This video has been making the rounds within the cycling community. It's a combination of Danny MacAskill's incredible trials and street skills with Dave Sowerby's dynamic videography and simply of the best cycling vids since The Collective...
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
The S54 is No More
I don't have much good news to post about training or my knee so I'll continue to post more M Coupe lore that I have been saving up.
It's cliche, but the S54 engine truly is the heart of the M Coupe. Engines over 300 horse power are a dime a dozen these days, but it's how those horses are delivered that make the race bread S54 stand out. It is not a tuned up production-relabeled-performance motor that occupies the underhoods of most marque's performance divisions. It is a purebred racing motor that was adapted for street legal service. This is evident from the individual cylinder throttle bodies on top to the stock titanium headers below. It revs smoother than a jet engine, with the tach needle being the only clue that 8000 rpm is rapidly approaching. This is rooted in the fundamental advantage of an inline six cylinder platform. Straight sixes are in perfect primary and secondary balance requiring no balancing shaft or harmonic balancing. Cylinder 1 opposes 6, 2 opposes 4, and so on. Inline 4's, V6's, V8's, V10's and V12's would all destroy themselves if it weren't for complicated internal mechanics to counteract the varying directional loads placed on the crank shaft. Add turbos, superchargers, and funky tuning to the mix and you end up with a torque curve that looks similar to last week's stock market.
It's cliche, but the S54 engine truly is the heart of the M Coupe. Engines over 300 horse power are a dime a dozen these days, but it's how those horses are delivered that make the race bread S54 stand out. It is not a tuned up production-relabeled-performance motor that occupies the underhoods of most marque's performance divisions. It is a purebred racing motor that was adapted for street legal service. This is evident from the individual cylinder throttle bodies on top to the stock titanium headers below. It revs smoother than a jet engine, with the tach needle being the only clue that 8000 rpm is rapidly approaching. This is rooted in the fundamental advantage of an inline six cylinder platform. Straight sixes are in perfect primary and secondary balance requiring no balancing shaft or harmonic balancing. Cylinder 1 opposes 6, 2 opposes 4, and so on. Inline 4's, V6's, V8's, V10's and V12's would all destroy themselves if it weren't for complicated internal mechanics to counteract the varying directional loads placed on the crank shaft. Add turbos, superchargers, and funky tuning to the mix and you end up with a torque curve that looks similar to last week's stock market.
The S54
Individual Throttle Bodies
The Perfectly Balanced Inline 6
Sadly, 2008 was the last year for the S54. Here's an excerpt from Jalopnik.com that summarizes the virtues of the S54 and its demise:
While the aesthetes in us are relieved by the 2010 BMW Z4’s lack of fish-faced ugliness, the drivers in us are a bit worried. Only available as a folding hardtop, we’re a bit concerned about the added weight and lack of a sexy coupe, but mostly, we’re disturbed by the absence the S54B32. Though the Z4 will use inline-six engines, ranging from a 2.5-litre 201bhp to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre, it won’t be getting the 343 HP naturally aspirated 3.2-liter unit. That means the old Z4, which has now gone out of production, was the last production BMW to use the legendary powerplant.
The S54B32 engine is an evolution of the S52B32 engine of the E36 M3. It makes 343 HP at 7,900 RPM, 269 Lb-Ft of the creamiest torque you’ll ever use at 4,900 RPM and revs all the way to 8,000 RPM. It was used in the E46 M3, 2001 and 2002 Z3 M Roadster and Z3 M Coupe, the Z4 M Roadster and Coupe and even the Wiesmann Roadster.
The reasons for its popularity are two-fold: its specific power output exceeds 100 HP/liter without the aid of forced induction and its torque curve is fat, smooth and gap-free across the rev range. The S54B32 revs quickly, makes power everywhere, sounds like nothing else on the planet, responds instantly and, most importantly, is really, really fast.
The S54B32 won the overall International Engine of the Year award upon its introduction in 2001, then went on to win the 3.4-liter category for six straight years. It happens to be this particular Jalop’s favorite engine of all time, preferably housed in a flat black Z4 M Coupe, or in his dreams, a Caterham Super7, which would allow him to experience the engine as it repeatedly bounces off its redline in all its undiluted glory.
Worst of all, the fabled M3's 3.2-litre straight six will die too. This is a fantastic unit, a naturally aspirated engine with a metallic bark that’d do a supercar justice. It debuted in the ’90s E36 M3 as a 3.0-litre, swelling to 3.2 litres in the E36 M3 Evo, plus the 'ZM3' models and E46 M3. The Z4 M marks this iconic straight six’s swansong, a heady 343bhp nestling under your right foot. And, no, the new car doesn’t get the E92 M3’s V8. There will be three straight sixes on offer, stretching from a 2.5-litre 201bhp to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre. All good, but none can match the 3.2’s sense of occasion."
