These are the results of the last ride I embarked upon, last weekend. Two friends and myself got out onto the trails near my house and by the time we were done tending to several technical mishaps (none pertaining to my machine, I'll note), the weather had turned and the temperature had dropped. However, as a group we decided to acknowledge Rule #9 and power through the next 24miles. Some light rain during a mountain bike ride is appreciated around here, as it makes the fire trails hardpacked and especially fast. However, the last 6miles or so were a little less than fun with sheets of rain, but I actually didn't mind that much. Sometimes, such a huge change to the norm is refreshing...
(It was a lot more sludged up before we decided to ridean extra three miles to my friend's house to warm up
and feast upon the glorious PB&J's awaiting us.)
Plus, with the arrival of Winter I've been able to catch up on some projects, including replacing my trusty Specialized road shoes. They were great while they lasted, but when you can see the toes of your socks staring out from the toebox, it's a good indicator that they need replacing. So, with the help of $15, I was able to pick up some very lightly used Sidi Genius 3's, that despite their age, vent far better than my previous shoes. The real test will come this weekend, when the same two friends and I embark on a 50mile slog into the foothills. They're not in the best shape either, so we've all allotted a longggg time for the ride. Plus, I don't think I've ever ridden more than 35miles in a single ride. Adventure time!
Some of the other things I've been able to catch up on recently are actually pretty important. I've been able to move several sets of tubular rims onto eBay to fund important acquisitions, such as a quality repair stand and a load of tools to complete my shop. Furthermore, more parts for the Mercian have arrived, have been cleaned, and mounted. That's for another day though. Let's see here, what other bike geek projects am I contemplating? Well, a mountain bike build is in the works, and I'm also soon to acquire another frameset which I might make into a beater fixie for school commuting. However, that's dependent on how I can organize the garage and if one of my friends rides to school as well (buddy system).
Other cycling-related projects currently on the table include all of Bishop O'Dowd High School's cycling club needs and requests. I took on the role of being the spokesman of the club, and, thus, have been requesting sponsorships from a very few select companies. So far, we're receiving a tremendous amount of support and we're very lucky to have such awesome manufacturers backing our racing team this year. I'm also working hard on a logo and jersey design to be completed soon. It certainly is turning out to be a huge amount of work, but it's going to pay off in the end.
So, for Monday November 25, 2010, that's all that I can pull out of my overpacked noggin. Some may call it stress, but I call it life. All that matters right now is that this weekend is looking like prime weather for lots of bike riding, and I encourage everyone to get out if they can. Never underestimate the physical and mental benefits of some good ride time!
And with that, I'm off to bed. Oh, sweet, sweet sleep... Keep the rubber side down AYC patrons!
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