chapter 21: grandma funk

beep.beep.beep.beep.
5:30 am. The alarm is blarring time to get up and do some work. Pull up my warm tights.
Grab my bag, load my bike in the toaster and I'm off.

6:00 I am I am rolling out of the parking lot and racinging through the darkness that still surrounds me. The fire break is wide, and I can hear the water of the christina river racing below me. I'll stay to the right of the dirt path just to insure I don't go swimming this morning. I pedal along, and propell the bike foward. so simple, you pedal it moves forward. The sun is slowly peaking over the horizon, but it's still dark in the woods. I can't see the trail in the darkness, but I know this
loop very well. I feel so fast right now. It's amazing. Perhaps more amazing is that I carve through corners, around ruts, around the section of
trail I know is rocky, all the while crusing with very little visibility and have not been violently thrown to the ground. Playing it by trail knowledge, feel and luck. Somedays I feel like such a jedi.

At the pasture trail, a nice winding loop of grass trail that the state keeps trimmed to a golf green length, I pick up the tempo a bit. Thinking about
my cross season, I feel the smile stretch across my face. I think about this weekend, the trail points upwards, and I stand on it. I am still amazed at how nice my cross bikes are. As I throw down the power the bike just launches up the rise. I turn the corner, the trail flattens out, and I sit down. I'm breathing heavily.
I calm myself down a bit. "easy boy, keep the legs loose and open"

The sun is finally up. I feel it's warmth bringing this wonderful little section of Carpenter State Park to life. The trails meanders around the field and rolls downwards widening before coming the forest's edge, and a hard, tight fast 90 degree turn. "no brakes, no brakes, no brakes, " I say to myself, riding in my drops, I stick my right leg out, taking the corner from the outside, speeding through the apex and coming out of the corner I push the outside edge of the trail, while clipping my foot back in, standing up and sprinting. Butter, that was smooth like butter, Damn that was fun...

I start a second loop, man I feel pretty good. No longer do I feel the chill of the cold morning, between my brisk ride, and bright sun rising above me I am hot. I jump off the bike, switch foot style. I repeat 5x. Pretty smooth I must say. I am so stoked I learned that, gotta remeber to thank e-town for pusing me to learn that. Wonder if I'll get to use it this weekend. that would be rad. I glance at my watch. Damn it, I'd really like just one more loop around but ...

7:10am. Time to start working my way back to the car, back to work, back to reality. I cruise up the dirt road back to the parking lot. In the dry creek bed to my right there is a pack of deer runnign parrell but just ahead of me. I stand up and give it some gas. I pull alongside the small heard. Realizing that they can't just acceleate away from me, they scatter... That was awesome. I put my hand on the tops, and ease up the gearing. I glide for a bit. Gliding is nice. I spin my way back to the truck. Today is going to be a great day.


top 5 things I like about having a beard:

1. when I look in the mirror I look like my dad. (that's pretty cool)
2. warm face on cold morning rides
3. cool moisture that forms in wiskers while riding
4. less preparation time in the morning
5. that rugged mountain man look that is so popular now

top 5 things I hate about having a beard:

1. when I look in the mirror I look like my dad. (it's freaking me out a bit)
2. itchy, scratchy, can't get close to my wife too prickly
3. finding last nights dinner in my whiskers while riding
4. having to use more shampoo on my face
5. The rugged mountain man look is only popular in West Virgina.


respect
fm