Bikes

I love riding my bike.  I'm not sure I always love the after effects of riding, but it is so much more worth it to have pain from having had so much fun, rather than from just existing.

Most of my friends ride...a lot.  Almost all of them have epic rides at one time or another.  Theirs are usually of the 50-150 mile ride epic ride.

I managed to have an 8.5 mile epic ride!

Jeff took me out on the Columbia Trail last Tuesday afternoon.  It was a pretty warm day (mid-80s) when we started.  We decided to go from the Cycle Craft Long Valley shop to the trailhead on Bartley Road.  I had not gone that direction in several years and it has been improved with a trail that goes around the housing development; very nice.

The first thing that let me know it would be a special ride was seeing the Ghostbusters ambulance right before we got on the trail!  Ghostbusters was a great part of my young adulthood.  It was exciting to see the ambulance in Long Valley, of all places.  Hmmm, I wonder about the ghosts along the trail.

A little further in on the ride and it started raining.  I've never really ridden in the rain before and I started feeling a bit nervous.  In no time at all, it was a complete downpour and the trees really didn't seem to be sheltering us from it at all.  I couldn't stop laughing!  Rain was pouring down my helmet and into my mouth (which I never seem to be able to keep shut).  I was so drenched and having so much fun.

I don't see well on a good day.  The rain came down so hard I could barely see the red and blue of Jeff's jersey riding ahead of me.  He very graciously steered me away from the horse poop on the trail and guided me across when we had to cross streets.  Still, I couldn't stop giggling.

We saw a bunny on the way out, ducking for cover as we came barreling along.  We saw another bunny on the way back; in my "magical" mood, I imagined it was the same bunny waiting to make sure we got back.

The rain seemed to draw turtles onto the trail, as well.  We saw two on the way back.  Not big ones, but cute little fellows enjoying their own walk in the rain.

I think that might have been the most fun ride I have ever had!  I felt like I was all of 8 years old and disobeying all those rules I grew up with!  See?  Epic rides don't need to be long.  Epic is a state of mind.  It probably wouldn't have been much fun had it been cold, and that would be a different story.  I finished that ride drenched, covered in grit from the trail and excited for my next ride.

My next ride is noteworthy also; but for a different reason.  On Sunday, I was busy having a stupid, old pity party.  I hate when I get like that.  I am intelligent enough to know that the way I am thinking is only making my mood worse, I just can't seem to help myself sometimes.

Jeff came home from his ride and offered to take me out on a ride.  He doesn't have a lot of free time, so I knew I should take him up on it while the offer was there.

We went down to the High Bridge end of the Columbia Trail and started up.  The last time I started at that end, I got 7.5 miles in and was completely wiped out.  This time, I used my self-pity as a motivation and channeled my inner "Kim Fury".  She is a good friend who rides like she is possessed.  She has always told me a bike ride makes everything better.  Actually, a lot of my friends say that.  On Sunday, I found out what they meant.

I started that ride so mean, evil and bitchy!  By the time we got to the Califon city limits, I checked out of the pity party and into fun mode.  The slow steady climb took all the abuse I could put into my pedals.  With every turn of the crank, the moodiness and bitchiness flew out the back of my tires.  We turned back at 5 miles which meant I had my longest ride since being back in New Jersey.  When I finished, I was content and at peace, the way I like to be.

 

So, riding causes me some pretty bad pain the day after.  So what?  The joy that it brings is worth every bit of the pain.  I can deal with some steady chronic pain.  I don't do so well when deprived of the pure pleasure of being on a bike, even for my short, simple rides.