In my opinion, the BMW Motorsport has lost its way. BMW has been a shameless leader in the grotesque obesity trend that has affected the evolution of automobile design since the late 1980's. I should note that the Japanese (the last hold outs) plunged headfirst into this trend in mid 2000's. I throw up in my mouth a little every time I see a late model Toyota Tacoma. This is to be expected, but Motorsport was supposedly different. Light, agile, normally aspirated performance cars designed for the track were its original mission. It seems that mission has shifted these days, with the M standing more for Marketing than Motorsport. Currently the smallest Motorsport vehcile weighs close to 4000lbs and the smallest Motorsport engine is a vibration happy V8. Okay it's probably pretty smooth, but no S54. With an M SUV and next year's turbo charged M5 debuting I don't see anything but a continuation of this trend.
I support the environmentally friendly rise of forced induction in modern cars, but am appalled at the size of most vehicles these are being used in. Most of efficiency gains are superficial at best, maintaining the current status quo as vehicles continue to grow larger. Until the have-your-environmental-cake-and-eat-it-too BMW 120d (50mpg, 0-60 in 7 seconds, top speed 135) comes to the US, the only current BMW I would park in my garage is a Mini Cooper! Lucky for me I've got a fine example of an S54 nestled in the lightest chasis possible. With Jo's gas sipping Honda Civic as a daily driver, I guess I can have a little cake and eat it too, but when that inline 4 wails under my foot I long for the smooth roar of the S54.
While the aesthetes in us are relieved by the 2010 BMW Z4’s lack of fish-faced ugliness, the drivers in us are a bit worried. Only available as a folding hardtop, we’re a bit concerned about the added weight and lack of a sexy coupe, but mostly, we’re disturbed by the absence the S54B32. Though the Z4 will use inline-six engines, ranging from a 2.5-litre 201bhp to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre, it won’t be getting the 343 HP naturally aspirated 3.2-liter unit. That means the old Z4, which has now gone out of production, was the last production BMW to use the legendary powerplant.
The S54B32 engine is an evolution of the S52B32 engine of the E36 M3. It makes 343 HP at 7,900 RPM, 269 Lb-Ft of the creamiest torque you’ll ever use at 4,900 RPM and revs all the way to 8,000 RPM. It was used in the E46 M3, 2001 and 2002 Z3 M Roadster and Z3 M Coupe, the Z4 M Roadster and Coupe and even the Wiesmann Roadster.
The reasons for its popularity are two-fold: its specific power output exceeds 100 HP/liter without the aid of forced induction and its torque curve is fat, smooth and gap-free across the rev range. The S54B32 revs quickly, makes power everywhere, sounds like nothing else on the planet, responds instantly and, most importantly, is really, really fast.
The S54B32 won the overall International Engine of the Year award upon its introduction in 2001, then went on to win the 3.4-liter category for six straight years. It happens to be this particular Jalop’s favorite engine of all time, preferably housed in a flat black Z4 M Coupe, or in his dreams, a Caterham Super7, which would allow him to experience the engine as it repeatedly bounces off its redline in all its undiluted glory.
Worst of all, the fabled M3's 3.2-litre straight six will die too. This is a fantastic unit, a naturally aspirated engine with a metallic bark that’d do a supercar justice. It debuted in the ’90s E36 M3 as a 3.0-litre, swelling to 3.2 litres in the E36 M3 Evo, plus the 'ZM3' models and E46 M3. The Z4 M marks this iconic straight six’s swansong, a heady 343bhp nestling under your right foot. And, no, the new car doesn’t get the E92 M3’s V8. There will be three straight sixes on offer, stretching from a 2.5-litre 201bhp to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre. All good, but none can match the 3.2’s sense of occasion."
In my opinion, the BMW Motorsport has lost its way. BMW has been a shameless leader in the grotesque obesity trend that has affected the evolution of automobile design since the late 1980's. I should note that the Japanese (the last hold outs) plunged headfirst into this trend in mid 2000's. I throw up in my mouth a little every time I see a late model Toyota Tacoma. This is to be expected, but Motorsport was supposedly different. Light, agile, normally aspirated performance cars designed for the track were its original mission. It seems that mission has shifted these days, with the M standing more for Marketing than Motorsport. Currently the smallest Motorsport vehcile weighs close to 4000lbs and the smallest Motorsport engine is a vibration happy V8. Okay it's probably pretty smooth, but no S54. With an M SUV and next year's turbo charged M5 debuting I don't see anything but a continuation of this trend.
