New Hampshire Mountain Mommy

#Homeschoollife, Week 2

Well, we kind of crash-landed in week 2. I was exhausted and underprepared, having just raced the Overland and dealing with the mixed emotions of this year’s event. It made me a less energetic educator and a much less patient mom!

Nevertheless, we made it through. Theo continued working through his unit on community, talking about how we use money for wants and needs. I set up a little “store” in the school room… Guess what he went for first???

Learning about money and budgeting! If only iPhones were really a onetime cost of $20.13…

In response to my store, Charles set up his own, much cooler store selling amplifiers and band gear in their bedroom.

Inspired by a trip with Uncle Jordan earlier this summer!

Math included a review of comparing numbers. So far, Theo hasn’t met anything in his math work that’s been too challenging for him, but I’m enjoying a different approach and think it’s really rounding out their understanding. Because they’re both bright, they don’t tend to need endless repetition to understand a concept, but I like that they get to come at each lesson from several angles.

We also started our spelling work. The boys are so different about spelling. They’re both diligent when we’re working specifically on spelling, and they both remember phonetic “rules” for regular words, but Theo is much more likely to remember/use correct spelling once he’s used a word. Charles opts for the fastest option, regardless of whether he could spell it correctly — if he’s able to edit later, he catches and corrects his mistakes himself. I just can’t figure out what the block is on spelling correctly the first time!!! In any case, Theo is a lot more patient with the process, and I was pleased he didn’t fight me on our “rainbow copying” work!

Crazy to think he was just learning to write letters two years ago!!!

Theo has been pretty bummed that his curriculum so far hasn’t included any science [it’s coming!!!], so he’s joined us in Charles’s plants & soil unit. On Tuesday, we learned about plant reproduction and dissected some flowers. “Embryo” turned out to be a challenging word to say, but we loved learning about seeds and seed formation, and comparing the different flowers from the garden.

Snapdragon with its inner workings exposed.

Charles made a video talking about the parts of a Lima bean seed:

We also made maple bars while working through some assignments about “Sugar Snow” from Little House in the Big Woods. It’s been a trip down memory lane for me to reread this alongside Charles, and to think about the differences in how he experiences it and how I did as a child. [Stay tuned for a Little House post… I’m reading The Birchbark House alongside it and think they should be read in tandem!]

While we were waiting for them to bake, Charles did some research on bears, and dictated an acrostic poem!

On Friday, Dad was home and we took a family mountain bike ride. Charles had grown so much since this summer that his feet touched his handlebars!!! It was beautiful riding weather, and the boys got to try out their new water bottle holders from Class 4 Designs. Instant hit!

It was a great end to a long week.

I’ll leave you all with this video that sums up Theo’s work…..and the general level of enthusiasm in our house!!!

Nutrition in Hot Weather: My favorite formulas

This summer, New Hampshire has been a mess: hot, humid weather was broke only very occasionally by severe thunderstorms. As a result, we haven’t been shy with our energy and electrolyte supplements on rides; the last thing we want is to bonk or – frankly, worse to me – cramp up halfway up a hill on a 95 degree, 90% humidity day. Earlier in the summer I reviewed Skratch energy+electrolyte drinks, as well as Hammer products (HEED and Perpetuum). After three months of riding with various energy/electrolyte/endurance product combinations, here is what we found worked best in warm, humid conditions. 

Road Biking – 2h+

  • Before ride: Protein bar (Hammer, Kind, or Clif) +  banana (for me, not husband); plenty of water
  • During ride: 1 serving size Perpetuum split between two water bottles. After 1st water bottle is gone, replace with water + 1 Hammer Electrolyte Fizz [so easy to carry on a ride!] or plain cool water. SIS isotonic energy gels for fast energy every 45 min/hr. I cannot stress how much I like the SIS gels, especially in hot weather, because they are not sticky or strongly flavored, and they’re isotonic, so they don’t require extra water. I don’t feel nauseated on a hot, long ride from taste, texture, or need for even more hydration because of my gel. Their taste and mouthfeel is consistent whether they are cool or 100 degrees from being pressed against my back in the sun. It’s worth the small extra bulk (they’re about twice as big as normal energy gels).
  • After ride: Hammer Electrolyte fizz in 8oz water; Hammer Recoverite or other protein shake. If I have Recoverite instead of a protein shake supplemented by fruit/veggies/etc, I need to eat something solid within an hour or so. This is solid practice for intense exercise, anyway. The Recoverite has a very mild taste and dissolves completely in water; I prefer it to protein shakes for this reason.

Road Biking – 2h or less

  • Before Ride: granola bar (+/- on extra protein) or banana
  • During Ride: 1 Hammer HEED in a water bottle and SIS gel every 45min – 1h OR Hammer Electrolyte Fizz and SIS gel every 30-45m
  • After Ride: Protein shake

Road Biking – Less than 1h

  • Before Ride: Banana and/or energy gel
  • During: Water + Hammer Electrolyte Fizz
  • After: Protein shake

Since most of my riding falls into the 1 1/2-2h category because of babysitting availability, I found I tweaked the nutrition here most frequently. If I eat too many calories beforehand, I have a heavy stomach/stomach cramping on hot days, so I have been tending towards granola bars right around 200 calories, with a 3:1 or 4:1 carb:protein ratio. I cannot stress what a difference the Hammer products made in my hot-weather riding. If I took Skratch on my ride, which has “real” sugar in it instead of just maltodextrin, I ended my rides with a sticky, well-coated sugar-mouth. This is especially awful on high-humidity days when my entire body is already coated in an extra layer of yuck, and the air feels thick to breathe. For rides closer to an hour, or in less humid conditions, the mouthfeel of Skratch didn’t bother me as much. But also, who wants to be bathing their teeth in sugar while riding? I could see using this for an early morning commute, as the energy is a little more immediately felt than with HEED.

