Greg Rides Trails: May 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

How to Plan the Perfect Road Trip

Everyone defines their perfect MTB road trip differently. For some, it might be stringing together a long loop of mountain bike trails at different locations to drive to and hit, one after another. For others, it might be driving cross-country non-stop to reach a destination that has enough singletrack to fill a full week of vacation time. For still others, it might be a combination of the two.

This summer my wife and I are going on an epic road trip. This road trip is so epic that we don’t even know for certain how long it will be or how many trails we will ride yet. However, we do have a plan in place about where we will start, and here’s how we went about getting to this point.

Click on over to Singletracks.com to read the full blog post!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Old About Page, V2

The following is what used to be on the about page (the second version of the about page, that is). As you can probably tell, it is grossly out of date. I am in the process of drafting a new about page that more accurately reflects how I view GregRidesTrails at the present time.

On Greg Rides Trails I am more interested in sharing concrete mountain biking information and instruction with you, and not so much simple stories of where I rode or what I crashed attempting the other day. For most of the past year, I have been seeking to create a resource that mountain bikers will find useful. I think I've been partially successful with great sections like the Trail Review Series, the Tips and How-To's, and several product reviews and updates.

And while I say that my main focus is hard information, I'm an English major, and I like to play with the English language and different ideas that come into my head. Oftentimes my philosophic side (I'm a philosophy minor) kicks in, and I write about the deeper issues of our sport: what mountain biking means, what motivates us, how we should act, etc.

On top of the straight information and my thoughts on the bike, I also like to shoot photographs and take video with my GoPro helmet cam. I know that I mentioned in the first paragraph that I'm not really interested in writing ride reports... but I have been known to at times.

In short, everything is fair game here on Greg Rides Trails, but I constantly strive to bring you information that is useful, or posts that are thought provoking or entertaining.

So in the simplest terms, I have to say that this blog is simply about mountain biking. If you like what you've read, please be sure to "Like" the GRT Facebook page, or subscribe to our RSS Feed!

Enjoy the ride!

-Greg Heil

PS More information can possibly be found on the old about page.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

A Year in the Life: Week 15

May 5: on top of Big Green mountain in Panthertown Valley NC. Great time celebrating Andrew's upcoming marriage!

May 6: Early morning mountain biking in Panthertown valley, NC.

May 7: My first feature article in a mountain bike magazine, "Tribal Connections," begins on page 66 of Dirt Rag #163! Be sure to check out my Snake Creek Gap recap on page 18 as well!

May 8: Dirt Rag.

May 9: mountain biking in Chattanooga, TN

May 10: riding the Biology trails in Chattanooga

May 11: riding virgin singletrack in Chattanooga

Friday, May 18, 2012

Chattanooga Trip

I recently spent 3 days riding in Chattanooga while working on a destination feature for Dirt Rag Magazine. While you will have to wait a while to read my write up, I met up with Jeff and Jeremy and hit a couple of trails on Thursday, and you can read Jeff's ride report here.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Panthertown Valley: The Yosemite of the East

Panthertown Valley, located east of Cashiers, North Carolina, is a high-altitude valley (by East Coast standards) that contains and is ringed by tall mountains with several massive granite faces. This unique topography has earned it the title “Yosemite of the East.”

Click on over to Tripleblaze.com to read the full article!

Monday, May 14, 2012

150 Foot Log Ride

Quick video of me nailing a 150 foot log ride at Enterprise South, Chattanooga, TN:

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Snake Creek Cap Recap in Dirt Rag

I recently had a recap of the Snake Creek Gap race published in Dirt Rag #163 on page 18. Be sure to pick up a copy and check it out!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tribal Connections: Feature Article in Dirt Rag Magazine

Today (5/7/12) marks my first-ever feature article published in a print mountain bike magazine! Titled "Tribal Connections," the article is a preview of a number of upcoming mountain bike festivals across the nation. It begins on page 66--be sure to pick up issue #163 of Dirt Rag Magazine and read it!