2010 World Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships

Really cool video from Brooks England.  Worlds were held on August 15th in Berlin.  3... 2... 1... POLO!

Pillsbury State Forest

This weekend I got the opportunity to do some riding in the Pillsbury State Forest northwest of Brainerd/Baxter.  It was nice to get on the bike again.  Other than polo, I haven't been biking much lately.  Between the heat, storms, home projects, family get-togethers, and a short trip up north (without my bike), it's been tough to find the time.  For this trip up north bringing my bike was a priority...

This was the first time running CrossMark tires both front and back on the Fargo, and I'm glad I did.  The trails were rougher than I had remembered.  But the Fargo handled the rocky, rugged trails without any problem... the mud, rocks, logs, steep downhills... everything.

The trails were a lot of fun, especially some of the downhills.  The excitement created by speeding over a rough trail combined with the feeling of being deep in the woods really makes for an awesome experience.

At one point the trail dumps out on a forest road, right in the middle of an area that is currently being harvested.  Giant tire tracks, piles of debris, open areas without trees, and heavy equipment made it hard to follow the trail, but I eventually picked it up again.

I didn't see much wildlife, but it's a pretty area and the route I took passes dozens of small lakes.

I returned to the resort with muddy legs and a multitude of bites and scratches.   A quick jump in the lake made for a refreshing end to a hot ride.  Another great summer day on the Fargo...

I ended up with about 20 miles, but wish I had kept going to 30 or so.  I hope to get up to the area again next summer to do some more exploration.  At a couple points the doubletrack crossed what looked like freshly built singletrack.  Figured I should do a bit more research before I venture on brand new singletrack... next time.

Getting Suspended

It's been a hot, stormy week here in MN, but I managed to get out on some dry singletrack.  My full suspension bike hasn't been getting much attention so I figured it was time for it to see some dirt.  In fact, this was the first time I had ridden this bike all year.  I also wanted to do a couple laps at Lebanon Hills - a great local trail that I hadn't ridden since last summer.

I had forgotten how much fun a fully suspended bike can be on rough singletrack.  The bike rode well with the exception of the shifting (which needs some adjustment before it hits the trail again).  In my opinion, a full suspension bike makes a trail like Lebanon Hills much more enjoyable.  I love flying over rock gardens, logs, drops, and rough downhills... and full suspension really takes the edge off those types of impacts.  That said, if I was smaller and my fitness level was where I'd like it to be, I could handle those obstacles through technique... but that simply ain't the case.

My plan to do two laps got cut short earlier in the week (rain started falling during my first lap), so I returned yesterday for a couple laps.  Overall it was a really fun ride.  The trail was in good shape with a few new additions since my last visit.  The heat and humidity were a bit much for me though.  I'm really looking forward to some cool fall weather...

Short Polo Film

Here is Mr. Do's newest polo film.  Filmed last month at the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.

Pure awesomeness...

North American Hardcourt Polo from Mr.Do on Vimeo.

Sounds like this might be just a teaser - hopefully a longer film will follow.  Watching this makes me want to play... right now.  I wish today was a polo day!!