Adirondack Sports December 2023

07.12.2023 Views
8 Adirondack Sports Experience the joy.... dionnevitrek.com Handcrafted Snowshoes USA made | Built to last TRY SNOWSHOEING 25th annual 20th annual eShi eShi eSi eShi eShi eSi Saratoga Winterfest 5K Camp Saratoga 8K Sunday, February 4 at 11am Saturday, February 10 at 10:30am Saratoga Spa State Park Saratoga Springs Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park, Wilton New Shirts! Runners & hikers welcome! Register Online: RunSignup.com Preregister: $25 • Day of race: $30 • Both races (one shirt): $40 Loaners ($5): Dion Snowshoes (call/email to reserve) • Dion Snowshoe Series More info: Laura Clark • laura@saratogastryders.org or 518-581-1278 5K SNOWSHOE RACES 10am Dion WMAC Snowshoe Race Series Overall and Age-group Awards Dion snowshoe rentals available Plus! ALL AGES! FAT TIRE BIKE RACES 12pm 1pm Fun Group Ride (30-45min) No-drop intermediate (limit 25, pre-reg.) 10M Long and 5M Short Races Overall and Age-group Awards Sponsored by Grey Ghost Bicycles — Some demos available REGISTER RunReg.com Heated warming area with bathrooms Playground + sledding hill for kids Fundraiser to support Gurney Lane fat bike grooming WINTER RACES SUNDAY, JANUARY 28 • GURNEY LANE, QUEENSBURY REGISTER BikeReg.com We have mountain, fat, hybrid, road & e-bikes! More than just a bike shop A true cycling community EXPERT SALES & SERVICE PROFESSIONAL FITTING MTB, ROAD & TRI SPECIALISTS 76 Lawrence St • Glens Falls • 518.223.0148 60 West Ave • Saratoga Springs • 518.306.5004 greyghostbicycles.com facebook.com/greyghostbicycles

