Stanley Gap Group Ride

Stanley Gap. A nice, slower group paced ride over some really serious terrain. The 22 and a quarter mile ride length totally don't do it justice. The sustained 2-3 mile single track climbs are what it's about. Some of it quite technical. The descents are what make the suffering worth it.

Summary:
Activity Type: Mountain Biking
Event Type: Recreation
Total Time: 05:12:28
Moving Time: 04:36:34
Average Speed: 4.3 mph
Max Speed: 30.5 mph
Distance: 22.35 mi
Elevation Gain/Loss: 4,743 ft / 4,780 ft
Min/Max Elevation: 1,813 ft / 3,371 ft
Average: 142 bpm
Max: 188 bpm


GPS Track Link:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1915941





I took loads of photos on the climbs while I waited for my HR to recover. Can't really take it easy on the climbs with a single speed since your limited to standing up and hammering with the one gear. Here are a few photos:

Rolling out. Nice 0.9 mile FS road climb to the trail head.

My current climbing setup. New since the Snake: 32x22 and Fox F29 suspension fork.

Taking a break before attacking the next section of climbing.

At the top! Well, one of the tops.

Regrouping at the bottom of "Flat" Creek. Nothing out there is actually flat.

Some nasty stuff that I had to push up. It was sure a blast coming down this though. Love my new fork.

Recovery beer!

More photos here:
http://milliron.org/photo/stanley/

Up coming changes to my mountain bike:

• Front and rear Maxxis Ardent tires (2.25). Already ordered. Should be a little faster then my current Rampages (2.35) but shouldn't be giving up much comfort and traction should still be awesome. Also, right now, my rear tire is a bit worn.
• 185mm Avid Elixir CR hydraulic disk brakes for the front and rear. My 160mm Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes suck. I need to use two fingers to control them. I'm thinking with the bigger more powerful Elixirs, I'll only need one finger, leaving more for my handle bars.
• Also ordered a 18t rear cog for the in town trails. Now I'll have 18, 20 and 22 to pick from before a ride.