There is nothing wrong with taking a break. Sometimes that break is self induced, other times it’s just needed. One thing holds true. After any break from the bike, it always feels awesome to get back on and pedal. As I pedaled up to the top of Barrel Roll, that is exactly what I felt. It was hot, dark and I felt out of shape, but the rhythm of my body shifting from side to side to push the cranks downward to the ground and then release as the other side came around, felt amazing. My brain cleared of the shit that was cluttering it and for the few minutes before we turned on the lights, all I could think about was pedaling.
It’s been a minute or two since I rode my bicycle in the dark on dirt. This isn’t because of a lack of wanting to ride my bike, it’s more the fact that I open so staying out late sucks and also means I am off early so I can ride when the red rocks are still visible and one can take descent photos for the Book of Faces because we all know that is why we ride. But alas, KB is out of town for a few days meaning I don’t really have much to do when I get home from work.
And if that paragraph made any sense to you, please continue reading.
All of these minutes of me not riding my bicycle in the dirt in the dark happens to also coincide with the time that the Gnarmy has been bugging me to go for a night ride. The Gnarmy? You ask. Yup. The Alliance knows some people who happen to ride, like to make puns and coincidentally are damn good riders. They like to shred the gnar. They also take lots of poor photos like the one above and post them to the Book of Faces, as mentioned, with some pun attached.
I like people like this. Not just because they like to ride bikes, but because they only do it for the fun and they like to poke fun at the cultural aspect that so many of us get caught up in. They ride at night because that’s when they can and the rally as many Mooseknucklers as possible each time they go out. Domtron has been asking me to ride since like February and I have not obliged.
The plan was to ride Barrel Roll or what would be about an hour. Beans-n-rice planned to join us based on the fact that we should be home a little after 10. We met at the trailhead at 8:30, were rolling a little before 9. The Gnarmy pedaled with us until we hit the cutoff to Sidewinder. At which point it became painfully obvious that they had no desire to ride Barrel Roll and left us to pedal Suicidal Tendencies. I guess all those invites were because they knew I wouldn’t come. Bastards!
We continued and made our way up to the top passing a very upset rattlesnake of which I took a photo that regardless of what I do with it in Photoshop looks like worst shit than the other two above. So you will not be seeing said snake. We did not kill it. To suggest a thing is asinine.
We bombed down the trail focused intently on the 40 or so feet that were illuminated in front of us, once again clearing out the cobwebs and eliminating any and all unnecessary thoughts. A smile spreads across my face. Pedaling is my kind of meditation.
In other news, the Church of the Holy Alliance of Mooseknucklers will be holding a mediation session tomorrow morning at 6 AM, meet at the Navajo Trailhead. We will be done by 8 cuz zome of us have to work.
And then we will be pursuing our meditation on Rainbow Rim…
P. L. and R.
he was trying to catch up. I was at the far right side of the trail East bound when I noetcid he was coming right at me. I yelled but the cyclist failed to swerve to his right and instead cut straight into me. We both had headlights on, mine a bright NiteRider LED. The resulting high speed collision put me into the hospital for a week and out of work for at least 12 weeks. I had cardio infusion (fluid/bruising around my heart), broken rib, cracked sternum, and the right thumb smashed so badly it required surgery and is wired together with 6 pins. It will never work right, I am told. My $4000 bike was totaled.I was taken away by ambulance, your member seemed very incoherent, and never got to his feet while the paramedics were there, but he refused medical attention himself. Is he okay, now?I had passed your group several times and have been impressed with your multiple announcements Bike , but I don’t know what was wrong with this straggler that was cutting the corner on the wrong side of the trail. I always thought if I got hurt like this, it would be due to a car, not a fellow cyclist. This kind of behavior is bad for cycling and you should train better bike etiquette? I am a UCF graduate myself 1988