That was fun

Like a lot of fun.
The MTB thing.

I felt pretty good on the bike - only issue was right hand cramping/being painful, but could be bars, or grips or something. Tweaked the angle on the bars - maybe fixed it?

Didn't realize I was going out with the A crew. Freddie, Burke and Syl. Comment from a friend: "Quick pace and lots of skill there" in that group I guess. True, they have all been riding at Big River forever. Freddie lives within riding distance (he rode there) and well the other two have been racing MTBs there and riding it for as long as I've known them. Me? First time there.

The bike is a HUGE difference. I got the tire pressure pretty damn close for a high pressure low accuracy guess at about 10-12 PSI. Basically went to 10 psi on the gauge and added a full stroke.

Climbs better than I do, but man I hit the pedals and the crank arms SO MANY TIMES. should have put those crank protectors on when it was new. But now they hide the damage. The pedals? well not in the best shape after that. Perhaps these need to go on the CX bike or something. Put a less expensive pedal on there. But I did get better at not wacking rocks. honestly if I had done a better job at that I would have come to a stop way few times, so there's something tangible to work on. Everything else felt great. Pointing the bike at the best line and ignoring the roots and shit was awesome. Impressive. Didn't even notice the bike weight. But I was trying to keep up to two much lighter guys with way lighter bikes. The strava ride titles from the three of them were pretty cool, made me feel not so much like a putz out there.

Yeah yeah - fine - I might actually be a better mt biker than i am a roadie - wait -that's not a surprise, but one of the new shop guys just thought I was a roadie with all my drop bar shit... i just correct him "I'm a cyclocrosser" even if that is probably less true. perhaps i am just a big dirt bag mtber. Kind of explains the whole affinity with Singlespeed.

The bike has 750 bars, soooo wide. A couple tree strikes with them but in a few spots with the dropper post down and flying through some twisty stuff I felt like I could have even gone wider.

Does the bike make the difference? Yeah. It makes it fun again. Like it used to be.

Right now I'm missing Kentaro. We did a lot of Mt biking before he left Michigan. I think I rode with him more than anyone else in '99/00. Wish i could ride with him again. Damn, not sure why my brain went there other than riding MTBs with him was legit fun and probably when I really last had a blast riding them. We'd meet up somewhere on my way home from CMU and ride the trails.

The anniversary of his death by Waste Management Truck right hook is coming up in a few days.

Somber twist...

Smackdown is tomorrow, but looking at this week, well - yesterday, not a big day but i felt it in my legs last night so probably best not to under-estimate recovery. Wed there's the start of Donny's mid-week CX in PVD (west side) but starts late and a long ride home from there. Thursday dirt smackdown.  Friday the department retreat way out west. 35 miles, 8:30 start time. I really want to try and ride there and back. Because, well that's the tradition I have at these things and another tradition on that day. Gives me Saturday to recover for another Sunday MTB ride.

And i don't want to ride and not have fun. So fuck it. No smackdown. Might just show up for the start like last week and then head home. It worked well.

Been kind of hungry today. Mentioning the weight issue last week, well, after the riding and the eating - balloon! POOF heavy again. I think it has to be a bit of inflammation as well as just weight. I should get off the scale and just go by belly squishing. But should to it with a measuring device, not just finger pinch. Not going to change much, just try and, like today, be hungry a bit more. Scheduled a meeting at 11:30. By 11:10 I was ready to eat my lunch, but waited until after meeting. Hungry again but a handful of things to do before leaving, hopefully I can make it home without more calorie intake. Tough to balance physiological need and cravings and recovery and weightloss, esp as I get close to that mid-century mark. I'm old. And getting older.

But hey, it beats the alternative.

Read another good book this weekend. Actually read a couple over the last week - First was Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas. A bit magic and fantasy and all that, but good, have book 2 in the series on hold, waiting. The one I just finished yesterday, a recent release. Pretty good, a nice twist and great storyline, fun read: Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear. Started listening to The Fallen by Baldacci last weekend. Not quite done with it but getting really close. Is it good? yeah, formulaic, predictable,  complex but not unimaginably, well researched and plausible enough...  great like the others? No. very much pulpy, but hey - mysteries are fun at times and a better escape than some really mentally headwringing deep shit. But I guess, I do prefer and like space operas best, like Ancestral Night.

Soon I can leave, go grab a few things at the grocery store and ride home. This is probably one of the lightest weeks here but still busy and plenty to do. Still haven't gotten the garbage disposal, maybe I can get that done tomorrow...  like i wrote last time -6 yrs ago- the trashcan is def wetter and stinkier w/o the disposal working.

Can't wait to ride the MTB again, kind of wish there were more trails between here and home, but maybe there are enough to justify it... hmmm...

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