. </li>
</ul>
<br />
Speaking of soup, around noon, there will be some veggie soup, a veggie chili or stew, and bread for folks to nosh on. There will be some water brought, but since there is no running water at the main cabin, we encourage you to bring your own to fill bottles, as we will be be using what we have for warm drinks first.<br />
<br />
Now for a few points on behaviour(I know; suckballs, but we are guests here):<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>No booze</b>. No cracking a six-pack open in the cabin. Maybe a discreet flask shared out on the trail, but this can't be like other fatbike events. Boo.</li>
<li><b>You yield: </b>if you see a skier, you make sure they pass unhindered. Up or down, no matter. if you are passing, be very verbal and polite. Remember, this isn't a shared trail: this is their turf, and they are graciously letting us be there. Let us be gracious too. Smile, talk to them, share your flask.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
See you all on the 18th!<br />
-Flounder.<br />
<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-77608739569623723232014-12-24T09:14:00.001-08:002014-12-24T13:41:15.240-08:00Fortune demo madness!<br />
Well, if there are any doubt that fatbikes are trending, December 21st should put those doubts to rest.<br />
<br />
We showed up at Camp Fortune ski hill just before noon to set up the tents and get the bikes out. There were already folks hovering around. I left the setup to the Tall Tree/OMBA folks and went up the hill to mark out the demo trails we had packed the night before. The trails were a bit soft, but ridable for the most part, especially downhill. The main climb up, which is an access road, was packed smooth. It was a welcome change from last year, when we had 8 inches dump on us the night before the demo.<br />
<br />
I came back after 40 minutes, and the place was a mob. Alek, who admits that is he a bit of a logistics weenie, had taken over getting people on bikes and organizing the wait list, which at one point was 32 people! Thanks to him, and his tasking everyone at the tent with chores, I was left to do the whole meet-and-greet thing, and set up the dual slalom course.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Demo in full effect. Thanks to Christian and Sandra for their pics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSZalI7JQuRD8-NZOatQNSjc0vv6kG4CPu3jZEMmriNcyb3MHN5HK0P-R0-jyu6zRkzTOcBaKSf3q0aXlgcUdR9Zxiz_VBzpAqoh4M9Czz7UDLTy20Z7LtPmrJtE6bq2YWxLc9XHA98oM/s1600/fat+demo+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSZalI7JQuRD8-NZOatQNSjc0vv6kG4CPu3jZEMmriNcyb3MHN5HK0P-R0-jyu6zRkzTOcBaKSf3q0aXlgcUdR9Zxiz_VBzpAqoh4M9Czz7UDLTy20Z7LtPmrJtE6bq2YWxLc9XHA98oM/s1600/fat+demo+7.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flounder fixes a bike. A crowd forms, then ignores Flounder for the most part. Jerks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9GZwyGeYgsrA2jlPTR0ph3T2SbcmAGyYxk_aVgDJtknr_GoLnkizDQ-dnv2TvGmOl3vQFWaZTXwOs9AsSwFp0ePY0EZOYnavMK-YQDA6IYTWCURsi1irK3Me5lk0p-VJocbBrThPBOhV/s1600/fat+demo6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9GZwyGeYgsrA2jlPTR0ph3T2SbcmAGyYxk_aVgDJtknr_GoLnkizDQ-dnv2TvGmOl3vQFWaZTXwOs9AsSwFp0ePY0EZOYnavMK-YQDA6IYTWCURsi1irK3Me5lk0p-VJocbBrThPBOhV/s1600/fat+demo6.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting patiently for demos. people were in good spirits despite the backlog even with 11 bikes on demo!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The course was packed the night before, in the dark. I wouldn't exactly call it parallel slalom, more like two courses that started and ended in the same place, with the occasional convergence in the middle. Whatever; it's fatbiking.<br />
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKmj1INXL0IHb4YVaytNSMrqj1-7gM_4ADXCyuiatCyEk4csoeX7K8VQAyC5P2xCoXWmwzsTvNab81NMLFrEXJw-cWylHijp-HJahWbteIyP6mop61Uoc2zVd0DAgEbf4W9CBwRmwLRSV/s1600/fat+demo+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKmj1INXL0IHb4YVaytNSMrqj1-7gM_4ADXCyuiatCyEk4csoeX7K8VQAyC5P2xCoXWmwzsTvNab81NMLFrEXJw-cWylHijp-HJahWbteIyP6mop61Uoc2zVd0DAgEbf4W9CBwRmwLRSV/s1600/fat+demo+5.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cowan family, helping to set up the course. Thanks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
About 24 folks started the race. There were men, women, juniors, a unicyclist (yay Jacob!) and two Santas in the mix. Antoine won for the men, Rebecca for the women, and Nick won the best wipeout, which occurred right at the finish line; fatbiking is a cruel lover, sometimes. The racing was fast and furious and all undertaken in the spirit of fun. The crowd was numerous and happy to drink and critique, as the racers came down the hill. </div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HZxFSnPtZEjKLH4l5gWLtRlVtkBVmgjgS9cMZ_W3rp-feszexkpC7_-9KCTktep3lJJVtzqdM5QUf5J4C1EA_LSMOHhiUyue_x72MBvnDHzHTWa7akrEYHF6oD-LabU7kFVWrUD8MbxT/s1600/Fat+demo+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2HZxFSnPtZEjKLH4l5gWLtRlVtkBVmgjgS9cMZ_W3rp-feszexkpC7_-9KCTktep3lJJVtzqdM5QUf5J4C1EA_LSMOHhiUyue_x72MBvnDHzHTWa7akrEYHF6oD-LabU7kFVWrUD8MbxT/s1600/Fat+demo+8.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The racers amass!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzR90SnBbmCPT_n2rIBTtlPmjNg1t1Uei4zRj5HSoKaLXl-b9ng8gPfI4uWxoY1UdP0uqf4OMKUqe2KXWGvR4E_X6MlvIpTfhscNVTHmCfH1wpW_HJnEQANsZla1jtg4D5YLZ30TuKiuW/s1600/fat+demo4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbzR90SnBbmCPT_n2rIBTtlPmjNg1t1Uei4zRj5HSoKaLXl-b9ng8gPfI4uWxoY1UdP0uqf4OMKUqe2KXWGvR4E_X6MlvIpTfhscNVTHmCfH1wpW_HJnEQANsZla1jtg4D5YLZ30TuKiuW/s1600/fat+demo4.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa goes down. Serves him right after I got those socks last year...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5bj5wVeIQmqOjqnrhvwmClZ0SLmJYwWPxTzcCPmMgEkfCZNQqh0T6djOMiW7Q4py2eM47llw2ZM-0ULK_h4jxaTUBUCXPVNS691d3777IQvUXOIkxowugnHb6Sc46iFpyMLOx6_KG3pw/s1600/fat+demo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5bj5wVeIQmqOjqnrhvwmClZ0SLmJYwWPxTzcCPmMgEkfCZNQqh0T6djOMiW7Q4py2eM47llw2ZM-0ULK_h4jxaTUBUCXPVNS691d3777IQvUXOIkxowugnHb6Sc46iFpyMLOx6_KG3pw/s1600/fat+demo+2.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob chows down on some beaver(guard).<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Was a good time had? I think so. A lot of people got to try fatbikes, and a lot of fatbikers got to meet new folks. Many thanks to Christian from <a href="http://beaverguardfatbike.com/opening_soon" target="_blank">Beaver Guard</a> for the prizes and pics.<br />
<div>
I'd also like to thank all the Tall Tree staff and ambassadors who helped out with making the demo and the race run so smoothly; it would've been impossible without y'all. Alek, Brad, Chris, Greg, Katy, Lauren, Lily, Martin, Mike, Noah, Sandra, Sean, Thom and Watson: you're saints. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
And thanks to everyone who came out and played. Happy holidays, and we'll see you in January!<br />
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-39426069504828765482014-12-15T13:00:00.001-08:002014-12-16T17:13:44.575-08:00Dec 21st, Fatbike Demo and fun race, full details!So, here are the final details for this Sunday,<br />
<br />
Thanks to Tall Tree Cycles, along with The Ottawa Mountain Bike Association, there will be another fatbike demo at Camp Fortune before the race. From noon until 4pm, folks are welcome to try a selection of 9zero7, Kona and Surly fatbikes out. No charge, but first come first served. the will be a fire to warm yourself by, and warm drinks. Trails off of the CBC fire road will be packed down(mostly) for you to try. We'll get Junior, RPM, Connector and hopefully some of Pea Soup set up for you. Park as far at the end of of the parking lot, past the lodge, and look for the Kona and OMBA tents.<br />
<br />
PLEASE NOTE: No riding on the ski runs, at all!<br />
<br />
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Around four, people will be invited to practice for the race, maybe earlier if we get it done. The race will be much like last year: Starts 5-ish, dual-slalom, elimination format. Likely we'll set up on the t-bar side of the hill. It won't be about speed, but about balance and skill. The track will be a narrow, snowshoe packed course, and the turns will be really tight. This year, with a twistier course, I expect a lot of slow speed slideouts. That said, there will be a prize for best huge, yard-sale style wipeout.</div>
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If there are a lot of people out for this, we'll do three-cross (each on their own track) with a consolation round. Warm up/practice starts around four, and racing goes until it's over. Prizes for best man and woman, and draws for those who just came out for shits and giggles. </div>