The real hero of the summer, however, is electrolyte tabs. Since I have found Hammer products so awesomely useful during intense exercise, I will admit that I haven’t tried any other brand of electrolyte-only tabs. I love that they are essentially calorie-free, which makes it easier to tweak my caloric needs during a ride without having to consider what’s in my water bottle. I also love that I can carry them with me on long rides and use them when I start to feel depleted; especially in hot weather, my body needs salt replaced more urgently than it needs extra calories. When my husband bonked on a hot mountain bike ride, two electrolyte tabs in a water bottle revived him without also giving him a sugar hit.

The happy rider in this photo brought to you by Perpetuum, Electrolytes, and SIS gels

Learning to Ride a Pedal Bike, Part 1: Frustration & Elation

At the beginning of June, we took a family trip to Kingdom Trails. Before this trip, we’d tossed around the idea of getting a pedal bike for our oldest a few times, but he’s pretty small for his age and was happy on his balance bike, so we weren’t particularly anxious. On this trip, we did some longer rides with the boys, and realized that the kind of trails Charles was ready to ride would be faster and easier with pedals. [Who really wants to tripod up a hill, which is what you do on a balance bike?] So, we came home and, after a few nights of fevered kid-bike research on Two-Wheeled Tots, ordered him a bright orange Cleary Gecko. At that time, he was around 33lbs and had an inseam of 16 inches – but was a pretty aggressive rider, and does most of his riding on our gravel driveway or in the woods  – which really limited us in terms of bikes that weren’t too heavy, would fit his inseam, and would still fit his riding style. These attempts are listed in chronological order but take place over the course of a month! 

Attempt 1: The Bike is Heavy and Pedals are Hard Feeling warm and fuzzy from stories of elated parents who’ve made a painless switch from balance to two-wheeled pedal bike with no need for training wheels – and so freakin’ excited for him – I couldn’t wait even ten minutes after the box arrived to put together the Gecko. We adjusted the seat so that his feet were flat, and he excitedly put his feet on the pedals…… ………and fell over. Then he tried it again, and fell over. So I pushed him through the grass; he put one foot on a pedal, tried to push it, and gave up. He abandoned the bike in the grass and got back on his balance bike.

I pushed him too hard. He’ll never like riding. Why did we do this. What were we thinking. What about all the parents who told me their kids just hopped on their pedal bike and went? What’s wrong with our kid? Apparently, after 5 minutes with the new bike, I was showing about as much patience as he was.

After the kids scurried off to hit each other with sticks, I picked up his pedal bike to put it up against the wall of the garage. Then I picked up the balance bike, and realized that it was half the weight of the pedal bike. Then I remembered that, even as one of the lightest options in kids’ 12-inch-wheel bikes, the Gecko weighs in at 13 lbs, which is almost half my kid’s body weight. How would I feel trying to pedal a 60-lb bike???

I took the pedals off and called him back over. “Charles, this bike is really heavy. Would you like to try it without pedals on to see how it feels? I bet it will go SUPER FAST for you down the hill!”

Attempt 2: Dad & Cleary Customer Support Save the Day After I spent the whole first afternoon telling Charles that he could ride his new bike as a balance bike for a while just to get him on the darn seat, his dad decided to spend some time coaching him the next day, and got him on the bike with pedals. They talked through pedaling, they talked through using toes instead of heels, they talked through being brave and working hard, and then his dad gave him a push and I watched him get his feet up and pedal. For a few pedal strokes. He looked awkward on the bike and we kept adjusting the seat height and arguing about whether he should be toe- or flat-foot-on-the-ground. I finally called Cleary’s super helpful customer service line, was assured that he was NOT supposed to have full leg extension on his bike (this encourages him to stand to pedal — actually very useful, but so far from where we were that I couldn’t even imagine it at the time) and that he WOULD, in fact, someday pedal this bike and rip it on trails.

Attempt 3: Bike Date #1 with Friends Buoyed by the success of pedaling with Dad, and hopeful that he’d let me help him by giving him a boost, I arranged a biking playdate with a friend of his who was just getting comfortable on a balance bike. I didn’t want him to cop out of riding his new bike, so I deliberately “forgot” his old balance bike. Unfortunately, I actually forgot the wrench I needed to get the pedals off, so he tolerated my help and encouragement with pedaling for about 3 minutes and then stole his brother’s balance bike. I ended up pushing Little Bro on the new pedal bike and came home with a sore back. Womp.

Please let me interrupt my own narrative for a hot second here. It’s VERY IMPORTANT to me that I point out two things: one, that Charles had NO ISSUES balancing his new bike, even though it was heavy; two, that we were both ready to give up on the darn thing after THREE attempts at it. Have some faith and patience, Mommy and Charles! 

Attempt 4: I Figure Out how to Explain Bikes Easily frustrated parents of easily frustrated children who are competent at riding a balance bike, take heart. After I watched Charles and his dad work for a good half hour on pushing off and getting his feet on the pedals, I realized we were missing a very important piece of information: how a pedal bike works. Charles was putting his feet on the pedals, but hadn’t quite figured out that this is what moved the wheels. I sat down with him, showed him that when he pushed on a pedal it moved the chain, watched the chain move the back wheel. VOILA. Understanding, and a lot more enthusiasm for riding the bike!

Attempt 5: Bike Date #2 with a Different Friend G has been riding his pedal bike for almost 6 months. He is one of those kids who transitioned immediately and without issue from balance to pedal bike, on his 4th birthday. G is also one of Charles’s best friends. The two of them have one of those dude friendships where they don’t say much but constantly invent new projects together. I wised up after our last playdate and threw a multi-tool and a wrench for his pedals into my purse. [Let me tell you, it makes me feel awesome to carry tools in my little handbag with blue flowers, while wearing makeup, in wedges. I feel like Super-Mom when my hand touches that cool metal and I know that, whatever the world throws at my kids and their bikes, I can fix it for them.] I was able to fix all the kids’ bikes for them, adjust everyone’s seats so that they could ride each other’s bikes… and then they decided that running around and riding scooters was more fun. And Charles still refused to ride his pedal bike with the pedals on. But the kids were happy!

