Enough already, I'll explain.
Stuff was stirring in the depths even as I ran the George Washington Birthday marathon back in Feb. Not bike, run type stuff (so not important enough to make it into the old Bollux-blog), but stuff to do with the other bits of my life...... you know work and stuff. Turns out that I was offered a job in Michigan! Yep they do exist! This lead to a huge amount of teeth gnashing and sleep loss as MLW and I tried to work out if we wanted to leave the delights of Maryland (and proximity to Patapsco and all the adventures that allows us) and head West. Too much on my mind to get round to scribbling for the blog.
In the end we decided we had better take the plunge! So I am currently sat in Okemos, Michigan (just outside Lansing) trying to remember what the F has been happening for the past three months!
Weather has been pretty dodgy so a lot of biking (both Sunday morning rides and night rides) has been washed out. Nevertheless there have been some rides of note - both in Md and else where!
Now it;s a sad fact that although I have lived in the Good Ol' US of A for over 7 years, I have never mtb'ed west of the Appalachians! So when a business trip to Boulder Colorado was on the cards - Woo Hoo! Contacted a colleague across there and plans for a bike in the foothills of the Rockies was confirmed - bike borrowed and work schedules wiggled so it would fit in. Only slight issue is the weather, sunny Colorado and all that! Talk to colleague two days before departure and he announces all is well with the world and temps are in the 70s. Fan-freakin-tastic! Pack accordingly and am only slightly bemused by the pilot of my plane announcing ground temperatures in oC when I realize he soddin well isn't! It's bloody 15 oF in Denver! Snow on ground the whole soddin lot! And me (like a pillock), short sleeved shirt, and a light casual jacket. Worse still only short fingered bike gloves and no hat! Quick trip to Safeway sorts that - nice pink woolly beanie and a pair of fleece gloves later and it's "Mother Nature - bring it on!"
Ride is a blast - deserted trailhead, cold but not too far below freezing and a lovely grinding climb for the first mile and a half or more to get the blood pumping! Ross (my colleague) suffers up the hill - a result of no mtbing all winter - slacker! But then after we pass a Prairie Dog "farm" at the summit shows me how Rockies technical riding is done as he disappears down a wicked rocky downhill (boulders the size of cows I tell you! Well nearly). I pick my way down sections, walk others and launch myself over my bars a few times - oh what fun we are having!. Then we take wide open swoopy sections which are about as fun as life gets, past abandoned ranches and herds of deer. Far to soon it is time to head back to the car and thence to a local brew pub for excellent beer and food!
Does life get any better?
Yep apparently! Cos I fly home the next day and get a pass from MLW to go night riding with the guys!! Two days, two rides, two states!! Died and gone to heaven. Turn out is Brian and George (as it turns out last time I ride with George before I leave for Mi :( but that is in the future and not known as we head out into Patapsco. Usual trek up and onto Ridge, then down the white hike only trail to the road! Soapstone anyone? WaddaUthink? Up we go gasping our lungs to capacity. At the top Brian mentions a new bit of trail that is huge fun! Rocky, rooty downhill between tight trees, woo hoo - and I don't even fall off. At the bottom is a plain stupid steep approach to a drop off with a run out that I can't even discern. No way in God's earth am I even thinking about it. George of course throws himself (and hit rigid single speed) at it and bugger me if he doesn't make a complete Dogz Breakfast of it and nearly eviscerates himself on jagged log that is sticking out from the right hand side of the trail!! Exactly how I will always remember riding with George!
Brian and me walk it (and that's tough enough) then we scoot back uphill to take the steep down, up and down again that takes us to the base of soapstone (by the toilet block). And so with limbs intact we head back to HC side and the cars and beer I'm knackered but as happy as a pig in poop! Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to me at the time) these nights would be in short supply!
Next adventure involved a trip back to Old Blighty in April to see the folks, which gave me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with my nephew Chris. Now Chris is a pretty keen roadie and even though last time we went "home" he was only 15 he kicked my butt pretty bad! So it was with some apprehension that I saddled up to join him on a 50 miler on his home turf roads. Needless to say in the past twelve months I have not gotten any fitter - Chris on the other hand has grown up even more and added 15 lbs of muscle to his frame - 6ft 4in and 155 lbs, man this was going to hurt!
In actual fact had a blast, scooting round the Cambridgeshire countryside - felt almost like a real cyclist for a bit! Chris took it easy on me and it wasn't until the final 3 miles that he put the hammer down and left me for dust. I tried to hang on but my legs were spent and I finished with stars flashing before my eyes and having to go and lie down in the porch with a powerbar for 15 min to get my blood sugar back to a range that avoided the imminent danger of me passing out.
Once back in USA and the decision to head to MI is made - notice at work handed in and leaving date confirmed. Just three more chances of night rides with the guys! With Todd traveling extensively with a new job of his own every chance was like the last one - so despite some soggy weather a ride was slated - a change in venue was called for (i) to safeguard the health of our beloved Avalon trails and (ii) to allow us to start and leave from a pub! Good thinking my man! Cars parked on the pub car park (can't recall pub name - it'll come back to me and I'll edit later). New trails and a guest appearance by not only Todd's dog Pepper but a visitation from Mr Mike! First time he has ridden nighttime with me and first time ever for him in the dark on his single speed! Possibility/probability tat this will be our last ride together - Todd, Brian, Mike and me - so we keep it fairly short - couple of hours - to allow time for brews in the pub. Excellent time all round having a warm pub to crawl into after a ride certainly has it's advantages - bikes, beers, barmaids! This was last ride with Mr Todd :(
Next week and as luck would have it weather was kind and back for one last scoot round Patapsco in the dark! Oh how I love that place! Leaving the guys and nightrides in Patapsco was infinitely more difficult than leaving the "dream job" I had dragged my family 3000 miles across the Atlantic to pursue! Great hilly ride, Soapstone, down Vineyard, up Convent and then the steep up and down to Bull Run - with Mr Mike and Brian as company. Even got a nice trail tattoo to remember the night! No pain when it happened but when I got home I had a nice inch long split in my shin that went right to the bone! Cleaning it out with alcohol wipes, a face cloth (swigging heartily from a bottle of Blue Moon) was a real blast and then trying to hold the two edges together - at least a bit - with strips of band aid - Oh good times I'll miss them immensely.
Guys! Thanks for all the memories! Small Intestine, New trail, Soapstone, Tunnel trail, Mission Impossible all will live long in my memory!
And now on to the next chapter...............
DB