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Best heckler wins a prize! Crowd nominates and decides who is this beautiful bastard!</div>
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If any races dressed in a Santa costume, you race for free.</div>
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For real: just no sexist, racist or homophobic slurs. That's not cool. If you can't put someone down without resorting to that crap, you're not trying(and frankly you're not all that welcome at the event' either).</div>
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More fire and drinks afterwards. Bring something to share if you care to.</div>
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Suggested donation, 10$ with half going to OMBA.</div>
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See you all on Sunday!</div>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-78850890642501390782014-12-04T05:58:00.004-08:002014-12-04T06:59:21.606-08:00LPP, season 4!Folks, I've been lazy.<br />
<br />
Neglectful even.<br />
<br />
I have a new baby, which is taking up my time. Poor LPP has suffered for it. The poster is still being drafted, and my posting has been infrequent.<br />
<br />
The baby isn't of the crying, breastfeeding and soiling type. Instead, I've taken on co-ownership of a small business, and the learning curve has been steep.<br />
<br />
That's not to say I haven't been doing anything LPP related, just that everything has been slow to boil. So, there will be a longer post soon, promise.<br />
<br />
However, right now I can announce this:<br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">LPP, Lucky #13! Sunday, December 21st 2014!</span></b><br />
<br />
The event is a Camp Fortune ski hill, Chelsea Quebec. The fun starts around noon, at the far end of the upper parking lot, as close to the biathlon course as you can get. from 12ish to four-ish, there will be fatbikes to demo, coffee, and the trails under the aerial park will be accessible for the day. Around 4, we'll set up a small, non-threatening dual-slalom course and have a fun race. The day will end with a fire and a bottle. Prizes too.<br />
<br />
And, I promise more info for the rest of the season soon.<br />
<br />
-Flounder<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRzFejVjAQZtn-CEkBdpout4BP4RiAJmkcql30CyMq-IWLeWnD0rFcwPcs_i4bHCGBFVeG7z08wASRXuwwgB41mZ5JyHeCBYukqEg-3AMK4GYru7q3CSlqIW7bRx8t7Fszq-D5XvbAzFO/s1600/LPPLogo+stickerfinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRzFejVjAQZtn-CEkBdpout4BP4RiAJmkcql30CyMq-IWLeWnD0rFcwPcs_i4bHCGBFVeG7z08wASRXuwwgB41mZ5JyHeCBYukqEg-3AMK4GYru7q3CSlqIW7bRx8t7Fszq-D5XvbAzFO/s1600/LPPLogo+stickerfinal.jpg" height="320" width="289" /></a></div>
Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-10343649178020605412014-09-15T19:49:00.000-07:002014-09-15T19:54:35.413-07:00Nakkertoked.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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At this point, the fourth year
running LPP events. It’s been decided that it is time to go mostly legit. No, not big prices, sponsors everywhere and rules out your wazoo, but legit in the
matter of actually getting permits. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And doing something in the daytime.
Something big. Something hard. Something a bit stupid. Something that still will involve mandatory consumption of beverages.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To that end, Mr Wood and I
headed up to Val-des-Monts today to check out the XC ski area know as Nakkertok
North (N.N.). Run by a 1400-strong ski club, N.N. has a sister area called, unsurprisingly, Nakkertok South, both of which are connected by a 20 km
backcountry trail. </div>
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Can you see where I am going with this?</div>
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John and Dave, the trails
coordinators for Nakkertok N&amp;S respectively, started talking to me late
last year about maybe, possibly, perhaps there was a chance that, fatbikes could
be allowed on the trails at N.N.
While it was too late for last year, we agreed to talk in the early fall
about what sort of usage/access fatbikers could expect. Last week Dave
called, and said, if I wanted to come and check out some of the trails and the
facilities, we should do it now, as hunting season opens next week. I said there was no
rush, that we could wear orange, and besides, what would be the odds that we’d see hunters
on the property? To which Dave replied, ‘there are hunter’s blinds ON the
property. Eeep. Mr. Woods and I loaded bikes into his truck and off we went.</div>
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To put it succinctly, we thought
the place has promise as an event venue, but as a season long venue? We’re not sure. Look at the map below for a
moment. Most of the trails, such
as trail 1, 5, the southern part of 13, and 19 run along side the edges of the
hills, with pretty mellow gradients punctuated by a few climbs that would be
doable by fatbike. They are double track; pleasant enough on a mtb, and by
fatbike would be good, while leaving space to pass or have machine-set ski
tracks on it. It’s the trails that cross over the hills, such as Heartbreak
hill, Phil’s Folly and Awesome that would be killer. They are hella steep on
one side, and a somewhat easier grade on the other side. Add to this some of
the snowshoes trails that seemed pretty techy (we didn’t get to ride them), and
skidoo trails that bisect the trails, and it would be an interesting place to
have a race.</div>
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Especially if that race left from
Nakkertok South, did the 20km connector, and then did a loop of N.N.
Imagine a 50km-ish course(with a smaller course as an option, of course)! The
two cabins, one for day usage, and the other available for overnight guests,
offers a infrastructure for racers and organizers. The skidoos on the venue
mean grooming can be done the night before. There’s lots of parking at N.N </div>
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<br /></div>
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And of course, there would be large
fires, food, and beer. </div>
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<br /></div>
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That’s our thoughts for Nakkertok
as a event venue. Ditto for the idea of having a few fatbike days at N.N.,
where we could have the run of the place along with the skiers, and pay a daily
fee. However, we are not sure
about whether it would be viable as ongoing fatbike venue, where one paid a yearly membership. There are a few issues, first of which is the distance. Nakkertok
is about 15km outside of Wakefield. It was about an hour there on a nice day in
September, leaving from Tall Tree Cycles in Downtown Ottawa. If you are from
the suburbs, and it’s winter, think 75 minutes. That’s a lot of traveling. Especially if the selection of trails are limited.</div>
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While we got to ride a lot of
trails, I am not sure what ones we will get to use. The backcountry trails seem
the most fun, but can they be set enough for a fatbike? Can we use the snowshoe
trails? John never really told me what was on and off the table in terms of
trails. On top of that, some of the trails are directional, which is not a good
thing for fatbikers. Ideally, skiers want to climb the steepest side of a hill,
since they are practially walking at that point, and then go down the more gradual
side, as they don’t have brakes, nor any edges to really speak of (in my
opinion, anyways). That is pretty much the opposite of what a fatbiker wants.
If any of these trails are a no-go, suddenly 17 km of trails become 10. 10 km
of trails over an hour away seems like a pretty hard sell for a yearly
membership, that also includes an mandatory two days of volunteer trail work.</div>
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What I am going to suggest is a
year of getting to know each other. Let’s have a couple of fatbike days as a
sort of snowy meet-and-greet. The Nakker folks can get used to having share
their trails (another hurdle to deal with), fatbikers can suss out the trails,
and how serious Nakker are about this, while Nakker can make some extra money
without a lot of effort. Then, let’s have a race. Have a party; invite the
skiers; get drunk; touch someone’s firm bum by the fire. Let’s see how it goes.