I support the environmentally friendly rise of forced induction in modern cars, but am appalled at the size of most vehicles these are being used in. Most of efficiency gains are superficial at best, maintaining the current status quo as vehicles continue to grow larger. Until the have-your-environmental-cake-and-eat-it-too BMW 120d (50mpg, 0-60 in 7 seconds, top speed 135) comes to the US, the only current BMW I would park in my garage is a Mini Cooper! Lucky for me I've got a fine example of an S54 nestled in the lightest chasis possible. With Jo's gas sipping Honda Civic as a daily driver, I guess I can have a little cake and eat it too, but when that inline 4 wails under my foot I long for the smooth roar of the S54.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
After 10 Years Autombile Magazine still Loves the M Coupe
I picked up an Automobile Magazine last week and was surprised by a familiar shape on the cover, an M Coupe (upper right).
In the March 2009 Automobile Magazine 12 Hot Rides cover story, the 10 year old M Coupe got 3rd place among a field of much younger entries. The article, a most potent car for your money comparison, had nothing but good things to say about the M Coupe. It states that "In 1999 design editor Robert Cumberford called the M Coupe ugly, then gave it the design of the year award." He went on to say that the M Coupe "...is not beautiful (at all); brutal is a better word..." "It is the toughest-looking sports car on the world market; not even a Ferrari F50 states an uncompromising visual case as strongly." As far as it's rear biased, "burly" handling Automobile asked if the M Coupe "...was, perhaps, more true to the Porsche 911 ethos than even the new for 1999 911 was."
Automobile did, somewhat disturbingly, rate the Ford SVT and Nissan G35 ahead because they are cheaper and newer respectively, but this is moot because Automobile's M Coupe price of $10,500 is way off. The only M Coupe's I've ever seen around $10K are salvage titled fixer-uppers destined to be track rats and project cars. The economy has taken a toll on the blue book value, but not half to two thirds off in the past year. Rare, ultra low mileage, M Coupes still sell close to the original new value even these dark economic times. The Ford and Nissan pose absolutely no performance threat to the hooligan M Coupe, in fact the only vehicle out of the 12 chosen that even comes close was the last place entry, a Chevy Corvette. It's a regular corvette which does have a slight power advantage. Most regular corvette drivers I've encountered easily stack the odds back in the M Coupe's favor. Their expressions, part shock, part disdain, are classic when viewed from my rear view mirror.
This article is rather insignificant by comparison to the press the M Coupe has received in other magazines. In Auto Week it won a poll for the best American Sports Coupe of all time. Far more significant was the recent Roundel (BMW Car Club of America's magazine) article that listed it as one of the most collectible modern BMW's.
Car magazine's trivial fluff be dammed! I love the M Coupe for the same reasons I always have - there is nothing else like it. It is a unique balance of past and present, retro yet modern. Its styling invokes the iconic Jaguar E Type, MGB GT sports coupe form balanced with edgy modern angles. Under the hood it has one of the best engineered motors produced by mankind mounted to a suspension that requires the care and respect of a classic. It is free of the computerized, video game like novelties employed by modern cars that in my opinion serve only to distance the driver from the driving experience. In the evolution of the sports car the M Coupe's place on the timeline is a perfect intersection of the spirit of the past with the technology of the present.
Ski Copper for $9
My sister Kathy sent me this a while back and with all the snow we've been having I thought it was appropriate. It's from 1978, when it only cost $9 to ski Copper Mountain!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Out in the Cold Rain and Snow
If I could describe the past 7 days in one word it would be FRUSTRATION!
Last Sunday I was scheduled to ride 3:30 minutes. The problem was that a low pressure system had closed in on the Front Range bringing cold rain and snow. Jo and I missioned, all-weather style, out to the mouth of Boulder Canyon to ride the Switzerland loop (description here). Equipped with base, insulation, and shell layers, hand warmers, snowboarding gloves, 3 pairs of socks, and neoprene booties we headed out in light rain showers. It was an epic ride as the showers turned to rain, snow, and heavy snow; then back to rain as we descended. The descent downhill was a matter of pure survival, requiring a max speed of 15mph to keep our body core temps up and pedaling backwards at a high cadence to keep the blood flowing to our toes. After the ride I went straight to work for an all-nighter that was beset by weather delays and no sleep.
Last Sunday I was scheduled to ride 3:30 minutes. The problem was that a low pressure system had closed in on the Front Range bringing cold rain and snow. Jo and I missioned, all-weather style, out to the mouth of Boulder Canyon to ride the Switzerland loop (description here). Equipped with base, insulation, and shell layers, hand warmers, snowboarding gloves, 3 pairs of socks, and neoprene booties we headed out in light rain showers. It was an epic ride as the showers turned to rain, snow, and heavy snow; then back to rain as we descended. The descent downhill was a matter of pure survival, requiring a max speed of 15mph to keep our body core temps up and pedaling backwards at a high cadence to keep the blood flowing to our toes. After the ride I went straight to work for an all-nighter that was beset by weather delays and no sleep.
