It was also important that I get a few miles in on my main bike. It’s sat and collected dust since the day I got it. The other Anthem is wearing some slicks right now.
Loaded up the car, got the lunatic under control. The Molly Monster knew exactly what was happening and proceeded to spin in circles for the ten minutes it took to load up. This was a staged picture. I spent half the time telling Molly to lay down. 2 hours of that gets a bit annoying.
Where was I going, well since most of central Ontario trail systems are still under snow or was to soft to ride I had to go south. Hilton Falls is a place I have never ever been but luckily my coach is living that way now. A couple emails back in forth and we made time and date plans. This also worked out since it was a recovery ride day for me so Heather would definitely keep me under control. I have a tendency to get a little to wound up when I start having fun and lose my focus. Kinda like the dog.
Dressed up and ready to rip. Hilton Falls is pretty flat but lots of rocks. It reminded me of Kanata Lakes in Ottawa. I stuck myself in the middle of the pack which for the first half hour was perfect. I felt really rusty and was being bounced all over the place. Got stalled up on rocks, couldn't’t pick a line if my life depended on it. Holly shit, I suck.
Then things started to kick in. My eyes remembered what they were supposed to do. The road is so easy, turn your feet and stare blankly forward until you see a red sign. Not in the trails. My balance started to return and I remembered that for and aft thing over obstacles. Hey this is fun.
I love my bike. The Anthem handles awesome. It handles smooth and predictable. I started to find the balance point and started bunny hopping logs. Yep like a kid, this is also when I started to lead the group just so I could stay off my brakes. I still stayed in my zones Heather!!!
The Molly Monster seemed to get back in track also. I wasn’t sure how much her couch potato winter lifestyle would affect he. Not much.. We toured around for 2 hours, it was just what I needed. The trails were in really good shape down there and we came across lots of other riders. I will say that it was nice riding and not being haunted by the wind.
I ended up with one tired dog.
One dirty bike
And one happy me. Sorry my smile was unavailable at print time.
Followed up the ride with a trip over to the pub. Awww bad food day mixed in with a great recovery drink of a beer. MMMM sweet beer. What a great way to spend a Sunday. Thanks again to Heather and Jay for being my tour guide. I’m technically as ready as I can be for Mansfield. Rest day today, may get out for a paddle this afternoon.
Later
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