This post is dedicated to one of our favorite Senior Rippers, Charlie Dixon, from Buck Hill Falls, PA, who passed away this week from complications due to Covid-19. Charlie always lived life to its fullest, with a smile on his face, and an encouraging word. We will miss him dearly. Good fortune blew a small group of “Rippers” to the base of Powder Mountain Ski Area on a warm Sunday afternoon.  Our intention was to mountain bike, but the parking lot was deserted. Two loose dogs led us to an open door where fortunately their owner knew enough to point us up a newly paved road. We landed on top…

Almost exactly one year ago today, on May 5, 2019 (my, how times have changed!), I rode in the Belgian Waffle Wafer Ride, in San Marcos, California, just northeast of San Diego. Belgian Waffle (BWR) is a mixed terrain race with two editions: the full length Waffle Ride of approximately 140 miles, and the shorter, Ripper friendlier, Wafer edition, of approximately 75 miles. In BWR’s own words, “IS THE WAFER REALLY ONLY HALF AS FILLING? The Wafer is much harder than doing half of the Waffle. Its dirt-to-road ratio is much higher, and the course is slightly longer. 75(ish) miles with plenty of climbing and sand incorporate to form this…