Tag Archives: Redbeard’s Mt. Washington

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The B Team Bringing Their A Game

You know, Pittsburgh is a beautiful city. And to see it from the seat of a bicycle along with riding to and through all the beautiful city parks is something very special. Cyclo X is the brainchild of Aaron Shafer who started this ride a number of years ago and it has increased in popularity. Aaron’s route changes each year for variety but for the most part, it encompasses all the parks with some mixed surfaces like road, gravel, and of course singletrack trails.

The founder of Cyclo X- Aaron Shafer. A Team Leader
The start at the Grist House Brewery – Millvale, Pa.

The ride can be done on a gravel bike, but the preferred bike would be a mountain bike. No chance on a road bike. There are some fairly technical trails in the city parks especially the Emerald Trails up on Mount Washington where having a mountain bike is an advantage. Sure, gravel bikes can be used, but unless you have some pretty superb technical skills, you really are better off riding a mountain bike which is fine on all surfaces.

The Emerald Trails- Mt. Washington.

This year the route began on the North Shore trail and made its way through the Northside up to the first park on the menu- Riverview. After an insanely steep climb from Woods Run to the top of Riverview, the groups were tested early. There are two groups- the A group consisting of mostly younger guys and gals who are still racing and riding at a high level.( I have socks older than them). And the rest of us, the B group, with less mileage and climbing. Everything is up from the rivers and thus the vertical challenge. The A group ride is usually 70-80 miles and over 5000 feet of climbing, the B group is around 50+ miles and over 4000 feet of climbing. Nonetheless, a challenge for either group.

From Riverview, the groups make their way to Point State Park and out to Oakland near the Pitt and CMU campuses. Riding your bike along the roads of Oakland and the Southside is interesting because you tend to see things and neighborhoods where you might not ordinarily go. But the real challenge was ahead on the climb to Mt. Washington.

The Shark making his way over the water.

Many people don’t realize that you can take singletrack trails all the way from the Southside up to the top of Mt. Washington. These lead to the Emerald Trails which yielded some really nice views of the city, but things get tight and technical real fast. And they are off camber making you pay close attention so as not to plummet over the hillside. All of this is rewarded with a lunch at Redbeard’s which is an annual affair. Sitting outside, both groups gather together for a quick lunch before hammering the Emerald Trails back down to the Southside and once again out to Oakland to complete the route through Frick, Schenley, and Highland parks. Frick Park has some technical riding and again, a mountain bike is preferred.

The view from the Emerald Trails
CMU Campus with University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning in the background.

It is always amazing to me to see the kindness and friendliness of Pittsburghers. I needed some water and we saw these guys in Hazelwood sitting on their porch. Mike Connors, our attentive leader on the ride, asked them if we could get some water and they brought out bottles of cold water from their fridge. They were interested in where we started and would end up and were so engaging with our group. Pittsburghers are like that and even though most of us don’t spend much time in Hazelwood, we were grateful to the guys on the porch.

The annual lunch stop- Redbeard’s Mount Washington.
Our MVP Wesley on a vintage Rob Vandermark Merlin titanium frame – single speed. Tough climbing on a single speed. Not the burliest tires either.
The B group bringing their A game to Mt. Washington.

After about 6 and half hours of riding, our group made it back to the Grist House for a well deserved beer. The A group was still out but we all were satisfied with the effort that we made, and it was time to relax savoring another Cyclo X. These events tend to bring people together maybe that have never met or perhaps not seen each other in a long time. I was encouraged that it seemed to go well this year even though I was starting to wonder if I was a little “long in the tooth” for this event. But with the fellowship of friends, the beautiful weather, and the really scenic route, I am committed to do this ride until I can’t pedal. After all, I was the oldest rider at Cyclo X. Plus, Pete Hilton would never let me quit attending.

Steve Gurtner of B group bringing their A game fame.
Steve Gurtner, Mark” the Shark” Sauers, and Robb Alarcon- friends in winter and summer.

The nice thing about these kinds of events is that they are memorable for a number of reasons. One of them being a comeback for a guy who had some setbacks last year. The Shark had A fib issues and wondered if he would ever ride at a high level again. But with a lot of prayer, good medical attention, and some serious fortitude, Mark ” the Shark” Sauers, came back to ride strong this year and strong in this year’s version of Cyclo X. In fact ,he rode some extra miles, well, because he could. Stories of the ride, the mishaps, the fun and the climbs, all abounded at the Grist House after the ride and Cyclo X 2023 is now in the books. Hoping that Aaron puts together another interesting route next year. If you have any interest in a really fun but challenging ride, check Facebook for next year’s event. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to be a follower on the page. http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me a lot.

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Après

Après in the City
Après with the bride at Niagra on the Lake- Canada.

Recently I have been posting about the necessity to enjoy each day as we get older. Instead of always planning the next trip, adventure, or whatever, enjoy each day as it comes. You can’t get time back and it is important to grasp each moment of each day and enjoy it for what it is. Not that you can’t make plans or on the flip side, make everything spontaneous( I wish I could), but take the time to enjoy where you are and relish the good day at hand.

Après is a celebration of each day’s events. Usually accompanied by a beverage or two and involving all the folks with whom you did something with that day. These summer days, it is usually with my mountain biking group. We finish a ride, change clothes, grab our coolers and snacks, haul out the camp chair from our vehicles, and relax as the day winds down. The stories that come out are fun and relishing the day’s events with friends is truly the best part of the ride in my opinion.

Après is more famous in the ski setting as most people like to do the same thing after a great day of skiing. Sitting around a fire with a beverage or two and reliving the great conditions of the day, is a major part of the ski experience. The pictures below celebrate après and also our friend Tim Girone’s birthday up in Bend, Oregon this past winter. Janet asked me, ” we are going to sit around in the parking lot and drink beer and eat snacks in the cold?” She was the last one to leave. It was so much fun and an adaptation on the usual après ski venue.

Happy Birthday Tim- cold but fun.

I posted recently about one of my favorite après ski places- The Cottage up in Lake Placid. Another great venue for celebrating the day’s events.

Most often, one of the more humorous parts of après is how the day’s stories grow in size similar to the standard fishing stories. The size of the fish increases as the day wears on and the same with après. The stories get more spectacular the longer you sit in your chair. Like my dad always said,” The first liar never has a chance.” LOL! All part of the après scene.

Après is fun no matter what sport you participate in, and you should make it a part of your outing whenever you go riding a bike, playing golf, tennis, or whatever floats your boat. Celebrate the day and the friendships that you have made. They say if you go out of this world and can count your good friends on your right hand, you are fortunate. Kind of grim, but really drives home the point to take the time to enjoy each day on this planet, and enjoy the friends that make your days special. Après is like the icing on the cake to a great day. It is the signature of the outing, signed sealed and delivered. You always remember the great days of riding and skiing and equally, most of us remember the great après events that followed the days. They are etched in your mind forever when thinking about good friends. The memories, the pictures in your mind, will last a lifetime. Celebrate with après in whatever you do and most importantly savor each day as it comes. They go quickly. Thanks for reading.

Bob Kowalski – master provider of snacks for the post MTB rides.