Then we can plan for 2016.</div>
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What do you all think? Let us know.</div>
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<o:p> -Flounder</o:p><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfWghu-DXdQZvv92nnyqgX0PwtPkGa6BiOObSW5Sa3hSmRt8mW06dcKTJ6OK8j20dij43hWflLw24kEMkFRR_p0z6ZtzKtjyg4itnnqTWZAN7yUPsWUIKmxm6GbYK3wkWH3N4ULWc7FX2/s1600/IMG_0743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfWghu-DXdQZvv92nnyqgX0PwtPkGa6BiOObSW5Sa3hSmRt8mW06dcKTJ6OK8j20dij43hWflLw24kEMkFRR_p0z6ZtzKtjyg4itnnqTWZAN7yUPsWUIKmxm6GbYK3wkWH3N4ULWc7FX2/s1600/IMG_0743.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The map. We did most of the upper-middle and right side of the page</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL7hFb8m1igI0dfJfORujjEidSxf9kpM02j_gpJ7Avo2RqO6LtQJ8mW7jDqVZC7cxC4X1E6BAcjtWRp8S8eWMSSGWmTwIEEAxiCYVK4GJowYeAxHMfkRkAZNm8jXpzykt-N5chTJWQwfq/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTL7hFb8m1igI0dfJfORujjEidSxf9kpM02j_gpJ7Avo2RqO6LtQJ8mW7jDqVZC7cxC4X1E6BAcjtWRp8S8eWMSSGWmTwIEEAxiCYVK4GJowYeAxHMfkRkAZNm8jXpzykt-N5chTJWQwfq/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main cabin. under renovations, but room for dozens. and stoves!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8CqqLZ_GwlTmjntPheajo64OmyQZTIbjjxsI5hRflVdla_qRkdP63dmGUb5b6ltwtnI9T_2Z7R3ovBInqmw_3JZFY0Ymfr7m8D3SreokcHJJ_EcwhJ8b1VnABIO0unAAhdGrml58wOGV/s1600/IMG_0746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8CqqLZ_GwlTmjntPheajo64OmyQZTIbjjxsI5hRflVdla_qRkdP63dmGUb5b6ltwtnI9T_2Z7R3ovBInqmw_3JZFY0Ymfr7m8D3SreokcHJJ_EcwhJ8b1VnABIO0unAAhdGrml58wOGV/s1600/IMG_0746.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical section of the main trails</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwfD0IVAxNZ02kgQZ70XMuheRCIBupnE7p-PxPqCEU044ClGqAUt3dirjRtfoGngzG2aE_sG047R5zSxhTrp34L6ZgpGxulAhLMZFrbRAj8s3cR5yHX9cr4f_CjuDyVnK3qNr9M1E8ps/s1600/IMG_0748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOwfD0IVAxNZ02kgQZ70XMuheRCIBupnE7p-PxPqCEU044ClGqAUt3dirjRtfoGngzG2aE_sG047R5zSxhTrp34L6ZgpGxulAhLMZFrbRAj8s3cR5yHX9cr4f_CjuDyVnK3qNr9M1E8ps/s1600/IMG_0748.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sleeper cabin. A bit disheveled right now, but looks like it could sleep about 8. and it has running water(but uses an outhouse)!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ_ULddNxuanzc0SLDFpn5gAyXj5VeXJaJMhtepZZg2QpjOZUHcbGIBoAZ7AiWM5iM4ZrbbGiCAhmTi6XfmQT4WxfldtoaC9Aj1U2I0PbnSWjHckvijPdTsgs2uC0R4m5S28GPu1v6fkf/s1600/IMG_0753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKJ_ULddNxuanzc0SLDFpn5gAyXj5VeXJaJMhtepZZg2QpjOZUHcbGIBoAZ7AiWM5iM4ZrbbGiCAhmTi6XfmQT4WxfldtoaC9Aj1U2I0PbnSWjHckvijPdTsgs2uC0R4m5S28GPu1v6fkf/s1600/IMG_0753.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks easier in the pic.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsn53KhpDGFrWcYRYEnD-6DFhdJXjYi-i0Qc29mJetQpvPICYQ3rzOpgSqHsBur7s2dXPictTpL7D30sof58TsZcYbC2MyYAYuprcntvH-xom_qePKfL7xKqiyPTHjePUDaPY9z1CBxJj/s1600/IMG_0757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsn53KhpDGFrWcYRYEnD-6DFhdJXjYi-i0Qc29mJetQpvPICYQ3rzOpgSqHsBur7s2dXPictTpL7D30sof58TsZcYbC2MyYAYuprcntvH-xom_qePKfL7xKqiyPTHjePUDaPY9z1CBxJj/s1600/IMG_0757.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Woods, in the woods. Starting Phil's Folly from the easy side (which is the wrong direction).</td></tr>
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<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-80517879033122137172014-06-01T12:49:00.002-07:002014-06-01T12:49:23.259-07:00<br />
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A few of the gents from <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=111869735496073" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Surly-Bikes/111869735496073" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Surly Bikes</a> and NRG Enterprises were in town visiting shops yesterday. Some of the crew from Tall Tree Cycles took them out to Kanata L<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">akes for a ride. I got the chance to try out the new Ice Cream Truck fat bike with a Bluto fork on Outback trail.</span></div>
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My impressions? The new frame is a massive departure from the Pugsley. The front end is light-handling while the frame is stiff enough that the wheels go where you want it to, while still being comfortable with circa 9 psi in the tires. I took it over every drop and through the countless rock gardens of Outback and the thing cleared everything.</div>
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Is it fast? Meh. I was using two speeds with it: cruising and rock-crawl. That said, I was was not last in group and once up to speed it keeps that speed remarkably well. It isn't a snappy accelerator, but popping up the front end was remarkably easy. As for traction, the thing is just stupid, making recovery from bad line choices pretty easy. Off-camber roots and rocks in the middle of a corner? Whatever; just pedal.</div>
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Part of that traction and control comes the Bluto fork. It made riding down drops effortless, and kept the front tire from bouncing all over the place in rough stuff. Simply put, if you want to ride your fatbike year round, it is a no brainer: get one.</div>
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If my only mountain bike was an Ice Cream Truck with a Bluto, I'd be fine with that, although I would put the thing on diet with lighter weight tires and go tubeless. Really, what more praise can I give?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Cream Truck!<br /></td></tr>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-87907157774190820162014-03-16T07:14:00.003-07:002014-03-16T07:15:52.928-07:00A visual recap of LPP#12I'll write more later, but right now I have a bit of a hangover, a dog to walk, and a garage that looks like a fugly bomb went off in. For now here is some footage that Jason Gordon shot of his "hot lap"during the last LPP of the season, #12. Click the link, and enjoy!<br />
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-Flounder.</div>
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<span class="userContent"><a href="http://youtu.be/uxaS2NE4OmI" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/uxaS2NE4OmI</a></span></div>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-85707683350521724422014-03-08T18:34:00.001-08:002014-03-10T17:31:34.210-07:00LPP#12!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tWKPQaL9x4vP8ZBLCBtmMPot7pvNFBcmWrEc5h8KEe6WdC9K0JWdpFogmWruR4TkNjF9XsAlvjtbBt_1oIe4uRnoW0svRlB1Pj51klsxnGlHb9iON0jRdh6JKG9DmvyvByfK4l50NpxX/s1600/Ottawa-20130323-00237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tWKPQaL9x4vP8ZBLCBtmMPot7pvNFBcmWrEc5h8KEe6WdC9K0JWdpFogmWruR4TkNjF9XsAlvjtbBt_1oIe4uRnoW0svRlB1Pj51klsxnGlHb9iON0jRdh6JKG9DmvyvByfK4l50NpxX/s1600/Ottawa-20130323-00237.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year. You know that if you weren't there, you missed out.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So the finale of the 2013-14 LPP series is upon us. Here are the Deets:<br />
<br />
Saturday, March 15th. Register at 7:30pm, race starts at 8pm.<br />
<br />
Race is at Kanata Lakes(why mess with a good thing, as it has been such a hoot the last two years?).<br />
<br />
The duration will one hour and a lap, kids (under 15) will do 45 minutes. Anyone in the midst of puberty will have to man-up. Or women-up, depending on what secondary sexual characteristics are popping up, so to speak...<br />
<br />
All tires sizes are welcomed.<br />
<br />
7 bucks to come play, if you didn't pay for the season. You do get a free drink out of it, and a prize toss at the end too!<br />
<br />
Afterwards, bush party! Wennies, fire and drinks! Yee Haw! Bring a bottle and a date; it'll be that kind of a night.<br />
<br />
Email if you need more details, or directions.<br />
<br />
Flounder.Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-42639384184757801932014-02-26T12:27:00.001-08:002014-02-28T07:15:50.900-08:00LPP11: A collective recount of the super fatbike sprints.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq_BwL-QeUENhK2DsltmF-bfzyHJdWq1YaYFTlmvTjN8XOYKx0s9rUz41mJhuTZ0Fnfz4Wnimz6NBUhdvHMBrHK3IbwKBEN9_KfWu8t8Xbvr7w0VaCQDnkuRIdMe_fAhwtNa1YlQIo9eP/s1600/safe_image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnq_BwL-QeUENhK2DsltmF-bfzyHJdWq1YaYFTlmvTjN8XOYKx0s9rUz41mJhuTZ0Fnfz4Wnimz6NBUhdvHMBrHK3IbwKBEN9_KfWu8t8Xbvr7w0VaCQDnkuRIdMe_fAhwtNa1YlQIo9eP/s1600/safe_image.jpeg" height="332" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kinda sums up the night. Go to <a href="http://redbikephotography.smugmug.com/Cycling/Fatbiking/i-jLhJ4n3">http://redbikephotography.smugmug.com/Cycling/Fatbiking/i-jLhJ4n3</a> for more pics from Gilles</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I spent the afternoon of Feb 14th fretting.<br />
<br />
Not because I was not doing anything for Valentine's day (the husband was away in Waterloo), but because it felt that I was missing something. Something huge. I packed and re-packed all my gear for the night's event, but I couldn't get rid of a sense of creeping doom.<br />
<br />
Then I realised what it was: I wasn't completely in control of this event.<br />
<br />
Now, pretty much anyone who meets me will know within 30 minutes that "perfectionist control-freak" is not a label that applies to me, nor to LPP events, which are run pretty(okay, very) loose. But since Steward Mcintosh of Chelsea Nordiq approached me to do this event, and I said sure, I realized that I had not seen the course and didn't know what sort of support I was going to receive. I was even a bit unsure if they were going to leave the lights on at one point! This is not meant to slag Steward in any way, but just to illuminate how over the course of the day, the sense of doom slowly grew...<br />
<br />
Partly, the sense of doom-growth was attributable to my worrying that I had over-promised and was about to under-deliver: Steward asked me how many folks would come and pay the twenty bucks to ride the course, knowing it was going to support a local para-olympian who was going to Sochi that that Chelsea Nordiq sponsored. I said twenty-five would be likely. But the afternoon of the race, I thought that number would take a small miracle to hit. After all, the race was outside of town(just outside, but still); it had snowed that morning, and IT WAS FREAKING VALENTINE'S DAY! Really, how many folks could bail on the date night of the year?<br />
