training days...mountain bike style

...putting in more time. We have been blessed the last week or so, with some wonderful weather here in Grass Valley. The last couple of days, it has reached the upper 50s and low 60s...nice weather, considering that a week from now, it is supposed to rain for x amount of days again. I have to admit, I am fair weather rider. Or, should I say, I love the weather that CA has to offer, and I love riding in that weather.

Needless to say, I have seized the days here and there where I can get out into the sun (between teaching and hanging with my wife an 3 kids). I built up the Santa Cruz Blur LTc to where I can ride it, although I am waiting for a few more parts to finish off the build...more on the build later. Does it have the blinding acceleration of a road bike? Well, no. That said, I think that I may have stumbled onto something great here.

For years, I have trained on a road bike on the local roads, and ridden the awesome local trails mostly on the weekends. I changed my cranks to 172.5 mm on all of my bikes, and off I went. But, let's face it, the position while riding a road bike is very different from riding a mountain bike. This year, I will be doing mostly all of my training and racing on the Blur LTc. Here is what I think I know so far:

Comfort - A whole new level of comfort. The local rough roads? Like Buttah! 700x23c tires at 110psi? NOT! I am running WTB 26x2.0 Pathways with a kevlar belt for puncture protection, which at 50psi, really help with the tiny bumps.

Flexibility - The Pathway tires allow me to to a bit of off-road riding if I wish, also. I have taken them onto some trails and have been pleasantly surprised with how they handle corners. Don't expect to climb anything wet and too steep, but overall, they handle well. I am planning on throwing on some WTB Prowler MX 2.1 tires for some longer pavement/rougher trail rides.

Safety - Although the bars are wider than a road bike, I can go way inside of the white line with this bike. I know the tires and suspension can take the extra gravel, glass, dirt, mud, sticks, rocks, and whatever else is to the far right of the road. Nevada county gravels the roads during winter months...gravel that collects with sticks and mud. My bike gives me a measure of security if I need to dive to the right for some reason.

Training effect - How many times have I cramped mercilessly at Sea Otter? Well, too many. This year, I am looking forward to mountain biking more and cramping less. But, the big thing is that I will be doing all of my training in the same position as my racing position. It won't matter if I am on the road or the trail, or any combination thereof, I will be very used to this bike and strong when I need to be.

By now, a lot of people are probably crying foul. Mountain bikers are probably screaming "blasphemy!" at the screen..."A Blur LTC on the road?" At the same time, road riders will probably smirk at me as they see me on the road. They will probably figure that is the only bike I own..."that poor guy" they will think to themselves. Well, I will offer assistance as I pass them later as they fix their flat. And, I hope that the mountain bikers know that this bike will see its share of Downieville, Tahoe, and Colorado trails this year...don't worry, I will feed the beast what it craves. : )

Cheers!
Chuck