Riding up in the Rain
Town of Sunset
In the Snow
Glad that week and its storm system was over I looked forward to this week. Here was my training schedule:
Monday: 1 hour, 45 minutes.
Tuesday: Rest Day.
Wednesday: 2 hours, 30 minutes.
Thursday: 2 hours.
Friday: 3 hours.
Saturday: 4 hours, 30 minutes.
Of the 13 hours and 45 minutes I was scheduled to ride this week, I only got 2 hours and 47 minutes in, all of it due to bad weather. After only 4 hours of weather-delayed sleep on Sunday night, I was too tired to ride Monday. Tuesday was a beautiful day, but I had to go back to work all day.
Wednesday, another beautiful day, I rallied home from work to ride, but didn't get on my bike until the beautiful weather had given way to cold wind and rain from another approaching storm system. The Superfly was too dirty to ride from the last storm and I didn't have time to clean it. I pulled the HiFi down off it's rack and headed to Heil Ranch. The workout required multiple climbs of varying steepness so I decided to ride some proper singletrack. White Ranch, my first option, was literally engulfed in flames by a controlled burn which had the whole trail system shut down. Heil Ranch was the only other place I could make it to before dark that offered a long enough network of trails to accomplish my training assignment.
In fading sunlight, I clipped in and I headed out from the Heil Ranch parking lot. The moderate rocky climb leads to the Picture Rock trailhead. Last year the Boulder Mountain Biking Alliance opened the Picture Rock Trail which connects Heil and Hall Ranches. I applaud their efforts, but I absolutely hate the Picture Rock Trail. Its constant rocky surface is more annoying than technical, not requiring any real skill to negotiate. Which, combined with constant 90 degree turns, serves the indented purpose of keeping cyclist's speed down. There are wonderfully constructed flagstone berms, but they are completely unnecessary because you never get fast enough to need them. It's a quintessential example of the new style of politically correct trail building. Designed with intentional speed deterrents which cater to hikers at the expense of a good ride. Riding aggressively with 4 inches of full travel and 29er wheels I never was able to get much above 28 mph. Maybe it's just the rider, but I digress...
Glad to have Picture Rock behind me I pushed on to the Hall Ranch Trail head. The sun had peaked out underneath turbulent storm clouds and lit up Hall's sculptured rock formations in brilliant shades of red and orange. It was a wonderful show! On the climb to the upper loop I passed waves of riders finishing their after-work rides. In the technical rock garden part of the climb I had to put a foot down twice, which was surprising on the HiFi, because on the right day I can clear it no problem on the Superfly. As I started climbing up the top loop I was challenged by another rider. It being an intensity day I allowed myself to defend his attack and took off. After an impressive push by both of us I opened up a nice gab, bu the 27.5lb HiFi forced me to work hard for it. As I neared the bottom of the loop the sun had long set so I decided to bail out on the Antelope Trail. From there I rode through Lyons and back to the truck on the shoulder of Hwy 36 in the dark. Totals, 30.3 miles, in 2:47.
Heil / Hall Ranch Loop
I'm slightly out of fit on the HiFi and 2:47 was too long for my aggravated knee to take. I reserve long rides for the Superfly. Thursday I woke up in massive pain. Conveniently, I had a physical therapy session scheduled at noon and decided to take the day off to allow the anti-inflammatory treatment time to work. That night the full brunt of the storm hit dropping 12" of snow at my house by mid-day Friday. Having lost 2 big days of training I put together plan B. If I left at 6:00am today I could be in Fruita by 10:00am with plenty of time to do a 5 hour ride and mission home in time for work Sunday. Last night a report from Doug, who got stranded on a closed interstate 70 below Loveland Pass, quickly decimated any hope I had of making it to Fruita. It took them 10 hours to travel 3 miles after being turned around before the tunnel. Outside as I write this persistent rain is doing a good job of transforming 12" of snow into 12" of slush.
I guess the lesson in all of my ranting is that instead of being frustrated by circumstances outside of my control I must adapt. Although I feel like I'm wasting away and not building much needed base fitness I could probably use the rest. Perhaps I should talk to my coach about turning this week into a rest week. Life is good and not getting out to ride because of snow is a wonderful problem to have. I guess I should just go out enjoy the snow while its here, the dogs are always in need of a good hike...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Soaring North Boulder
I have been trying to soar North Boulder since 2004 with nothing more than extended sled rides to show for it. Last week, I finally got up! The city of Boulder is not a hang glider friendly place. I won't go into details, but all the sites go shut down years ago after a local jackass got trigger happy with a chainsaw. As a result of that disaster North Boulder is the only site that remains open. It's a mission to fly with a hang glider, requiring a 1/4 mile carry from the back side of the ridge. The launch slopes from east to northeast at an altitude of 6000', about 600' above the valley. Lookout Mountain in Golden is higher and takes less time to get to launch so I don't make it up to North Boulder much. Last Thursday was a rare exception.
