Rolled in late last night from a visit to the motherland, the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. A weekend of family meals, hanging out with grandma, riding awesome singletrack and hanging out drinking good beer listening to tales of epics over the past year.

k-stormtrooper

I really think I’m lucky to have this extended family and enjoy these rides with cousin Sue and her husband. Riding with Sue is a blast since she has more base miles than you can shake a stick at, incredible fitness, etc and so forth. Normally she sits on my back wheel letting me huff and puff and set whatever pace I can maintain while she sets the conversation pace - we ride and talk and it’s a blast. I am fairly proud to say that my efforts over the past year (and this being only her 3rd mountain bike ride in 2010) actually allowed me to pull away a few times this weekend. I’ll just enjoy this while I can.

This weekend was my first time out on the newly revamped One9 as well as my first time on trails since SSAZ in early February. The bike did not disappoint. Brakes worked just fine, though I have to get accustomed to having actual stopping power now. Wheels were light and snappy.

Saturday we rode Salisbury in all it’s rock garden goodness. Sunday we went to South Mountain where I attempted to recreate the thanksgiving ride George and I did there. My route finding wasn’t perfect, happily though we ran into a friendly local who helped with the parts that I couldn’t remember. More rocks, more rocks more rocks, more fun descents (with rocks), some hike-a-bikes for me (couldn’t seem to find the momentum to climb through the rock gardens with 32:20). For the first time in weeks I did not spend my Sunday sucking up a rainy, snowy, cold, gritty, dirt road ride. And that’s awesome.

After two good days of mountain biking I can see the return of the mountain bike calli (calluses?). My upper body is sore, my back is hurting a bit but i’m just stoked to have had an awesome weekend away. It’s another week of rain here in VT, eliminating the snow but keeping the ground from drying out. Not sure when I’ll get back on the mountain bike, but hopefully it’s soon.