u Off Road! . .1 ISSUEISSUE 11 1 VOLUMEVOLUME 29 29 NOVEMBER,2009 2009 u Ride Along, Sing Along — a contest . 3 u Ed Marx tells how he joined the club . .4 The Shore THE JERSEY SHORE TOURING SOCIETY KEEPING BIKE RIDING FUN SINCE 1981 Thing Club Members Bill Anderson and Bryan Hrycyk share their enthusiasm for Mountain Biking Off the Roads and Into the Woods! As the weather starts to get chilly and ing badly! The places we ride range from who attack difficult terrain, and others the days are shorter, road riding is more beautiful to spectacular, and riding after who value control over speed (clearly just of a challenge. By November, many of the occasional winter snow is a special an excuse for riding slowly?). Everyone us road riders are relegated to riding on treat. Check out these videos. would be welcome at a club ride no mat- the trainer, which has to be one of the ter what their ability level. When I first most boring things in life! Bryan Hrycyk The JSTS MTB group is quite diverse, started MTB riding, the more experienced finally convinced me to give mountain with some really good technical riders riders took time to show me the basics biking a try, and I’m glad he did. In this article, I’d like to try to convince some of you skeptical road riders that riding in the woods can be great fun, especially this time of year when road riding isn’t so much fun. I’m still primarily a road rider, but as the weather gets colder and the days shorter, road riding is more challenging. Moun- tain biking, on the other hand, is best in colder weather. Trails become firmer and easier to ride when they freeze, the ticks don’t eat you alive, and the parks are less crowded than in warmer weather. Unlike road riding, a chilly winter wind doesn’t have much of an effect when you’re rid- ing in the woods, rain is less of an issue since there isn’t a loss of traction and vis- ibility, and there aren’t any cars to worry about. There are trees, of course, but you don’t have to worry about them behav- of riding in the woods. John Gillis took with colorful names like “Hog Bog” SMARTER even more time to show a couple of us and “Tiger Woods.” It’s easy to get lost RIDING rank beginners how to negotiate logs and at Allaire, so riding with a group really roots. The club gives newcomers a great helps. Finally, the Queen park for MTB The Jersey place to come and learn the basics. is Hartshorne. This is the most techni- Shore Touring cal and most physically demanding park We’re blessed to have some really beauti- and deserves respect. There are many Society ful places to ride off-road. The JSTS obstacles, and the hilly sections are long MTB group rotates between four loca- and steep, challenging your stamina on tions, three Monmouth county parks and the way up and your brakes on the way one state park, and we travel to other down! Hartshorne offers superb views interesting places occasionally, such as over the Shrewsbury and Navesink Riv- Minnewaska in the Catskills. The four ers when the leaves are off the trees, and locations we ride regularly offer a variety we often see large flocks of waterfowl of terrain from easy to very challenging. wintering in the rivers. On the easy end, we have Tatum Park, The Jersey Shore Touring which as a combination of level mead- If you are interested in giving MTB a try, Society Inc. is a 501(c)(7) tax ows and hilly but nontechnical (meaning then your first obstacle is finding a bike. exempt organization. We are no significant obstacles) single-track. The variety of mountain bikes is even a club whose primary focus The hilly sections have some beauti- larger than for road bikes, but generally is on social, rather than com- ful mature stands they fall into two categories petitive bicycling. We have of chestnut oak, “I’d like to try to convince based on their suspension: “leader led” as well as “route and we often see some of you skeptical road front only (called a hardtail) sheet” rides. On a leader-led red-tail hawks and riders that riding in the woods or front and rear (called a ride, the group stays together, can be great fun” harriers out hunt- full suspension bike). Within going only as fast as its slow- ing for lunch. Only each category, higher prices est member unless there is an a bit more technical than Tatum Park is generally give longer suspension travel advertised minimum pace. On Clayton Park. Clayton is mostly hilly and lighter weight. A good place to start a route-sheet ride, riders can with easy single track through beautiful is with a hardtail, which is what I ride, proceed at their own pace, or forest and an occasional log to keep you and as your ability level improves, move ride along with others of the awake. One step more difficult is Allaire up to the more capable full suspension same ability. The route sheet Park, which has a wide variety of terrain. bike. If you have an old hybrid or moun- prevents getting lost in case Allaire’s main marked trails are fairly tain bike, then a good set of knobby tires of riders separating. easy, but Allaire has many challeng- would be enough to get you started at a JSTS welcomes newcomers ing unmarked sections of trail, in areas place like Tatum Park. to our club rides and requires that each rider wear a helmet If you want to ride in and complete a waiver avail- the winter but don’t get able at the pre-ride sign-in. a thrill out of ice on We have monthly meetings the highways or numb planned for the second Mon- fingers and toes, or if day of each month, and we you are bored with your publish a monthly newsletter trainer, come join us in viewable at our web site (www. the woods! jsts.us). If you like the club, please join by paying the an- ~ Bill Anderson and nual dues. Bryan Hrycyk The Jersey Shore Touring Society www.jsts.us Solve this Puzzle and win some real prizes! Ride Along, Sing Along — A Contest When I’m riding through the country- go Over river and through the woods O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! side, I like to take in my surroundings. (#4 what kind of horse is pulling the Sondern laßt uns angenehmere an- Often this stimulates a recollection of sleigh?) stimmen, some song. I thought it would be fun to und freudenvollere. follow my wanderings and turn it into Freude! Freude! a little contest that can get you some fame and fortune. The fame is open to Fortunately for anyone that’s around anyone, but the fortune requires you I don’t sing and I certainly don’t sing to be a club member. There will be a or speak German. So here’s a rough grand prize of a $25 gift certificate to translation: one of our member bike shops for the person that has the most correct an- Oh friends, not these tones! swers. If there is a tie, then there would Rather, let us raise our voices in more be a random drawing. Non-winners pleasing would be entered into a drawing of all And more joyful sounds! other entries for one of 3 gift certifi- Joy! Joy! cates of $10 each to one of our mem- ber bike shops. One entry per person. (#8 Title of the complete work, two Entries via email to me ckirlew@att. possible answers. Be careful, the com- net by 12/10/2009. All entries will be mon name is just for part of it.) responded to as a form of receipt. The Since I seem to be on a weather theme, drawing will be held at the Holiday Of course near the end of a long ride, there was one winter ride where I came party on 12/12/2009. You don’t need to Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty onto this open field. The wind was be present to win, but you will lose out comes to mind. “Looking back at blowing hard and I really wanted some on some of the fame and fun. the years gone by like so many ____ protection. The song from the Rolling _____” (#9 fill in the blanks) Stones is really about war, but I still So, let’s get started on this sojourn. wanted that “protection”. (#5 song Hmmm, that just reminded me of a Finally, I debated about this one for title) group that had an album titled Seventh awhile because I think I’m going to get Sojourn. (#1 name the group). Well some grief about it. But, what the heck. Some of us ride through Asbury Park that seems appropriate, for all our rides When I’m anxious to get riding again on Tuesdays during the summer. How are a form of sojourn. On many of the after a rest stop, these words come to can I not think of a Springsteen song? rides, I look out into the fields and I’m me. The song is about motorcycles, One of them talks about someone that reminded of a Bob Dylan song, All the but the thought is there. “Get On Your gets busted by the cops.