Friday Slacker Ride
There's a tradition with some folks I know who leave work early on Fridays and go ride.
The rides are rarely of the training type. It's simply an excuse to leave work and do some riding.
I haven't been able to do one of these rides in quite some time, so when I saw one posted for a 5:30pm start time I jumped at the chance.
Into work by 7:30am and out by 4pm to get home, load up, get Gretchen and head to French Creek. We actually rode nearly the same trails we rode Sunday, but this was a slacker ride so I was better able to manage.
The temps were somewhere in the mid 20sF°, and the wind was blowing. It was cold.
After a slight ascent, we went left to take Red/White (that's the name of the trail) down. Red/White is a twisty rock strewn single track trail that skirts the edge of the park near an area named Miller's Point. When I say rock strewn, I mean completely rock strewn. There's hardly an inch of the trail that's not covered in rocks.
About half-way down Ben pulled over to the side. He flatted on one of the rocks. Now we were faced with the task of changing a flat with completely frozen fingers. It took a little while, but our fingers thawed and the flat was fixed. When I went to get back on my bike, I realized I had flatted too. Finally both flats fixed, we were on our way continuing the decent.
Like Sunday it was more down, up, down, up, up, up and up, but this was a slacker ride. I wasn't the only one walking on this ride.
As painfully cold as it was, it was nice to be out in the remote woods of French Creek. When it's just you, the woods and the stars, you get a true feeling of really being "out there," which is way better then the cramped polyester world of cube-land.
Though long on time, the distance of the ride was pretty short. We finished up in the parking lot with a few beers gazing at the clear night sky.
Gretchen enjoyed it as well. She's learned now when I get the water bottles out, it's time to ride. She's excited enough to get in the car (which she hates) on her own. She's still adjusting to the group thing. Having ridden only with me for so long, it's odd for her to be following me in the middle of the pack. You can see her constantly checking her position to make sure she's near me and not in the path of a bike behind me. A few more rides and she should be just like the other members of the group - looking forward to Friday Slacker Rides.
- b
The rides are rarely of the training type. It's simply an excuse to leave work and do some riding.
I haven't been able to do one of these rides in quite some time, so when I saw one posted for a 5:30pm start time I jumped at the chance.
Into work by 7:30am and out by 4pm to get home, load up, get Gretchen and head to French Creek. We actually rode nearly the same trails we rode Sunday, but this was a slacker ride so I was better able to manage.
The temps were somewhere in the mid 20sF°, and the wind was blowing. It was cold.
After a slight ascent, we went left to take Red/White (that's the name of the trail) down. Red/White is a twisty rock strewn single track trail that skirts the edge of the park near an area named Miller's Point. When I say rock strewn, I mean completely rock strewn. There's hardly an inch of the trail that's not covered in rocks.
About half-way down Ben pulled over to the side. He flatted on one of the rocks. Now we were faced with the task of changing a flat with completely frozen fingers. It took a little while, but our fingers thawed and the flat was fixed. When I went to get back on my bike, I realized I had flatted too. Finally both flats fixed, we were on our way continuing the decent.
Like Sunday it was more down, up, down, up, up, up and up, but this was a slacker ride. I wasn't the only one walking on this ride.
As painfully cold as it was, it was nice to be out in the remote woods of French Creek. When it's just you, the woods and the stars, you get a true feeling of really being "out there," which is way better then the cramped polyester world of cube-land.
Though long on time, the distance of the ride was pretty short. We finished up in the parking lot with a few beers gazing at the clear night sky.
Gretchen enjoyed it as well. She's learned now when I get the water bottles out, it's time to ride. She's excited enough to get in the car (which she hates) on her own. She's still adjusting to the group thing. Having ridden only with me for so long, it's odd for her to be following me in the middle of the pack. You can see her constantly checking her position to make sure she's near me and not in the path of a bike behind me. A few more rides and she should be just like the other members of the group - looking forward to Friday Slacker Rides.
- b
posted by JenBob at
7:28 AM
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