For five months or more, the beast of a bike that is the Trek Farley (better known as the Fatterson), has sat in the garage with no seat post, and still sporting studded tires. I have thoroughly enjoyed months of riding the Boone and the PrOcal, but for some reason I had the urge to roll like a tank over the gravel and dirt roads of central Michigan, so I set about swapping out the post, and finally getting some studless meats on, so as to do just that.
I affectionately call buildings like the one above “dirt road hump shacks.” Barn meets shack, meets shed, meets place where farm boys and girls run off to with their significant others to snuggle and cavort on the sly.
In my life I have been known to make grandiose statements and decisions that I was 100% certain of, only to change my mind later.
The past week has been blazingly hot here in Michigan with temps often hovering in the mid-90s. As I’ve mentioned several times in the past, mid-90 temps in Michigan are roughly equal to living on the surface of the sun, especially when you realize that we were getting snow flurries in early May! As much as my super large former fat man (on his way back again) sweat glands don’t mesh well with high heat, I won’t complain all that much, since I would rather ride in some heat than the cold.
The week hasn’t been ideal for riding, but I did force myself out into the heat for couple short rides over the past few days.
I had another early morning PT session on Wednesday. You would think a ride after a session with a therapist stretching, and ripping at my muscles and forcing me to work my core in a million different directions would have me super loose and ready to ride. Sadly, past experience has proved otherwise. Until Wednesday.
I was up super early Monday morning to go to a 3:30 AM physical therapy appointment (OK, it wasn’t 3;30 AM, but it sure felt like it). I was stretched, yoga-balled, pounded, rolled, BOSU-balled, etc., etc., in the ever failing attempt at having my back and hip feel normal during rides.
I ride my bike in the woods today, completing a full loop with moderated stoppage. Yes, there was some back pain. No, I wasn’t happy about that, but there was a “come to Jesus moment” when I realized which position on the bike felt the best (might need to get all Jaroslav Kulhavy with my position!). And yes, I was very happy to have completed another loop on dirt in the woods. I wish I had been more comfortable, but the trails were great, the morning air was cool, with some occasional light drizzle. Made for a good time.
With two straight days filled with work, stress, home issues, and 45th birthday angst behind me, I woke up on Friday anxious to get out for some miles and picture snapping. It took a while to get my mojo going, but eventually it all worked out.
Thursday was my birthday (thank you, but no gifts please). It seems I turned 45 years old, even though for some weeks I was convinced I was turning 46. Maybe that’s because my body feels way older these days? In any event, it’s been a long-standing tradition of mine to try to get out for a ride on my birthday to celebrate another of year of being healthy and fit enough to do such things. That my birthday plan… until it wasn’t.
I finally got a good night’s sleep in, and was enjoying the first day this week that I didn’t have to be up super, ass crack of dawn early. Then Wifey burst into the bedroom saying something like “THE CLOSING’S AT 9:20 NOT NOON!!! SHE TOLD ME NOON! SHE TOLD ME NOOOON!! IT’S IN MY CALENDAR!! I SWEAR!! Oh, and she said that the buyer wants us to remove some cabinets and some other shit from the garage.”
