Huh, it's been a while. Again. I'm not going to apologize for my | |
absence, since this is likely going to be the norm. I have nothing | |
against gopher, but this is a personal escape for me from the | |
distractions of the modern world, the virtual Vegas, with all it's | |
flashing lights, blaring klaxons, and infinite distractions. Amber | |
or green on a black screen, providing clarity, focus and purpose. | |
But there's more than one way to skin a cat (to use a figure of | |
speech -- nothing but love for the Felis genus). Warm weather is | |
here; the outside beckons. May is a cyclebration, transforming | |
rational human beings into sprocket-obsessed bicycle fiends. But | |
I'm getting ahead of myself. | |
May is National Bike Month here in the US. Our local | |
transportation management association (TMA) decided to promote | |
this a little over a decade ago with a simple goal: one million | |
miles bicycled in May. As it caught on, we surpassed that goal but | |
two million remains elusive. According to the website [1], this | |
May logged a little over 1.3 million miles. | |
Regardless, it's been a successful May. Our team achieved our | |
goals and we had a great time. I managed to ride over 650 miles | |
(1050km) -- not my personal best but definitely one of the better | |
years. A large part of our achievement was an unusually mild | |
month. It never once exceeded 100*F. | |
All that time in the saddle left me with some solid impressions on | |
my new bike. First, I do understand the trend of gravel bikes and | |
I'm loving the ride qualities. The geometry is more relaxed than a | |
road race bike which lends itself to commuting, touring, or other | |
long rides. Second, I'm back in love with mountain bike riding. | |
We're fortunate enough to be near two lakes with road and mountain | |
bike trails surrounding them. All that singletrack affords me a | |
more interesting way to commute, run errands and just be outside | |
having fun. The fast, rigid bike on those flowing paths with the | |
wind in my face reminds me of the simpler times when I used to XC | |
race before technology made cycling a point and shoot affair. You | |
chose skinny tires to go faster, sacrificed traction for speed and | |
had to pick your line instead of letting the machine do all the | |
work. It's exhilarating and yet you feel connected to the bike. | |
Jinba ittai. | |
The connection doesn't end there. The sound of gravel as it | |
squirms underneath rolling tires and the firmness and traction of | |
the soil, communicated with exquisite detail through the pedals: | |
Newton's third law in action. As I push down, the ground pushes me | |
up. Embrace the earth, and the Earth embraces back. | |
The north trail of the lake has been closed for a year and a half. | |
Multiple landslides blocked the trail after heavy rains which also | |
wiped out a culvert. This area has become my new favorite cycling | |
route. Making your way past the blockade and observing the power | |
of nature firsthand is part of the allure, but the peacefulness is | |
the main attraction. The desolation leaves me alone with my | |
thoughts so I can accept them. The trail itself is deserted since | |
it no longer is a continuous path and is instead two dead ends. | |
Nature is already laying claim to the trail -- weeds overgrowing | |
the edges and stretching towards the center. Deer, foxes and | |
rabbits wander mindfully but unalarmed. | |
Tags: #bicycling | |
[0] Text-only version | |
[1] https://mayisbikemonth.com |