two dabs and an idiot

Last night, I got to thinking that since today is my once-every-six-workday-leave-early-day that I would do something different than normal. Usually, what I do is take my cyclocross bike with me to work and link up with my friend and take off for about three or four hours of riding with a nice coffee mid ride. However, due to my friend's work schedule, that cannot happen on Mondays and Wednesdays.

I decided therefore to renew my relationship with the other woman.

I have the best wife ever. She does not mind my constant flirtations with the other woman, although lately I have been neglecting the other and spending my time with the mistress. Ahhh marital bliss!



The other woman is the name that what my wife kindly uses when she refers to my mountain bike. My cross bike is the mistress...

In years past, if I wasn't at home, she knew exactly where I was or at least who I was with - I was out with the other woman. I had this great job then which allowed me to dedicate about 25+ hours a week to riding my bicycle and during the winter, to doing spin classes. That was the only good part about the job, mind you, but you make of things what you can I suppose. Anyhow, I have never ever been so fit, although I am working on regaining that again (good luck - I am north of 40 now, and then, was only 29).

So today, after work, I kitted myself out and headed off to the local mountain bike trails to see if I could remember how to ride off road without killing myself.

My first challenge was finding the place again! No, I have not lost my marbles, but I swear the City of Kitchener has lost theirs. The access to the Hydro Cut trails is behind the landfill site and is located on Glasgow Street. Here is the catch: I have not been to the trails yet this year (I told you, I was hanging with the mistress!) and did not realize that the city had moved Glasgow Street in an effort to insert the most monstrous big box complex I have ever seen north of the Canada US border. Wow. Not a good wow, just a wow. Eventually, I found the street again and got the car parked.

For a number of years, the local cycling clubs have been maintaining the trails with the blessing of the Region of Waterloo whose property the trials are on. This is a good thing, as it means that we (as in the cycling community) are granted access to a pretty sweet one way trail system that gets regular maintenance. The hills are pretty good, and the descents are still able to make one say wheeee. Regular maintenance means that the trails are inspected and set up to avoid erosion, something which is not true of "pirate" illegal trail networks. Dial in some speed, and this place is a hoot.

There was no speed for me. It has been over a year since I have ridden any single track, and while the actual cycling was not a challenge, I was not about to override my somewhat atrophied abilities. Things loosened up a bit as the ride progressed, but I never really felt comfortable with cutting loose and going fast.

I remember days when the main access was a narrow double rut used by the maintenance crews to go up and down the hydro line in ATVs which was shared by powered vehicles, and us on the bikes. The ground was (and is) clay, and often got very slippery. Wipe-outs were common and great fun. Tires specifically designed for mud were highly recommended (the best I ever rode bar none was the Ritchey Mud Max semi slick - it could go through anything and had only two drawbacks - they cost over $80 each when they were first introduced, and it was easy to go through two sets at least a season because they were so soft.) Some of the descents were steep enough and long enough that speeds of over 45kmph could be reached over blind summits and maintained for quite some distance. Did I mention that this trail was two way? That was fun if a little nuts.

That section of trail is now totally gone as the power company came through and landscaped it to oblivion, and mowed down the forest and undergrowth right back to the two Region properties. I understand why they did it, but I was bitter for quite a while when I showed up for a ride one day after a mtn bike break to find the trails gone.

Now? The two significant sections that remain are good, officially sanctioned, and on land that is not slated for development. They are linked by a bit that scoots up the hyrdo cut, and remain a lot of fun.

Which brings me to my title: two dabs and an idiot. My foot hit the ground twice all ride, and I called myself an idiot when I bounced off of a tree. I can still ride in the dirt without killing myself.