North Boulder
3D View
I actually had no plans of hang gliding until I glanced at the forecast at work. A system was moving through bringing a light to moderate upslope with easterly winds. The east winds usually start in the plains and move west towards the hills as the upslope progresses. Rocky Mountain Regional Airport was predicting northeast winds at 12kts starting at 4pm. It's the closest airport with a forecast. I had a doctor's appointment at 1pm in Boulder and wouldn't have time to make it to Lookout, Boulder would have to do. After my appointment I stopped by the Phoenix Multisport office to meet up with Jo. The North Boulder launch is in plain sight of the Phoenix office which faces west towards the ridge. Jo dropped me and my gear off on the back side of the ridge at 3:30pm.
In the past I've lugged my glider all the way up to launch only to find conditions that had switched or turned off. It's only a 1/4 mile hike, but it feels like 10. I took the battens out of the glider bag and hiked them and my harness up to launch. The entire way up the wind was light to calm out of the north. I suspected I was in the wind shadow of the lower ridgeline that terminated at the launch. When I arrived I was greeted with a 5-10mph north wind. Almost 90 degrees cross to the left, it wasn't launchable on the main launch. I could possibly get off on the north end of launch, but my left wing tip would be uncomfortably close to a rock wall. I had to make a decision. Should I gamble that the wind would shift out of the east as the upslope progressed and press on with the mission or should I bag it and salvage what was left with the day? I've gambled on conditions that never materialized before at North Boulder and can testify that it is a somber walk carrying the glider back down.
I decided to gamble on the upslope and turned back to get my glider. On the way back up, as I made the U-turn around the south end of the ridge it looked like a good decision. In just 20 minutes it had really turned on. 15-20mph winds were blowing straight in, directly out of the east. A pair of hawks playing in the ridge lift above me spurred my excitement so I upped my pace. I made it the entire way without stopping, but was on the verge of cracking. When I arrived at launch the conditions were the best I've ever seen them. Light thermals being pushed by easterly winds were rolling through regularly. I rushed to set up while keeping an keen eye on the wind direction. It was shifting in strength and direction from due east to northeast, but by the time I was hooked in it had shifted back to directly out of the north.
Argh, what a teaser! The perfect conditions had vanished as quickly as they came. The sun, thermals, and hawks were all gone. I was alone on the barren hill trying to decide if I could pull off a marginal launch to the north. I walked the glider over to the northern most edge of the launch. When my left wing was about 6 feet from the rock wall I stopped, it was as close as I could comfortably get. It wasn't close enough, I still had a 30 degree crosswind. The crosswind wasn't the only problem. If I didn't angle my body to keep the wing level to the horizon on the sloping hillside I would come off the ground in a turn. I hung out for an agonizing 30 minutes contemplating and hoping for the wind to turn, but it never did. Every time I lifted the glider to feel it in the wind I nearly lost control. I gave up hope of soaring and just wanted to get off the hill to avoid walking the glider down.
Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I was too emotionally involved in getting off the ground, my judgement was being affected. I unhooked, stepped away from the glider and looked at the situation objectively. Slightly down the hill, the slope better paralleled the horizon. I would be lower on the hill, but it favored the wind direction better. I put together a plan. I would hook back in, walk down the hill and wait for the wind to blow straight in. I would be facing mostly north, so it wouldn't take a huge direction shift to be lined up. If the wind never shifted, I'd walk back down the hill and enjoy the exercise. It worked, after about five minutes I found myself with a controllable wing that wanted to fly.
There wasn't another soul near me, but I yelled "Clear!" anyway and executed a perfect launch. There was lift right off launch and I climbed to about 75 feet over. From there I had enough altitude to head north before turning right to make the LZ. I pulled my VG full on and went for it. The wind was blowing at a 60 degree angle to the ridge, but there were enough northeast facing bumps on the hillside with ridgelift above them for me to work my way north. The ridge ended in steep rocky walls at Lee-Hill Canyon. If I could just make there, ridgelift would be plentiful. I skimmed the lower ridge, linking one small bump to another until I made it to the first rocky outcrops of Lee-Hill. At times I was low enough to kick the tree tops, I fully expected to have to break off to the right and land, but miraculously, never needed to.
At Lee-Hill I hit solid ridge lift. The lift band was narrow, but deep. I pushed out and gained 200' before I crossed through it. I turned back and worked a few more small lift bands to climb to 6800'. Now I had enough altitude to turn back down the ridge. As I did, the wind shifted east and lift became plentiful. I couldn't believe it! I was finally up!! I let out a few yells of joy and enjoyed the moment. Below me I could see into the empty hot tubs of wealthy houses straddling the ridge. Lower on the hill a herd of mule deer grazed in the grass, oblivious to my presence. To the west I was almost even with the snow line of the Front Range's towering peaks, to the east the high plains stretched out to the horizon. The upslope had arrived again and was bringing rain showers with it. I shifted back into super efficient mode and concentrated on getting as high as I could on the ridge.
