TALES: Lost & rashed

Despite the soggy forecast, the rain let up enough for a quick ride yesterday after working all night. I hit the Chibana area, for what was supposed to be a quick ride on the Spiders & Pipes trail we cleared last week. After a good warm up on Chibana's farm-skirting singletrack, came the short, technical chute down into S&P, followed by some narrow, uphill singletrack. Then there was nothing.

Apparently, we'd missed a 100-meter link while clearing S&P that was now indistinct amidst the tall grass and debris from last year's typhoons. As I discovered, though, there were still plenty of farmers trails to lead me to dead ends in every direction. And, of course, plenty of Okinawa's infamous stray puppies barking and scampering through the vegetation.

After wrestling my bike through dense foliage, dead branches, saplings and "love me" vines for 45 minutes, I finally cut out, rode the road (admittedly a sin) around to the exit point at Kurashiki Dam and took the trail in reverse to find the link. As you might have guessed, it came out about two feet from the place where'd I'd finally given up the search. I should've followed the white puppy who fled in that direction down the rabbit hole earlier!

The good news: A 30-minute ride turned into 90 minutes, and there's a killer, triple-tiered downhill run if you detour slightly from the trail. The bad news: This really weird, dime-sized rash on my knee that is a perfect circle. It doesn't itch or anything, but it doesn't garner the attention from my wife either that, perhaps, a bloody laceration would.

TIPS: 5 channels of 24-hour cycling television

Watching the sky spill for the third day in a row today, I finally struck gold. I just finished watching the 2004 UCI 4X Championships on Cycling.TV's "Mountain Bike & Triathlon" channel (one of its five internet-based cycling channels that show live and archived pro race coverage), and the depression from not riding is beginning to lift. Much of the programming is free, and some you have to pay for. Other channels include "Daily News & Features" and "Travel & Liesure."

From the company: "We supply seven different data streams from 56K up to 2MB. When your computer connects, we measure your connection speed. This ranges from full TV quality for very high speed users down to a stream for 56K users. However, on the 56K connection we have tostrip out so much data to get the video down that it isinevitably poor quality. With broadband, more data means better quality -- right up to perfect TV quality."

A special thanks to Roadbikerider.com for passing the dirt (and the following tip) on Cycling TV.

Tip: No matter what your connection speed, click the "TV mode" and the race will fill your computer's screen edge to edge just like it would on television.

You have got to check this out! It's the perfect way to catch some action, and you might just learn a thing or two. Cape Epic coverage is up next, so ciao!

TALES: Holding a machete is cool; rain sucks

No matter what you're doing with it, walking around with a machete in your hand just makes a dude feel different. The fact that you had to borrow it because you thoughtlessly left all of your tools stored in some undisclosed U.S. location before you moved to Japan is not so cool. It's especially not cool when you first realize this 10 minutes before you're supposed to meet for group trail maintenance that YOU coordinated.

Obviously I haven't been doing my part, so it felt good to start working on the Chibana trail network with Garry earlier this week. It's amazing what a machete can cut through! We've got Spiders & Pipes just about clear, but there are still four or five trails left to survey and clear before Summer.

Unfortunately, Okinawa's rainy season has washed out nearly all hope of a trail ride this week, so I guess that makes this trail maintenance season too (unless you enjoy disassembling your bike after every ride to coax the red, Okinawan mud out of every bike orafice).

TIPS: Shocking News

Cory Hemminger on The Biking Hub just made my recent transition from hardtail F800 to a full suspension ride a ton easier since I neglected to check for the Manitou rear shock manual before I carted my new Prophet from Tampa to Okinawa. He's gone to the trouble of locating online manuals for a good number of both air and coil-over shocks and provides links to all of them. In fact, if you never got the "Rear Shock 101" course or are thinking about making the FS transition, he also did a great job of explaining the basics of rear suspension in a separate article.

