Fun in the mud

It’s been a long time since I’ve had as much fun on two wheels as I did Sunday at the Darkhorse 40. The weather was perfect. The course, just behind the Stewart airport in Newburgh, was two 20-mile loops through woods and fields. The Friday rains kept the dust down but left several large muddy puddles to keep the feet cool. The race organization was excellent, if a bit long-winded.

I rode in the Sport 40-49 class. From what I understand about open MTB races, you can pretty much choose your own category. We had a LeMans start, which was silly, because at 40 miles this was considered an endurance event, and LeMans starts are traditional, someone said. The Experts went off first, and all the Sport cats went off a few minutes later.

I figured I’d sit in and see how I felt after the Cap Region RR Saturday. Everyone went off hard. I don’t have a lot of confidence in my technical riding abilities. Usually, I can power by riders on the hills or flats, but as soon as it gets twisty, rocky, or goes downhill, I have to let people by. Stewart’s trails were pretty suited to my level, and after the group started spreading out I was able to pass and distance riders. My mistake in the race was sitting in behind groups on the trail for too long, figuring on just sprinting by people at the end. But 40 miles is a long race, and there are always people to catch up ahead. So I ended up 2nd in my category by about 4 minutes, and 5th or 6th in Sport overall. Not much to report. No attacks, no breaks, no breakdowns, no squirrelly riders. Just good dirty fun swooping around trees and rocks on a bike in the woods.

The 40 miles took me 3 hours 30 minutes, about 40 minutes off the fastest time on the day, Tim Haitz on a Vicious Cycles single speed. Mountain biking is not a long constant effort like a road race can be. It’s a lot of serious power sprinting up hills just to stay upright, coasting down, braking and accelerating again. A lot of arm and hand strength is necessary. Well, relative to road riding. I could barely move my right hand by the end of the race from all the braking and shifting my sticky grip shifter. The front wheel rolls over obstacles but often needs to be manhandled into the right direction. It felt like a great workout.

Pros and Cons versus Road Racing
MTB: Hairy legs (mostly), beer bellies, more clothing choices.
Road: Shave or go home, teetotalers, better look like a PRO.

MTB: T-shirt, bottle and BBQ dinner included in $40 registration. Free gels and power bars. Pee in the woods.
Road: You expect something for your money?? Constant bathroom line.

MTB: You could hit a tree and die or miss a turn and ride off a cliff.
Road: You could hit a car and die or miss a turn and ride off a cliff.

MTB: You can mix in with other categories, but there’s not much benefit.
Road: You can make fun of lower categories, but that makes you an asshole.

MTB: At times it feels like a time trial, no matter what you do.
Road: You don’t have to do time trials if you don’t want.

MTB: There’s lots of shade and fresh air, but it’s hard to take your eyes off the trail for long.
Road: It’s hot and you’re sucking down exhaust.

MTB: There’s something about it that seems a little geeky. I think it’s the Camelbacks.
Road: There is an unwritten code you have to follow.

MTB: No rules, really. Just don’t cut the course.
Road: Some rules, but they are rarely enforced.

MTB: Free beer and BBQ after the race.
Road: You expect something for your money?

Anyway, I’m pretty up on mountain biking for the moment. But I know that I’ll always be a roadie. I only had half a beer. Red wine was waiting at home.

There has not been much action in my kitchen lately. But one recent dinner reminded me how fun and rewarding it can be to make simple food.

<img src=”http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/gnocchi3.jpg”>

Here’s an unwritten rule for eating out. NEVER, and I mean NEVER, unless you’re just doing it to see if NEVER is still correct, which it always will be, NEVER order gnocchi. Reasons are, most restaurants either don’t know what it is or don’t how it’s supposed to be made. (And if you think restaurant gnocchi is good, then make this and learn.) Also, it’s hard to prepare in advance because restaurants just aren’t suited to caring for fragile gnocchi. So what you get are inedible, gummy, incredibly heavy lumps that barely have any potato flavor and sit in your stomach for hours. Chances are they’re giving you something frozen they bought from SYSCO. Don’t believe me? Try it to see if NEVER is correct, then make this recipe. OK, if you go to Per Se and there’s a wacked out version of gnocchi on the menu, feel free to order it.

I’m going to refer you to a recipe on a pretty good food blog called 101 Cookbooks: <a href=”http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/how-to-make-gnocchi-like-an-italian-grandmother-recipe.html”>How to Make Gnocchi like an Italian Grandmother Recipe</a>. This is fine as it is, but here are a few points that might help.

I did not boil the potatoes. I microwaved instead. Or I would bake them. The idea is to use as little flour as necessary, and if the potatoes are wet, you’ll need more flour. Plus, it’s much faster.

Beat the egg in advance, and more than lightly.

Let the potatoes cool enough to handle. You can push them through a strainer if you don’t have a ricer.

<img src=”http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/gnocchi1.jpg”>

Don’t stir the dough, not even once. Fold it.

Add some chopped fresh herbs or fresh black pepper.

Before you shape all the gnocchi, test boil a few to make sure they don’t fall apart. If they do, fold in some more flour. If they taste too floury, use less next time. You want just enough flour to hold it together. They should almost melt in your mouth. If they’re chewy or have any spring, you probably stirred the dough and/or added too much flour.

The way I roll mine would be considered inside out, with the ridges on the inner part of the curl. This is faster because you can do it on the cutting board rather than having to pick up each one. The ridges will still hold your sauce.

When you boil them, cook in single serving batches.

Here they are with leeks and a bit of garlic sauteed in olive oil and butter, with parmesan.

<img src=”http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/gnocchi4.jpg”>

The dough in this picture is ready to be rolled out.

<img src=”http://www.velocitynation.com/pictures/image/gnocchi2.jpg”>