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  • Hitting the Luge in Muskegon

    img_1939Instead of going up north over New Years we went to the west coast.  Michigan’s west coast. More specifically, Muskegon.

    Muskegon State Park has a great winter sports complex, which is what drew us there.  And we made good use of the facilities.

    On New Year’s Eve we went XC skiing at night.  The trails are well lit, groomed, and except for  a couple hills, they’re relatively flat.  The ski, boot, and pole rental was just $5 while the trail pass was $7.

    We returned on New Year’s for ice skating.  The complex has a large outdoor rink and a short  ice trail through the woods.  The skating pass was just $4.

    After the warmup on skates, it was time to do the luge.  The cost was $40 for the coaching, helmet, and sled.

    The luge coaching wasn’t too exhaustive.  Luging seems to be a sport where you learn as you go.  After a run or two, you really get the hang of it.  Eventually you can improve your start from just letting go to something a little more Olympic.

    And the basic premise it don’t hit the walls and maximize your speed through the turns.  On a good run with good ice (like we had!), you can hit 25 MPH.  That might not sound too fast for cyclists, but when your inches above the ground, it feels plenty fast.

    Is it a workout?  You bet.  Every luger has to carry their sleds up the stairs to the start line, some of which weight nearly 40 pounds.

    I highly recommend this.  We’re so fortunate to have such a great facility so close (about 3.5 hour drive.) It’s a great place to enjoy winter sports.

    As for lodging we rented a house on the lake.  It was inexpensive for our large group due to this being the off season.  There is a 10% lodging discount available from the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

    And here’s an article describing some planned enhancements to the Complex, including a wheeled luge track for the warmer months.

    Some photos from Muskegon are on-line in addition to this brief video.

  • “I hope I don’t regret this”

    img_1787That’s the last thing  I said as I removed my Nokian Extreme front tire from my winter bike.  The Nokian has 294 steel carbide studs and hooks up on ice like nothing else.  But, on dry pavement, it’s a noisy drag.

    The road conditions were pretty decent, so I switched to a non-studded tire.

    Six tenths of a mile later I was layed out on the ground.    I hadn’t been looking ahead and found myself going fast on a 100 foot stretch of smooth ice.  The crash was inevitable.

    The bike was fine.  I ended up with a crab nebula bruise.

    A lifetime of cycling and still learning…

  • Lance Armstrong’s Girlfriend has a Buckle too

    Anna Hansen at LeadvilleYou’ve probably already read it in the tabloids: Lance Armstrong and his girlfriend Anna Hansen are expecting a baby.  Blah, blah, blah.

    What caught my attention is the photo of her biking (right) looks very familiar.  It’s from the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race in Colorado.  She’s just finished the Boulevard and is about to turn onto Sixth Avenue for the finishing stretch.

    And she finished just 9 minutes under 12 hour cutoff to earn a Leadville buckle.  That’s impressive, especially for an apparent first attempt.

  • Detroit Beers of the World Bike Tour

    img_1647This was an ideal hatched between Joe D. and I.  Joe suggested an end-of-the-year Detroit bar bike tour.  I suggested we visit ethnic bars and make the tagline, “Saluting Detroit’s Immigrants one beer at a time!”

    The ride was the day after Thanksgiving and started from Downtown Royal Oak.  We figured we’d start with a long leg before hitting a bar just to make sure we could pull it off.

    It was too long of a leg for some, so we made a quick stop at Honest John’s for a Stoh’s and some food.

    Next we swung by a local urban farm to visit the goats and roosters before hitting our second bar, Nancy Whiskey’s.  Yeah Irish!

    Back on the bikes, we rode by the half-gutted Tiger Stadium where I got a quick flat.

    Heading into Downtown, we made quick beer stops at Jacobies (Yeah Germans!) and Golden Fleece (Yeah Greeks!). It was at the Fleece where we picked up a Toronto bike tourist just in town to document the Detroit Critical Mass (and be disappointed.)

    Making the turn, we headed north to Hamtramck and the Polish Village Cafe.  (Yeah Poles!)

    We were running out of daylight but not motivation, so we made another stop at the Stonehouse Bar (Yeah Biker Gangs!) before heading back to Royal Oak.

    But the ride back to Royal Oak was quite eventful.  Ask me in person if you want to hear the rest of the story.

    Photos from the bike tour are on-line.

  • Another Detroit Alleycat this Sunday

    It’s called ALLEYCAT TACYELLA and the tag-line is “Just ‘cuz it’s cold doesn’t mean you can’t break the ice!”

    It begins this Sunday, December 21 at 7:00pm from Hart Plaza in Downtown Detroit.

    This event is being organized by the cool kids at the Hub of Detroit.  They’re also donating prizes along with Back Alley Bikes and the Cass Cafe.

    Afterwards is the Cass Collective monthly benefit.  This month’s beneficiary is Back Alley Bikes.  It starts at 8pm or after the race.