Intervals

Being stashed away in a hotel hundreds of miles away from my bikes, I was forced to put in some miles on the dreaded excercise machine that pretends to mimic cycling.  You know the type - the ones they put in cheap exercise rooms that rarely get used?  I'm not sure who designs these things, but the seat was gigantic and applied pressure in all the wrong spot while simultaneously impeding free movement of the legs by putting pressure against the very back of the leg just below the buttocks.  

OK - that last paragraph was a bit of a downer...  On the upside, I was able to log a few "miles" and the interval setting on the machine at least added some variety and challenge to the routine.  The machine somehow calculated my speed at an average rate of somewhere around 20mph - just don't ask me where the come up with that.  It was also certainly nice to be able to watch TV while riding.  It sort of changes the whole couch-potatoe thing that is normally associated with TV watching.

Pathetic

In a rather pathetic turn of events, I have not been on a single ride since the last post.  The good news is that I just finished the removal of my "temporary" Rockshox Psylo fork and the reinstallation of my cherished Marzocchi fork.  At least the next ride will be pleasantly cushy and smooth.  One other thing of note is that I had forgotten how having that extra inch of travel (the Psylo has like 3.5" or something and the Marzocchi has more like 5" really changes the geometry.  I can now also look forward to more comfortable high speeds as the change the head tube angle switches things up for me. 

Finding a pace

I rode Erwin Park in Mckinney, TX a few times over the last few weeks and since I am now blogging about riding, here's the report:

Trail: Erwin Park - Mckinney, TX

Estimated mileage: 16 miles (8 miles each time)

Trail Report: Dry as a bone and very well-cut/maintained.  Passed just four riders and two hikers.

Notes: Shoulder checked two trees on the first ride and only one on the second, so apparently I am getting better?  Loved this trail the first time I rode it and by number two, I was still having fun, but I received a glimpse into the (not so distant?) future in which I was so tired of this short little trail that I was road riding.  Heaven help me....  Overall, it is a fun trail and there are at least 3-4 places where you can actually catch air on a little rise or something.  The "drops" that are often claimed to exist on this trail by over-exhuberant mtbikenewbies are actually roll-ins into creek bottoms, none of which exceed a height of 40 feet (being generous here.)  The adrenaline rush comes purely from the potential to collide with a tree as you pick up speed and then run straight into one of the many sections of trail that are bounded by trees growing just distant enough to allow a handlebar to pass, but without a very large margin for error.  For me, this is the qunitessential Texas trail; 8 miles of trail packed into a 40 acre? park with endless bends, unnecessary (but fun) switchbacks, dropping into and climbing out of small creekbeds and generally meandering around in sweet pointlessness.  The objective is to ride - not to get somewhere.