Attempt 6: Family trip to Kingdom Trails on which Daddy refuses to take the pedals off Charles’s bike and Charles is frustrated that he can’t go fast but then he does go fast and then we all eat ice cream. Phew. 

After the KT trip, Charles didn’t ask to ride his bike without pedals anymore, so I’ll end this chapter of our story here and pick up the story of learning how to use his bike in another post!

 

My Kids are Rockstars

Or, an overview of two great rides for early, eager riders.

Or, how to bribe your kids up a bunch of hills with the promise of tasty snacks. 

Or, look, let’s admit it, we are obsessed with Kingdom Trails. 

Before we dive into this post, let me first say that we did not intend to take our children on difficult trails on this trip. Charles is just now comfortable on his pedal bike, and Theo is fully 2 1/2 – alternately brilliant and charming or whiny/screaming/throwing a tantrum, all very articulately and utterly unpredictably. After our ride with our friends, we all took the boys down to the pump track behind The Hub, and it took a fair amount of cajoling to get them to even leave for a ride on Bemis – a trail they’ve ridden before, several times, but still collapsed on in the first 100 feet and announced they were just too exhausted to ride.

Ready to go again after a snack break!

Once we got into the rhythm of riding, we all enjoyed each other as a family again. The boys were cheerful and observant; Charles was brave enough to start pedaling over some roots; we took a pit stop for some kids’ Larabars where Bemis and Loop join and snapped a few pictures of happy kids itching to ride more. Because they were so enthusiastic, we kept going on Loop, intending to come out near Mountain View Farm, where we’d end our ride and send a grown-up to fetch a car and drive us back to Wildflower Inn.

Best Dad Ever coaching our kids up a steep section

But the trails leading to Mountain View were closed (OH NO!), so we took a very pretty detour through a field and up a steep hill, re-entering the woods and finding ourselves at a totally unmarked intersection. A nice man out with his daughter met us having just descended the trail we were considering ascending, and informed everyone present that it was Poundcake. A black diamond. And the shortest route out.We talked in low tones about turning around, although that would have meant a three mile ride back for our tired kids. My husband finally rode ahead to check out the trail, and, given how close we were to the farm, he decided we should try it with the kids.

They freaking killed it.

Emerging victorious in the parking lot of the Inn at Mountain View, my oldest said, “Can we ride some more?” And we took the road back to Wildflower, with only a few boosts to get them up the hills. No need for a rescue ride in the car. They rode into the parking lot by Village Sport Shop Trailside to cheers and “awws” from onlooking groups of adults.

My kids are rockstars. 

Riding up Darling Hill Road

 

The next day, Charles sulked and gave the sitter attitude while my husband and I rode in the morning. He devoured a hot dog with great gusto at lunch, and announced he was ready to hit the trails. We had scoped out a route on our ride – now that we knew they could climb Poundcake, we were tired of riding Bemis with them. So we took them on a route at the south end of the trails.

Impatient to try Culvert Cut!

Rooty descent? No prob!

Once again, they killed it. We’d been looking forward to riding all of Culvert Cut with them, but the skies opened up and we decided we’d better turn around. By the time we got back to the road, it was sunny again. We stopped for a snack, let them run around [how do they have energy for riding and running?], and set off down Border. A trail that starts in a field, enters the woods, and has a rooty, knobby descent: no problem for these guys. Snack in a clearing bordered by wild raspberries, accompanied by the songs of a wood thrush and song sparrow: magical.

 

 

Stopping for raspberries on our way up Old Webs

Climbing out on Old Webs, the grumpiness set in. Charles flopped over on his bike several times, declaring it “too hard.” Theo plodded along rather cheerfully, musing, “Mommy, do birds have teef? Can dey eat raspberries?” and only whining when his brother stopped. We crawled up the trail at snail’s pace; I grew irritated; my husband, luckily, had the genius to let them pick raspberries as we went up. The frequent stops for fruit, as annoying as I found them, got us up the trail. To the chorus of, “I don’t want to go up any more hills, where’s my downhill?” – a feeling I totally get – we emerged onto Up and Downing. Charles and my husband flew back to the car, happy to finally ride fast. Theo and I brought up the rear, pretending our bikes were rally cars and “vroooooom”-ing our way back well behind the two of them. All-in-all, a successful ride.

Those two are rock stars. Despite their complaining, they get an A+ for effort and riding. They both took on roots bigger than their bike tires, zoomed along narrow trails, and hopped easily over rocks. Their infectious enthusiasm for trail riding even when it’s hard reminds me that it’s okay to push our kids a little, as long as the family is together and we can keep it fun!

Happy Bike Family at the end of the day!

Livin’ the Dream

Taking a friend for her first mountain bike ride

We spent the weekend of July 21 & 22 at Kingdom Trails. This time, we took two of our [newlywed] good friends with us – the husband is one of my husband’s best friends, and is part of the reason he still cycles. His wife hadn’t been mountain biking before; I’ve been dying to take her out, because she used to trail run, she’s getting stronger as a road cyclist… and there are really, really not enough women out on the MTB trails. Also because she’s awesome, and I really enjoy her company! Taking her out spurred recollections of my own first time on the trails, really only a year ago. I’ll describe our ride, using it as the framework to talk a little more generally about what it’s like to be an adult beginner on the mountain bike.

[The trails at KT are demarcated like ski trails: green circles for easy trails, blue squares for intermediate, black diamond for advanced riders.]

My husband was my first mountain biking “instructor,” and he didn’t scare me off, so I generally trust his plans in this aspect of our life. He decided the first half of our ride on Saturday; we started down Heaven’s Bench, a relatively straightforward single-track* trail without too many roots and rocks and without any steep dropoffs. It does have a very large berm at the beginning of the ride. Because of this berm, I question why it’s marked on a recommended beginner loop; however, the friend we were riding with tends to be more comfortable with downhill speeds than I am, and she was on a full-suspension bike with 150mm rear suspension – a bike I’ve ridden – that I knew would keep her secure on the trail if she tried the berm. She didn’t; she walked it; I walked it my first time, too. There is never any shame in walking any part of a trail that makes you uncomfortable. She hit the last half of the trail smiling and without issue. We took on a rooty descent with a couple of small bermed turns on Ridge slowly, and emerged, to her considerable relief, onto the wide, smooth double-track of Vast. Vast took us up to more lovely double-track: we went down Bill Magill until we hit Widow Maker.