North Boulder
3D View
I actually had no plans of hang gliding until I glanced at the forecast at work. A system was moving through bringing a light to moderate upslope with easterly winds. The east winds usually start in the plains and move west towards the hills as the upslope progresses. Rocky Mountain Regional Airport was predicting northeast winds at 12kts starting at 4pm. It's the closest airport with a forecast. I had a doctor's appointment at 1pm in Boulder and wouldn't have time to make it to Lookout, Boulder would have to do. After my appointment I stopped by the Phoenix Multisport office to meet up with Jo. The North Boulder launch is in plain sight of the Phoenix office which faces west towards the ridge. Jo dropped me and my gear off on the back side of the ridge at 3:30pm.
In the past I've lugged my glider all the way up to launch only to find conditions that had switched or turned off. It's only a 1/4 mile hike, but it feels like 10. I took the battens out of the glider bag and hiked them and my harness up to launch. The entire way up the wind was light to calm out of the north. I suspected I was in the wind shadow of the lower ridgeline that terminated at the launch. When I arrived I was greeted with a 5-10mph north wind. Almost 90 degrees cross to the left, it wasn't launchable on the main launch. I could possibly get off on the north end of launch, but my left wing tip would be uncomfortably close to a rock wall. I had to make a decision. Should I gamble that the wind would shift out of the east as the upslope progressed and press on with the mission or should I bag it and salvage what was left with the day? I've gambled on conditions that never materialized before at North Boulder and can testify that it is a somber walk carrying the glider back down.
I decided to gamble on the upslope and turned back to get my glider. On the way back up, as I made the U-turn around the south end of the ridge it looked like a good decision. In just 20 minutes it had really turned on. 15-20mph winds were blowing straight in, directly out of the east. A pair of hawks playing in the ridge lift above me spurred my excitement so I upped my pace. I made it the entire way without stopping, but was on the verge of cracking. When I arrived at launch the conditions were the best I've ever seen them. Light thermals being pushed by easterly winds were rolling through regularly. I rushed to set up while keeping an keen eye on the wind direction. It was shifting in strength and direction from due east to northeast, but by the time I was hooked in it had shifted back to directly out of the north.
Argh, what a teaser! The perfect conditions had vanished as quickly as they came. The sun, thermals, and hawks were all gone. I was alone on the barren hill trying to decide if I could pull off a marginal launch to the north. I walked the glider over to the northern most edge of the launch. When my left wing was about 6 feet from the rock wall I stopped, it was as close as I could comfortably get. It wasn't close enough, I still had a 30 degree crosswind. The crosswind wasn't the only problem. If I didn't angle my body to keep the wing level to the horizon on the sloping hillside I would come off the ground in a turn. I hung out for an agonizing 30 minutes contemplating and hoping for the wind to turn, but it never did. Every time I lifted the glider to feel it in the wind I nearly lost control. I gave up hope of soaring and just wanted to get off the hill to avoid walking the glider down.
Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I was too emotionally involved in getting off the ground, my judgement was being affected. I unhooked, stepped away from the glider and looked at the situation objectively. Slightly down the hill, the slope better paralleled the horizon. I would be lower on the hill, but it favored the wind direction better. I put together a plan. I would hook back in, walk down the hill and wait for the wind to blow straight in. I would be facing mostly north, so it wouldn't take a huge direction shift to be lined up. If the wind never shifted, I'd walk back down the hill and enjoy the exercise. It worked, after about five minutes I found myself with a controllable wing that wanted to fly.
There wasn't another soul near me, but I yelled "Clear!" anyway and executed a perfect launch. There was lift right off launch and I climbed to about 75 feet over. From there I had enough altitude to head north before turning right to make the LZ. I pulled my VG full on and went for it. The wind was blowing at a 60 degree angle to the ridge, but there were enough northeast facing bumps on the hillside with ridgelift above them for me to work my way north. The ridge ended in steep rocky walls at Lee-Hill Canyon. If I could just make there, ridgelift would be plentiful. I skimmed the lower ridge, linking one small bump to another until I made it to the first rocky outcrops of Lee-Hill. At times I was low enough to kick the tree tops, I fully expected to have to break off to the right and land, but miraculously, never needed to.
