Two days of riding in a row?? Well, that’s just crazy talk!!
Yeah, somehow I got out for another 30+ mile dirt road ride on Thursday morning. If it wasn’t for the gelatinous, AutoZone man meets creepy “give up on life” dad-bod reflection I saw in the dresser mirror as I tried to squeeze into my bibs, I would almost think I was a cyclist again! Blubber has a way of bringing one back down to earth.
Self-loathing and fat shaming aside, I somehow got motivated to ride and headed to the Dirt Road Ride Launching Pad south of town to embark on a 30+ mile dirt road ride that would feature some “new to me” dirt roads and a small dose of taking a wrong turn.
Because I’ve been too busy/lazy to get to Terry’s and pick up the Boone’s new pedals I utilized the “up for anything” PrOcal. Unlike some, I really don’t mind using a mountain bike to ride dirt roads. After all, aren’t dirt roads just really wide pieces of singletrack?
It’s always nice to hit new roads; the opportunity to see new things, and experience new challenges (like successfully following the route you mapped out on a freaking GPS) always breaths new life into loops that have become as stagnant as an old man’s netherregions.
Do you remember the “Loaf of Bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter” bit from Seaseme Street? I’ve been doing a similar thing lately to keep my mind occupied—and obviously not paying attention to the Map My Ride app on my phone—as I roll through rural Michigan. My version is an influx tallying of the critters I see as I ride along. By the end of my ride yesterday I was up to reciting “9 deer, 5 geese, 3 turkeys, and 2 sandhill cranes” out loud to no one in particular. I find it sort of soothing, and it keeps me from thinking of all the negative things that usually sit on my brain like freshly squeezed turd. The only downside is that when I went grocery shopping later I spent 20 minutes looking for the deer aisle.
Yesterday’s ride was fun and I was happy to not only find motivation to ride but also the motivation to get out early before it got too hot.
There were times that I wished I was on the fast-rolling Boone, and that I hadn’t needlessly pedaled out and back on a section of paved road after a brain fart of a wrong turn, but all in all it was a nice ride.
Sadly, I think my ride streak is about to end as Wifey wants to hike after work, I have a crew at the house replacing a deck, I need to mow the grass (AGAIN!), and do a number of other things that hopefully includes a trip to Alma and a date with some new pedals.
It’s supposed to be hot as balls Saturday and B has 2019 tryouts in the early afternoon, but I’m REALLY hoping that I can get up and out the door in the early AM to get a few miles in. Given that it gets light here at like 4 in the morning it will all come down to self-motivation. Wish me luck, for my motivation is slack.
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Later.