It's soooo nice to have a bunch of gals to bike chat with! I just got off the phone with a friend who turned 40 earlier this week. She has a 2-year-old and a life much different from mine, in a state across the country from mine. Mention of my new bike went right over her head. Oh well. She doesn't get dogs either.

Dog + bikes = Life is Good![/QUOTE]

I agree! My friends who don't ride (in fact they are totally sedentary) think my husband and I are crazy. I could easily stop calling them, but it seems rather immature of me to do this, at age 51. We have become friends with another couple who rides and have many other similiar interests.

On the other subject, I just started mountain biking last fall. It is different and for me takes total concentration. In fact, it scares me to death, but afterward, I feel like I have really accomplished something. I need to get better, though and it looks like the trails around here won't be clear and semi-dry until late April. I wouldn't say I totally relax or zone out on the road, it's just a different feeling. I think it's good to do both. I don't think mountain biking will ever be the focus that road cycling is for me, but it teaches different skills and extends the season by at least a month because you can mountain bike up through December even here in New England.