The alarmingly-titled Widow Maker is a moderately paced blue single-track with a few steep descents, but it’s mostly roots, sharper turns, and passes between trees that make it a more difficult trail. It’s a decent “first” blue trail because there’s nothing to terrify the new rider on it – no steep embankments, no narrow bridges, no huge berms. Similarly, the next blue trail we went up, Riverwood [full disclosure: my favorite trail], provides a nice introduction to the fun of cross-country as opposed to downhill riding: narrow, winding trail that never strays too close to edge of the ridge on which it’s built, laced with tiny berms to practice leaning on and handlebar-wide passes through small trees. No steep ascents or descents, just fun riding.

The boys, after we finished Riverwood, discussed the best way back to the Village Sport Shop Trailside, where we were based for the day. They decided to try Leatherwood – our friend seemed to have gained some confidence riding Riverwood, and she’s strong, and it’s a more interesting trail than Sugarhouse Run or Vast, our other options at that point. I should have spoken up. I knew that Leatherwood has a section of trail I was only just recently – two weeks ago – willing to ride. I didn’t want to psych out our friend, who might not have the same issue that I do – a weird fear of left-hand drop-offs. I also forgot until we were on the trail that I’d walked the entire trail the first time we rode it. Forgot, in fact, until she was walking the same section of steep drop-off that I loathe, frustrated and ready to throw in the towel. Luckily, after a narrow bridge, there’s nothing but roots to get through until Nose – not a bad black diamond – which we climbed out to meet the wide double-track of Sugarhouse Run. We slogged up Sugarhouse Run and Bill Magill and emerged, breathless, onto Darling Hill Rd.

The climb to Darling Hill on double-track reminded me why I’m glad I got comfortable quickly on single-track: double-track climbing is boring. It’s wide, so it can’t crawl around and switchback the way that single-track ascents can. There’s no relief to the slope. You just have to make it up. It gave me a lot of time to reflect on what we’d just ridden, and to decide that I wasn’t going to let the guys decide the rest of the ride for us. They’d pushed our friend onto trails that I wouldn’t have liked as a beginner, forgetting some things about beginning mountain biking:

(1) We need to trust our bikes, and trust that we are balanced on them, before we can think about how to maneuver technical areas of the trails. Coming down a berm or up a steep trail; coming over a rooty climb; rolling over rocks: all of these are skills we can develop, but we need to understand what it feels like to maneuver a mountain bike on a basic trail before we start adding features. Does that sound boring to you, man who has been biking for 30 years? One boring run on a green could mean the world to your lady.

(2) We don’t know how to raise ourselves out of the saddle when we first start biking, and so roots and bumps in the trail hit us everywhere, and it hurts. Rising out of the saddle to avoid these jars – which cause bruising and chafing – requires proper pedal control and foot position (pedals parallel, toes horizontal or slightly upturned). Descending a steep, rooty single-track trail as a beginning mountain biker takes enough focus just to stay on the bike that it’s impossible to work on pedal control and coming up from the saddle at the same time.

(3) It takes time to get used to the way a bike slips (or doesn’t) on different surfaces. Mountain bikes don’t feel like road bikes. Mountain bike trails are much more varied than pavement. I repeat: one boring run on a green could make your beginner-friend’s day, because it allows us to feel dirt, grass, rocks, slopes, bridges, sand, mud, etc, without adding technical features to our ride.

(4) Mountain bikes shift very differently from road bikes because their gearing differs considerably, and anticipation of gear changes is, as a result, very different. For a beginning rider who is used to road-riding, this can be frustrating for a few different reasons: we can’t climb as quickly; we mix up our gears; we’re not used to when we need to shift – it’s not the same as climbing on pavement! – so we shift too quickly and lose momentum, or shift too late, grind our gears, and fall off our bikes.

(5) We need to learn how to focus on the trail! This is something that only comes with practice. Nobody can teach attention that must be paid on the trail until you’re riding, and where and what you focus on varies from trail to trail. But where road-riding requires tuning out cars and also anticipating the wind generated by their passing, focus on line, and paying attention to grade of slope and potholes, mountain biking demands attention to myriad details, big and small, that are changing second by second. It’s mentally draining, especially at the beginning. (It’s also part of why I love it!)

With these things in mind, I sat down and looked at our map. The guys were antsy to ride more; our friend was not sure she wanted to go out again. I promised to take her on a kinder route, hoping I’d be able to show her why she should love mountain biking even though she was bruised and getting discouraged.

We all set off up Bemis, a long double-track green that wanders across the edge of fields, enters and exits woods, has a few wide, satisfying bridges to ride, and serves as the connector to most of the trail systems on the west side of Darling Hill. We dropped our husbands off at the top of Troll Stroll, a black diamond descent that I tried two weeks ago with a great deal of trepidation, but which those two were itching to rip down. She and I continued on to take a small section of Loop over to River Run, and I have no regrets. A wide, smooth, black diamond double-track descent built her confidence in her bike; she didn’t have to worry about roots or obstacles, and could focus on learning how to shift her weight over the bike and feel secure. Knowing that after the initial descent, the trail turned from black diamond to blue square, we were both confident that we’d be able to handle any part of what was coming next. We chatted. I told her about keeping her toes up to help balance her weight backwards… and also about the headache I’d had for two weeks, and what the kids had been up to. It was a lovely ride along the river; I almost didn’t want to meet our husbands, but we found them at the bottom of Troll Stroll. From there, we took a pleasant ride down Eager Beaver, an easy blue single-track with cool variations in vegetation and a couple of fun berms (not too steep or sharp) to rebuild confidence from the initial Heaven’s Bench descent. After that, we all climbed out on Burrington Bench after we showed her how to lock out her rear suspension, so she’d feel a little more efficient about climbing — one of the only things I dislike about going from road to mountain biking is how slow the climbs can be.

