A Taste?

It was almost in the air last night. On the back side of Twilight following two other riders I noticed it didn't feel as hot as it had last time TC and I rode this stretch. Could it be? Has summer lost it's death grip? I wasn't the only one to notice as others mentioned it when we got back to the trail head. I'm almost afraid to hope.

I saw something out there last night that I'd never seen before. At least I think I saw it. At first it sounded like geese honking and I thought, "now that's not right there's no geese out here in the wiregrass". I asked the other guys if they'd heard anything but they didn't answer; we just kept pedaling.

I looked around and across the gas line I saw at least 5 people dressed in gray camo running in the same direction (away from us fortunately) and I swear they were making that honking noise. I again hollered at the other two riders but got no response.

As we crossed the gas line a solid black Dodge pickup came out of the woods fast and headed into the woods on the other side of the gas line. This area is vehicle restricted so I have no idea what was going on out there. Nobody else seemed to think any of this was strange as if people run through the woods making goose noises all the time.

Anywhooo it was a good group to ride with, a good pace, and plenty of mileage. We got back to the trail head just as it was getting too dark for me to see easily. We even enjoyed a beer together before we headed home.

But I know what I saw out there!

School has started for the kid so he missed the ride last night at FM. We did get to go to TB both Saturday and Sunday for some short but very enjoyable rides. We played around on the qualifier to the big drop on Magnolia and never could get up the nerve to ride it. The drop was fun though. On Cadillac we messed around with that rooty section that gives us so much grief but never got through it clean either. I kept thinking something about an old dog and new tricks.

FM last night was a workout. Nobody from the regular moto crew could go and since I'd not ridden since Sunday I was in the mood to ride. I rode by myself at a pace where I was winded but not gasping except on the lake climb and was headed back to the truck after completing the lake loop and Red Bug when I ran into the BC group unloading.

They graciously asked me to tag along and we went back out on RB at a moderate (for me, slow for them) pace. Now I have no trouble on these hills with my regular group so when we started up the first one I looked down, made a couple of cranks, looked up, and these guys were gone. They even had to circle back to look for me. Humbling, but I did enjoy the abuse.

The days are getting shorter but it's not any cooler. Well maybe a little, it's 93 instead of 99 but the humidity seems worse than I remember.

We're planning on running the 8k/5k race at FM this Saturday. I haven't been running regularly so this should be another opportunity to be humbled.

Munsoned Out

The youth ride Tuesday was at Munson and it was just as dry as it was the last time we were there. It rains everywhere but on my yard and on this trail. We had a new father son team with us. The father I have known for years though distantly. He's now an expert level MTB racer and is trying to introduce his 8 year old son to the sport with all the fun and frustration that entails.

We made a short slow loop with Rupe and CF leading and it seemed the 8 year old had had enough when we got back to the benches so they peeled off and we then went on the CF chosen path which was the regular TT route. Both Rupe and I are getting a little burnt on this particular loop but CF hammered it harder than I've ever seen him hammer and we all finished up panting and sweaty. It poured rain as we loaded up.

Wednesday I had trouble deciding where to ride as showers had hit most of the trails sometime during the day and I just couldn't face Munson again. It was Rupe's first day of school and he wanted to get out and ride so we just did the default ride at FM even though it was wetter than a frog's back. Giant and another father/son duo were the only other participants so we headed out onto Red Bug for a short wet section then down to the Lake Loop.

We dropped the duo (not on purpose) and they went back by a different trail so just Giant, Rupe, and I went across to the McClay side and did Silk then around the lake. Giant and I weren't hitting it very hard but we were still dropping Rupe off the back and I turned around to see him as we passed the dock by the lake. After we climbed the hill I turned around and rode back down to see how far back he was. I couldn't find him. Any one who has been a parent knows that feeling when you can't find your kid, even if he is 14 and 5"8" and has ridden this trail 50 times.

It was getting dark so I doubled back all the way to the dock, hollered his name then turned around and climbed up the hill to the only place he could have turned off and headed down that trail. I ran into a couple walking and they said they had seen him behind us earlier but not since. That meant he was still on the bike and I had missed him. Another jogger said he had passed him a good ways back and he was headed up the hill. I pounded back up to the trail head at FM and found him talking to another couple apparently asking them if they had seen me.

After I vented my fear and frustration in front of everybody we rode back to the truck. Rupe had not really done anything wrong except scare the crap out of me. That is the first time I've ever lost him while riding. I could tell it scared him too and he had a funny look on his face on the ride home.

Oh well alls well that ends well. We will take a couple of nights off and see what next week brings.

Wet Ride

Hot and damp at 8:30 Sunday morning when we pulled into the trail head at Magnolia. Rupe had some new MTB shoes he wanted to try out and I had just had my crank bearings replaced (already?) with a set that was guaranteed to make me faster. This bicycle game is just like the dirt bikes when it comes to spending money, it's always "just a few more dollars and it will be perfect".