<br />
Turns out, quite a few could. 35 people showed up, a record. $700.00 was raised, to the fatbike community's credit. The support Steward offered was marvelous; lights; a course that kept everyone engaged; a cube van with heaters in it; and food and drink! All this support was great, as with such a big crowd, I was kept busy grouping and sending off waves of fatters down the course. I would like to say a thousand thanks to Sean Ralph and Mike Dougherty for taking care of the finish line chaos; making sure that riders were awarded points and those points were tallied up. Without you two, the night would've been a gongshow, way more than normal.<br />
<br />
I was so busy that I have no idea how the racing went down. All I have are the list of the winners. For women, it was Cat Weaver, Kari Ferlatte and Marcie Girirouand. The men were Matt Surch, Rob Orange and Patrick Dupras. So, in keeping with this theme of loss of control, I am going to turn the narrative of the event to people who actually raced. I asked a few people to write a quick paragraph giving their impressions of the event, so here they are.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1deFR2gCBE0oX13hNjcAmXYZa6OQ3bov-9f3IwAxCjWoWjZgx_z1wF_1TZYxYpJhRUgyyuDZnwxrpU_J6kLhGz3Qsk6k2lh88Az2cYF_8JPLcag3tWLlEBJ6zn6EGPkKb3Fa3KEen13xC/s1600/20140214-0W2A8801-682x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1deFR2gCBE0oX13hNjcAmXYZa6OQ3bov-9f3IwAxCjWoWjZgx_z1wF_1TZYxYpJhRUgyyuDZnwxrpU_J6kLhGz3Qsk6k2lh88Az2cYF_8JPLcag3tWLlEBJ6zn6EGPkKb3Fa3KEen13xC/s1600/20140214-0W2A8801-682x1024.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Matt, hunting down Jim McGuire. Thanks to John Rathwell for coming out and taking pics, again. See more at <a href="http://johnrathwellphotography.com/lpp11-feb-14th-super-fat-sprints/">http://johnrathwellphotography.com/lpp11-feb-14th-super-fat-sprints/</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>First off is Matt, who, to paraphrase Mark Twain, didn't have time to write one paragraph, so he wrote several:</i><br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
If you look at the criterium format of road racing, it's clear that interesting courses are essential to interesting races. At the other end of the spectrum, incredibly hard courses, either on the road or off-road, often lead to boring racing. The best races are run on courses that have challenging elements, but at the same time allow for strategy and tactics to play out. The fat bike sprint course, build by and for skate ski racers, was such a course.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Despite perhaps 15cm of light, dry snow the previous night, the course that awaited us was in good shape after grooming and an afternoon of ski racing. Light snow blanketed a firm base, and easily gave way to rolling tires. However, the fastest lines were the ruts that were formed as the new snow was pushed off the base, exposing firm snow underneath. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Practice quickly revealed how slippery the track was, similar to clay-heavy mud on a cyclocross track. The opening straight led into a small step-up; as ruts formed, the trick was to stick one and go full gas. The trick here was to avoid spinning the back wheel too much, and twisting the grips like a throttle helped a bit with that. Next were two rollers, which developed firm ruts as riders bedded the track in. It was best to stay on the gas through these, and try to stay in your rut for maximum speed. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The opening straight of these features was perfect for sorting the riders are they approached the first turn, a left, which evolved nicely into a deeply rutted motocross-style turn. As a racer, the aim was to get to this turn first, stick the rut, and power out. If you were stuck behind others into this turn, you might have to get off your line, or get stuck behind a crash. As in many disciplines, most of the race is about getting to the first turn before everyone else. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Next up was a span of slalom gates through which four lines were available, none much faster than the others. This made for some exciting moments, as racers battled for their preferred line!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
A sweeping right hander followed, which was the first 'recovery' section of the 400m course. After riding out of the saddle to this point (if possible), this was the place to sit down, spin through the turn, and try to regain a bit of composure. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The toughest turn came next, another right hander that was slightly off-camber on the inside of the apex. In practice, riders fell left and right. As the course bedded in, a nice arc formed through the turn, easy enough to follow. However, at max speed, this one was tricky, and any dab or tumble would surely mean a top two finish would be near impossible. You didn't want to be chasing through this one!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Sweeping left around the generator and massive tower of lights, traction was good leading into the final hurtle, a slight incline banking left, dropping back to ground level with a depression to one foot high drop off. If already gassed at this point, the climb would put you into the red, and you'd have to keep it there for the final bend left and flat out sprint for 30 meters to the line. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The racing was dynamic and exciting, exactly what we all hoped for. Like other short, high intensity disciplines, the start was key for closely matched racers. A failed pedal entry, or spinning back wheel could cost a second or two that would be difficult to get back. Taking risks in the turns could either pay off or totally flop, which is precisely what makes racing fun! When the consequence of a botched turn is a bit of snow in your face or up your sleeve, why not go for it? Indeed, just about everybody pushed themselves, and the endorphins were in the air. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
One has to look at the incredible turnout, particularly of women, and ask, how come? Fewer women race a Sunset Series mtb race in July. Snow seems less intimidating as a surface to ride on, and the format allows everybody to race until they're cooked, without fear of smashing themselves, getting dropped, or lost. Perhaps mountain bike racing would be more popular in the region if a few lessons were taken from Friday night's race.<br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>This is from Sandra Beaubien; Thanks Sandra!</i><br />
<br />
<div class="p1">
It was fantastic to see so many women racing in the Super-Fat Sprint races. Many of the ladies were on borrowed bikes and were trying Fat Biking for the first time. Having the women in a separate category made this event friendly for all skill levels. The first few heats were all about staying upright on the bike, making sure not to slide out in the corners. As everyone got used to the conditions, every race got a little faster with many having really close finishes. The final was exciting to watch – Cat got off to an early lead and pushed hard to stay ahead of Kari. There was a battle for third and Marcie fought hard to beat out Sophie and Christine. We can’t wait for the next race!<br />
<br />
<i>Here is Mike Dougherty's(who I thanked earlier) point of view:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="p1">
This was also my first LPP experience, albeit from a volunteer’s perspective.</div>
<div class="p1">
When Stew (Chelsea Nordic) mentioned the idea to me a couple of months back, admittedly it seemed like a stretch. Convince an organization of skiers to host a fat biking event, hmnn… But with his hard work and organizing, combined with the established series and event know-how of LPP – what a great event it turned out to be!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Aside from being LPP’s biggest event to date, it indeed raised approximately $700, which is being combined with Chelsea Nordiq’s (<a href="http://www.chelseanordiq.ca/"><span class="s1">www.chelseanordiq.ca</span></a>) significant fund raising efforts – all going to support biathlete Caroline Bisson(That's her name! Stew never got around to telling me her name! -Flounder) at the Sochi Paralympics. <a href="http://carolinebisson.ca/"><span class="s1">http://carolinebisson.ca</span></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My role was quite easy, though busy, chasing down racers to get their names (repeatedly) at the Finish and confirm their scoring (OK – it was a near constant stream of bundled up people zooming by on bikes at night). A trip to get a warm drink for blue-lipped score-keeper extraordinaire (Sean) had me happily serving up hot chocolate to smiling rosey faces for a while.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
It was great to meet some of the Ottawa Fat Bike Society members as well as many others – French and English, male and female. Nobody seemed particularly concerned about results, actually the only concern that I really heard was as to which shwarmas were vegetarian.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Thank you Flounder, Stew, Chelsea Nordiq and all of the participants for putting this together, supporting a local athlete and bringing positive exposure to our sport. Pretty cool that such a fun event can be realized by the regional fat bikers, for a good cause, in collaboration with another Winter sport group.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
Happy riding! <i> </i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Here's Ian Steward, who brought his wife out to race with him on a bike he made for her. Love isn't dead.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
