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SSITT & TVG Kampout, October 15th 2016

SSITT & TVG Kampout 2016!  Dufferin Forest Trails. 

What is this??? Keep reading, it’s all there for you.

That’s correct, back by popular demand, Team Van Go will be hosting the camping again after the race.  Bring your BBQ, pitch your tent (or trailer, or Van!) , have dinner then enjoy the evening around a campfire.  Sing some songs, enjoy trail stories and meet some new people!

We have use of a large grassy area with plenty of room to camp for the evening after the race. And it’s free with your entry fee!  Porta potties from the race will be on site still, so no worries there.

Date:  October 15th 2016, makes for a nice fall ride. Not too hot and no bugs for camping.

Registration will be opening after the September long weekend. Go to

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=79476&owner=1#wsbtnsec

What is the SSITT you ask?

The premise of the SSITT is an individual start with 30 seconds between each rider….no mass start, no crowds!  This also means lots ‘o’ single track, like 99% & not so much double track. Options for the Bike are 15km or 30km (approx.).   The course will be a single lap (15km) or two laps (30km) of the single track exclusively in Dufferin Forest.   Did you do the race last year???? Well the course is going to be the same, so compare you lap times from last year…. Try and beat yourself!!!   Remember the key to this is have fun and above all, have a lot of fun  (and enjoy a beverage afterwards).   Please no drinking and driving.   If you have questions pertaining to the camp out or the event itself, please contact me through the CONTACT tab at teamvango.ca   Hope to see you out there!

Who wants Socks!! We’ve got ’em, check them out

So Tyler has been a busy boy working on getting these socks on the go and they have now arrived and if I don’t mind saying, the are awesome! (they have to be it says right on the sock!)

So, how do you get a pair of these awesome socks, well first off you have to want them.  Check.

Second, you have to check the sizing.  Oh wait, it is one size fits all!!!!  (sorta) Womans:  6+, Mens Size: 6.5 – 12. We’ve been testing, they fit Johnny, Craig, Mark W., and Karen great.

These socks stretch a bit so they fit nicely. If you want to try-before-you-buy no problem, just have sorta clean feet!

Third, you have to click on the Donate Button which looks like the button below or bring cash to a ride.

In the notes section, just put your full name and qty of socks you want.   It is that simple!

Cost will be: $15/pair, and if you’re interested in more than two pairs, ask us about a special deal!

Tyler and Johnny will have a supply with them so you can see one of us anytime for some clean awesome socks!

If you live anywhere out there and like our socks, feel free order some from us, just go to the DONATE tab make a payment (maybe add on a few $$ if you live a ways away for postage) and in the notes section put in quantity, name and address and we can mail them out to you.

Any questions use the CONTACT tab.

If you question the awesomeness of these then read the following review which was made after just one ride!

“Well…I have to hand it to Tyler for sourcing out  the team van go fountain of youth/miracle socks.
Now I’m not one for endorsing products but whom wouldn’t want to improve their bike riding, and knock years off their physical age simply by slipping on a pair of these beauties.
My suggestion buy a pair next outing…heck buy  a pair for the whole family…you won’t regret it ,I don’t. By the way I’m wearing a pair while typing this email…..dam my high school mullet just grew back.”

Mark W.

Do I need to say anymore?

Also, due to the lack of rain there is a water shortage.  We recommend buying lots ‘o socks to reduce laundry water consumption. Get socks, help the planet.

Upcoming Ride Guide

Hi All,

This weeks ride has been added to the calendar.

Cheers

Monday Night Ride

Hi all,

There will be a ride tonight in Dufferin. 6pm ride start.

A faster paced ride with little stopping.

Cheers

Saturday ride —->>Sunday ride

Well it doesn’t look promising for Saturdays ride 🙁  and the forecast is even more definite for Barrie.  So backup plan is being put into place.  Sunday ride in Dufferin and Toss at 1pm.  Will be a longer ride (25km) so bring a snack along.  After snacks at Creemore at the Old Mill House Pub (approx 4:30).

Really sorry about the change but I don’t think it’s worth the chance on tomorrow.  Hope everyone can still make it out.  If you are joining in for Creemore festivities, please contact me in some fashion because I need to make reservations by Sat afternoon.