At Lee-Hill I hit solid ridge lift. The lift band was narrow, but deep. I pushed out and gained 200' before I crossed through it. I turned back and worked a few more small lift bands to climb to 6800'. Now I had enough altitude to turn back down the ridge. As I did, the wind shifted east and lift became plentiful. I couldn't believe it! I was finally up!! I let out a few yells of joy and enjoyed the moment. Below me I could see into the empty hot tubs of wealthy houses straddling the ridge. Lower on the hill a herd of mule deer grazed in the grass, oblivious to my presence. To the west I was almost even with the snow line of the Front Range's towering peaks, to the east the high plains stretched out to the horizon. The upslope had arrived again and was bringing rain showers with it. I shifted back into super efficient mode and concentrated on getting as high as I could on the ridge.
Lee-Hill Canyon
I peaked out at about 7000' and decided to explore the valley to the east. The showers were getting closer and soon my face and arms were being pelted by granular snow pellets. I nervously scanned my leading edges to see if I was picking up ice. They were clean so I pressed on. I continued to climb slowly in a light convergence as I glided east. The snow got worse as I neared cloudbase and I started to feel the cold. My vario was showing a temperature of 25 degrees and an airspeed of 33 mph. Not expecting to get high I was wearing only a T-shirt, a wind-stopper jacket, Iron Clad gloves, and a full face helmet with no visor. I distracted myself from the cold by trying to make it over the Phoenix Multisport office. When I did, I could see a crowd below waving at me from the balcony. I yelled down, but at an altitude of 7800' I could only hear the sound of wind and snow pellets bouncing off me. Jo told me later that Molly had spotted me after the first yell and watched me intently for the rest of the flight.
At Cloudbase above the Phoenix Office
Molly Watching Intently
Soon I flew out of the convergence and found myself in 500 feet per minute sink. I tucked my tail and turned back to the ridge. I arrived at about 100 feet over the top and worked broken ridgelift to stay up. I could maintain, but the weather was deteriorating. I was cold and I didn't want to get greedy and be in the air when the full brunt of the storm pushed through. I flew out over the LZ to plan my landing.
Running Back to the Ridge
The LZ in North Boulder is as good as it gets. It's a wide open, groomed, grassy field that is landable in all directions with a huge wind sock. The only problem was that since I had launched a little league had set up soccer games all over the field. There was no real estate large enough for me land on anywhere in the field. I had plenty of altitude to glide north and land in Boulder County open space, but this would have consequences. Since the chainsaw incident Boulder is very sensitive about where we land. There are NO HANG GLIDING signs with a hang glider under a ghostbusters symbol plastered all over the open space. Just north of the soccer field was a perfect flat area, but I could see it was surrounded by "Closed for Re-Vegetation" signs. Not wanting to attract any bad press, these were not viable options. The only other option was a down-sloping postage stamp of prairie next to the wind sock. On the uphill side was a well used dirt path, on the downhill side were the crowded soccer games. The wind sock was showing a light northeast breeze. If the slope wasn't too steep and I flared like hell I might be able to pull it off. Overshooting was not an option, I committed to flare early and "ride the elevator down" if I came in too hot.
I boxed the field scanning for unseen hazards and watching the wind. I opted for an S turn approach over a downwind, base, final because the air was disorganized with lift and sink. At the right altitude I rolled out on final high enough to avoid any pedestrians walking on the path. I aimed just left of the wind sock. It was working out perfect. As I got closer I could see that there was a steep ditch that dropped into the soccer field. If I was still in the air by the ditch I would float into the goal net of the closest soccer game. Just as I transitioned fully upright I got popped up by a wind gust. Now, slightly high, I focused on making the spot. As I rounded out in ground effect I could tell it wasn't going to work. I was going too fast and the ditch was rapidly approaching. I waited until the last possible moment and flared like hell. I ballooned up about 6 feet, but held the flare and landed firmly on my feet. It worked! Safe on the ground I looked up to see that the soccer game had ground to a halt. The only thing still moving was the soccer ball. Every kid had stopped dead in his tracks to watch me land. I waved a friendly wave while the coaches yelled at the kids to keep playing.
North Boulder LZ
Success
The Wind Sock and Soccer Games
The Ditch
North Boulder from the Ground
I let out a few yells of joy and started breaking down. I hid my glider next to a playground and set out on the long walk back to the Phoenix offices. Everything about the flight was epic, from the time I started hiking up the hill to the long walk to pick up my truck. Others with more polished soaring skills might have an easier time getting up at North Boulder. Until Thursday I had had nothing but failure. The gravity of all those failed previous attempts to get up there was a huge factor throughout the day. As I walked back to the office I breathed a sigh of relief to have that weight lifted off on my shoulders. It was a day I'll remember for a long time.
Flights: 1. Airtime: 1:02 minutes.