For this different format race there was a monster turnout, there were people I've never seen on a FB. Lots of women were riding which is great. My wife rode her TINY XS 907 in red which was very appropo for Valentines day.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Flounder had wheedled us access to a mini cross country ski course. It was a twisty little beggar with a loose surface, never-the-same-twice corners, and was a hell of a lot harder to go fast than you thought. It even had a warm up truck with the bonus of warm hot chocolate. Definitely not Flounder's usually provided beverage, but appreciated by many.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The racing was 4 person format heats with the top two advancing. I was usually doing fine until I washed in a corner, or pulled my foot out of the pedal, or was surprised by not crashing, -even with full bike side to side contact with Al. Ok, I was never doing fine, but trying counts for something, right?</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
Lots of fun and drama on the twisty circuit from first time fat bikers Kari Ferlatte (excited shrieks) and Deb Hine (no shrieks but plenty of smiles), Matt Surch's no-saddle run and close sprint wins, to Cat Weavers killer glare while racing. We all had a great time.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Next up is Jim McGuire (aka BMX Jim) who we all expected to kill it. He almost did:</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3e454c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 11.263999938964844px; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span><span style="color: #3e454c; line-height: 11.263999938964844px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">o this was my first time at a LPP "race" since the inaugural effort at Hampton park many months ago, which I rode on a crappy old hardtail MTB. This time was vastly different, riding my brother's high end Salsa carbon-fiber build, I couldn't exactly complain. That, and the fact that this race format was about as close to BMX (my first love in biking) as we are going to be able to find. I arrived as the ski folks were packing up and waited for Flounder to arrive. A few warm up laps on stiff legs resulted in a mild hamstring pull which thankfully inmproved with more riding and staying warm. A few 'heavy hitters' showed up, including the always fast Matt Surch, Rob O, Ian Radford and Brent Atkins. Not to mention my buddy Al McConnel, Andrew Olive , Dave Bilenky and a dude on a unicycle fat bike wheel. I think around forty riders in total including a bunch of female riders, yeah! Flounder had his format loosely planned and went with motos or heats of four, with riders gaining points for a first or second place. The racing itself was a riot, with basically only one good line in the first turn, followed by going as fast as you could while still maintaing traction. The snow was just loose enough in spots where a little extra push in a turn would send you sliding with a foot down. So Flounder and the efforts of scorer Sean Ralph determined a final four with Me, Matt, Rob O, and another guy who is apparently very fast on his MTB. Matt was predictably fast and took the lead, while I chased hard until a crash on the second last "straight". I think I went down because I was trying too hard. Ya - thats it. I attempted to get up and still beat Rob O and the other guy, but was forced to settle for DFL. In the womens race, it was a large group of five women I think, with Cat Weaver of Trips for Kids fame leading from wire to wire. The 'race' fees were used to help fund a local para-olympic athlete on their trip to Sochi-excellent. I hope to be back next year, as the venue and format were awesome.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3e454c; line-height: 11.263999938964844px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #3e454c; line-height: 11.263999938964844px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span>This is from Jakob, aka "the crazy-fast unicycle guy":</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The event looked well organized, we had everything, good lighting, good marking everywhere, a clear start and finish line, hot chocolate and shawarmas! As a rider and spectator, the course was awesome, short and sweet. Having a small lap like that made it fun for everyone who wasn't riding unlike big laps where you can't see anyone. Racing 4 at the time was perfect, just enough riders to motivate riding faster and not too much so we all had enough space for riding. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The event was awesome! It made Valentines day much better than usual!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
</div>
<div class="p1">
Thanks everyone who helped make this event awesome.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWOO_-Y6P8geY798yv6w5vdhEYVXQHnoHoAhDu6E9VpExIqsgwUwFztqJdo3DqbkFwMf_0Afk20cE8OZP-Fx7OcxzmyhEiaHZ8GHQO8SIpqFHXS-K1eKjpUxri7Mfyi0dVqQo1UTi9xVb/s1600/20140214-0W2A8736-1024x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWOO_-Y6P8geY798yv6w5vdhEYVXQHnoHoAhDu6E9VpExIqsgwUwFztqJdo3DqbkFwMf_0Afk20cE8OZP-Fx7OcxzmyhEiaHZ8GHQO8SIpqFHXS-K1eKjpUxri7Mfyi0dVqQo1UTi9xVb/s1600/20140214-0W2A8736-1024x682.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Presidente Brett</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="p1">
<i>Here is Brett, chief of the Wheeler's tribe:</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I was dead on my feet tired that evening and almost did not show up because the event started a bit late for a working guy like me who starts at 7am on Sunday-but I did not regret my decision to participate, the fun far outweighed the fatigue.</div>
<div class="p1">
The theme was laid back fun with friendly competition-kind of like the the kind of fun competition you have with friends at a house party playing charades or pictionary.</div>
<div class="p1">
There was hot chocolate and shawarmas and a place to warm-up wihich is super well though out for such a low pressure production!</div>
<div class="p1">
The venue was first class spectator friendly that had me ringing my cow bell and cheering my friends in the events.I will be back for more in the future with more Wheelers.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Brent Atkins </div>
<div class="p1">
El Presidente </div>
<div class="p1">
West Quebec Wheelers</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>I've saved the best for last: Deb Hine was so moved, she expressed herself in verse!</i></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
Valentine's night</div>
<div class="p1">
and the timing's just right</div>
<div class="p1">
to try fat bike excite</div>
<div class="p1">
under a full moon light</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Winter nights in Chelsea</div>
<div class="p1">
are a regular for me</div>
<div class="p1">
But winter's to ski,</div>
<div class="p1">
Don't you agree, Flounder and Tall Tree??</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My first time on a fat bike, how hard can it be?</div>
<div class="p1">
I can ride a cross bike in sand, so surely</div>
<div class="p1">
I can race a few laps on a course which is really</div>
<div class="p1">
for cross country skiing, on this borrowed blue Surly!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I'll skip the gory details about going anaerobic</div>
<div class="p1">
and how that feeling made me feel rather close to being sick</div>
<div class="p1">
Turns out I don't have a single muscle fast twitch</div>
<div class="p1">
Instead, I'll list the highlights, of which</div>
<div class="p1">
the night was rich:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
friends old and new</div>
<div class="p1">
awesome course</div>
<div class="p1">
bright lights</div>
<div class="p1">
warm temps</div>
<div class="p1">
unicycle!!</div>
<div class="p1">
shawarma</div>
<div class="p1">
slalom</div>
<div class="p1">
a full moon</div>
<div class="p1">
Chelsea Nordiq cooperation</div>
<div class="p1">
cheering</div>
<div class="p1">
cowbells</div>
<div class="p1">
a good cause</div>
<div class="p1">
a jump!</div>
<div class="p1">
racing right to the line</div>
<div class="p1">
skids and falls</div>
<div class="p1">
hot chocolate!</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Today I was back on my xc skis</div>
<div class="p1">
And that's the winter activity</div>
<div class="p1">
that's the greatest for me</div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
But what a fabulous night of fat bike camaraderie!<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Wow. I've inspired rhymes. </div>
<div class="p1">
I'm going to leave it at that, because how can I top it?</div>
<div class="p1">
Thanks again to everyone who raced, and I hope to see you all on March 15th. Location TBA, as usual.</div>
<div class="p1">
-Flounder</div>
<div class="p1">
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-50968618398953799552014-02-18T12:46:00.000-08:002014-02-18T13:02:23.091-08:00Huge Correction...Please read if you are thinking of going to the Nakkertok Event<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;">So, there was a miscommunication within Nakkertok regarding fatbikes running the loppet course this Sunday, and we were given information a bit prematurely.Turns out there will NOT be an event there this weekend.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;">I repeat, do NOT sign up or go to </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=339582179390748&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/Nakkertok" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px; text-decoration: none;">Nakkertok Nordic</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;"> this weekend expecting to ride a fatbike. Sorry for all this.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;">But there is hope that we may be able to do something in early march up there, so stay tuned, and have hope. Again, sorry for the confusion, but we were not part of organizing this.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.35200023651123px;">-Flounder and Tall Tree.</span></span>Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-72520154035020796472014-02-14T12:21:00.001-08:002014-02-14T12:21:08.308-08:00Race is still a go.Just got word that the course was packed and groomed around 12:30 today, and will be groomed once more this afternoon. Whew. so everyone, show up around 8, and be ready to race by 9.<br />
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Here is a pic of a section of the course, which was taken last night:<br />
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See you tonight!<br />
