Bruce Blais' Mountain Biking Site

Introduction - Bruce originally started chronicling his mountain biking activities in the Blais Family site. That site grew in size due to all kinds of events, mountain biking included, that it needed to be split. That is why this site was developed.

Why Ride? - Because I choose to be athletic. Each of us is at a different point in our progress. Some are marathoners. Some are half marathoners, or distance cyclists, or triathletes, or hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, you name it. But, as I saw it recently expressed, an athlete is someone who gets up, suits up, and works out anyway, even when it's not their most
favorite thing at the moment. Athletes believe that by choosing to be active, we're choosing to take charge and make a difference in their own lives.

The legend of Dusty Gator - Bruce's mountain biking "handle" came about when he first started riding. In the beginning, Bruce didn't have any fancy riding jerseys, so he would wear bright orange Gator tee-shirts. The folks in the discussion forums of the Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association (DORBA) used "handles" instead of their real names. Since Bruce was a beginner, he was usually at the back of the pack eating dust in his Gator tee shirt. Hence the birth of Dusty Gator. 

Organization of this site - This site is organized as follows:

Rides - A description of the trails he has ridden across the USA. This includes local trails near his home in the Dallas, Texas area, trails in Texas, and trails across the country. This section includes; a description of the ride(s), ride statistics, photographs, printable maps, GPS tracks than can be down-loaded. It also includes biking festivals & events.

Bikes - This section describe his bikes, current and past, how he uses them, and the upgrades made.

Gear - The Gear section describes the equipment he uses while riding and to support bike maintenance. It includes tools and spare parts, tools, tires, shoes, gloves, helmets, pads, hydration packs, bike transport, etc.

Nutrition - This section deals mainly with hydration and nutrition before, during and after rides of 1 to 7 hours.

Reference - There is a lot of information related to biking. This section attempts to provide a clear and concise description of the theory and math behind many of these questions. In many places, these descriptions are supported with external references.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(Announcement 1)

Version 0.2, March 13, 2017