Bicycling in Bloomington

  Sunday June 10, 2007I decided today to ride my mountain bike in Wapehani Mountain Bike Park. The weather was nice - cool and it hasn’t rained much in the past week, so the trails were mostly dry. I had a long to-do list for the afternoon, so a long road ride wasn’t possible.

Wapehani has three sections (or at least I categorize them that way). The section to the right/west of the parking lot is very technical (for me). It has many rocks, stumps, roots, branches, logs, tight turns, and narrow trails. At this time of year, the trails are very narrow. I wore a long-sleeve jersey to reduce the slashes from branches, vines, thorns, etc. It was needed. I usually start my rides in this section.

A second section is a series of steep hills on the other side of the lake. Generally, I attempt three hills. Sometimes I do a fourth but that’s rare. Sunday, I rode only two hills (more later).

The third section is to the left/east of the parking lot. It has trails that are similar to most single-track off-road trails. The trails have a few challenges and a few very short steep hills. It’s the easiest section for a beginner to ride. I usually finish my ride in this section because it’s the most fun for me.

My riding was awful, for the most part. had to step out in places that I rode over in my first ride of the year, about a month ago. The hill climbs told me it was a bad day. On the first hill, I can usually make it to the top stepping out only for an 8 log barrier in a steep part. I have yet to figure how to ride over the barrier. But, I got thrown a couple times. In fact, I started over a couple times to see if I could make the section but wasn’t much more successful the second time.

The second hill, I can usually climb. The second hill is much steeper and has a significant number of roots, rocks, etc., but I’ve learned a path that I can ride to the top. In my earlier ride, my HR was 170 at the top. Yesterday, I spun out on rocks and roots a couple times. I seemed to lose control and not be able to get it back.

After two bad hills, I didn’t try the third hill. The third hill very steep hill and I’ve only ever climbed about 2/3 of it before losing traction or the front wheel. Last year, I got further than ever before and got so excited that I might make it that I lost focuse and pulled my front wheel too high to recover. Someday I’ll get it.

Finally, I chose a long path in the third section and rode it twice. That was fun. I rode it much better the second time.

I was frustrated with my (lack of) skills. I attributed partially to being tired and partially to spilling on my last off-road ride in Rum Village in South Bend. I seemed to lack “spirit.” When I met an obstacle or spun out, I gave up rather than pushing past it. On the second loop in the easy part, I finally felt I was getting better but I got thrown off for the second time in a rutty, rooty, twisty climb that I usually can manage.

The trails were in pretty good shape which they usually are after they dry out in the spring. I am always the first rider on the trails on Sunday mornings, so I broke through a lot of insect work that was done overnight. I continually had to clean webs, etc. off my face. The park was dark and I regretted the amber glasses for the first hour (8 - 9 AM). I often couldn’t see very far. I should have worn clear lenses.

Despite my poor performance, I still enjoyed the ride when it was over. It’s nice to do something different on a bike.

Here’s a link to an old, abandoned website that somewhat describes Wapehani. By now, most of the trails have eroded so that the roots on the right in the picture extend across the trail. There are many more trails now.

For those new to Wapehani, if you have good technical skills and good climbing skills, you will enjoy the park and be reasonably challenged in two parts. For those with fewer skills, the trails on the left/east side of the parking lot can be a lot of fun, even for a beginner.