As a mountain biker, winter can sometimes get a little depressing. Memories of summer epics have long faded while the cold temperatures keep us (and our buddies) indoors more often than we’d like. Frankly I’m a little tired of my own excuses for not riding more in the winter so I decided to challenge myself to ride 29 trails in 29 days (on a 29er).
The plan is to kick things off on January 8, 2011 by riding the Snake Creek Gap Time Trial #1 in Dalton, GA. Although I’ve never ridden “the Snake,” I’ve been told by many riders who are much better than me that it’s a tough course so it should be a good wake-up call. Then, on day 29 (February 5) I’ll ride the same course again to see how my time has (hopefully) improved. For the first race I won’t do any extra training beyond what I would normally ride.
Since I’ll be riding the same trail on day 1 and day 29 (the Pinhoti Trail) I’ll need to ride two trails on one day during the challenge. In fact I plan on riding multiple trails some days to leave other days open to give myself a little scheduling flexibility. I’ve already mapped out a potential list of trails spread across 5 states in the southeast; about half the trails on my list are trails I’ve never ridden so I’m stoked for the adventure.
The 29 day challenge should also give me a good chance to put some of my gear to the test. In particular I’ll be reviewing the new SRAM X0 2×10 drivetrain to see how it holds up under wet, potentially icy conditions and nearly continuous wear and tear.
Throughout the challenge I’ll be sharing race reports, gear reviews, and trail descriptions along with training updates and more. We’ll also post up a schedule of some upcoming rides in case anyone wants to join me on the trail.
29 trails in 29 days – I can’t wait to get started!
16 Comments
Dec 16, 2010
@PHRANQUY: The plan is to at least write something related to the 29 day challenge every weekday, though I may need to adjust if it starts feeling stale.
Dec 17, 2010
Dec 17, 2010
Dec 17, 2010
Dec 16, 2010
Wife's birthday is Jan 8, but I hope to make it.
Plan on 34 miler.
I did the SCG Preride. Best 3 rides of my life and I've been at this a while. It ain't no joke though. Best (hardest, by a long shot) ride I've ever done in NGA. I don't confuse NGA with Pisgah, but you could take the second 17 miles out of NGA and put it in Pisgah and it would fit right in.
The second 17 mile section of the SCG TT is just off the hook completely.
Dec 16, 2010
I'm especially looking forward to your X0 group review as I'm trying to decide whether to use X0, X9 or a mix of the two on next years purchase.
Dec 16, 2010
Dec 16, 2010
Here's a thread about this very subject with lots of good info over on the SORBA forums: http://www.sorba.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=34732
Dec 16, 2010
Looking forward to all the blog posts, and to see the list of trails you're riding. Maybe I'll join you for a few of them.
Jan 6, 2011
http://forums.singletracks.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=5706&p=30705#p30705
Dec 16, 2010
Dec 17, 2010
Dec 16, 2010
I'll see you at both of the Snakes :D
You doing the 17 or 34? I'm starting with the 17, maybe moving up the 34 later, depending on weather.
Dec 17, 2010
Dec 16, 2010
Jan 10, 2011