Mr. Mushroom Crotch

More rain, more clouds, more moisture, more potential fungus in the chamois today. The W.S.E. continues, and I welcomed it with 2.5+ hours of riding in the rain. 14 miles of rail trail, 20+ miles of shit roads, farm roads and WPA back roads, and lots of moisture. I think I ACTUALLY felt a fungus grow betweenst my nuggets during the ride. Ah, who cares, nothing a little cream won't take care of.

There was no single track, there was no double track, just limestone, and a bunch of pavement in various stages of suck. OK by me. It was fun. I got a great workout in and got to spend time in the saddle of my fave bike- the Dos Niner.

The sun did come out for about 30 seconds during the ride. Long enough to say "hey, it's the sun", but short lived enough to say "f*ck, it's raining again!". The first 7 miles of rail trail were OK, the rain would come and go, and I just hammered on listening to my iPod which was snug in a plastic bag and playing some live Art Brut. By the time I hit the first paved climb though the rain was coming down a bit harder. The ear buds came out and I proceeded to ride though the mist/drizzle/downpour/sun/mist/clouds for the next 20+ miles of roads.

The exact length and time of the ride is unknown, since my computer became a bit waterlogged at some point and stopped working. Lots of folks can ride without a computer, not having one working drives me mad. It's sort of a motivator to keep going. To see the miles pile up, the time tick away, etc., After a couple big down hills, enough water must have been blown out for it to start working again.

This ride has really started to be one of my favorite local rides. It's got some flats to hammer, some nice climbs, and except for 1 or 2 paved sections it's VERY low traffic. Another bonus is that given the rail trail and the condition of some of the roads, it's best done on my mountain bike. Riding my mountain bike on the road has gone from something I used to loathe to something I love. Maybe it's the big wheels of a 29er that makes it more fun? Or maybe it's as I've said before- I race my mountain bike in races that often have road sections and long gravel road sections, but never race my road bike at all, so it might just make more sense to use my mountain bike more often. Or MAYBE it's just fun and a great work out?

After the climb (pictured above) I rounded a corner to find a few cows in the middle of the road. I stood there for a few moments politely asking them to move. No dice. Finally my inner cowboy kicked in and I gave it a few "Move! Yah! Yahs!" It worked. They scurried off and I was on my way.

Soon it was time for the 7 miles back on the rail trail which now had a layer of wet limestone waiting to cover me and my bike. It was raining again, and the earphones were back on, and I hammered out the last 7 miles to the xB. I was pretty happy with the ride. Especially given the fact that I stood in my doorway watching it rain a few hours prior and thinking to myself "no way!"

Sometimes you just do what you gotta do. Not to "train" or think yourself a "hard man". Sometimes you just do what you gotta do to salvage a day, to burn some calories and get those endorphins pumping and doing their thang.

Later.