Mark suggested a ride today, a stellar idea. The trails were perfect – Nicely packed and no mud. The temps were in the 50s and it was just cool enough to be perfectly comfortable. This, the second ride of the season, felt better than the first. The first ride is too much about gauging my fitness, while the second ride begins the settling-in process.
I’d watched a couple of GMBN videos since riding on Wednesday, a good way to remind myself of basics forgotten over the winter. Just not stopping pedaling is one, and something obvious that I in fact need to improve. Two other techniques came back easier though – getting off the saddle on descents, and, also on descents, dropping my heels so the bounces drive my feet tighter to the pedals and effectively drive the bike tighter to the ground. The ride was both more controlled and faster from remembering these techniques.
Mark and I stopped and talked to several people, and we cleared one tree off Purple, so what’s usually a one hour ride took two.
That was just fine.
About swampyankeecyclist
I'm Andy Engel, just a middle-aged, middle-class guy from Roxbury, Connecticut. I've been married to my best friend since 1988, and we have two grown sons. I like riding bikes, and my biggest accomplishment is the 180K D2R2. I own 5 bikes but my go-to rides are a 2016 GT Grade gravel and commuter bike and a 2016 Specialized 650b hardtail mountain bike. Additionally, I have a 2000-something carbon-fiber Orbea road bike, a 1990-something Specialized Sirrus that's my old dirt and commuter bike and which now serves as a spare and a trainer bike, and a 1985 Ross Mount Hood MTB. All but the 650b have Brooks saddles. I work from home now, but used to commute 32 miles round trip to work by bike year round. I was a carpenter and still love building things, but regular paychecks, insurance, and vacation time lured me into journalism. I've written a couple of books on carpentry, and I've been an editor at Fine Homebuilding, Fine Woodworking, and Professional Deck Builder magazines. Currently, I manage construction events at the JLC Live and Remodeling Show trade shows. Additionally, my wife and I run Transylvania Guest House, an Airbnb. Find us on Instagram. Come stay with us and I'll show you some great cycling.
swampyankeecyclist 