TALES: A prodigal returns & a wish comes true

Tom came to Okinawa the first time with the U.S. Army (and his mountain bike) in the early '90s. When he departed, he left behind roughly 20 miles of singletrack that he and a small group of American and Okinawa riders cut by hand through the uncharted center of this jungle-like island -- an area hallmarked by hundreds of sporadic, unmapped farm roads and paths.

For the past year and a half, I've stared at the rough map (in Kanji) posted long ago on the Okinawa Mountain Bike Association's website that chronicled the group's work, wishing I could pinpoint exactly where to find these foliage-engulfed paths that still beckoned the touch of rubber knobbies. Most frustrating was that the trail system seemed only a mile or two from my house. Making it particularly tough is the fact that there are few-to-no English-speaking "old timers" around to ask because of the military's three-year move cycle. And then it happened, quite by chance.

When I returned from Iraq recently, my daughter says, "Hey dad, you've got to meet my new friend, who's really nice, she used live here and just moved back this summer. Oh, you have to meet her dad too because he really likes mountain biking."

Long story short, Tom was her dad, and had already started some maintenance on these trails with help from his son before injuring his ankle a few months ago. Even before the injury, he'd been having a hard time getting help from fellow riders to resurrect these beauties. Garry (a 24-hour epic lover who arrived here last summer from California) and I gladly bartered our services in exchange for a tour of the entry and exit points for “Spiders & Pipes,” “Mad Hatter,” “The Hole” and “Cinderella” -- trails that, before Monday, seemed as reachable to me as El Dorado.

As I suspected, these gold mines were hiding right under our noses near places I’d passed a dozen times. Tom hobbled as far as he could to point out places that needed our help, after which Garry and I hit Spiders and Pipes with machetes and saws in hand. (Since this course skirts a fence, which Okinawa's famed Banana Spiders love to anchor their webs across the trail to, it is sure to be the source of many great summer “hitch hiker” stories).

Thanks for coming back Tom!

TRIPS: Kickin' with Kiwis in Queenstown, New Zealand

It was the holiday season and it was my first REAL family vacation. After 14 years of always spending Christmas traveling to see our wonderful extended families on the other side of the country for Christmas, my wife and I decided to do something different – especially since it would cost us an arm and a leg to fly ANYWHERE from our little home in Okinawa. My wife’s dream was to see Australia, and my daughter’s was to be anyplace Orlando Bloom had touched – that meant New Zealand, where he starred in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. With the obvious balance of family vacation and biking fever, I decided that one day of biking of the six on New Zealand's southern island wasn’t too much to ask – especially since they picked the destinations. The good news was the discovery that Queenstown was the "Outdoor Adventure Capitol of the World" -- and that's exactly where we were headed. This isn't the place to discuss the entire awesomeness of the trip, but I would recommend renting a Mini Cooper for a self-tour in New Zealand that includes a stop at one of A.J. Hackett's Bungee Jump spots and a stop at Mount Cook for hiking (stay in the lodge there, too -- the view of the glacier is teremendous)!

The Guide
On this one, it's tough to talk about the ride without talking about the guide. With the overwhelming choices for a one-day adventure, I quickly realized that I'd need someone who knows the area and could get their hands on a decent bike for me too. There are many MTB maps online, but it's difficult to pinpoint a nearby spot to ride when you don't know the area well. One day doesn't give much room for stuff not to go perfectly. Luckily, I stumbled upon Greg McIntyre at Fat Tyre Adventures Ltd. to take care of everything for a very reasonable price that included a nice FS Trek, helmet, munchies, roundtrip transport and the best history lesson on NZ that I could hope for. You can read more about him on his site, but the guy knows what he's doing and knows every nook and cranny to put two wheels on in the area. He offers everything from sheep path cross country trips to heli-biking and 3500M double descents.