We were invited to join a group of much faster riders and after I pleaded that we would only slow them down we fell in behind them. Right off the truck they started hammering and had me gasping in just a couple of tenths down the trail. They did slow up when they hit multi use but as soon as it got technical they were gone. I struggled with one root section that they had no trouble cleaning and we didn't see them again till we got to the bike wash at the MOAPG. Rupe's face was red and I was panting as we rolled up to find what must have been 20 riders going on the TMBA Panera Bread Co. ride. We found some familiar faces in the crowd and since the fast group had already left we decided to join the new group and explore some trail we hadn't seen before.

That many people on single track is a study in frustration as we crashed and stalled our way down Fern over to the Bread Co. where we filled up the grass lot in front. I liked the look on the faces of the patrons as 20+ sweaty bicyclists sprawled out on the grass. Rupe was complaining of stomach pains until he let out a belch that sounded like someone had run over a bull frog then he felt better.

On the trip back we got to see some real acts of balance on some of the log crossings. I could barely walk across what they rode across. We did a partial loop of Magnolia and as it began to mist we called it a morning. We needed to be at Rupe's school for open house that afternoon anyway and this was a good time to quit even though we were tempted to continue with a smaller group we were out of water and I didn't feel like filling up my camel back from the dog spigot.

I can't believe it's already time for Rupe to start school again. It's been a great summer.

The Last TT

I'm sorry we didn't start doing these at the beginning of the summer. Rupe and I just started to enjoy them and now it's over. Last night was at Munson (again) with all the beach sand in all the wrong places it was a challenging ride for me. Rupe cut quite a bit of time off his previous run while I was only able to cut 10 seconds off of mine. He's getting close to my times and there's nothing I can do about it.

After 3 straight evenings of MTB I'm feeling tired today, my pulse rate was up this morning which is a good sign I need to take a night off the bike plus my knee feels weak, man I sound like an old guy complaining about my aches and pains.

It's our normal Moto Guys ride at FM tonight but so far nobody has emailed me about wanting to go so I'll keep quiet and see if they remember. Like an idiot I'll go if they want to, Rupe said last night he was up for it. We shall see.

The Weekend

The Fam and some friends did an early morning boat tour at Wakulla Springs last Saturday. There was a light fog on the water and we got to see manatees, gators, and all sorts of birds. Afterwards we all enjoyed a huge breakfast at the lodge and went snorkeling in the springs. The only downside was the popularity of the springs on a hot summer day, it was crowded by the time we left, but all in all a good trip.

We picked up some athletic gear bags from Sports Authority that worked perfectly for our MTB stuff for half the cost of lesser bags from the bike shop.

By Sunday afternoon I was ready for a bike ride again unfortunately Rupe was not so I headed to TB with my music for a planned moderate pace ride by myself. I cranked the forks down to the shortest travel and had the pro pedal on and it seemed to help cornering on the hard pack. As I was almost done with my first lap I ran into BW and TC and was honored by a lap with BW. The skills these guys have in the technical sections amazes me and with a few pedal strokes they're out of sight.

Rupe and I did Munson Monday last night with a big group. He went on the shorter route while I chased TC on twilight. My tongue was hanging in my spokes by the time we got back to the truck but I like being pushed and was pleased with my stamina. Rupe had tunes and enjoyed the ride.

We are both planning on doing the XC race at TB in September so that gives me something to train for. I hope not to get last place or puke. Not very lofty goals but it's something.

We did pick up the orange beast but haven't ridden it yet. We'll just wait and see how this goes.

We did another junior ride on the Greenway Tuesday and it brought back memories of Rupe when he first started pedaling off road. I can remember the meltdowns "I hate these hills" and "stupid bike!" It took all I could do not to scream at him back then and I was successful (most of the time). I knew he had to get over the learning curve before he could begin to really enjoy the ride and it was (is) my responsibility to keep him stringing along until he got there.

I got to meet a couple of new people on the ride and I am getting the hang of riding and talking. Something you can't do on a dirt bike. I've also noticed a real lack of attitude among MTBRs. Everyone I've met has been friendly with none of the swagger I'd become accustomed to in moto. Heck maybe it's just me; ya think?

It rained out our usual FM ride on Wednesday which meant two days of gym work for me this week so by Thursday evening I was ready for a ride. Me, Giant, Rupe, Bob Marley, and an acquaintance of Bobs rode TB. It looked like rain the whole way to the trail head but conditions turned out to be perfect and we had a short but quick paced ride. That place is really turning out to be my favorite trail.

I have a tough decision to make within the next few weeks regarding a commitment on the moto side. It's both financial and time that's got me worried. I don't know if I really want to do more than I'm doing right now. We'll see.