Back At It, On It, Whatever...

Today, like Monday, I got my ass chamoised and out the door before I allowed myself to become overwhelmed with a non existent mental "to do" list. On tap was some miles on the Mamasita via a variety of surfaces- Limestone, rock, dirt, gravel, pavement, etc.,

I think I've been on my road bike like once in the past 3 weeks. I've been doing just about everything on my mountain bikes. If I'm only going to be riding for 2 to 3 hours I figured I might as well make it harder. Yeah, yeah, at times as I whirled along on the pavement I could almost hear Aaron's ridicule, and sense the disspointment from the roadies of the world, for riding a mountain bike on the road, but I worried not, for I find myself deeply immersed in the Tao of Gerry (minus the talent) and am feeling the love for riding my 29er in most every sitch.

I've been starting and ending most of my recent rides on our local rail trail. It's funny because I see some of the same characters every ride. There's the hobo that sits at the picnic table, there's the shaved headed 400 lb. dude (I kid you not, but good for him!) on a cruiser that matches his car, the 6'4" skinny as a rail, mullet headed meth head dude I see walking along the trail, and lastly my favorite dude... A dude that I affectionately call "Ned Overend's Grandfather".

"N.O's.G." sort of looks like Ned, rides a vintage mountain bike with like an early Rock Shox Judy on it, and is always in a full vintage early 90s mountain bike kit. We pass going opposite directions at about the same time, every time I ride, and as he passes he always rings the bell on his bars. Seeing him never fails to make me smile. The bell, the bike, the kit, his age and his enthusiasm. It all works together to make those last few miles to the finish a little better. Thank "N.O's.G.".

The only downfall to today's ride was the fact that I KNEW I was going to be in the saddle two to three hours, yet I only took one bottle of water, one bottle of CytoCarb/Gatorade, and NOTHING else. So needless to say, 80 degrees, 90% humidity, 38.5 miles, and 2:35 later, I was ready to drink river water and eat mud. I'm an idiot.

Hope more of the same tomorrow, but with more fuel and less idiocy.

Later.