<br />
-Flounder<br />
<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-67470117576169993262014-02-13T15:42:00.000-08:002014-02-13T15:42:12.441-08:00<div class="MsoNormal">
So, I hope to see a good turnout tomorrow night. If you were
on the cusp of coming, you should; everything is ready at my end, and should be
at the site, which the folks at Chelsea Nordiq are stoked about. And it is for
charity, so come out and ride; the racing will only be as serious as you want
it to be, people will be grouped together by speed after the first round.</div>
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There will be food and hot beverages available and tons of prizes, but sorry,
no liquor. The organizers of the ski event can’t have anyone drinking at this
event on site, as it is on city land, and they don’t have a permit for it. There
are going to be a lot of kids around too, and if we fatbikers ,as a community,
want to build good relationships with other trail users, drinking in front of
their kids and racing bikes is perhaps bad optics.</div>
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I know; it hurts me to have to say it too, but this one time
we have to be quasi-respectable.</div>
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On top of no booze at the event, the organizers asked that
we<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>do not park around or near the
course, but at the school parking lot, just past the course. WHATEVER YOU DO,
DO NOT PARK NEAR THE FIRE STATION, OR ON ANY ROADS THAT WOULD BLOCK THE FIRE
TRUCKS!!!</div>
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Bad things will happen if you do; firefighters have their
own justice.</div>
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Hope to see lots of folks out there.</div>
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-Flounder</div>
Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-91462838344772676802014-02-03T19:59:00.000-08:002014-02-12T07:37:24.075-08:00LPP#11, Feb 14th: Super-fat Sprints!Stew from <a href="http://www.chelseanordiq.ca/" target="_blank">Chelsea Nordiq</a> contacted LPP two weeks ago with an offer to do a race. It turns out that the xc ski club he is all deep in, is doing an event for the Gatineau loppet on Feb 14th. It's called a super sprint and to me, it seems like a bmx course for xc skiers.<br />
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This is the logo for the race, which also has a rough map of what the course will look like. Stu told me the club are spending several thousand dollars bringing in snow and building a course that will have climbs, drops, step-downs, and rhythm sections, all in a 400 meter-long, 6 meter-wide course. <br />
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Here is their logo, with a sketch of the course:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JBOgoUluBIGxj4eN1Tq9vQeVDCK6qRnit-R3uzPCp14-MD5CSw4bJD-itdPE2KGNADeT68ia1MB9U3kpmUZ2ZT7l_ibXfWVpKroWiSNTY8sipQMqiaMaGuvMSST1H47ZIQJC43E4OWe_/s1600/super-sprint-title-with-map+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JBOgoUluBIGxj4eN1Tq9vQeVDCK6qRnit-R3uzPCp14-MD5CSw4bJD-itdPE2KGNADeT68ia1MB9U3kpmUZ2ZT7l_ibXfWVpKroWiSNTY8sipQMqiaMaGuvMSST1H47ZIQJC43E4OWe_/s1600/super-sprint-title-with-map+(1).jpg" height="427" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is a video that shows a race:</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eSxbVRwEdBk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So here is how the evening will go:</div>
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<ul>
<li>The race is going to be at the Chelsea Elementary School on <a href="http://www.fr.chelseanordiq.ca/sprints/location" target="_blank"> Old Chelsea road in Chelsea</a>(click here for the link).</li>
<li>The night will go from 8:00pm until 11:00 ish. <span style="color: red;"><u>Yes, the course is totally lit, so no need for lights!</u></span></li>
<li>Registration starts at 8:00 and there will be 30minutes to an hour of warm-up, starting at 8:30ish</li>
<li>The racing starts around nine. </li>
</ul>
Here is how the racing will happen:<br />
<div>
<ul>
<li>Everyone with do at least four rounds of racing.</li>
<li>Riders will be going down three or four at a time, depending on the number of racers and course conditions. </li>
<li>Points will be awarded according to finishing order (3,2,1)</li>
<li>Folks will race against other people with similar points. Winners go up against other winners middlings go up against others. </li>
<li>The highest four point totals will go up against each other in one or two more races(depending on time) and will race for the glory. </li>
<li>Drinks at the tavern after! (sorry, no drinking at the race; the event organizers don't have a liquor permit)</li>
</ul>
Now here is the catch: the event is going to cost 20 dollars for season subscribers, 24.00 for non-season. The added cost is due to the fact that this is a charity event. The funds are going to Chelsea Nordiq's outreach program, which gets underprivileged kids out into the woods. It's a good cause.</div>
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<div>
But I want to offer some consolation for the price increase, so here's the deal: there will be hot drinks: coffee, hot chocolate. and there will be prizes, tons of door prizes! Live to Play has offered up a bunch of door prizes as has Kichissippi Beer. I can guarantee at least a 50% win ratio.</div>
<div>
Don't forget, it is for a good cause. And there's banked turns!<br />
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Oh and one bummer, the organizers have said that want it to be a fatbike-only event, so no regular MTB's on the track. Sorry.</div>
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<div>
I'll post more details as they come up. We'll see you on Friday, February 14th. Bring your date.</div>
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-Flounder.</div>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-10338441190470520492014-01-29T19:37:00.000-08:002014-01-29T20:16:10.352-08:00Video! A real, honest video!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This will be my legacy.</div>
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Well, actually it will partly be mine: VJ Ina at <a href="http://ottawavelovogue.com/" target="_blank">Ottawa Velo Vogue</a> and a friend of her's (sorry I totally forget your name), showed up at the last race, filmed it, and she put together this great clip. I suggested the song, which is 'Shut Up" by Savages, from their album called 'Silence Yourself'. I hope they don't mind we used it.</div>
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Oh and the next race is Feb 14th, from 7:30 until 11-ish, in Chelsea. More details to follow...<br />
<br />
-Flounder<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/X1VBDynKaOc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-27079994224180557692014-01-20T06:10:00.004-08:002014-01-20T06:10:33.280-08:00Video!Thanks to Rodrigo, there is a video of one full lap of Saturdays' race. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mRb6DCBHj9Q?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-73320077032802485842014-01-19T11:28:00.003-08:002014-01-19T14:03:01.550-08:00LPP January recap, the one where I finally figure out how to take videos.So, Hampton Park is in the bag.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhgoDWlk5NzDdNVChPf1R-B8oVx52WwZvhCtzP_URbHZw1CW_1vk0LIN-OjZhr4l241TqB1pnX6aRAgSmdqCNZ15LUjGqhCxnAbgSRpWvzgY-RHFqfFQh4UuHok8QkUMlSnBOdCPxoZTD/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhgoDWlk5NzDdNVChPf1R-B8oVx52WwZvhCtzP_URbHZw1CW_1vk0LIN-OjZhr4l241TqB1pnX6aRAgSmdqCNZ15LUjGqhCxnAbgSRpWvzgY-RHFqfFQh4UuHok8QkUMlSnBOdCPxoZTD/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post race drinks, next to the jump track. Special thanks to Eric B. for hosting and letting us ride his jumptrack!</td></tr>
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Unlike last year, the conditions for this edition were perfect: hard, fast and with the snow that fell earlier in the day, plenty grippy. The racing was fast and at times intense; Marty got accused of throwing an elbow, but claims that he was just passing on the inside. No fists were thrown, so all ended well. Overwhelmingly people were pleasant and polite and new folks were greeted warmly. Post race, Iain confessed he felt really awkward having to ask the rider in front of him if he had lapped him.<br />
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Oh, the burden of being fast...<br />
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The best part of that exchange was that the person lied to Iain and said that he had, but in truth hadn't, thus avoiding said lapping for a while longer. Tricky!<br />
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After three years, I think I finally have nailed down the way to mark a course well enough that folks who are cross-eyed from effort don't go off course, even at night. Without using tape, that is. This year the feedback was great: people didn't get lost; and the comments could be surmised with the following statement: Not grueling but it had enough surprises to keep you on your toes. </div>
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Especially if you were George, riding a single-speed 29er, as seen below: There were about three guys who came out on regular bikes, and seemed to hold their own.</div>
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Around 30 folks showed up, many new to the scene, including four ladies (finally)! Of note was Kat W, who along with Sean R. decided that racing was best done in the following format: Do a lap, have a beer, do a lap, have another beer, spectate for a bit, then do a last lap, followed by more beer. Mel, the fastest of the womenfolk, was just excited to be out: she and her husband Andrew have been coming out to races regularly, but with a young child, they don't get out as much as they would like. Unfortunately, the babysitter had to cancel at the last minute. Since Andrew made it out in December, Mel was up. She was all smiles.</div>
