Merry Christmas from the Garagemahal on the Isle of Chrisscottistan

The Garagemahal has been a ski lodge for the last week
A few snow bike rides have gone out too
in addition to the great backcountry skiing

Quick Fixy spin with Jeremiah Bishop and Mike Carpenter

Sweet fixy spin with Bishop and Carpenter onto the country roads for some
sunshine n snowy fields
sweet sledding hill above Harrisonburg too

Good times at Whitegrass

Coffee got us up to Canaan post Solstice party
Amazing sky
Sun blasts
Snow flurries all day
Top of the mountain was frosted
Everyone was hooking up the turns!!
Thanks Chipper and the crew at Whitegrass

Ethan Jenkins get his first ski on daddy T's back - smiles all the way!

Playing with the new SMT blog

Still have to dial in the pic and header space

But you have to check out the sweet slideshow of todays ride!!

Hit the AT for a quick run post meeting yesterday - are you ready for hut to hut biking in the GW? - I am long past ready!

Virginia Long Distance Trail Network - Connecting Our Commonwealth

A great list of folks and organizations that have contributed

A great promotional idea

The concept is very good

Thanks to everyone for contributing to this!!

Brought to you by the Virginia Greenways and Trails Task Force
Oct 21, 2009
Big bummer that we didn't have direct/specific mtb representation on this
But it is more disapointing that we didn't have a huge trail agenda to contribute

IMBA has a MOU with Virginia State Parks to work together
I represent IMBA regionally
Hopefully you represent IMBA too
Why weren't we working on this?
Why wasn't I working on this?
Are mountain bicyclists only reactionary?
We have to organize better together to represent our statewide opportunities

The draft of the VA Trail Networking promo brochure looks great
Except it does not have a picture of a mtb'er on singletrack
I will send them this comment
A tiny bit of contribution from my end
How can you contribute?

Shenandoah Mountain into West Virginia bliss and back

Got out for a quick blast into WV with Nick Waite and Ryan Fawley
I hope the helmet camera action comes out
Fawley had the sketchy conditions while he was on lead into WV
dark, wet, loose cinder in the corners
I had the nice clear clean action rolling back on the VA side
Nick had to put in some effort on those cross tires to keep the speed up on
the DH
good times!!

Sweet chilly road ride with Jeremiah - Quicksburg has a nice new metal roof on the church bell tower..cool!

The Pro Tour rolls out- great view of the Llong Run drainage off Shenandoah Mountain still socked in by the moisture in the air.

Good to get JB and Nick on the cross tires
Sue is soooo excited to ride
Ryan is digging his new Dura Ace Madone
Kyle's is racing red
Andy is on a mission
-nice!

Sweet fixy park ride with Sultan the 6 pack champ while the ground was still frozen this am - good stuff!

lots of face shots from tree's hanging under the weight of the snow
always good to wear an extra layer of clothing when there is snow all about
even with the same respective temps
brushing up against the snow can really draw the warmth out of you

Winter Road Touring in the Shenandoah Valley - even the locals get in the miles!

bishop gave me this helmet last week

i was using my climbing helmet because it is more adjustable

he thought i look like a dork

i always look like a dork

i made his really nice trek helmet look dorky today

anything to stay warm

function over form for me!

that is Mole Hill over yonder

looking back east towards town and Massanutten

this guy was riding home from school

maybe a Mennonite youngster

maybe just a farmer

you can tell riding his bike is a huge part of his life

i had to stop and take in this view

jr. started putting the drop on me

looking north west towards whitegrass

jr. is almost out of sight

heading up the backside of Mole Hill

looks like snow in WV

dropping over the hump that is Mole Hill to the east

I was able to get in 1 hour out in the Valley
Dreamcicle...shiney and scenic!
Good to share the roads with other cyclists
VDOT needs to remember that roads are for travel
not for cars
travel by any mode
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is responsible for building, maintaining and operating the state's roads, bridges and tunnels.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to plan, deliver, operate and maintain a transportation system that is safe, enables easy movement of people and goods, enhances the economy and improves our quality of life.
-this says nothing about cars, the focus is movement of people, doesn't matter why you go where you go or by what mode you choose to use

Reston cross was super fun, getting home... not so much

Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition rocks the Harrisonburg Christmas Parade

Ben gets the crowd rolling in front of SBC as he styles the Tall Bike in the
Harrisonburg Christmas Parade
Marty Neary and the Neary family represented
Ben Sandel was in on it as was the Heerschap family of cyclists
Collin got folks dizzy as he spun the swing bike in circles
good times!!