Montgomery Bell/Yazoo/Trip /"Get A Grip"

Back on the Mountain Bike today after a looooong hiatus. Spent a little over two hours spinning circles around Montgomery Bell. Figure I rode between 20 and 30 miles (I don't really pay attention to distance, time's where it's at for me) as I did the entire Red, Blue, White, Yellow and most of the Green loops. Cut down my handlebars last night, took off about a half inch on either side while the water heater repairmen did their thing. I've been feeling for awhile that the bars were a little too wide, the bike would sort of swing out of control when I stood up and it was tough to use the arms to generate power. This sensation was exacerbated when I'd come back to the MTB after a stint on the Cyclo-cross bike. I took the opportunity to change grips, opting for some fatty Oury's (I used to hate these things back when they gave them out for free at every bike race in Colorado but my hands have been craving something more substantial to hold on to). Unfortunately the right grip didn't set up before the ride and after futzing with it every ten minutes for the first hour I just took the damn thing off and rode without it. Wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, although, sitting here typing, the right hand is a little numb.

Had to be about the nicest day I've ever had out there. Beautiful weather (no tights, no sleeves) and the trail this time of year is perfect. It's still 90% leaf covered, but they've been ridden flat so the trail is smooth as silk. All the leaves are off the trees so as you look through the woods you can plainly see the trail as it snakes around. I love MBell, I can't think of too many other places I'd rather ride. There's some bad reviews of this network on some of the trail sites out there but that's all bullshit. To say that the yellow trail doesn't flow really speaks more about the rider/reviewer than it does about the trail. White loop is getting especially good as more people are riding it. Again, forgot the camera, and what's a blog entry without a picture, right? I'll try to make it up to you (though I wonder who you are, I disabled the analysis feature on this blog so I don't know who, if anyone, is reading this drivel).

Tonight there's a little DSG get together down at Yazoo. I love beer and I love bikes and my wife loves Yazoo so I'm devising a plan to get all three in one session. Tomorrow I'll be taking it easy in preparation for the Judicata 5k/10k I'm running first thing Saturday morning. I don't know what I was thinking signing up to race on foot but it's too late to back out now.

In the planning stages of a Colorado trip in May. My wife (who's record you can still get for free for a couple weeks, by the way) is going to be out on tour so I'm planning to pack up the wagon and head to Monument, Salida, Gunnison, Crested Butte, Fruita, Cortez, Ridgeway and Durango in search of some epic long rolling single track. It'll be like old times again. 10 days, solo, tents, coolers, cold beers, campfires, talking to myself... I get all worked up just thinking about it.

Sidenote: I like Trader Joes. I've actually not been there, but I eat tons of food that my lovely wife buys there. I find this little video funny. I got it off Car Free Days (one of my favorite blogs)