some guy on a bike

Yesterday I went on a ride at Deam Lake with a small group of riders who belong to the Louisville Mountain Bikers Meetup group.  It was awesome.

I am happy to say I got the bike (and me) coated with mud, leaves and all manner of dirt. I am even happier to say I did not break any bones, in fact, didn’t fall at all (but wow, ALMOST did a whole lot of times). I did manage to bend the rear derailleur when I got a branch stuck in the chain and spokes, and getting back to the car from that point on was a bit tricky as the bike would not stay in any gear very long, but I made it! And it was WONDERFUL. The only shock I had was at the end, looking at average moving speed. So much different from road biking, but then again, a LOT of it is different. I can tell it will be a challenge for me to decide what I will ride come the spring and summer. I definitely want to mix it up.

What I didn’t do this first time out:

* Log hopping. Gonna wait until I develop a feel for the bike.
* Fast descents. Gonna wait until I know trails/routes and develop a feel for the bike before I let it out.

What I did do this first time out:

* Stopped and de-biked, completely laid the bike down, whenever we came upon horse and rider (three of them on this ride).
* Tried to let momentum be my friend, but was a little tentative at times.
* Rode through a coupla small streams without dismounting (but slowly).
* Wore way too much clothing for the weather (60 degrees).
* Had a freakin blast.

Official documentation of my first ride

Well, my road riding season is dying down.   See, I am not a bicycle commuter like some of my other colleagues.   I am all for it, mind you.  But, in my current work position, where I live, where I work, plus the work schedule that is necessary to keep, it is not feasible.   So…call me a recreational rider.    I much enjoy riding away from the city anyway, since I don’t live in the city in the first place.   But the season is changing.  I have the Synapse on a trainer now (a new investment), and since the rubber is almost gone on my rear wheel, and the fluid trainer I am using puts a fair amount of wear and tear on a tire, I am reluctant to pull the bike off the trainer and take it on the road.   What I want to do:  Buy a new wheelset (I am considering these.), take the old 12-27 cassette I recently swapped out for an 11-28 and put on on my existing wheel,  buy a training tire for the old wheel, get a new set of Continental Grand Prix 4000s’s for the new wheels, and then I would be a lot better off, because I would have a wheel specifically to use on the trainer.  But money is hard to come by.  Those things will have to wait.   I will just keep the Synapse on the trainer and wear that old tire down to the tube over the winter, and come spring, if I don’t have the money to do the whole new wheelset thing, at least I can just get the tires, which I will need regardless.

Until then, I have the new Talon to take out and explore with.  It’s kind of exciting, doing something new.  I have lived all these years without doing any mountain biking, and today I take it out on a trail for the first time.  About time, huh?  It’s kind of like the feeling I had earlier in the year, in the summer, when a late afternoon thunderstorm was rolling in, and I took the Synapse out on the road, and headed straight into it.   Kind of a stupid exhilaration.    That describes the moment pretty well.   I feel less stupid about taking the Talon out today than I did taking the Synapse into the storm earlier in the year, but the exhilaration part…the anticipation, the wonder…applicable.

Soon, I will “officially” log over 2,000 miles on a bike this year. I say officially because I didn’t really start keeping track until after I had already ridden a couple hundred miles. But still, I didn’t actually start riding this year until May. Now, the thought of fewer days riding the roads around where I live is a little bit of a downer, but I am trying to keep my mind in a positive place, despite the fact that the daylight hours are getting shorter and the road riding season is slowing down. Even my speed is slowing down. Not sure if it’s intentional or not, but I choose to think it is me just wanting to stop time and stretch the rides out even longer. My mantra is becoming something like, “Never wish away time, never wish away distance” – a quote from a New York Times reporter who recently completed a cross-country cycling trip.

Yesterday’s ride was that way, one that had me absorbed in every delicious moment. A beautiful spin in the countryside. It was 28 miles, hardly a car, rolling hills, farmland and old barns, blue skies, late afternoon sun on gorgeous trees, long shadows, and the wonderful aroma of fallen leaves. Sometimes I wonder how many rides I have left, but then I quickly sweep that thought out of my head, and live in the now.

As for my riding log, it’s not much to look at, really. Only 72 rides. But it seems like much more than that to me. A lot of great moments on the road, some of which have become crystallized in my memory. Anyway, if you are curious, my riding log is here.

Long may you ride!