Wednesday Ridism

I had the blessing of riding to work once again. This morning led me to believe that Rapid Creek is the highest I have ever seen it. Nearly every underpass was blocked due to high water. Last week, the water was on the sidewalk maybe 3 inches deep. Today, way too deep to ride through. I was surprised.

Over lunch I decided to take a stroll up M-hill. Oh how I love that place. It's within minutes of my office on a bike and I can ride up one side and down the other and all around it in about 35 minutes. It's a good workout too because it goes... well, up, then it goes... down. Lots and lots of fun to be had.

Now I'm pooped and need some more water.

FTF

This weekend is the Fat Tire Festival. I'm not competing in any rides this year. I will be volunteering my services during a race on Saturday. I decided to do my part and volunteer so all of you can enjoy your time in the Black Hills. This will be a full, fun packed event. Lots to do and many trails to ride. Give me a shout if you need directions or a tube or whatever else. I'll be around.

Enjoy the weekend!

Happy days

I was able to do the bike commute this morning. Greatest day ever!

The only disappointment was the bike path dips under major city streets along Rapid Creek, due to the recent rain we've had, they have closed these sections without warning until you reach that location. So, my commute was a bit longer than expected. I had to backtrack then cross the street at intersections. Granted this isn't a big deal except I think they should have put up warnings at major bike path entrance. To ride for a mile or so to find out the path is closed and ride back adds time. If I was not going to work I'd think it was great because I have added joy for riding longer, however, I was in a bit of a time crunch so it was slightly annoying.

It was a beautiful morning and I'm very happy I rode.

Storm Mountain

Myself and 2 other rollers were up at the crack of dawn to head to storm mountain for a nice little loop this morning. We rode, we got a little muddy, we did a little bit of branch moving from the trail, we did a drop and we rode. It was a great easy ride for a Saturday morning. This trail is in great shape. I wish it was dryer so we could have ridden the coon hollow section but it's always too wet to ride in the spring.

I did a small 2-2.5 foot drop that I've been too chicken to do in the past. It took me 4 attempts before I actually committed. The drop had a nice entry point and a good landing. It really didn't feel like much so I'm not sure what my deal was. I feel proud that I've done it now. The skills are improving.

I wish I would have remembered my camera so I would have some shots of the ride, but I forgot... I was also going to bring my gps so I could map the route for some of the rides during the Fat Tire Festival but my gps was not working. Kind of a bummer.

Parts were a little muddy so I had some bike washing to do when I returned home. I'm really glad I completed that task because I found a broken spoke on my rear wheel. It might have to get an upgrade. I believe my riding has grown past the wheel's capabilities. It was a cheap wheel I bought a couple years ago when I upgraded to disc brakes. Now the wheel is crap and won't stay true. One ride and it's toast and now broken spokes, not cool. We'll see what happens.

Now, stop reading this and get out and ride.

Commuting

My bike commuting adventures have been sparse (note: none) this year. I'm getting quite concerned. The wife has had to work late or travel much more so I've had to either take kids to daycare or pick them up from daycare. This is not a task I'm willing to take with a 7 month old and 2 year old. If there were more safe streets to ride on between there and here I would be far more inclined to try it.

Depending on how tomorrow morning goes (if I have to drop them off or not) I will ride my bike. I miss it and I miss it alot! I'm tired of driving everywhere all the time. It's boring, there is road construction everywhere and gas is expensive. There shouldn't be a need for it but when you have 2 kids under the age of 2.5 and they go to daycare on unsafe biking roads, what's a dude to do? Any ideas?

Based on readings, it's not safe to have a child under the age of 1 to be in a bike trailer or on a bike seat. They do not have the neck strength to hold their head up with the added weight of the helmet.

So, does anyone have any ideas of how I could make this work better?

Riding Update

I was planing on pre-riding the course at Alkali Creek yesterday up by Sturgis. There is a race next weekend. It ended up raining and snowing enough to make the trail pretty wet. I didn't want to cause any distress to the trail so I opted out. I rode M-hill instead.

It was awesome! I was meeting a couple dudes there and I was a bit early. I made a quick climb to the top for a warm-up then bombed down. I met Kris at the bottom and he started to push his bike up while I rode. To his credit, he has a downhill bike that does not go up well. 

Once we got to the top, we cruised around the peak a bit then headed over to a new downhill section. It was fantastic. It's fast, flowy, jumpy, smooth and has a little something for everyone. I wish I had my camera to take some pics. I need to work on my jumping abilities although I would say I did alright. I know I landed some of them as I should and some I came up a little short. 

It wasn't the greatest training ride, but it was a ride and a fun one at that.