Two Rides in One Day!

I need to get back in the saddle!

All week life has been crazy! Spent Wednesday and Thursday in Illinois and so it's been eight days since I have even broken sweat. Bad enough, but next Saturday I am running the Baltimore 10 mile Road Race - guess that's gonna hurt!

One week left and a level of fitness that is lower than a midget limbo dancers arse! Time to step it up big stylee.

Friday and there is no bloody option. Finish work, change into running gear and hit the road. First road run in Okemos - how long have I lived here? What the hell have I been doing? Headed up Okemos Rd then turned off to the left along a footpath - pace is kinda fast, trying to stay smooth and keep the stride stretched out. By 10 min I am gasping. By the end I reach the end of the trail I'm winded and wondering if I should cut the run short. Eventually I find my way to Hulett Rd. Hang a right and keep going. Over Bennett, rail tracks and finally hit Okemos again. Left over the river, round the park, finally to Marsh Rd. Right and then Dobie Rd? Heading home but bugger me Dobie is quite hilly! By time I hit Jolly Road I am 55 min in and more than happy to head right and back to the Hotel. In the end 1.05 hrs effort. Sore legs, clogged lungs. All is good.

Saturday, and my mission (if I chose to take it) is to window shop for new cars. Yeah, like I'm not gonna drive so it's me and the Rockhopper. Spend the best part of 6 hours riding and looking at cars.

Sunday and I have two rides planned (Yoo Hoo)! Mark (my adventure racing friend) has lived in Okemos for over 5 years and has never ridden Burchfield! To quote the Pet Shop Boys - "It's a Sin". Arrange to pick Mark up at 2:30 and we head to Burchfield with me (as ever) apologizing for the state of the Bolluxmobile. As I left my helmet in Kevin's car the other evening I am sporting (against the advice of everyone who I've asked) the V1-Pro helmet! It's a bit of a classic ride, cos I'm on my mid-80's Rockhopper and donning my vintage lid and Mark (bless his cotton socks) turns up on a mid-80's Stumpjumper (Biopace chainrings and all).

I'm trying to remember the route we took the previous week and we are tearing it up! Decided Annie's Playground is just about my favorite bit of Mi singletrack (so far). It's in a shallow(ish) depression in the ground but by heck the trail builders have done their best to utilize every bit of elevation possible. The result is a twisty, up and down rooty fun fest. If only a decent hurricane could come along and drop fifty or so logs across the trail it might just be a classic to rival the long lost (but not forgotten) Small Intestine!

Good as Small Intestine (almost)

First obstacle (the titter totter thing) and I balls it completely! Over the bars, not even close! Pick myself up - minus pride - and carry on, at the next obstacle (the elevated boardwalky thing) I have a bit of a half hearted crack but sod it not today. All in all a nice ride - take in the swampy bridge portion and Dragonball Run .Then it's time to get Mary home cos, he has a dinner party and I am supposed to be meeting Kevin for a ride in 15 min!

My Nemesis!!

Fortunately Kevin is as late as me and so we both arrive at 5:00pm for Burchfield Park take two! manage the whole big loop with Kevin - get horribly lost and do a couple of loops around the lake on the back half of the trail, ah well adds a mile or so to the total. By 7pm we are back at the cars and partaking in some rather smashing "High Seas" IPA. Two ride, one day - sore but happy legs, and a bike that is complaining - think I may have nicked a tooth on my back cog!

Next day legs are sore, but sun is out and bugger it I have nothing better to do so I hit Burchfield for third time in two days! That bloody first titter totter thing (My Nemesis) I try to ride it three soddin times and end up arse over tit each time, let's face it "it owns me!". Lost as a lost thing by the raised walkway thing - round and round and round I go, but I'm always seemly heading the wrong way down a rail and no matter which way I go i end up back at the raised walkway! All a bit Blairwitch for my liking!

Scary elevated walkway thing!

About the fourth time I meet a jackass at the raised section - no bloody helmet! Remembering Todd's parable about pointing out the stoopidity of this behavior I decide to keep my mouth shut! I ask the guy if he knows the way out and he completely misunderstands me and replies that "no he isn't going to ride the raised obstacle cos it's his first ride of the season". Something in my head goes ping! Whether it's the humiliation of being lost, the irritation with the plonker with no helmet or what, but I suddenly have a desperate urge to ride the bloody obstacle! Up I go and bloody well get on the raised section!!! Only when I get to it's zenith do I think about how much this is going to hurt when I fall off (it's about 3 feet off the ground). But in my panic I stay upright and even manage to make the left turn to dismount in a vaguely controlled fashion! Don't know if Mr Jackass was impressed, but I was bloody amazed!

Between us, Jackass and DB finally found our way out of the lost world and parted company. About five minutes later, by one of the car parks I ride up behind Mr Jackass again and as I reach him start to chat away - he never even registers my existence, well bugger him! It's not till about 2 minutes later as I pass by him to take the trail to his left that he jumps half out of his skin and declares "Shit, you scared me half to death" and pulls his earplugs out of his ears!!!!! Yep he's the real deal, no helmet and ipod so loud we is completely oblivious to the rest of the world! Glad I came across him while he was riding his bike not driving his car! As I finish my ride I do a bit of exploring and end up in a clearing with just me my bike and a mother dear and her fawn - stand and look at each other for an age - I get out my camera and take a load of photies, she just stamps her hoof occasionally - I decide discretion is the better part of valor and leave them on their own and retracing my tire tracks to the car.

Two's Company

Fantastic - knackered, skeet bitten and happy as a pig in doo doo!

Cheers

DB