Bicycle Diaries
30 years riding, 15 years writing
Hawk sighting
It swooped down to eat me, I think.
Riding down the main trail, out of the corner of my eye I spot a large bird in the trees. It also spots me and swoops down from the trees towards the trail and lonely old me.
Straight at me it’s coming, at the last second it veers and passes just in front of me. I keep an eye on it as it lands on top of the trees opposite from where it came from, I guess positioning itself for the next swooping attack.
MTB: distance 14.29 miles, average speed 14.0 mph.
Liquor Fueled
Beer, Wine and shots of Jack.
We had a great Labor Day weekend, the liquor storage was depleted, fun was had by all. Thought twice about going out for a ride, but I felt really good after a few miles out. I’m filling my water bottles with Pinot Noir ;)
MTB: distance 14.31 miles, average speed 14.0 mph.
Tan Lines
I once resembled the Computer Programming guy.
Now I’m looking more like the Scuba Diving dude.
MTB: distance 15.03 miles, average speed 13.3 mph.
Afternoon ride
Finally, the heat has subsided.
With the temperatures hovering in the 80’s, afternoon rides are now back on the schedule. Having ridden every possible time slot out on the McAlpine’s trails, I’m partial to early morning dew.
The trails were packed with cross country runners, I hit a few to score valued points ;)
MTB: distance 14.28 miles, average speed 13.7 mph.
Fishing at the lake
One of these weekends, I’m going to go fishing.
There was an elderly gentleman sitting in the shade with his graphite pole pointing out towards the water, he was using his net to keep the ducks away from his bait.
MTB: distance 14.28 miles, average speed 13.7 mph.
Tired
This morning, I was very tired.
Had a hard time getting out of bed, my back was hurting and my body was sending me signals. Spent the morning catching up on my online activities and ate a good breakfast.
Luckily, the heat stayed away and I was able to go out for a long ride. The McAlpine was quiet midday, the trails were a bit empty but the soccer fields had activity.
MTB: distance 18.25 miles, average speed 13.8 mph.
Track Meet
Another huge track meet at the McAlpine.
The lake was surrounded by runners and family members attending the meet. It was very slow going, so I adjusted my ride and cut it short.
There was this one group of runners that wanted to hear my bicycle bell every time I would pass them. So I would ring the bell and they would let out a loud cheer, pretty fun.
MTB: distance 11.61 miles, average speed 12.9 mph.
New Gravel
The city has been busy dumping gravel.
When new gravel is laid down on the trails, it’s like riding up a sand dune, a lot of peddling for nothing. It will take a few weeks for it to settle, until then it’s quad burning time.
MTB: distance 14.27 miles, average speed 13.3 mph.
Brush Cutting
The city was busy cutting the overgrown brush.
The grass growing on the sides of the main trail was over my head, the tractor was cutting it down to size. Wonder if the bunny rabbits will know enough to get out of the way?
MTB: distance 14.38 miles, average speed 13.1 mph.
A little bit of rain
Yesterday afternoon, we had us a light shower.
Though the drops that fell were very few, it was indeed welcome, especially to the trees. It’s been so dry that we’ve given up on the grass, from a nice shade of green a little over a month ago, it’s looking like hay now.
MTB: distance 14.26 miles, average speed 13.8 mph.
Charlotte, NC
Spent 10 years in Charlotte, a block away from an entrance to the McAlpine Creek Greenway.
Switched to a mountain bike from the road bikes I was accustomed to riding for 15 years.
The time spent on these trails was most appreciated.
Trek Fuel 70