We’ll see if our friend will come riding with us again. Even if she won’t, I loved having another girl to ride with, at least for a few hours; and I’m happy that she got to see some beautiful trails without worrying about how she was doing on her bike. How did she do? SO WELL. I’m still impressed she took on the trails she did. She was brave, strong, focused, and able to keep her head about her even when she was frustrated. I’d ride with her any day.

 

*[So what’s the difference between double- and single-track trails? Double-track trails provide enough room for at least two riders; this allows them to act as kind of “highways” for bikers to pass in both directions or to ride next to each other. They’re usually big enough that an ATV or pickup could fit down them, and sometimes double as access roads for trail maintenance, or as snowmobile trails in the winter. In contrast, a single-track trail is often only as wide as it needs to be for a bike to pass through; it looks like a hiking trail, and because it’s narrower, is considered slightly more difficult than a double-track trail of the same level (ie, green, blue, or black). When I was first starting, I *really* preferred double-track trails, as it felt like they provided me with more room for error, the way a wider ski trail feels easier because it’s less confining. Indeed, you’re much less likely to hit a tree on a wide double-track than a narrow single-track unless you’re trying hard.]

 

MTB Weekend: Kingdom Trails with our Kids

Last weekend, we took another family trip up to Kingdom Trails. We’re absolutely in love with this huge network of beautifully maintained trails and pump tracks! There are downhill trails over at Burke Mountain that we stay away from (our risk aversion has grown since having kids) but otherwise we are starting to get a pretty good lay-of-the-land.

We’ve been staying at the Wildflower Inn for our last few trips. We like it because (1) it’s located in the middle of the trail system; (2) it’s directly next to the Village Sports Shop Trailside, which boasts a lovely little espresso/beer bar (The Hub) as well as top-notch bike rentals (AND I found my beautiful, battleship-gray Stumpjumper ST Carbon here, so I’m now loyal for life); (3) a stay comes with breakfast included, and the breakfast options are lovely! It’s not luxury accommodations, but it’s not camping; someone changes my linens every day and cleans the bathroom for me; and the location and service can’t be beat.

Enjoying some post-ride libations at The Hub

On this trip, we brought our sitter for two days and arranged childcare for our last day. This meant that my husband and I got a short evening ride in our first day; a long ride on Saturday exploring the trails new to us – up White School and Ware’s Davis; down Farmjunk and Nosedive, and back along the river on White school; and another longer ride on Sunday morning bumping around the trails on the East side of Darling Hill Rd. In the afternoons, we picked up the kids and bumped around the pump tracks – both up near the Trailside shop and also down the hill in East Burke – and, on our last day, took a leisurely ride across Bemis, a relatively flat beginner trail that runs between the Wildflower Inn and the Mountain View Farm.

So how did it go?

Me and the Juliana Furtado

Friday and Saturday, I rode an XS Juliana Furtado. I’m just a smidge over 5’2″, which means I usually fall in between an XS and S frame in most bikes, depending, of course, on standover height. I enjoyed the XS frame; for once, I didn’t feel like the bike was a machine that I had to keep under control, but found it a quick, nimble companion on the trails. I learned to ride on a very basic Trek hardtail, and I like climbing [it hurts me a little to write that, but I’m little and strong and I can house most men I ride with on climbs], so I had my rear shocks set pretty firm. I was happy with the responsiveness over roots and rocks, but felt super comfortable and stable on berms and downhills. So comfortable, in fact, that on Friday I completely bit it coming down Beat Bog, catching a root at a weird angle and flying headfirst over my bike. I landed on the side of my face, took a few minutes to recover, and still set a PR on the trail. After that, I was a little jumpy about roots on descents, but we had a nice ride around Riverwood [my favorite trail – twisty and narrow, with lots of trees and little berms that are good for practice leaning the bike] and climb out on Heaven’s Bench.

 

We didn’t ride this trail, but we sure were happy posing in front of the sign!

Saturday, we descended Heaven’s Bench – I haven’t done this since my first KT ride over a year ago, when I walked the berm, and this time was much more enjoyable! -and noodled around East Branch, giving Riverwood a second run and eventually climbing Beat Bog and then taking Kitchel – a berm-y, roll-y, adult-amusement-park of a trail – down. We crossed the road and set off for the trail that just got officially mapped this year. White School always gives me a run for my money at the beginning, because I have a deep and abiding fear of bridges. I walked them at the beginning of the ride, but, determined not to get off my bike at the end of the day, did ride them coming back! Ware’s Davis is a fun [long] ride through woods and across fields; eventually, we took the left-hand trail onto Upper Pond Loop and managed to get ourselves to Swan Dive, Nose Dive, and Farm Junk. We decided to take the double-track up (a steep, boring, but short ascent) and come back down on Farm Junk. A little predictably, Farm Junk has a bunch of… farm junk all around the trail, but it’s a super fun descent with berms and narrow moments, and at one point I derailed my husband by pointing out a bedspring at the side of the trail. We had an enjoyable ride on Nosedive (not as steep as expected/hoped based on name, but still a fun ride) and took White School along the river to come back out. It was a beautiful ride, even if double track gets a little tedious at times.

Figuring out pedals on the pump track!

After we relieved our sitter, we took the kids down to the pump tracks in East Burke. We started on the balance bike track, because Charles is still getting used to his pedal bike. He gained some confidence pedaling over small rises, bridges, and turns, so we took them down to the first pump track, Leap Frog. This has been a perennial favorite of the kids; Charles killed it on his balance bike on our last trip. This trip, caution, pedals, and fatigue – the kids had been biking the skills park behind the The Hub all morning – meant a meltdown, some time spent digging in leaves while eating a granola bar, and a couple of successful runs. Even Theo, who took on the trail at 18 months with no fear, was tired and anxious. After refreshing with snacks, we made it over to the X-Mass Tree Loop, where Charles figured out how to keep his pedals moving to get uphill and finally enjoyed the newfound power offered by his pedals.

