2021

and Pffft, just like that something appears. I have a few bikes, a road, mountain, beer-beater, and cyclocross. I'm a cyclist more than anything eles. I love to ride. I'm happy on all of them. but, sometimes, more often than not on my cross bike, I see something, a downed telephone pole, that I have to hop. A narrow ribbon of dirt off the gravel road, and the bike I and pull to it, turn up the effort a bit and get at it!

My cx bike loves the spewn decaying streets and urban blight as much as it does, the paved path to Valley Forge. Around here there is a lot of stuff, if brave enough, I can ride. There is a short paved path, underpassing the road, an old trolley line, that I will hit every once in a while, and I'm scared to know what is in that tunnel, I'm ready to turn around and high tale it if needed. And I sprint down to it, and high speed right through it. I miss racing this year, I miss the really steep off camber mud hill decent in the Sly Fox race, that I barrel down and almost say a thank you out loud, that I'm still up right, when I arrive at the bottom, but quickly forget to do, cause I'm racing cross, and lots of other thoughts appear, quickly, chasing you or just needing to get going harder. Oh also, I've been racing long enough to hear people say "that's it, I'm down with racing", like someone can really hang it up. and I know in their mind, that when they say they don't miss the training, or racing, I know, I think they are just trying to convince themselves more than anyone else. Once a racer, you are never retired, never. and who knows the future, and what turns are up there. I got out for a nice easy ride today. It's damp, 35 degrees. On the cross bike, with just faint plans of where I was headed, and got a lot of pleasant pedaling in. I found a couple of new lines. The exploring always sorta keeps me warmer and happy. Ha! Well I really look forward to more gravel roads, hole in the fence short cuts, and burly rocks. Cheers friends, stay happy, and ride fast, when you can, like a whacked out kid, not knowing where they are going, but are loving getting there. dlowe