I've been riding for a while, but for some reason have never tried the east main trail at the WWC. It's a blue so I expect some difficulty, come on man. I'm older 49, but not overly fat and gross yet and consider myself in decent shape. I couldn't come close to finishing this trail without walking. Is it me? I know it's me. Who out there is riding this trail and completing it? Seriously your on your bike the whole time enjoying trails like this? You add the rocks and roots to those hills, impossible. I know it's mountain biking, but just to have some flatness every now and then, maybe some decent flow would be nice. I guess I'm just curious if most of you enjoy riding hills the whole time.
If by chance you have completed this course can I train under you.

You're right.

Try it in the morning after a good rain when it's good and greasy if you want a real challenge.
Make sure you bring your XC race tires..  

Fortunately, it's not a regular destination in my rotation. But it's good to head over there occasionally to remind me I'm not 25 anymore. And no amount of training's going to undo that. 

The Elk wrote on 07/17/17 at 5:10pm:


East Main has fantastic flow. Add it to your regular rotation and you'll get it. You will suffer a bit at first, but it gets easier quickly. Join some group rides to get a feel for how others are riding it. 

I'm 53 and East Main ain't that big a deal!!  Rocky River...One full lap with all options plus going back around on the Green route is all I want--and then some!

IntheBush wrote on 07/17/17 at 5:59pm:


Aww come on Bush, you cant be a wussy all your life. toughin up

pearl wrote on 07/17/17 at 7:00pm:


That looks like the Boy Scout Camp in Allamuchy

Shredder wrote on 07/17/17 at 7:27pm:


This is the Water Co Trails down in Lambertville actually!

Our team puts on a Short Track race up that way, it's pretty rad!

Yeah Goat and East aren't that bad, just a bit of repetition and you will get it.  If a climb is challenging give a few tries at sessioning it instead of rolling straight to the next part of trail. It helps to do some repeats of the climbs as it helps you to remember the length of each climb and where the techy stuff is. Good luck!

The Elk wrote on 07/17/17 at 7:42pm:


Hey Elk..

You know what I learned along time ago.. People can do all sorts of things on the internets..

Only way to know for sure is, to meet 'em out there and watch 'em do it.

The other option is to hang out at RRT and maybe you'll run into everybodies hero Lance. I'm sure he can help you scale Goat Hill, etc.. no problemo.  

Me? 

Heck, I was a legend in my own mind long before I found this place.  And I've got better things to do than snap my leg in half trying to peddle up the ridiculous, or be a beta tester for mountain bike helmets.. I guess everbody's got their own cup o' tea.

And yes Enoch, I still prefer wussy. 

Took me four or five tries to clean Goat Hill. It helps to break it into sections in your mind and tackle these small segments first. I still do it on the Gorge Climb at RRT (to me, there is Gorge Beginning, Gorge Middle, and Gorge End). Sometimes, I can only make one or two of them. Been riding seven years and still can't clean the whole trail  (RRT). But it's all good man. We all start at different places due to our backgrounds, experience, and fitness level. 

But even if you only get a few feet closer on your next try, you'll have shown improvement. And some days you might come up even shorter than before but we all have days when our hearts or legs just aren't feeling it. Just remember - if no one was able to ride it, it wouldn't be there. The fact that it's there makes it "doable" by default. Keep that in mind before you let a section of trail intimidate you too much. 

Trust me on breaking it into smaller sections though...

It's not all "internet talk"... Enoch really is 55 and will push you until you think about selling your bike (and I'm 28 lol).... give it time, and ride harder stuff and the stuff that seemed difficult will get way easier.

3 years ago was my first MTBing experience and I couldn't finish the lake loop climb without stopping at WWC.  While I'm far from an expert now, I have cut about 40 lbs, can ride 30-40+ miles without stopping, and am surprisingly quick uphill for still being 200lb+.   

We've all been there, I still find myself saying "this trail seems easier than I remember".  The key is riding your bike and pushing yourself, riding 10 miles 2-3 times a week should be a minimum goal at this point, and will go up as your fitness increases.

Man, I wish I had a 20 lb. single speed, like some of my world class Super heroes here.  

Enoch builds a great trail as well.   

Me? I'm world class in other areas. I'm just trying to get a little exercise and have a little fun, my bros.

Elk, take a trip to Sherman Branch, Lake Norman State park or Cane Creek if you like better flow..

There are others closer by to the WWC area, but you'll just have to try them to see what's most convenient and suited to your style, your bike budget, etc..