 

My new BFF and me at the bottom of Troll Stroll

Sunday, I traded out the Juliana for a lime green Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon. I rode the women-specific bike, which comes with Specialized’s women-specific saddle and slightly narrower handlebars than the men’s. This model of the Stumpjumper came with 140mm of suspension in the front shocks and 150mm in the back. I will admit that I expected a bit of a saggy ride, so I made my husband pack the shock pump. We set off down Fox Run, and I fell in love with the rear suspension. We came up River Run and Eager Beaver, and I fell in love with the ease of locking out the rear suspension (at perfect arm’s length between the handlebars and saddle, an extremely easy-to-find-blind flick of the adjuster). Coming down Webs, I found out that halfway-locked suspension on this bike is still soft but pushes off roots with the satisfying power I expect of a hardtail. And climbing out on Burrington Bench, even with my rear suspension half-open, I passed a gentleman who had the gall to ask me, “Are you sure you want to pass me?” as I dusted him. We came down Troll Stroll and I felt stable enough to ride the whole thing (a week ago, or a day ago, on a different bike, I’d have cried and walked). Climbing Burrington Bench a final time, I decided that, while the Juliana was a worthy, nimble companion, the Stumpjumper was my Horse of Power, a trusty steed that could fly like the wind and carry me securely on its back, with barely a hand on the handlebars.

A quick check at the Village Sports Shop: for sale was a battleship gray Stumpjumper ST [short-travel] carbon. I’m excited about this because I rode the lime-green demo Stumpjumper with the shocks half-locked besides the initial descent on Fox Run, so don’t feel I need quite as much travel in my suspension as the bike offers. I don’t downhill! This bike is the “men’s” version – the women-specific frame doesn’t come in ST, for no discernible reason – so the lovely folks who work there are cutting the handlebars down and putting a women-specific saddle on for me. We’re picking it up this coming weekend. I. Can’t. Wait.

Nutrition Review – Skratch on the Road

After our MTB weekend, I’m back to the road bike grind. Because I wasn’t thrilled with how I felt when I drank Hammer HEED, I decided to try Skratch products. They’d been recommended by our local bike shop. For the purposes of this review, I’m comparing the nutrition information for orange flavors of both drinks. 

I was a bit dubious about the Skratch products, because after reading this article over at Total Women’s Cycling, I’ve been trying to find products with maltodextrin as their sugar source. This has eliminated a lot of heavy-stomach-feel for me on my rides, and a lot of sugar crashes I didn’t realize I was having before. Skratch Sport Hydration Mix lists cane sugar as its first ingredient, boasting a full 19g of sugar; HEED lists only 2g [to be fair, both list a similar total carbohydrate count – 20g and 27g, respectively]. Worse, Skratch contains way fewer supplements (and claims many fewer benefits). although it is flavored with and contains real fruit. Surprisingly, it has 380mg of sodium vs. HEED’s 40mg.

On Tuesday, I mixed Skratch across 2 16-oz water bottles – 3/4 in the first and 1/4 in the second – and set off to ride 21mi on a 92-degree afternoon. [See my ride here.]

Bottom line: There isn’t a lot to say except that Skratch tastes like gatorade and I felt GREAT on my ride. I was slow and hot on the first half of my ride, but had a great boost of energy at the end – something I think we ALL love when cycling – and finished strong. Is it the sodium? the real fruit? I don’t know, but I’ll try Skratch again!

On Wednesday, I went for a 25mi ride in 80 degree weather. I didn’t feel like a hydration mix was as necessary then, but spread 1 1/2 packets evenly across my water bottles because I knew I wanted to push my speed on the ride.. I was able to stay on my bike much longer than usual without stopping, and needed far less in terms of other nutrition/snacks than usual – only 3 clif blocks about halfway through! Had my front chain ring not gotten stuck halfway up a killer hill, I’m sure this would’ve been one of my best rides to date. [See this ride!] A+, Skratch. I’m also not getting any sugar crashes! 

Nutrition Review: Hammer Products while Mountain Biking

We just took a 3 day trip up to Kingdom Trails. Each day we had a slightly different ride; I tried to tailor the energy supplements I used to the particular ride, to varying degrees of success. 

Map and nutrition: ready for our evening ride!

Day 1: Hammer Gel – Raspberry flavor – on a short ride

I did eat a Clif protein bar before this ride, because we started out around 4:30 and I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime! About an hour in, before we started our climb out, we both had our Raspberry gels. They tasted like melty Starbursts. I tend to think the fruit flavors of these gels taste like melty candy. But it gave a nice burst of energy, much like it did when I was road biking. Thumbs up.

 

 

 

 

Caffe Latte: with a little caffeine for my tired husband

Loved the Orange Vanilla!

Day 2: Hammer Perpetuem – Orange-Vanilla and Caffe Latte – and Hammer Gel – Nocciola 

We knew we’d be taking a long ride this day, and that it was supposed to be a warm day (not hot, but in the high 70s), so we mixed a package of Perpetuem into our Camelbaks and set off. I was initially worried about mixing in the Camelbaks, but it was surprisingly easy. Whether it’s because it was super diluted with a full pack of water, or because these Perpetuems just have a nice mild flavor, we again found both flavors of the Perpetuem to be a bit chalky and very mildly flavored like Creamsicle and coffee, respectively. Like when we had it in our water bottles, the flavoring came out more as the water in our packs got warmer, but it was never unpalatable or overwhelming.

I had my nocciola flavored Gel about 2/3 of the way through 3 1/2 hours on the trails. It gave me a nice boost of energy to finish the ride, and tasted, as my husband said, “Like Nutella. Kind of crappy Nutella.” He supplemented with it earlier than I did, and was fine for the end of the ride.