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The top three were Matt, Iain, and Ted. Rob P would likely have been in there, but had a mechanical. He borrowed his wife Trish's bike, but didn't regain contact with the front runners, even though they stopped and waited for him. Since the top three all said they would rather be third than try to produce art, I will not give them rankings. Matt tried to persuade me to accept his nose-bonks on the table-top jump as performance art, but since it wasn't really engaging in some larger discourse, I couldn't accept it. And anyways, Ted was doing some nice jumping too...</div>
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I will leave you with this one final video. Jakob, the unicyclist showed up again, as he did at Fortune. He loved the course and again, he impressed the hell out of everyone with his speed and skills. Here he is on the jump course, on his way to becoming a fan favourite!</div>
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Thanks to everyone for coming out; it looks like I managed to cover my costs again, which is all I ever want. Well, that and some free stuff.</div>
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See you all in February.</div>
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<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-67595551610124639102014-01-18T08:09:00.002-08:002014-01-18T08:09:24.234-08:00And today's event is...At Hampton Park!<br />
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here is a map of the location: <a href="https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zHWaSPnNA4HE.kd8HACrq_C6g">https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zHWaSPnNA4HE.kd8HACrq_C6g</a><br />
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You can park at in the lot at the end of Sebring avenue, behind the mall. Then just follow the main trail (the one with the lamps) over to the start/finish line. There are a few as in three parking spots at the end of Buell street, but it's first come, first serve.<br />
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I did a not-so quick strava run of the course today, while walking the dog. Here's that link: <a href="http://www.strava.com/activities/107190100#2327063179">http://www.strava.com/activities/107190100#2327063179</a><br />
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I am happy to say that the course has just one place that is a bit icy, which is the off-camber section, but it is all rideable!<br />
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See you around 7pm, don't forget, pre-ride is at 7:30 and race is at 8pm sharp.<br />
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<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-64063598132889934052014-01-15T15:11:00.002-08:002014-01-15T15:11:32.527-08:00Post thaw......and the course is good. It is a go folks<br />
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There are a few small posthole here and there, but right now, the course is totally rideable. It is a bit icy, especially in the off-camber and high-traffic sections. So, if you have studs, put them on. However, if someone with a regular mountain bike wants to come out, you likely won't be walking much.<br />
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I am also excited to announce that a friend of LPP, who lives adjacent to the spot where the race will be, has agreed to host a post-race party. So everyone is invited after the race to wheel the 300 meters over to his house, where there will be drinks, snacks, a fire, and best of all: A jump course with three table tops, and a banked slalom course! Whoo!<br />
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As mentioned before, the location will be announced Saturday at noon.<br />
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-Flounder.Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-9028273775053223492014-01-11T09:03:00.004-08:002014-01-11T09:03:53.516-08:00After Thawageddon, we race! After we race, we Art! So, first things first: The next race is Saturday, Jan 18th. Sign-up and pre-ride between 7pm and 7:30-ish, race starts between 7:30 and 8pm. We keep it casual. Pre-race libations encouraged.<br />
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Race is one hour and a lap. There will be drinks and snacks afterwards, nearby.<br />
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I will announce the location Saturday around noon on this site. I'll post a map too. I will say this: the location will be familiar to veterans. To those who are new, it is downtown-ish and easy to get to. There is parking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several 'bumps' in the course. Harder than it looks. </td></tr>
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As for the course, well, yesterday it was in crazy good shape. However, with this melt, I think there will be a few long nights after work filling up postholes.... sigh.<br />
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We've opted not for any big climbs, stunts or set pieces, but a course that really twists and turns back on itself and 'bumps' that will disrupt your momentum. Lots of slow- speed turning, speed-up-then-slow-down sections. It does have three sections to open up the throttle and pass, since this is suppose to be a race. Aside from one steep downhill, I think the course is pretty low-risk.<br />
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Just mind your head.<br />
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Oh, and the top three places will be decided by an art-off: the top three get fifteen minutes to create 'art'(I use the term generously), with either crayons and paper, or with snow. If you want, a performance piece will be accepted. The finished pieces will be judged by the rest of the racers.<br />
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The theme? Naked fatbikes. Time to get your Art on!<br />
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See you all Saturday,<br />
Flounder.Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-12407876847253629772013-12-24T18:10:00.003-08:002013-12-26T19:07:54.239-08:00The Social report. Oh, and a x-mas gift from Camp Fortune!Sorry this is a week late; I was hoping to get some actions pics of the day, but to no avail, yet. When they come in, I'll post them up.<br />
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Sometimes, snow both giveth and taketh away. Sunday the 15th was a case in point, in that while the demo was kind of a disappointment to me, the racing part of the day was a blast! The social was an example of how with fatbiking fresh snow can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on how you approach it, and when.<br />
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The morning of the event I didn't have high hopes. Don't get me wrong, everything was set to be awesome: a horde of snowshoers directed by Iain R. had packed down three spur lines off the CBC access road; a flotilla of demo bikes were ready, and both firewood and drinks had been secured. As foundations go for a good fatbike event, you couldn't get any better.<br />
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Unless, it snows a foot at Camp Fortune overnight, ending only an hour before the event. That can wreak havoc on the best laid of foundations. The snow was the type of cold, dry, drifting snow that is impossible to pack down in the time we had before the demo started. Although Watson, Noah, Chris, Marcel, and Rob tried to stomp the lowest and shortest section of the demo trails, it was to no avail. With that sort of snow, you need much more traffic and few days for the trails to set, not a dozen footprints and an hour of time. Thom's text to me summed up pretty much what I was thinking when I woke up: "you know, getting newbies to try out fat bikes in these conditions isn't optimal."<br />
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"Yeah, this could be a wash," I feared.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9kLSx-a01MQ0acjY0RDX0GAYJPVXYovqTUtDTRrosS4b24gLvYHinPpOpZ7at0tjGUGEx29ZqD42PlZHQUdeE_uNTdX00KRNgA8jtxkO_HVIbqfEgYqtX64pMFqdLQvVrI7755H05IBq/s1600/IMG_6687.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9kLSx-a01MQ0acjY0RDX0GAYJPVXYovqTUtDTRrosS4b24gLvYHinPpOpZ7at0tjGUGEx29ZqD42PlZHQUdeE_uNTdX00KRNgA8jtxkO_HVIbqfEgYqtX64pMFqdLQvVrI7755H05IBq/s640/IMG_6687.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting sized up for a fat run.</td></tr>
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I thought that because of the snow, not many people would turn up. I was wrong. People were there the waiting for us when we arrived, and at times folks were waiting for the bikes! In all, about 30 folks showed up to demo the bikes, some of them having skied by, gone to their cars and changed shoes so they could come back and fail around in the snow. One guy even gave me his season's pass as ID for the rental!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot drinks, cold trails, equals goods times.</td></tr>
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Generally, everyone who went out came back with positive experiences. Even if most of the trails were buried, that didn't stop folks from trying, and/or taking them for rips in and around the parking lots and the foot of the ski hills. What was cool was that people hung out afterwards, had something to drink and talked about the bikes. The<strike> recruitment</strike>, err, I mean the demo was a modest success.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fire pit is starting to become an expected feature; these folks brought fatbikes to ride, and wieners to cook.</td></tr>
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As the sun set and the last of the skiers came down the Mountain, Matt and Thom went to work setting up a dual-slalom course on the lower flank of Marshall. They quickly discovered that despite the new snow, it was impossible to get any poles into the ice-hard man-made snow base. So they improvised(what a surprise, given this series' history); the course morphed from parallel courses to one where there were 6 wide gates, marked by hastily built-up snow mounds lit by glow sticks. Two riders were sent down at the same time, hoping to get the holeshot. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bikes getting ready to race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talking about the format and racing order. Yes, that is a fat unicyclist in the pic!</td></tr>