The Ride
An unusual December snow and low clouds (it's summer there in December) the morning of our ride dictated a lower altitude XC journey was what we'd get. Fortunately, I found out later that this still included some great descents to get the adrenaline going again after my legs were good and noodley from the climbs! Greg picked me up at my hotel at about 6 a.m. in the Fat Tyre wagon (a Range Rover equipped to hold at least half a dozen off-road machines) with a huge grin and what appeared to be a freshly shaved head.

We drove through magnificent countryside and mountains for about 50 km, which ended with a 4x4 trip to the start of the Dunstan Traverse Trail in the Dunstan Mountains overlooking the town of Cromwell. From the drop-off point, you've got a 1700m descent and, on days not as overcast as ours, views north as far as Mount Cook (New Zealand’s highest mountain) and south as far as Stewart Island. Greg calls it "gravity assisted Cross country," and he leaves the grade of descent up to you -- but only after you've worked for it by climbing through the range's narrow, steep and rocky singletrack made by hundreds of sheep grazing around the mountains for years. You can also ride an old water channel that was hand-cut by gold miners more than 120 years ago. Fat Tyre Adventures has exclusive consent from the land-owners to ride this area, so we were the only folks on the trails all day.

I'll admit that there was a little weezing on my part, but the views were enough for my mind to lull my body into submission for several hours (there was also the hope that I might just catch a flock of sheep off guard and make them all go running for cover! ).

When it came time to go DOWN, I was more than ready. The trail traversed its way down the mountain, but Greg and I just decided to take it straight down through the baby heads and brush. The close calls with fleeing jack rabbits and 100-foot drops to the river was enough to get the blood pumping again, and the toughest part was taking in the scenary and the fast-approaching Lake Dunstan over the horizon while our bones jarred at 30 mph. But it would have been a crime not to look!

My quads were shot by the time we hit the lake shore at the bottom where Greg's associate had left the Fat Tyre wagon for us. Five minutes later, we were on the road to Cromwell and a stop at the co-located "Juice Café" and Freeway Fruit Outlet before heading home.

Food
Cromwell's valley is prime land for growing fruit and a definite spot to refuel after the ride is the "Juice Café" and Freeway Fruit Outlet, which are located right next two each other. The cafe specializes in fresh cider, but you can also get some terrific coffee and freshly-made sandwiches. The Fruit Outlet's got every fruit imaginable from the region, both fresh and dried, and it makes a great pre-ride stop as well to stock up on ride snacks.

Local MTB Associations
I was unable to find a club right in Queenstown, but Cyclingnz.com has a pretty extensive list of clubs on both the north and south islands at http://www.cyclingnz.com/clubs.phtml, including one near our ride in Dunstan (Otago area).

Bikes/gear/wrenches
If you pack your own wheels and need some help, I suggest you ask Greg at Fat Tyre for recommendations. He's a straight-shooter and should point you in the right direction.

Lodging
My family and I were more than comfortable on the banks of Lake Wakatipu at the Millennium Hotel Queenstown. Rates were reasonable (as part of our tour package) and it's centrally-located a five-minute walk away from the plethora of restaurants, bars and shops in downtown Queenstown. Staying in Queenstown proper also puts you in close proximity to the area's many other attractions, like bungee jumping, hang gliding, jet boating and skiing (in the winter). If you're looking to rough it a bit, there are plenty of camp sites in the Lake Wakatipu area, and tons of hotels to fit any budget.

On a final note...
Once I have perfected the art of getting my special lady on two wheels (see a great article related to this on Blue Collar Mountain Biking), I’m hoping to return to get my fill of Queenstown off-roading!

TALES: Is letting go always this tough?

When everything else made of metal on this island appears to disintegrate under the strain of constant humidity, the forest green metallic paint on the rigid frame of the eight-year-old Diamond Back Sorrento still gleams at me in all of its rigid glory. Okay, there are four hex bolts with rust spots on them (including the two for the water bottle cage that was never attached), but why hasn't the chain rusted after only two lubes in so many years?

The real question is: "Why is it still here?"

