The Velosophers

I ride with certain people cause I like the way they ride.  Their skills, guile, experience, strength, the know when to close a door on someone, or a silent sweeper, making the 2nd to last rider in the group, not worry about it so much.

I ride with people cause they are good story tellers, just enough of the choice moments, and deprecation, and bravado, to entertain.

I ride  with people that I know will listen to my ramblings, about my ride, or race, the spewing recaps of the highlights of my take of the ride.

                                                view from last nights pint glass

Mondays are movie night, and movie night is filled with beer, pizza, bull shit, some snoring, and a movie.  Last night was Trainspotting II.
not so good,

This morning, was East Park Sprints. making my second appearance of the year.
The make-up of the largess group was a bit stocked with 2/3 males.
I tried my sitting in the back watching, and sneaking wheels up, out of the wind.
...not such a good day to do that.
A large number of the riders clogged the front, ....by the small uphill curve to set up the sprint, they were blowing,
down the hill blowing,
into and around the corner into the sprint, blowing
and all the way to the line, blowers.
repeat 7 laps.
It made it more challenging, I got lippy with a blown dude,
of course by all means, he was right, in blowing, in the middle of a downhill, into a corner, and
me taking a f'n awful wide line to avoid him.

Ha!  I like a bit of piss, old man yammerings, of angry words on a ride!

I learned a lot today, and had to work a bit harder, and think a bit more, look farther up the road for the lines, and I had to cheat a bit less, not able to sneak in there hiding on a pull of another riders wheel.

It was real nice to see the Featherman at the sprints, rolling in a lap late,  he looks strong.   Saw the Saint Clair pedaling in, as Featherman and I road out to get some coffee at Volo,  Of course it was very nice to sit and have a snarky chat about the ride, catch up a bit on life, enjoy a fine cup of coffee, and velosophies a bit.
I love my learning, the constant education of being a rider, with a simple love, riding a bicycle.

 Cheers to my fellow velosophers!
dlowe

Swedish Fishing

I was chasing, spinning my little legs, as fast as they would go, to get the SSmtb going fast, to keep up with the small group, laughing off the front of this group ride.

Eating pierogies after the TT Friday, sipping a beer chatting with Kelly about riding this weekend,
I said, "I'd love to ride Fair Hill"  Kelly said "I'll give Marc and Diane a call?"
Yea, "if we could do a ride Sunday that'd be swell!"

       another fine Photo from the master, Diane.


You make your luck, and I think most of the people I've been riding with, they've been riding a long time, and they are good riders, and most of all, they are people that laugh, have fun, and really make riding enjoyable.

As I chased Chris ,Kelly and Buddy, we hit a creek crossing and bombing through the water a sharp pointed rock got Chris's tire, and out shot Sealant and flat it went.   The group re-grouped, and sorta a gasp, of a bit of a let down, at the un-opportune time to flat, was exhaled.

I said to Chris "Swedish Fish".
He pulled out his stash, and them little sweet fish,  umm, were good, shared between us all, and the jokes started, and photos were taken and almost too quick Chris had his tire fixed.


It was another just damn good day to ride.
You do make your luck.

Cheers!  dlowe

Monkey Hill TT

                                   an early version of my TT bike, back in the day.


Monkey Hill TT is a Blast.
3.1 miles on a Friday night, after work.   It's a swell lap of cobbles,  turns, a perfect challenge for every rider.

warming up, I was loose and chatty,  talking it up a bit with a young-in.  "I hope the bike does not boucne apart"  I said, referring to the starting section of fast jarring rough, downhill cobbles.
He looked at me and replied. "hope you don't lose your dentures"!

I road well and kept all my teeth.  Lots of smiles and great cheering and heckling along the really painful  finishing  climb of the cobbled Monkey Hill.

I could not figure out the podium, and I think the other two 55+ gentlemen, had to rush to make the AARP discount rate at the local buffet and missed the photo.  Quite happy I was to stand on the wrong step, and remembering some advice from JR  Petsko, (he runs the best podiums, shipshape and smart) I did the pose.

and Cheers to my teammate Kelly CX Cline on his great ride!  3rd place. 45+

Man!,  I have such a blast doing this cool fun challenging race.  So good to see friends, have a beer, and eat some pierogies.  I do love the pierogies!


Cheers Monkey Hill!
dlowe

95 south

I miss those old days, of the simpler times internet.
Between Instagram, facebook, twitter, a few emails,  messages and this old blog....
I need time, to focus and think, to conjure up ideas.  Writing is very hard for me.
...and I want to keep doing it.  and not too sucky badly.




I was riding my mountain bike tonight, after a drive home from Princeton to Philly,
lots of traffic, down route 1.

I like personality, flaws, big, strong, quite achievers, but people that are pretty true, ones that can't help it,
that they most of the time they tell the truth, show ya the truth, and that's all they can be, lying, not something that's acceptable to them, they are not capable of it much.

I like winners that are smaller than the image of a winner.
Champs who are nice, that love to ride, that are talented and work hard, and win.

On my mountain bike ride, just riding, the sun lowering, it lit up the thickening new green tress, and fell on me.
I looked back over my left shoulder and saw my shadow, popping in and out,
chasing me, laid on top of, flowing over the tress and brush, low golden sunlit.
Riding with me.


the sun dropped, and in a minute, it was over.

I needed a nice ride, to have it fall upon me, and look around,
I railed a bit, skimming the edge of my bars on the corners, nipping the trees.
I hit it a bit harder and got good clearance over the down trees.

two more days on this gig up in Princeton, and I'll give at it all the best I can,
do my best, and the drive, it won't get to me, ....won't let it
I'll relax, and not get to tightly focused on it,

I hope to Make the Monkey Hill TT friday night.
I'll drive down 95, shed the work duds, and pull on the skin suit and fucking give it my all.

Cheers Blokes!

dlowe

goose bumps

I was a bit under-dressed for the ride from my house to Belmont.   Which was fine, I knew when  I got in the woods, the chilled snappishness, of the short ride over to the trails,.... that I'd warm quick.

                               off the main trail, along an old one that's disappearing

                a new trails, weaves back and forth, and stumbles along, like an old town drunk

                                   

It's funny to pop out at a road, from a small hole, from a bit of woods, in the city.   and then cross and poke back in.

I got lost in the woods today.  On the trails I know well.  It took me forever to ride, with many stops.  I don't ride my mountain bike much, but I do love riding it. It's dialed in pretty sweet, finally feeling just right.  I did dive and bomb around a bit. Popped out of the Wiss,, under 76, a small bit of dirt up to the cynwyd trail, and home.   It's not often that I am lucky enough to get lost from it all. Its a real good feeling.  Today I savored it, and was glad, to enjoy something rare.


Cheers!  good riding to you    
dlowe