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The Olive, prepping for the race...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and best cape contest, which he owned. Mind you, David's all-black victorian number was pretty swank. Dapper, even.</td></tr>
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While this format in most other contexts would likely have resulted in some elbows thrown, everyone knew this was not that sort of race, and if they didn't, they quickly got the hint from the amount of heckling that was going on at the top of the hill. If that didn't keep them in line, well, the course did. </div>
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All that soft, new snow meant that staying upright was the major challenge, not your challenger. If you could stay upright, or manage to fall the least, you would win. In one race, each person slid out at least twice. One poor soul face-planted twice (laughing at the end of his race as he cleaned the snow out from the inside of his glasses, thankfully) and another fell four times, only narrowly losing to his competitor, who only fell three times... </div>
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The race was done elimination style, with the winner of the consolation round going up against the loser of the champion round. The championship came down to the mad, hellbent descending of Matt, versus the smoothness of Daniel's runs. We all thought that Matt was going to take it, because, well, he was going stupid-fast! So fast, that everyone was wondering when, (not if) he went down, how much time he would lose. But we all thought that by the time he went down, he would have a big enough gap to recover, and his competitor would've wipeout out as well. However, Matt went down early, with Dan right behind him. and Dan didn't fall. Dan was in for the win. </div>
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I can't remember much of Nick's winning run. I was staring at his new fatbike suspension fork the whole time...</div>
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Below are the results, kept track on my high-tech scoreboard (a posterboard taped to a table). The top names are the under 40 podium, the lower three are the over-40 winners</div>
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So, Dan, Matt, Nick and Karl: I am still waiting on the prizes Giro and Outdoor Gear Canada gave me to get here. It will be likely the second week of January. Send me your emails or FB me in the new year. Or check back here; I'll post when they are in.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK8c20cbAi7OjP1e0z4V0LWcfnTzaYzYUzwc227SKJhotFBASrVK9jzCUs-x-ycViNbV3rKFGgqsQ6iHK_BE7hEY1NmAZPPL2M64P3XILfbQ9behDJ629FEJEJqDA27b5SchVZ8nrvYI3/s1600/1472793_10153600517585006_1142790124_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK8c20cbAi7OjP1e0z4V0LWcfnTzaYzYUzwc227SKJhotFBASrVK9jzCUs-x-ycViNbV3rKFGgqsQ6iHK_BE7hEY1NmAZPPL2M64P3XILfbQ9behDJ629FEJEJqDA27b5SchVZ8nrvYI3/s640/1472793_10153600517585006_1142790124_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fire was sooo nice afterwards, and made nicer by the bottle being passed around.</td></tr>
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Finally I want to thank a shit-ton of people of helping out. Getting all the stuff up to Fortune and setting trails is no small task, and these people deserve thanks. All this community support is pretty heartwarming, for it shows that this fatbiking thing has the making of being a pretty cool scene of folks willing to help out to get folks together to play in the snow.</div>
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-Iain, for the snowshoing, which alas was for naught (this time; more on that after New Years)</div>
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-Mike and Noah for coming up to Fortune the night before and marking trails in one of the coldest winds I've experienced in a loooong time, and hauling stuff back and forth.</div>
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-Chris Wood for hauling up a big pile of wood.</div>
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-Marcel and Rob P. for being packing fodder (again, for naught).</div>
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-Thomas and Will from Tall Tree Cycles for bringing up the tent and their fleet of demo Surlys (which you can rent until the 7th of January), and for paying for the drinks. Much thanks!</div>
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And special mention goes to Watson, who ran all sort of crap errands for me while I was at work: getting photocopies, getting paint, tarps, and gods knows what else. All hail Watson!</div>
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So that's it for now. I'll post post new pics when I get them.<br />
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Happy Holidays, and I will have good news in the New Year; if you liked what happened this time, well it looks like we may get a repeat or two! Thank you Mr Sudermann!</div>
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But for now; bank on the next race being in the city, on Jan 19th. It starts in someone's backyard.</div>
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Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-44569571225850251202013-12-14T12:36:00.003-08:002013-12-14T12:36:39.588-08:00The Social is still on.Ok, the weather tonight and tomorrow will be very, uh, winterish.<br />
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Normally, I'd move the date (if anyone recalls I spaced events out to a month apart this year to give myself some 'act of nature' latitude.<br />
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However, this time I am sticking to my guns, mostly due to the fact I have to.<br />
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Tall Tree only has their demo fleet until the first week of January. Then it is off to Alberta (if you can't make it to the demo, call the shop and reserve a day ASAP if you want to try one). With the holidays starting next week, there was no other time to really do this. Speaking of time, it is kinda hard to reschedule at Camp Fortune; mr Sudermann has been very gracious, and I don't want to push my luck. The coupled with the return of the demo fleet, Fortune starts night skiing after New Year's, again adding pressure to do the social tomorrow.<br />
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So folks, dress up, and if you are coming for the race, know that there may not be a lot of bush trails to ride before 4:30. We will do what we can. However, there will be fires and warm liquids for you.<br />
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And the hill itself should be crazy fun! Powder!<br />
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See you there,<br />
Flounder.Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1859768011824999622.post-25980756470060277592013-12-10T18:22:00.001-08:002013-12-10T18:22:56.230-08:00The Fatbike Social: all the details!So, it is official: Camp Fortune has amazingly agreed to let fat bikes run amok on Sunday, Dec 15th. Thank you Camp Fortune, and Peter Sudermann!<br />
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But there are limitations. Here are the details, both good and slightly inconvenient:<br />
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There will be a tent set up to the left of <a href="http://www.liftopia.com/ski-resort-info/trailmap/416006/QC/Camp-Fortune.htm" target="_blank">the Clifford chairlift.</a> Tall Tree Cycles providing a demo day from 2 to dusk (4:30) with a fleet of Surly Pugsleys and Moonlanders. There will be a couple of short trails to try them out on. Maybe a few 9zero7's too. Demos will be let out for 30 minutes a pop. First come first served, but you can take them out multiple times if there is no one waiting. This is all free.<br />
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We will NOT be allowed on the skiing hills until after 4:30, when the skiers are off. There will be no hillside lighting, unless it comes from a nearby trail that there is snowmaking on, and no, you can't ride in the snowmaking! I know; I thought "boo" as well, but freshly made snow is really heavy and hard to ride through, so it's not as much fun as you'd think, although I always keep aiming for it when I see it...<br />
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But I digress: the point is that <span style="color: red;">LIGHTS ARE MANDATORY FOR THIS EVENT </span>(200 lumens at least).<br />
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After 4:30, there will be a cover charge of seven dollars to ride a series of packed trails, the cbc access road, and Marshal ski run. If you want, you can register and pay for the whole series of four races, a mere 21 dollars at the registration table. Starting around 5:30 will be a dual slalom race on the lower third of Marshal. The emphasis will be on fun(as always), and turning over speed. Winner in the 4 categories get a prize:<br />
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Men under 40,<br />
Men over 40,<br />
Ladies,<br />
Best cape worn while racing. For real: this category gets the best prize.<br />
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Things will wrap up around 7. There will be fires to keep you warm, and free coffee and hot chocolate to keep you warmer. If you are wondering, and are new to these events, the 7 bucks is to cover costs, if that. It would be nice if I could buy the volunteers a round, someday...<br />
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Speaking of which, after the race, folks are encouraged to stop in Chelsea for drinks. I will!<br />
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please to give us an idea of how many to expect, there is a facebook page set up for the event. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/242040835956728/" target="_blank">Please click here </a>and let me know if you are coming, so I can get enough drinks for everyone.<br />
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See you at Camp Fortune,<br />
-Flounder<br />
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Oh, does anyone have a load of firewood to sell???<br />
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<br />Grant Burkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03136995895797581588noreply@blogger.com0