Monday, April 13, 2009
More Dragonfly Goodness
More Dragonfly Goodness. This is from the Flytec meet in 2006. I volunteered for a few days at this meet, but missed this part of the action.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Snow on the Switzerland Trail
With the warmer weather, I've shifted the majority of my training rides from Marshall Mesa to the Foothills. Yes, I've been continuing to train through my knee issues and will post a knee pain update soon. The February thaw melted most of the snow below 10,000 feet, but April's blizzards have offered persistent replenishment. The base rides I've been doing are variations of a Sunshine Canyon, Poor Man's Road, and 4 Mile Canyon loop. The Switzerland Trail crosses the top of 4 Mile Canyon and offers more routes both to the North and South. Wednesday, Jean-Paul and I did a 28 mile, Sunshine, Poor Man, 4 Mile, Switzerland loop to Sugarloaf Road, ending on Canyon Blvd. It had been about 5 days since the last snow, but there was still about 6" of semi-frozen wet snow on most of the Switzerland Trail.
I had managed to forget all of my nutrition that morning and was near cracking when we hit the first snow. There were two compacted ruts, one featuring a motorcycle track that offered the best line. Jean-Paul took off while I trudged along, slipping and sliding. The problem was that I was too cracked to middle ring the climb and maintain my momentum. On deep snow, or any loose surface for that matter, momentum is your friend. I rode steadily, but slowly, having to expend more energy on balancing and not slipping. Seeing my sad state of affairs Jean-Paul offered me a Gu, which eventually gave me enough juice to downshift and maintain a little more speed. As I rode faster it got remarkably easier and soon were we on the back side of Sugarloaf Mountain and out of the snow.
I had managed to forget all of my nutrition that morning and was near cracking when we hit the first snow. There were two compacted ruts, one featuring a motorcycle track that offered the best line. Jean-Paul took off while I trudged along, slipping and sliding. The problem was that I was too cracked to middle ring the climb and maintain my momentum. On deep snow, or any loose surface for that matter, momentum is your friend. I rode steadily, but slowly, having to expend more energy on balancing and not slipping. Seeing my sad state of affairs Jean-Paul offered me a Gu, which eventually gave me enough juice to downshift and maintain a little more speed. As I rode faster it got remarkably easier and soon were we on the back side of Sugarloaf Mountain and out of the snow.
This loop is a great base loop with a 100 different variants from short 1 hour rides to all day 80 milers. As the snow continues to melt more options will open up. The sustained moderate climbing will be a good segway into climbing-focused rides like Super Walker, if my knee allows. Riding in the snow was good fun and a great work out. It will be good training for my last race of the season, The Iceman, held on Michigan's upper peninsula in November. More on that later...
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Black-crowned Night Heron
This is the elusive Black-crowed Night Heron. I spotted it in the swampy pond across the street from my house.
The rare Black-crowned Night Heron travels the country in search of its sole prey, the Three Testicled Moss Fish. Using a tripod motion and microscopic barbs embedded in its skin, the Three Testicled Moss Fish literally walks out of the water to feed on micro nutrients contained in moss. A nocturnal bird, the Black-crown Night Heron stalks the fish along the moss covered shores of swampy ponds and streams. It can pick up the scent of a Three Testicled Moss Fish from hundreds of miles away and has been known to travel across entire states in the pursuit of a single fish. I was amazed to see the bird in my neighborhood. Native myth states that the Heron's eyes were burned red after it flew too close to the sun, while modern biology theorises that the red eyes are optimised to pick out the Three Testicled Moss Fish's olive green colored skin.
This is all an extravagant lie, of course! The Black-crowned Night Heron is actually a very common bird. It's found in wetlands all over the world, including my neighborhood pond. It does hunt fish nocturnally, but not the afore mentioned fish. I was able to get close to this one because he was having a mid-day sleep.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Snowy Flatirons
The 70 degree days of January and February have given way to the snowy days of March and April. There was a break between storms today where the sun broke through and lit up the Flatirons brilliantly.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Sleeping Great Horned Owl
A couple weeks ago I spotted this sleepy great horned owl on the side of the road in Eastern Colorado. As I sped by I could only see the nest with a figure sticking out of the top. I thought it was just a hawk or maybe an eagle, but when I got turned around I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a great horned owl staring back at me in broad daylight. I was about 70 yards away from him, but could easily see his ear tufts blowing in the strong southerly breeze. He watched me cautiously as I maneuvered into a good shooting position. My instinct was that he would fly away if I got out of the truck so I shot from inside with the windows down. The shots are nothing spectacular, but it was cool to see a great horned in daylight.
There is a mating pair I see occasionally where I walk the dogs and an individual I've seen a few times near the Boulder Res. Unfortunately, every time I spot them it's always too dark to photograph.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Awesome Dragonfly Video
If your in the hang gliding community odds are you've already seen this, if not shame on you. For the non-hang gliding readers out there, this video rocks! It's from the Forbes 2009 comp in Oz and was filmed by Bob Bailey, the inventor of the Dragonfly.
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