I was, like on our hot road ride, very, very happy to have the Perpetuem on this ride. I felt fresh and perky the whole time; I stayed hydrated and didn’t need very much to supplement besides that even on a longer day.

 

 

So much maltodextrin and caffeine. Is this the reason I passed all the guys climbing??

Day 3: Hammer HEED – Strawberry and Mandarin Orange – and Hammer Gel – Espresso 

HEED [“Hydrating Energy Electrolyte Drink”] differs from Perpetuem in a few ways: it has no soy protein isolate, so is missing some of the small amounts of protein and vitamins that come from that source; it’s lower-calorie per packet, meant to be consumed over a shorter exercise period, and thus has fewer carbohydrates and sugars per packet than Perpetuem; and it has no amino acids. It’s Perpetuem without the sustained-energy components; it’s supposed to be pure energy. The body absorbs water-dissolved fuels more efficiently than solid fuels and gels; this was our first time trying one, and we were excited.

We planned a slightly shorter ride time this day, but it was supposed to be quite a bit warmer than the day before, so we decided it was the right time to put a packet of HEED in our Camelbacks. Retrospectively, we probably should have put at least two packs in to actually get any benefit, but we thought consuming it within the time period in which we were biking would make up for that difference.

HEED smells good. Pouring it into my waiting pack smelled like pouring a pixie stick; the flavor, even in 48 oz of water, came through much stronger than in the Perpetuem. It tasted pleasant while riding. I imagine that, less diluted (say, one packet in one 20-oz water bottle), it would have the flavor quality of a sports drink rather than flavored water.

Because I diluted the HEED so much, I wasn’t expecting to feel much; I just wanted a little extra boost of hydration/electrolytes on a very hot day. Maltrodextrin is the sugar in HEED, as it is in Gels; this is supposed to be an efficiently-absorbed, low GI sugar while exercising. I generally find that I have fewer hard sugar crashes – insulin issues – with maltodextrin than other sugar sources, including natural sugars like cane sugar or maple syrup. Continual drinking of HEED at this dilution did give me a sense of constant rehydration and replenishment, but I felt a little extra-jumpy. Maybe the lack of protein alongside carbohydrate? Maybe the faster absorption because it was water-based?

Then I had my Hammer Gel. The Espresso flavor has caffeine in it. Oh man, does it have caffeine in it like doing a shot of espresso. it tastes like very sweet coffee. On the whole, we find these Hammer Gels to be quite palatable. However, maybe because I’d faceplanted two days earlier; maybe because of the sun; maybe because of the sugar delivery systems; maybe because of the caffeine; I started seeing bight spots and reeling a little. I felt like I was floating, riding. I rode fast, and it was fun, but I’m not sure I would combine these two products again in quite the way I did!

Nutrition Review: Hammer Perpetuem on the Road

My husband and I road cycle and mountain bike together. As I’m getting faster and we’re riding longer and farther – and as the weather is hitting peak heat and humidity in July and August – we’ve started experimenting with during-ride fuels. We eat a diet pretty heavy in veggies, fruit, and protein; we’re relatively light on carbs at this point, with the occasional treat pasta night. I feel better and am able to train better eating this way. 

Yesterday, we were doing 2,000ft of climbing on a 32-mile ride. It was hot (95 degrees) and we were leaving at 11am, so we wanted something to help with endurance. My husband mixed up a batch of Hammer Perpetuem – Strawberry-Vanilla flavor. We were also carrying Hammer Gels and Gu Gels. Maltodextrin is the first ingredient in all of these products — it’s an easily absorbed, low glycemic-index, fast carbohydrate source. We frequently have Clif Bloks and Honey Stingers on or before our rides, but I have been frustrated with these because I tend to get more spikes and crashes (they use a different carbohydrate/sugar source), and have more heavy-stomach feeling when I eat them because they’re less quickly digested. More about the short-release, short-ride fuels in another post. 

While Hammer designed the Perpetuem for longer rides (3h+) than we were doing, we found it extremely helpful on this ride. We split it over two water bottles, consumed gradually as we rode. The 8:1 carb-protein ratio kept me feeling fueled and clearheaded, and neither of us bonked on our way up Bear Hill. I even set a PR! [See my ride here.] My husband drank his more quickly than I did; he’s also, obviously, bigger than I am. We both felt tired and hot, but able to keep riding at a relatively normal pace – I felt like I was able to maintain until the very end. I had 3 Clif bloks about 10 miles into the ride, and Gu Gel just before we started our longest climbing stretch; I could feel the boost from each of these wear off after about half an hour, but didn’t have a corresponding lag. I really thing the small amount of protein in the Perpetuem helped regulate this better for me!

Now, my first sip of Perpetuem was chalky. Chalky, and boring. We diluted slightly more than recommended in order to spread a serving across two 20-oz water bottles. However, as the bottles warmed and the ride progressed, I found that I enjoyed the slight strawberry taste and hint of milky sweetness. The taste came out more the warmer the water got, but was never cloying or unpleasant. We’ll be trying the Caffe Latte flavor on our mountain bike ride this weekend – stay tuned!

Bike Post #1: Balance Bikes

We love biking with our kids. Had we known just how much fun it was – and how quickly kids pick up riding – we might not have waited until our oldest, Charles, was 2 1/2 to find a bike for him. If our kids could be on their bikes all day, we’re pretty sure they would.

 

Flying at 2 1/2 on his Kickster!

STEP 1: THE KICKSTER

When we first started looking at balance bikes for Charles, we wanted something sturdy. We didn’t know anything about the kid’s bike world, so we went with Trek’s balance bike, the Kickster. It had thick wheels and was much better put together than the bikes he’d been able to try out at retail stores. Since we live in a rural setting and our driveway is gravel, we needed something that had thicker tires (think mountain vs. road bike) and a well-made frame for him to bump around on. It was a pretty ideal first balance bike: very simple. Nothing to write home about, but nothing to complain about, either… except the footrests for coasting. This is a feature I have seen on SO MANY entry-level balance bikes, and it drives me absolutely crazy. Not only have I never seen a kid who’s proficient on the bike really use them; I’ve seen them in multiple instances – with my own boys and with other kids – be an annoying distraction/hindrance to riding, whether because kids use them as “pedals” and fall over, or because they stick out from the frame enough to catch at a kid’s feet and ankles. I think they’re one of the features that sounds good to a parent who isn’t sure what kids do with their feet when they’re riding if they don’t have pedals.