Thanks & see you Sunday! Johnny

Sat birthday ride update…

Well since every time I check the weather for the weekend, doom and gloom seem to alway be the forecast for Saturday.  I’m not much for riding in doom and gloom (plus not so good for the trails and the lightning bolts worry me!) so the back up plan will be 1pm tour in Dufferin and Toss. Tract on Sunday followed by happy hour and snacks in Creemore.  I’ll check the weather early afternoon Friday and make the call then and post it up.  My apologies if the change of day inconveniences anyone as I appriciate everyone taking the time to come out.  Thanks, Johnny

Lights from Derek

Derek has some options available at the moment. Feel free to contact him at:

http://bikeright.ca

I have a brand new Nite Rider Pro 3600 Enduro Remote. It’s been out of the box, charged, mounted on a bike but never used.
Retail is over $700+tax. Selling for $500 cash
http://www.backcountry.com/niterider-pro-3600-enduro-remote

Also, I’m now carrying Light & Motion lights. 100% USA made and FL1 certified!
If the gang is interested, I would place a special group order for you all at 20% off. You can see their line up at:
http://www.lightandmotion.com/the-perfect-light/#on-bike

Thanks Derek!

The Light in my eye

LOOK BEHIND YOU!!!

Now that you have turned back to your computer or phone screen, below is a rehashing of the lights and links for lights.

As you can tell with the weather we are having, we are in the fall months which means time to ride with lights.

Take a read below and enjoy.

We are at the time of the year, when our rides start in the day time, and finish really really dark.  It does become dangerous as your vision becomes impaired, and you then have to ride the bike by feel, not by sight.  In this case we start to mount lights of different kinds, LED, Halogen or HID.  Halogen and HID have pretty much gone away, and we are left with LED!

LED, is light emitting diode, so in normal terms, it is a small light, that is really really bright and doesn’t use a lot of power.  You can find LED lights everywhere now, on cars, in your house, and now in bike lights!

http://www.hopetech.com/product/r4-led/

For this purpose, we are going to focus on LED, and the different types to look at and what to buy.

You have to ask yourself, how much night riding am I actually going to do.  This will determine how much money you will spend, and what kind of light you should be looking at.  For example, people that will only ride til say November, I would not spend hundreds of dollars on a light that makes it look like you are a train coming through the forest.  For this option I would look into the cheaper Chinese made lights, which you can pick up for around 100$ on Ebay, or other sites.  Sites will be below for lights to help you out.

If you are planning on riding well into the dark season and beyond, this is where I recommend the use of a higher end light.  Just like a bike itself, you do get what you pay for.  Most of the major brands are producing LED lights for biking, Hope, Night Rider, Lights in Motion and the list goes on.   To help you pick and choose what you need, below are some points.

Everywhere you read about lights, you see them mention Lumens as the measured value for light.   Lumens are a measured value of light emitted from the light source, so pretty much, how bright the light is.  The higher the Lumen number, the brighter the light is.  That being said, there are different light patterns as well, so the light could be bright as anything at the source, but if the light pattern is not either a focus or spot, you may not get a great result on the trail.  To give a reference with Lumens, a 60 watt light bulb would produce about 800-850 lumens.

Below are links of some lights to look at for sure.

Magicshine Canada

http://magicshinecanada.ca/products/lights/mj-858-1000-lumen-w-5600mah-battery

Ebay Lights

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Waterproof-8000Lm-5x-CREE-XM-L-U2-LED-Bicycle-Light-Torch-Headlamp-Battery-/181955612362?hash=item2a5d664eca:g:CXEAAOSw7FRWZpo9

Note with Ebay it could take weeks before you get the product.

Jenson USA

http://www.jensonusa.com/Lighting/Niterider-Minewt-Pro-770-Enduro-Light

Action-LED in the USA

BIKE LIGHTS

Talk to your local bike shop as well, as they usually have lights available this time of the year.  Derek at Bike Right, Chris at Kamikaze, Jeff at Cycling Elements.

One recommendation that I do have is to have 2 lights on the bike.  One on the bars, the other on your helmet.  Main reason is that if you have a bike light failure, battery go dead etc, in the middle of a ride, it will be a very dark and not so fun ride out.

Regardless though, with the days getting shorter, the nights getting longer (which makes sense if the days are shorter), you will need to wear a bike light very very soon.