I meant to sell it when I bought a Cannondale F800 after arriving back in Okinawa, but decided to make the Sorrento my commuter. Then, I definitely was going to sell it after upgrading to a Prophet. But here it sits.

What is it about your first mountain bike that makes it so hard to let go?

It could be the glorious memories of coming in 4th of 5 in the novice heat of a muddy XC race course carved into the backside of an Okinawa military base a week after I bought it in 1998, or sitting on a overpass under a camoflauged poncho the old girl held over me during a torrential downpour -- we shared a Meal Ready to Eat of meatloaf, as I recall.

It could be that the Sorrento is what gave me freedom and allowed me to explore this wonderful island for the first time in 1998, introduced me to singetrack riding and gave me a thrill like no other (aside from being a husband and father).

It could be that it never failed despite the abuse it took from a beginner who, through his own ignorance, continued to demand performance with little more than spraying its muddy carcass off with a hose month after month.

Maybe when the answer comes I'll be ready to part with with my old steed, but that answer doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon. It just wouldn't be right to say goodbye here in Okinawa anyway -- not when this is where we met.

TALES: The guy who almost walked his dog to death

So we're sitting at the peak of Spider Loop overlooking what seems to be the entire island of Okinawa. The only thing left to do is hang on for dear life down "La Luge," avoid the 15-foot plunge into an underground cave near the end, and take a leisurely ride back up the highway to our cars. Three Okinawan MTBers roll up to us with “Konichiwas” ("hellos") all around and their dog in tow, when Chris starts up a pleasant conversation in Japanese. What, he speaks Japanese, too?

Chris isn’t supposed to be a mountain biker – he said so himself. He’s a teacher at Okinawa University (explaining the Japanese), and snowboarder and photographer who just wanted to ride with us after our photo shoot Saturday was rained out.

At just a little after 7 a.m. Sunday morning, he rode up on what he terms his “Gull’s bike” (“Girl’s bike” to those of us not from the UK), and only then tells Garry and I that he had to ride from home because he didn’t have a rack on his Miata. I was too busy admiring the rust build-up on the chain of his Australian Apollo “Himalaya” that was at least a decade old to ask how far he had to ride, but I’d give it at least 10 kilometers. Most of it was probably uphill, too! This alone should have clued me in to how much heart the guy has. As for the 35-pound, yellow Himalaya, the rack over the rear tire was fused to the bike by four disintegrated allen bolts, and the combination to the cable lock secured to the rack had been lost long ago. We drenched the chain in Synlube and hit the mud.

Two hours later, he’s sitting here speaking Japanese atop his muddy Apollo, and we’re all admiring the spot where a big chunk of his helmet used to be, before it was snatched by a low-hanging branch a few kilometers back. The Japanese rider's dog reminds him of his own, and a time he walked his dog from home to this very spot, continuing down La Luge on foot and onward to the beach on the other side of the island. He said his dog walked gingerly on the way home from the four-hour trek. The next day, he had to carry the dog outside just to pee. Everyone looked at him like he'd beaten the dog with a stick when the vet explained the dog-year mathematic formula that boiled down to a 70-year-old canine that wished it had the lives of a middle-aged cat.

A few minutes later, we were barrelling down La Luge with grins plastered to our faces -- sharing the love we bikers dream of.

Garry offered Chris a ride home, and I thought Chris was going to kiss him -- luckily, that didn't happen. But I didn't want him to suffer the same fate as his pup, so was glad to hear Chris say "yes."

Just goes to remind us all of two important things: (1) the beauty of this sport is that anyone with heart can ride, and (2) that it IS possible to almost walk a dog to death.

You can see more about Chris, his dog and his work on his website at: www.travel67.com.

TRIPS: Biking with 'gators in Tampa, Florida

Admittedly, I picked Florida for mountain biking out of desperation, not expecting much. It was warm in January there, and it was in the United States. So ...

