cargo mike


cargo mike
that guy with his cargo bike
some people call him coach
I usually call him mike
that is mike with the mic

initially we had talked about heading out to the bike swap
the plan was to bring bike and hit some trails on the way home
specifics had not been determined
but the Cabin John trails were on the short list
as I was not sure how much time the swap would take
and how long I should be away from the family

all those variables became obsolete
as I ended up having to work on sunday
having forgotten my phone on friday I did not tell mike about my inability to keep our plans till saturday
then later saturday afternoon
there was a window of opportunity for riding
I gave mike another call

mike was free
I pretty much immediately loaded the bike and headed across town to get mike
once I got mike we had the bikes loaded on the car
there was some city traffic headed out of town
then there was the needed stop at CVS
mike was patient with all of this
during the drive there was all sorts of catching up
as well as the basic shit that people talk about as they hang out

the topic of the Punk Love photo exhibit came up
then there was some talk about various shows and various venues
then mike tells me that he was in a band that played at the Wilson Center some years back
there were some funny stories about the forming of the band
then mention of some images on the web
I made a mental note to scan the Internet for images of Vecks when I got home

cabin john is about the closest legal mountain biking there is to dc
sure there is fort dupont
but we were looking for a little more

we arrived and took the bikes off the car
a glance at the trailhead and we could see the sun dropping low in the distance
we did not waste any time getting onto the trail

mike is a superior rider
but being unfamiliar with the trails I got to lead
which was good
as I got to set the pace
which was good
as mike's pace is certainly faster than mine

the trails were showing some signs of the season
some areas were muddy and soft from the slight rain of the days prior
while other sections of trail had a frosty shine
mike was more confident on the varying terrain then I was
with mike's confidence there were a few close calls
somehow he was able to recover some very fast 180 degree spins

we did a fast paced out and back
we were hammering a pretty good clip
but not so fast that we could not carry on a conversation
the cold was not so much an issue
winter fitness and ice prevented clearing a few climbs and a few sections/obstacles
we managed to make it back to the car before dark although we were starting to lose light

drove back into the city
back to cvs where there was some issue getting the prescription
mike was again patient
more time to catch up

dropped off mike and headed home

today mike went to the bike swap
while I went to work
but we managed to get that ride in just the same

good to get out and ride
good to ride with some one faster and more technical
good to get humbled
need to get out and chase mike to see if I can grab some of his speed and skills
also need to hear mike's band vecks
I like the clockword orange reference

cabin john is a great resource
but I think that the trails could use some IMBA touches
there could be better use of the terrain
maybe some fresh cut twists and turns to remove some the extended straight
and
just like rock creek park's hiking trails these trails could use some fresh soil and some indigenous plants
as well as some focus on sustainability

more shots of vecks
oh...
I gave it some thought tonight

my weight with my bicycle is just a little more than mike's weight with his bicycle and his trailer
maybe next time we go riding I can have him even the score by pulling his trailer