Don’t be afraid to ride at night either, it is a great experience if you haven’t.  You become one with the trail, and one with your bike, so really you have to split 50/50 bike and trail, but you get my drift.

If you have questions, comments, please feel free to send them along in the Contact Us.

We have no problem with helping out giving advice, opinion, feedback etc on a light that you are interested in.

sat ride/redline brewery

Hey Folks, if you are planning on going to Redline Brewery after the ride on sat. please RSVP before Thursday as I need to make a reservation for the correct number. My e-mail or contact tab will be great.  Thanks! Johnny

Upcoming Ride Guide

Hi All,

This weeks rides have been posted up to the calendar.

Cheers

SSITT 2016 Registration!

15 or 30km of trail, Gorillas, Bagpipers, Campfires….what more could you wish for?

October 15th 2016.

Registration is officially open! Go to:

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=79476&owner=1#wsbtnsec

to get signed up.  Don’t forget that you can feel free to stay the night…camping is included!  The link is also on the SSITT post now.  See you there!

Sunday Ride Posted

Sunday ride posted in the events calendar!

Good News Report

This past week, there was a very interesting news report with regards to Drones.

You may recognize the person.

http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=947453

Cheers

National Beer Lovers Day

Today (Wednesday September 7th, 2016) is National Beer Lovers Day.

What better way to celebrate beer than by having a nice cold pint. Please observe at your convenience.

Cheers

Kingston Trophy – Race Report

Well the final race of Dan’s XC Marathon Series took place on the beautiful Sanger Farm grounds riding the awesome trails maintained by MTB Kingston.  Located north of Kingston, these trails have always been fun, with fast flowy, and rock technical sections, so makes it one of the best races of the season.

Racing this year was, Johnny, Craig, Brian, and Bernie from team van go all in the half marathon series.

The start time was 11:30 for the half marathon, 11am for the full marathon riders, and they could not be luckier.  The sun was shining, and the temperatures were a perfect 23 degrees C.  The race course started with the more flow singletrack by Collins Bay, before crossing the road, riding through the Soy Field, then the barn, before heading to the southern section of trails, which is where the rocks start.

During the day, Tyler had the gorilla costume on during both the little and the big kids races.  Why not have a gorilla out.  Next year, there is already a volunteer for the costume, Dave who owns the house adjacent to the Sanger Farm.  Such a nice guy, and a perfect spot to have a house that close to trails!

Coming through the first area, Brian came into the aid station with a flat rear tire, so with that fixed away he went.  That is one note for sure, this race is prone to giving flat tires.

Within minutes of Brian’s flat, Bernie also flatted a tire, and at the 10km to go section, Johnny flatted.

The guys at MTB Kingston have put a lot of time and effort into their trails, and they should be applauded, talking with Sean who is part of MTB Kingston, there are almost 1000 members, which is a staggering amount.

The race course itself covered approx 37km, so a good loop, with folks finishing in the 2hr mark.  The course itself doesn’t have a lot of climbing, but there is a lot of technical terrain to keep you on your toes.

At the end of the day, everyone finished, which is a positive!

In the fat bike category, Brian placed 3rd again, for another podium finish behind preverbial winner Sean Thibeau.  Sean is a strong fun rider, out of the Waterloo area, he’ll be at the sausage suit so watch out!

During the race, Brian had a spill, which broke his finger, as well some tendon damage. He finished the race like that folks!!! 15-20km with a broken finger, if that is not dedication to finish a race for a beer I don’t know what is!

Race Results:

https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=78703

The overall standings, Tyler took the #1 spot in the Half Marathon 20-34 category, and for the effort a giant cookie!  What else could you ask for really!

After another great season of racing Dan’s races, I must thank Dan, the volunteers, and everyone that helps out, the folks that host the event, the people maintaining trails etc.  Without those people, none of this could happen for us.  Next time you are in a race, and you pass someone at an aid station, yell and scream and ring a bell, and thank them for their time to support and help.

With that said, one more race to come, the Sausage Suit ITT, which is October 15th, so once the registration opens we will let everyone know.

Cheers

Upcoming Ride Guide

Good morning All,

Ride for tomorrow has been posted.

also please note the location change for Johnny’s Bday ride next weekend.

Cheers

Monday Ride Update

Update.

Parking at the upper area. At the dead end road

Cheers