good weekend for a ridesome good warm weekend days that worked well for riding on the road
shame to any and all that rode on the dirt after 10am in any place other than "the shed"
walking the dog in the woods tends to give me a pretty good indication of what may be
happening with the earth in my areafrozen soil is fast and fun
then on these warm days after the freeze things move from hard pack to potential mush
even hiking is a questionable proposition on these days
in fact... it is days like this where the singletrack gets widened not so much by the bicycle traffic
but by the foot traffic that skirts the trail
making the area of impact wider
making it so that singletrack is no longer single
in my weekend activities I saw a spot at Carderrock where a foot path grew to be as wide as a sidewalk as each set of walkers/hikers/runners avoided the slop in the center and marched on the peripheral
Saturday arrived with my having to go to work in the am
after knocking out a few tasks I was freed to do as I pleased with my day
returned home for a late lunch to see the boys satisfied with playing local
there was talk about lisa walking the dog... but only after she broke away from her book
seeing this window of opportunity I jumped into some warm weather lycra andgrabbed my bike
without putting air in the tires or lube on the chain I was suited up in my now outdated DCMTB-City Bikes kit and took to the streets
a post work red bull got my motor running
a motor that was powering not only my legs but my mouth
being that this is pretty much the first time on the bike other than a short straight commute to and from work I did not want to put too much strain on my back
in fact a social upright pace riding no handed with the camera in my hand was pretty much the tone for the afternoon
BEACH DRIVE WAS PACKED!
the real road warriors were back at home with their bikes hanging and their clothing washing by the time I took to the streets
Beach Drive was littered with all sorts of people with an array of agendas
cyclists of all ages were moving about on this unseasonably warm winter day
walkers and leashless dogs added additional variables to the closed road experience
with no concept of what time I left and what time I was set to return I did a basic out and back
rolled down into the park and stayed on Beach Drive or whatever it is called until it intersects with Garret Park Road
it felt good to be on the bike
knickers and arm warmers were the perfect addition to what may have been too little had I worn just shorts and jersey
like a fool I left out bare back
the cell phone to call the wife is not as handy as a spare tube, a pump, and a multi-tool
yet I ignorantly took to the streets sans common sense
on this ride I was not burned
but it is a lesson I have learned too many times
which shocks me when I tempt fate by leaving the house absent of such things
the ride was social
familiar faces on and off the bike
pleasant conversation shared with fellow riders
is it the warm weather or the Obama presidency that is making people so friendly?
I did not take a poll
SURRENDER DORTHY on the Wiki Page