RR: Black Star to Beek's

[genusmtbkr5]

Ty(Tighe ridr) called me up last week and wanted to do Black Star to Beek's since he's never been(Oh boy! I get to pop his Main Divide cherry). Since I like it so much up there, I agreed , so he set it for Tues morning.

We got lucky with this surprisingly cooler weather. We started at 7:45 and it was overcast, perfect if you ask me for a trip to The Pain Divide.

Nothing special about this ride except for someone(Ty) who couldn't and still hasn't cleaned Mustard or Cholla, this was a great accomplishment. Those little hills won't stand a chance now! GOOD JOB today Ty.

[genusmtbkr5]

Not much more to say about this ride. I got a chance to do some intervals and introduced a newb to the Pain Divide. Now he's hungry for more. Counting Coup?

[CC]

great job Ty!

[J_Sims]

way to go

[surlygal]

Awesome accomplishment! !

[Waldo]

Good job - that's a solid climb.
Mustard will be cake by comparison.

[Dino Brown]

Way to go Tighe! You can tell me all about it on Thursday.....

[Tighe ridr]

Thanks for all the words of encouragement, to everyone. Thanks especially to Gene for the ride and all the cool pic's. You forgot to put yourself in there. The climb was really not that bad, I still have a long way to go to acheive the speed I'd like to be at. The only crappy part was the lower back cramps, this means more crunchs and keep riding while using my trunk instead of my back to hold me up. Next ride will have to be 16 miles of climb. Thanks again to all!!!

[genusmtbkr5]

Originally Posted by Tighe ridr

You forgot to put yourself in there.

I'll put that pic you took of me a Beek's when I get home this morning.

[tkblazer]

Originally Posted by Tighe ridr

Next ride will have to be 16 miles of climb.

note to self.... never ride with this guy...

[Waldo]

Originally Posted by Tighe ridr

The only crappy part was the lower back cramps, this means more crunchs and keep riding while using my trunk instead of my back to hold me up. Next ride will have to be 16 miles of climb. Thanks again to all!!!

I've had that problem on longer climbs too. Crunches help, as does stretching (check your hip flexors, quads, & hamstrings). Also, small changes in bike ergos can really add up over a 7-8 mile climb. And if you use a Camelback, try positioning it differently. When I switched to a position lower on my back it helped noticeably.

Happy riding

[allison]

Another thing that helped me during the Coup was stretching while on the bike. It's usually best to wait for a flat or slight decline. I stand up and push my mid section toward the stem/bar so my lower back is being stretched. I try to do it as often as possible, which is tough on that ride.. there are a few decent spots on Blackstar. It's really difficult once you get to Pain Divide (descents are usually too steep for me to pull the stretching off).