Two rides

So, slowly, I've been able tog et back on the bike, now that the main renovations are done in the house, and we're just waiting for the baby in Caseys belly to grow.

I've done more than two rides, but the last two rides, Monday and then yesterday, were of note.

Monday. longest ride of the year for me. used to be that 2+ hours was no thing, but breaking the 2 hours barrier after a year off was a pretty nice thing to do. It was actually a freak of nature that allowed the ride to happen at all. A strong microburst rolled through down town, causing a roof drain on our office to burst sending 1000 gallons of water through the ceiling. we're 1 floor removed from the action, on 19, but it was enough to fill about 2 small dumpsters and several garbage cans and the floor of our server room (not good).

Any, the ride. eerily quiet on the roads, and on the jail-trial, i just pounded it out, trying to spin as much as possible while still move at a clip. felt really good to be on the road bike again, but i think i wil need to tweak both my position (up a bit) and my low gear (down a bit) until i'm in better shape. I actually put a hurt on me getting back home, up the hills. i was by no means "in a pain cave without a flashlight" as a matter of fact, i'd say my pain cave was very well illuminated and apparent. Regardless, hurting felt good and bad all at once, and i have along way to go.

Tuesday. MTB ride in frick. the MTB has been seeing more action lately, since i can dance for an hour in frick and still be home for supper before it gets dark. If you've ever ridden there, you know that many of the trails follow the edge of steep drops, kind of a shale-rockface, not the kind of thing you can ride down (or up). I've often wondered what would happen if i ate it off the edge of one of those. last night, i found out. took a section i ride pretty much every time i go out just a wee bit fast, and could not keep my line, and veered off the trail. No biggie, i'll just plant a foot and bail onto this tree, keeping a hand out to catch my fall. And then i just kept going. I missed the tree i was planning on grabbing onto (it did get my bike, however) and started to slide. I might have hit a dead vertical section for a few feet, as i was certainly airborne, coming to land back on the slop, slid a few more feet, and stopped, upright, standing in the creek below. Wow, that was scary, slo-motion but scary stuff. my shoulder was sore, but didn't feel like it was out of place, and aside from alot of brush burn, seemed to be ok.

I wasn't immediately in the mood to keep riding, but, a guy who i kinda new was actually not far behind me, and came upon my bike in the trail, and looked down to see my scaling the root/shale/mud wall back up. He hung out until i was upright, and we ended up riding for about an hour together, exploring some of the stuff up behind the cemetery. i even rode down a hill i wrecked on a few weeks ago, which was a good confidence boost.

So I think this riding thing is back, for a while at least. No competition, just riding, for fun. (and i have a Surly Long Haul Trucker on the way as well, but that's a different tale)