Biking Bliss

Three whole days off of work. Three whole days. What to do, what to do? Or should I say where to go, where to go? Three days to pedal myself silly.

BIKING BLISS DAY ONE
This could also be entitled "Babe in the Woods"

Mountain biking day. I have really decided to leave most of the road riding to the eighteen wheelers who try to run me off the road and spend more time in the forest with the Bears. At least I stand a chance with a bear. So today was Mountain Biking Day with Bikehubby. And we decided to go on some singletrack that I had never been on before - It was a BLAST (that would be with a capital B). Buzzing among the trees, I got to try out a new trail that was recently built - soft, but fun. Should add some Narly to the Vermont 50, that is for sure.

We had a great time. We were pedalling, walking, laughing - Although I did fall over at one point, in the mud of course (rocks or mud is all I can fall over on - never nice soft grass). My foot wouldn't unclip - bit of a mud issue- So anyway, fun, fun fun. Till BikeBastard I mean Hubby says "Hey, we are going straight here, on that new trail that we have been working on. So straight we go. And up, and straight. And STRAIGHT INTO BIKER HELL.

Let me tell you that I HATE HIKING. Now if you put a bike or skis in my hand, and call it biking or skiing, I have been known to hike, but I HATE HIKING (Let's just say that it had to do with growing up in Wyoming, with parents who liked to spend hours, if not days, in the middle of the prairie, wandering aimlessly. Every weekend. And they made me go. I HATE HIKING). And there is a reason I am telling you this, as there came a point on the "trail', that we could not ride anymore. And we started walking. Turns out that the trail hadn't even been built yet. It had been marked out (paint splotches on the ground), but not made. So I was crawling over tree trunks, through briar patches, through mud, around small cliffs.....And I can do that for a short time, but the ENTIRE TRAIL HAD NOT BEEN BUILT. After about 1/2 hour hiking, I told Bikebastard, I mean Hubby that if I did not find a road soon, I was turning around, and if I had to hike back through that crap with my bike, he might not want to come home any time soon. Fortunately for him, he found a snowmobile trail fairly quickly.

We did have an uneventful ride home, but Bikehubby figured that he best be vewy, vewy quiet. And nice. Maybe buy me a present - something pretty for my bike or skis......

DAY TWO

This was going to be kayaking day, but it turned into Road Riding Day. Hubby's shoulder was bothering him - and no, I didn't twist his arm back behind his head, rip it off and beat him with it after yesterday. Thought about it, but didn't do it.

So we went on a road ride and I have to say that I am sooooo glad that I mountain bike now, because sometimes, you wind up in places on your road bike in which your mountain biking skills really help. Such was the case today. We road around Queechee and Pomfret - nice roads, nice hills, but then we took this little dirt road that BikeHubby had ridden before. It is only dirt for a fairly short period of time, then the tar road is really nice downhill. So off we go on the dirt road - had to walk around a puddle at one point - but no biggie. Then, we go over a little rise and meet a downhill that was....well....narly at best. It was a downhill that I would probably walk, even on my mountain bike. Steep, washed out, rocky, with a nice little cliff-like downhill toward the bottom - something you basically have to jump off of. But by the time I really assessed what was there, I was already on the downhill and if I had tried to stop, it would have resulted in Trek splattered across the rocks and tumbling down the rest of the hill. So I went for it, in mountain bike mode, and prayed it would end soon. I didn't let BikeHubby see how badly my hands were shaking when I reached the bottom.

But the downhill on the tar road was really fun. So It was worth it. And, I am learning how to eat better on these rides. No bonking!!

DAY THREE

This was supposed to be a rest day, until BikeHubby nagged me into going on a ride 'with the girls' while he worked on that trail that wasn't a trail when I rode it. I mean walked it. I mean hiked it. So this was day two of road riding. What happend to cutting back on road riding.....

So I went. I hate girl-rides. I am not the girly type. I don't like to talk about my nails or where someone got that cute shirt or what my hubby did that was really annoying. When I am on my bike, I like to ride. If I am having dinner with people and alcohol, LOTS of alcohol, I can stomach this kind of talk and even participate. But I really don't like these ride-n-chats. To top it off, there is a hill on this ride that I hate. I don't know why, as it isn't a real killer, but I just have issues with it. I don't like it and it doesn't like me. Mutual dislike. And I have to comment on the fact that I hate this hill. Now most of the guys I ride with either agree with me or say something like 'I know what you mean- have a hill {fill in the location here} that I just hate. Don't know why, but I hate it." Now when I say "I hate this hill", one of the gals (who doesn't ride a lot, incidently, and whose husband is one of those who always talks about how he can kick your ass on a bike but never does, but has a really good excuse as to why he failed) says "You know, if you just shift into a smaller ring, you can get up the hill easier." REALLY?? Damn it, why didn't anyone tell me that you can shift into a smaller ring and it is actually easier to pedal?! WHY?? Why is it that these secrets are kept from me!! I always wondered what all those teethy-looking round things were, but didn't know I could use them to go up and down hills easier!!! DAMN! But now I know. Thank goodness. Now I will love that hill.

I hate girl rides. But I love biking. And three glorious days of it!


Pedal, pedal, pedal.