Arizona Trail Race 300/750

Currently the AZT 2012 over 300 miles or 750 miles is on. A spectracluar event worth following on http://www.bikepacking.net/ by reading in to the ultra racing topics in the forum section of that extraordinary site ( http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,3089.0.html) or directly via trackleaders spoting software ( http://trackleaders.com/aztr ).

Amazing what these people can do and stand.

Coming back form my personal Weinviertel Trail Race 200 mi last July

Pico Viznar

Once you've fought your way up to the Ermito San Miguel Alto right after the steep and narrow goatways in the Albaicin (that's what is called "Cuesta") you look back and know why this spot is named "Mirador" - there it is: The Alhambra and in the background the white summits of the Sierra Nevada, its Alcazaba watching over beautiful Granada.

Again I tried to rent a reasonable bike and again for the umpteenth time I failed, only coming up with a rundown   steel something, a suspension fork that wouldn't travel, some anti brakes that aren't up to the job. But the tour I forged out with my German friend Julian was a rare piece of fun. Lots of olive trees and finally carrying the bikes up to the summit of Pico Viznar.

It pays to get to know new trails - they are a hell of a lot of fun!

ENJOY!!!

Genau das tun, was der jeweiligen Fitness entspricht - raus aus dem Winter, hinaus ins Gelände. Wenn's gatschig und kurz wieder kühl ist, dann hat das gar nichts zu bedeuten. Spring has arrived!!!

Spring at last

Heute fand die erste Frühlingausfahrt statt. Die üblichen Verdächtigen (René, Andi, Bernd) fanden sich beim Treffpunkt ein und fuhren eine Buschbergrunde. Mit Aufwärmprogramm 03:15 netto, 900 Höhenmeter, 48 km und ein Hopfenblütenteegetränk zum Abschluss. So kann das MTB-Jahr weitergehen - den Start haben wir jedenfalls fulminant hingebracht.

Full Spring Ahead

Well, could be spring what I saw in the undergrowth yesterday - some early flower heads looking out of the thick cover of brown rotting leaves. I saw some blue liverworts. That's a good sign that spring is around and that in a month or so the drops and ramps of the Kirchenwald-trail will start hiding behind a green curtain of fresh leaves. That's when the bigger adventures in Mountainbiking begin and the local joys of trial tracks in the underbush have to wait for next winter again.

One Out - the Other not Quite In

Splendid snow, extremely low temperatures (-15°C), icy conditions a week ago - now the top 5 cm thawed underneath still ice. When you ride, ride in the woods, on dirt tracks in the fields you build up so much solid mud that even pushing becomes a hell of an effort (carrying the bike is no option as the "dirt bike" weighs a tonne). So some give up, others treat such a situation more stoically and in the end squeeze out a smile on their faces when coming home from the ride. But spring is near, then the good times come rollin' along again for all of us.

The Malta Experience

Right in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea there is a group of three islands, called the Maltese Archipelago. That's where I currently water my feet - literally so as it has been raining more than the average Maltese can remember and would appreciate - me neither. That makes for wet MTB-rides. So just last Sunday we rode - 8 bikers all in all, guided by Ron - for 5 hours, twisty and muddy 40 kms long and an elevational gain of 520 m. It was real fun and supports my notion that there'a trail for mountainbiking everywhere and that there's no unlikely area for trails. Gozo is awaiting us; let's see what it will be like. And it was perfect - sun was shining, temperatures in the milder tens and the trails along the cliffs technical and tough; I leraned the differnece between smooth and soft, when I crashed falling over the handlebar: the limestone was smooth but definitely not soft. As I have already stated: a perfect experience, just AWESOME !!!