DECEMBER 2023 9 GURNEY LANE POWDER WITH DANIELLE MORIARTY. NORTH COUNTRY MTB STUDDED TIRES FOR ICE. JOSH CLEVENSTINE JOSH, ASHLEY AND DARBY CLEVENSTINE AT DANIELS ROAD. SCOT CARPENTER you will get a packed snow/ice buildup and eventually not be able to clip-in. To combat this, I carry a small Park Tool GSC-1 (gear clean brush) in my pocket and brush off my cleats. Prior to a ride I hit both my cleats and pedals with some WD-40 spray. It helps to try to put your foot down on a log or a rock when you take a water break, chat with riders, or for whatever other reason you may stop. On the top of my head, I wear a thin skull cap under my regular helmet. I have seen some folks wear their ski helmet. I see the merit in this, but I just get too warm. Similarly, I’ve seen riders wear ski goggles in the snow or on a bright day. If you’re sweating, you need to hydrate. Keeping your drinking water thawed can be tricky. I use a hydration pack with a Hydra Pak ArcticFusion hose/nozzle. This piece of equipment is about $20 and worth with every penny. Your water will freeze in a normal hydration pack setup – mostly in the nozzle/tube. Not only is this a bummer when you’re thirsty but carrying a full water pack for the whole ride is heavy and annoying. It can be easy to forget to drink in the cold weather, but your body still needs fluids and can still get dehydrated. Also, on the cold rides below 15 degrees, even with the ArcticFusion hose, the water can still freeze so you need to keep it moving in the system. Where to Ride – Gurney Lane, Rush Pond, Kalabus Perry, Daniels Road, Luther Forest, Pine Bush, Wheelerville, Scotts Cobble, Adirondack Rail Trail, and other trail networks all have some form of winter riding. Gurney, Rush, KP, and Luther are all machine-groomed by great volunteers. The grooming machines are a beast unto themselves that I haven’t been privy to, but I trust these guys when they say it’s not easy. At these networks, it’s important to make sure via word of mouth or checking online that the stewards have given the green light to ride the trails. I’m a part of Saratoga Mountain Bike Association’s volunteer team that manually tracks in the trails at Daniels Road State Forest. We’re very lucky to have a group of folks who, when the snow falls, get right out there to track-in the trails. Tracking is a non-glamorous undertaking where we ride, walk, fall, slide, curse, question our existence, snowshoe (last resort for die hard mountain bikers… but sometimes it comes to this), and wondering where everyone else is who rides after we work. Tracking won’t win you any Strava prizes but I challenge you to find a better workout that benefits the riding community. We don’t always enjoy tracking, but ultimately, we know that once the snow gets pressed in over the rugged Northeast tech, we’ll get a fast-flowing trail broken up by iconic SMBA boulders that is a pure joy to ride – hence the name, “The Snowlercoaster.” We are ALWAYS looking for help. You can reach out through the SMBA social media, contact me directly, or just go to Daniels to ride soon after you see snow! If you’re riding and see a trail that hasn’t been hit yet, hit it in both directions weaving in and out of your own tracks. If the snow is too deep to ride in, bring snowshoes. If a trail is tracked but is too narrow, then be a hero and widen it! That’s what we have to do – take initiative and just do it. This season I added a rack to the back of my bike to strap on my snowshoes to better track in trails farther from the lot. No one told me to do this, I saw a need and went for it because it’ll help everyone have more fun at the end of the day. You do the same! Pitch in at SMBA or wherever you wind up riding. Keep a lookout for fat biking organized rides, races and events. Queensbury Parks and Recreation puts on the fifth annual Gurney Lane Fat Tire Bike Day with winter races and group rides for all ages on Sunday, January 28. The fun day features long (10M) and short (5M) races with awards, and a no drop intermediate group ride (30-45min) limited to 25 riders so pre-reg, and there will be some fat bike demos – sponsored by Grey Ghost Bicycles. The multisport day also has 5K Snowshoe Races on the trails, which is part of the Dion Snowshoes WMAC Race Series, with awards and snowshoe rentals available. Plus, there’s a playground and sledding area for kids, indoor heated bathrooms and warming area, huge outdoor pavilion to hangout in, and some great trails so come out to ride and have enjoy winter. The fundraiser supports Gurney Lane fat bike grooming. Register: bikereg.com. Other local events include the Wheelerville Fat Bike Festival and Saratoga Fat Bike Rally, with dates to be confirmed. On the snowy Tug Hill Plateau, Osceola Ski & Sport Resort has a Fat Tire Bike Race on Jan. 21; Winona Forest Recreation Association’s “SnoFatShu” Winter Duathlon is on Feb. 11; and their IdidaFat is March 3. SnoFatShu is a 3M snowshoe, 6M fatty, and 3M snowshoe, and IditaFat will feature 40K and 20K singletrack races/rides, and family-friendly 10K with doubletrack trails. Friends, here’s to a great winter riding season! Josh Clevenstine (josh.clevenstine@ gmail.com) has a degree in journalism from SUNY Albany. He’s a trail/ communications director for SMBA, a musician, snowboarder and year-round mountain biker. Find more on Instagram @josh.clevenstine, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube or joshclevenstine.com.

Page 1 and 2: COVERING UPSTATE NY SINCE 2000 FREE

Page 3 and 4: DECEMBER 2023 3 CONTENTS 5 NEWS BRI

Page 5 and 6: News Briefs Double H Ranch Pays Tri

Page 7: BICYCLING DECEMBER 2023 7 SMBA’S

Page 11 and 12: SKIING, RIDING & SNOWSHOEING Get On

Page 13 and 14: DECEMBER 2023 13 FAMILY-FRIENDLY NE

Page 15 and 16: DECEMBER 2023 15 ■ MARBRY WITH MA

Page 17 and 18: ATHLETE PROFILE continued from 19 D

Page 19 and 20: COMMUNITY DECEMBER 2023 19 Bikepack

Page 21 and 22: DECEMBER 2023 21 DAY 27 - SUNSET AT

Page 23 and 24: CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECEMBER 2023 TO

Page 25 and 26: DECEMBER 2023 25 11 Osceola Festiva

Page 27 and 28: DECEMBER 2023 27 2-11 Saranac Lake

Page 29 and 30: RUNNING & WALKING Winter Races By M

Page 31 and 32: DECEMBER 2023 31 HIKING & SNOWSHOEI

Page 33 and 34: RACE RESULTS 1ST ANNUAL FLUTTERS &

Page 35 and 36: RACE RESULTS MALE AGE GROUP: 45 - 4

Page 37 and 38: RACE RESULTS 11TH ANNUAL REVOLUTION

Page 39 and 40: RACE RESULTS 48TH ANNUAL MVP HEALTH

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Adirondack Sports December 2023

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