STEP 2: THE RIDGEBACK DIMENSION/SCOOT AND THE WOOM 1 Once Charles had spent a year riding his Kickster like a maniac – in the snow, up and down stairs, on trails with us – he started to chew through the toes of his shoes trying to stop, and it became apparent we needed something a little more aggressive for him. That’s when we discovered Two Wheeling Tots, by far the most useful website about kid’s bikes ever created. [If you’re looking for a site that will guide you on how to pick the right bike for YOUR kid, please visit them! I can just offer you advice and a glimpse at what it was like as a parent to choose bikes.]

First ride!

After a little bit of research and some soul searching (did we REALLY want to spend upwards of $300 on a balance bike?) we bit the bullet and ordered a Ridgeback Dimension. Our model is from a few years ago now – the redesign is the Scoot. When we found the Dimension, we liked that it looked a little more like a “real” bike; we liked its more aggressive (that is, less upright) riding posture; and we especially liked that it had a functional handbrake. Now that we’re starting to move into pedal bikes, I cannot stress the importance of this feature on a balance bike enough. It’s easy for the kids to ignore a handbrake before they’re ready to use it, and now that he really needs it (we’re skipping coaster brakes because they’re heavy and unnecessary!), we’re glad he learned to use it when he still had his feet as “backup brakes.”

Setting up the Dimension

When the bike came, we were unbelievably impressed with its craftsmanship, and Charles was enchanted with it. It has now been ridden almost every day for almost a year, including on snow and ice. It’s fallen off the edge of a trail, taken him over logs, been hosed down at Kingdom Trails dozens of times, gotten muddy, wet, grassy, dusty, abandoned in the driveway, taken to the beach, and thrown in the trunks of various cars…and it’s still going. With Little Bro now tall enough to ride it with its seat at the lowest setting, we can attest to its brilliance yet again: it’s encouraging speed, better balance, and more aggressive riding from him as well. He’s happy to inherit wider wheels, a “cooler” frame, and a more comfortable seat than his own balance bike.

18mo old on the Woom 1

I like to think that we had no requirements from Theo’s first bike besides that he be able to sit on it – he had an 11-inch inseam at the time of purchase, and most balance bikes don’t have a low enough seat. The truth is, I was impressed with the Woom 1 for more reasons than just the low seat height. The Woom’s more upright positioning, thinner tires, and lighter frame make it perfect for an 18-month-old who is just mastering walking. It also has a functional handbrake that is easy to adjust, and comes in so many fun colors! We’d be sticking with Woom bikes if we had less aggressive little mountain bike riders; the wheels are just a little thin and the positioning just a little too upright to make their larger bikes functional for our kiddos. I have seen plenty of kids flying around out on the trails on them – it’s just not the right choice for our kids. I would recommend the Woom 1 to ANYONE just starting out, because there is so much room to grow on this bike, and it’s so easy for even the smallest kids to balance from the get-go.

Our only complaints are small. The more upright seat position paired with the geometry of the bike set a toddler’s feet right below the rear fork. This made Theo’s feet hit the fork (he had little ankle bruises!) when he was very short and first learning to ride; now that he is taller and faster, he catches and cuts up his little ankles on the outside of the brake calipers. This definitely bothers me a lot more than it bothers him, and, much like the footrests on other bikes, he is adjusting to both problems by learning to keep his legs wider when he rides. The handbrake is also better suited to older kids who ride the bike – he’s been on it for over a year now, and only in the past month have his hands finally gotten big enough to squeeze the brake. (The brake on Charles’s Dimension is softer to squeeze and set closer in to the handlebars; the angle can also be adjusted independently of the handlebar position, which is very useful when switching the bike between kids. The Dimension also doesn’t have the same problem with rear fork/brake interference with the feet – the brake is set higher on the wheel and the curve of the frame keeps the fork up and away from kids’ feet.)

Talking with Dad about pedaling

STEP 3: THE CLEARY GECKO Now that Charles is proficient with his handbrake, and has started pushing the limits of his Ridgeback, we looked into the pedal bike reviews on 2 Wheeled Tots and, based on our kid’s riding style and weight (he’s only 35lbs!)  picked the Cleary Gecko. [More about actually learning to ride with pedals in another post – we are just using it as a balance bike for now!] This bike is a step up from his Dimension in a few ways. It has both rear and front handbrakes, with faster response than the balance bikes. This is extremely important, as it’s about twice as heavy and another inch longer than the Dimension

Theo on the Gecko

Even though it’s Charles’s bike, and even though it’s so much bigger, Theo has been able to get on the Gecko and tiptoe it around the driveway and flat lawn; the wheel travel is great, and doesn’t require a lot of strength to gather momentum. The pedals are VERY easy to get on and off, so while we’ve done a few experimental runs with them on, we’re letting Charles use it as a balance bike to adjust to the new weight, brakes, and body position.

 

On an entirely practical parental note, I have been spoiled by the ease of adjusting both the Woom and the Dimension, whose seat height I can change with no tools. The Gecko needs an allen wrench to adjust the seat height and a regular wrench to secure the pedals. I’ve been in a bind a couple of times because I’ve been without tools and needed to make adjustments for comfortable riding. That said, I am pretty much a novice at actually assembling/caring for bikes, and the instruction manual to assemble the Gecko out of the box was so clear that I set it up in less than an hour, even with an excited 4 1/2 year old trying to rip it off the bike stand while I was working. Thanks for the super instructions, guys!!!! Even MOMS can follow it! 

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