I can't think of any trail I've ridden anywhere that didn't have some kind of "flow" aspect to it.  How is "flow" defined anyway?  Is flow associated with the ability to maintain a certain speed throughout the trail with minimal pedaling?  That sounds more like coasting to me.  At the risk of waxing philosophical , it seems to me that flow is achieved from within & not without.  Consider the Back Yard, for example.  90% of it requires quite a bit of pedaling & effort just to maintain a state of uprightness & forward momentum.  The rider must find the flow and, if fitness allows, maintain it without the need for the trail to provide it.  Don't get me wrong, I love being able to effortlessly coast at high speed for long periods of time but that's only a small fraction of what mountain biking is all about.  Consider what happened at ASG.  Sugar Island was awesome & had an excellent mix of flow & hard effort sections, i.e. climbing.  The new Paradise Loop, on the other hand, is super fast & flowy throughout & is very easy to navigate.  ASG is now the easiest trail around.  I like it for what it is but the reward is easily won & I really miss the difficulty of Sugar in relation to the rest of the trail.  For me Academy & East Main are among my most favorite loops at WWC, including Carpet, Goat, Wedge & the Tower Loops due to their difficulty.  Another example would have been Poplar Tent.  Super tight, twisty, rocky-n-rooty with minimal flow yet it was most everyone's favorite trail.  I guess it's all a matter of perspective & personal preference.  In either case, RAMFB!

DavidM wrote on 07/19/17 at 12:02pm:


Flow is generally the absence of technical trail obstacles.

If one's goal in mountain biking is jumping fences, boulders, ridiculous elevation changes, rock climbing, risking a coronary event in the 100 degree heat, meeting search and rescue crews in the back country, destroying their $3000 bicycle in record time, or being a legend among mere mortals, etc.. More power to them. They have plenty of options without insinuating everybody else lacks skill.

Other riders simply have a little more finesse about the sport. 

In the context of mountain biking..

This is flow;

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This is a lack of flow;

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Most certainly the 2nd trail could be considered to have flow on a downhill specific mountain bike, with a rider accustom to riding such terrain, with an ambulance and support crew close by, and with someone else paying for their bikes. But generally speaking, in these parts and with the bikes most suited to the terrain in this area, the 2nd trail is lacking flow.

Talley, where you at? I need help here blaming it on 29'ers at fish stix. 

This is getting good...

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Don't let ITB bull&^&^ you........he can ride.

What did we all do before the internet, how would we ride them trails! Crazy how we have so much information at out finger tips now!     

And yes fish stix farms was horrible on my 29er yesterday! 

Sorry Jerry............I should of read it all before posting, but Robert C is still cute.

what Pearl said.

Hey Elk..

If you were a tough guy like me, Jerry and Scott T.  You wouldn't have any trouble at East Main.

You come down to Cane Creek in the morning some time, I'll ride with you. Just send me a pm and let me know.

Robert C. wrote on 07/19/17 at 5:48pm:

You tryna bait me?   They both do once you learn the rhythm.

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rob wrote on 07/19/17 at 11:46pm:


I go up to Richmond Va. a couple times a year and have 2-3 sections I have to walk on the trail system there.  No shame here either.  I'm not driving 4hrs home w/ a broken collarbone, etc by myself because I wanted to be a tough guy. lol

this guy (the elk) isnt even that good of a rider. ive ridden with him before and he's trash. no surprise here he cant make it up hills

The Elk wrote on 07/17/17 at 7:42pm:


Elk.
It appears to me that your problem may be more mental than physical. I don’t mean that you’re lazy stupid or anything like that. What I do believe is that you have let this trail get in your head and you have convinced yourself that you can’t do it.
After turning 50 I ran a full marathon by simply convincing myself that I CAN and WILL do it.
Let me know when you want to ride it. WE CAN and WILL ride it. 

There is one semi rocky climb on East Main that zaps me when I ride it.  I can clear it but it takes a good effort.  And there is some other sections that are definitely steep and punchy climbs.  So (one year later) no it's not just you.  Pretty much everyone gets their heart rate way up on this an other similar sections of trail.  I just think when you are in good shape and riding a lot you can recover quicker.  Still isn't "easy" though.  I didn't ride a whole lot over the winter and on a few of my first rides out there this year I had to walk a couple sections of that trail.  I cleaned Goat Hill on my Process 153 a couple weeks ago but someone could have walked up that section about as fast as I rode it.      

Forgot to add that despite the tough climb at East Main that trail definitely does have some good flow to it.  I think overall the trail is great and shouldn't be avoided.  I prefer it over North Main actually.  South and East are my go to trails out there.  Just getting used to my new bike and flat pedals so if anyone wants to meet out there for a slow ride hit me up!

sCvHeaVens wrote on 05/15/18 at 11:38am:


The Elk is my dad, we've been riding together for years 

IntheBush wrote on 05/17/18 at 3:05am:

East Main still sux munkey balls...whats yer pointe?

pearl wrote on 05/17/18 at 6:55pm:



Have you ever even ridden the Figure 8 Loop BRO?!?!?

pearl wrote on 05/17/18 at 6:55pm:


Yup, exactly.

Walk your bike up a few, down climb a couple, and the rest of it isn't that much different than anything else around here.

Quote:


I crush the droops and don’t even run a drooped poast

pearl wrote on 05/17/18 at 6:55pm:


Go back to New Jersey.

MountainCycle wrote on 05/18/18 at 2:25am:


F that place son

I have a mentally tough time doing 2 laps of anything. The hardest part of RRT is the river bluff rock section.

pearl wrote on 05/18/18 at 1:48pm:


Root section at top of river bluff rock section*