limewave
11-06-2006, 01:33 PM
I love fall! This time of year, riding on the road just seems so *blah* when I could be out on my mountain bike.
Yesterday I went up to North Country Trail with DH and a couple friend of ours. It was sunny and 50 degrees--I didn't even need gloves or a wind vest.
The NCT is single track, out and back trail. Essentially you could ride for 50 miles if you wanted to, but since DH and his friend were trail running and us girls were mountain biking, we agreed to go out 60 minutes then turn around.
For some reason, as much as I love the NCT, it seems cursed. Something always goes wrong. This time, my friends seat post kept sliding down. Almost every mile we had to stop to readjust it. And she was having a hard time, just feeling weak from not taking a rest day that week. I, on the other had, felt stronger than ever and was devouring the hills and crooked turns. I felt like super-girl!
DH and friend's DH thought they were studs because they got a head start and we didn't catch them on the trail. But, seriously, they are fast runners 6 -7 minute miles on the trail. Plus, we had to keep stopping and getting out the bike tools.
On the way back, I was going pretty fast on a down hill and for some reason thought that was the best time to take off the sunglasses and stash them in my back pocket. As I was doing this, it occurred to me that it might not be a great idea to only have one hand on the bars going that fast and down a rutty, single track trail. That's when I hit something and went flipping over the bars. My bike landed on me or maybe my chest. I'm not sure, I just knew I was alive and I could move all my appendages. My chest hurt the rest of the ride, especially when I breathed :o Today my right leg is swollen and bruised from ankle to knee. I'm achey all over.
It wouldn't be mountain biking without one bad crash.
Yesterday I went up to North Country Trail with DH and a couple friend of ours. It was sunny and 50 degrees--I didn't even need gloves or a wind vest.
The NCT is single track, out and back trail. Essentially you could ride for 50 miles if you wanted to, but since DH and his friend were trail running and us girls were mountain biking, we agreed to go out 60 minutes then turn around.
For some reason, as much as I love the NCT, it seems cursed. Something always goes wrong. This time, my friends seat post kept sliding down. Almost every mile we had to stop to readjust it. And she was having a hard time, just feeling weak from not taking a rest day that week. I, on the other had, felt stronger than ever and was devouring the hills and crooked turns. I felt like super-girl!
DH and friend's DH thought they were studs because they got a head start and we didn't catch them on the trail. But, seriously, they are fast runners 6 -7 minute miles on the trail. Plus, we had to keep stopping and getting out the bike tools.
On the way back, I was going pretty fast on a down hill and for some reason thought that was the best time to take off the sunglasses and stash them in my back pocket. As I was doing this, it occurred to me that it might not be a great idea to only have one hand on the bars going that fast and down a rutty, single track trail. That's when I hit something and went flipping over the bars. My bike landed on me or maybe my chest. I'm not sure, I just knew I was alive and I could move all my appendages. My chest hurt the rest of the ride, especially when I breathed :o Today my right leg is swollen and bruised from ankle to knee. I'm achey all over.
It wouldn't be mountain biking without one bad crash.