Georgie's Peruvian Mountain Bike Adventure

Peru could be cycling heaven, for mountain biking there is something for everybody cross country type single track to epic downhill 11,000 feet in 35 miles!!!(Olleros Trail) If you brave the traffic or get off onto some of the back roads there's climbing everywhere you look. I played around on mapmyride and found a ton of climbs ranging from 1-20 miles, all within a 20 mile radius of Claudia's parents house. Since I'm so addicted to Google earth and mapmyride I also came up with the ultimate century ride. It's a killer.

This is the second year I've ridden in Peru with Jamie Quiroz from Peru Bike. Peru bike specializes in cycling tours all over the country. I really want to do the Olleros trail and pretty much every other tour they offer in the future. Peru is an amazing country and I couldn't think of a better way of seeing it than on bike. Since Santiago is still a baby I can't really see myself leaving him and Claudia for a week, while I get to pedal around Peru. For now I stick close to Lima and do the Sacred Valley of Pachacamac tour. In Pachacamac everywhere I looked there seemed to be single track going up one of the surrounding mountains. Since it's so hot and the sun is so strong most of the upper trails are used in the winter months only.

Jamie came and picked me up around 8am. Once in Pachacamac, we got the bikes ready. This year I got to ride a 26" Haro Hardtail. I installed my pedals and Garmin, made sure the Gopro was on and off we went. The ride starts out with a nice 2 mile climb up to the single track. Once on the single track it is constantly up and down. There weren't many long climbs once on the trail but they were steep most between 16-26%. The downhills were even steeper, on one I looked down at my Garmin and it said we were going down a 30% grade. The trails in Pachacamac range from loose gravel to extremely rocky. Most of the single tracks are on the side of mountains and are pretty off cambered. There are definitely place were I didn't want to fall, if I did I’d still be tumbling down the side of the mountain.

Last season Jamie totally kicked my ass and we had to cut our ride short. I wasn't in the greatest riding shape, didn't know what to expect and I totally bonked, the heat in Lima sucks all the life from you. This year I knew I was going to ride with Jamie again so I made sure I was in better shape. I knew the heat was going to suck everything out of me so I made sure I was hydrated, plus I had some Nutella sandwiches along with some Cliff Shot Bloks to snack on during the ride. I had no excuses, this time I wasn't going to let Jamie kick my ass. Little did I know Jamie had knee surgery and didn't ride for 2 months, so he wasn't in the best shape. The little guy could still ride though and I didn't have any problems staying with him on the climbs. I out weight him by over 100lbs so anytime I can stay on a little guys wheel while going uphill or climb a section he couldn't I consider it a victory.

In the end it was a great ride. We didn't go super far or fast but it was just what I needed. Now only if I would have remembered to put sunscreen on I wouldn't be in so much pain as I write this.

Peruvian Alpacas

Nice little shrine at the top of one of the climbs.

The Sacred Valley of Pachacamac

       The Village of Mal Paso

Thanks Jamie, it was a great ride. I'll see you next year!!!

I'd like my arms and shoulders well done please.

Gopro footage wasn't the greatest but I'll post a video in a few days. 

Foggy Fun

Did pretty much the same route I did on Thursday. It was pretty eerie out, it was foggy and the trees were covered in ice. Visibility wasn't the greatest but luckily I didn't see any cars out.
All in all it was a fun ride.

Ride Report: Gravel Exploration

Mid 30's in february, couldn't pass up the chance to go out for a ride. I've been wanting to map out some of my gravel routes. Instead of jumping in the truck, I grabbed my bike and jumped on the trail.

Trail was clear in some areas, slushy in others, and snow covered in the shade. Trail conditions forced me to push a little harder than I wanted to during my "warm-up". Once I got off the trail the real fun began.

My Tacx ergotrainer is awesome but nothing can compare to actually getting outside and ridding. Skittles tackled the muddy gravel and I couldn't be happier with the new bike. Skittles is extremely comfortable, handles great, and is pretty snappy.

I was pretty bummed last summer when 2 key roads in my 20 mile loop were closed due to the lakes flooding. One road was redirected, the other is still closed, luckily the water is frozen and I was able to navigate across.

It felt great to get out and enjoy the awesome weather. Bike was awesome and I need to get some hours in the saddle, I leave for Peru in less than 2 weeks and have a mountain bike excursion planned. Last year when we went I wasn't in the best shape and the mountains kicked my ass. This time around I'll be doing the ass kicking.

Stay tuned...

Project Bike: Neon Skittles finished

I might not come off as the flashiest guy out there, but when I saw the "Neon Skittles" Specialized Crux frame was available I knew I had to get it. When it comes to bikes i'm a firm believer that there is never too much neon and apparently Specialized feels the same way. It took me awhile to convince Claudia that I needed this bike, but after I agreed to sell two of my other bikes I got the ok.

Skittles is going to be the workhorse in my quiver of bikes, but her real specialty is going to be gravel grinding. Here in Minnesota we are pretty lucky to have the premier gravel race/ride in the country, the Almanzo 100. If that's not enough there is a whole series of Gravel races across the state and to top it off they're free. All you have to do is send in a postcard during the registration period and you're in. Ross and I are signed up for the Almanzo 100. If your interested in gravel riding be sure to check out some of the Bike and Fitness Co. gravel rides. Alright so back to the bike.

I had my little helper help me install all the parts onto the frame.

I went with a Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed shifters.

Campagnolo Veloce 10 speed derailleurs

Avid Short Ultimate Canti brakes will be stopping the bike. 45 Nrth Polara studded tires (winter only).

Fulcrum Racing Torq R 175mm Crankset with Campagnolo C.A.R.T 46/36 tooth chainrings

Specialized Sworks stem, Salsa Cowbell 3 Handlebars, and Specialized S-wrap in hot pink.

I plan on going on the maiden voyage later on today.

Project Bike: "Neon Skittles"

Just received my new cross frame. It's a Specialized Crux expert frame. Frame is made of Specialized's E5 aluminum, has a carbon fork, and an over sized bottom bracket. I'm not sure if it's bright enough but it should do. I have some campy parts laying around that will finally have a nice home. Stay tuned I will put up more pictures as I build.

Fleche du Runestone 2011

Fleche du Runestone 2011 from Bike and Fitness Company on Vimeo.

Here's a video of a gravel ride we did last summer. For 2012 we have some new gravel rides planed with distance between 20-100+. More info coming soon.

Hello

We are a family owned bike shop in Alexandria, MN. we are your one stop shop for bikes, xc skis, snowshoes, and home fitness equipment. We carry bikes and gear from Specialized and Fuji, skis from Atomic and Fischer, TSL snowshoes and Vision Fitness, along with other great brands. we enjoy all types of rides and offer many group ride: road, mountain bike, gravel rides, or just casual cruise stop by the shop and you'll find somebody to ride with. We all ride and we love it.
What's the difference between our website/facebook and the blog? The blog is going to give you a more personal view of the shop. When something cool comes in we'll post it on the blog. If one of us is building a new custom build or personal bike we'll have it's creation from frame to first ride on the blog. During the summer we'll have ride reports of Tuesday night sprints, Mountain bike rides, and any of our gravel rides, complete with pictures and most likely video.

So stay tuned it's going to be a fun ride.