I met my West Coast brother in Tampa for a few days in January, while I was en route back to Okinawa, Japan (where I currently live) from Iraq, and it was definitely worth it for good singletrack and great new friends. If you've honed your technical skills, you'll have no problem tackling even the "double black diamond" trails at the many parks -- but the roller-coaster ride you get, as well as catching air while avoiding alligator-infested swamps, will leave you with a grin plastered to your face. The rides are only about 30 minutes from downtown Tampa in the Brandon area.

The ride
My brother and I warmed up at Boyette Park and finished with Alafia River State Park. Both of these parks were developed on land previously strip mined. If you're skilled and looking to push it I'd definitely recommend passing on Boyette, but for a guy getting back on the bike after six months in a war zone, it was a good place to practice the basics for a day. It's also a great place for familes, beginners or novices to have a great day of biking, and difficulty levels are color coded on every trail. While Alafia River State Park also has beginner and novice trials, it's double black diamond ups and downs on "Moonscape" and the aptly-named "Roller Coaster," as well as close calls with swamps on either side of hairpin turns and sizeable descents on "Gatorback," was great. You also find that many roots like to grow on top of the trails for some moderate technical stuff. As a bonus, Alafia's got a camp ground with facilities, so there's no need to spring for a hotel. Did I mention the close encounters with armadillos? You'll see tons of these creatures at Alafia -- a remarkable mix of cute-faced little rodents with shells like turtles!

Local MTB associations
You can get all of the most updated trail maps, conditions and advice from the Southwest Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers (SWAMP) club at http://www.swampclub.org./ They really do a tremendous job keeping the trails up and letting you know of upcoming events (in addition to their weekly rides that you're welcome on). One of their members actually greased the skids for my whole trip via my e-mails from Iraq (thanks Julianne), and we met another on the trail who was extremely helpful. There's more great singletrack in the area, but we only had two days, so see the SWAMP web site for details on other great rides.

Bikes/gear/wrenches
I went to seven bike shops in the area shopping for my next beloved Cannondale, and can tell you without a doubt to go to AJs Bikes and Boards for all of your needs (rental, gear and mechanical). Dave and Heather (co-owners) are friendly, knowledgeable and down to earth -- and all of the other shops even speak highly of them. Many of the staff (including Dave) also ride the trails regularly. AJs is also the closest to Alafia and Boyette and recommended highly by SWAMP. You can get a three-day full suspension rental (Giant/K2) for only $100 including helmet. See www.ajsbikesandboards.com.

Food
No trip is complete without a food tip, so here it is: we mistakingly found one of Tampa's hidden secrets for great steak and beer: the Frontier Steakhouse. Menu runs $13 to $30 for a meal. Best of all, you can challenge the restaurant's 6-pound steak if you're famished from a day on the trails -- eat it all and it's free. If not, be prepared to drop $50. The place is truly hidden but you can call for directions at (813) 621-3050.


Sleep
We stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in Brandon, which is great for space if you can split the bill, come in the off season or get a discounted rate (free breakfast and a kitchen stocked with pots and pans in the 2-room suite). On a shoestring, check out camping at Alafia River State Park: www.floridastateparks.org/alafiariver/default.cfm

Cannondale riders' corner
There are two great places to go (since AJ's isn't authorized to work on "Crack & Fails"). I recommend avoiding the corporate "salesman" mentality at University Bicycles in Tampa. Instead truck into St. Petersburg to see Bill at Revolution Cycles (http://revolutionbikes.com/site/intro.cfm) or over to Clearwater to see the folks at Chainwheel Drive (http://chainwheeldrive.com). Chainwheel even let me use the phone to call a competing bike shop!

Acknowledgements
I'd like to extend a special thanks to my brother, a snowboarder & photographer, who left Mt. Shasta's snow base (aka his love and financial base as well) to ressurect his MTB skills for me and star in my photos for you. You can see his products at www.chadthomasphotography.com. This makes three times he's met me for some singletrack, and I can still barely stand on a snowboard!