Description

An admitted shoe geek waxes philosophical about running, triathlon, and life in general.
Comments welcome!


Thursday, August 25, 2016

Late August? Really?

It seems summer just got here, and the signs are showing that it's soon to be history. I can't believe the leaves are already starting to fall. Off-road rides are crunchy. I'm not ready for fall!

The Lucky Masochist Gravel Deuce went off perfectly, with more riders than last year and great weather. Day one was overcast and cool, which helped on the climbs (of which there were plenty). The warmer temperatures and sunny skies made the Brooklyn Tavern a more-than-welcome stop on day two, and the chili dogs were just the thing to fuel us to the final 22 miles. To think that was a month ago! The time has flown by. I think I've finally recovered.

As a thank you to Lake Tapps Brewing Company for helping out with supplying beer for the first-day's after-ride gathering at the Lucky Masochist ride, I put together an evening slow-cruise ride starting and finishing there. The weather was still very warm at 6:30 as we rolled out for a six mile social foray onto local multi-use trails and low-traffic roads. I think we had 15 riders show up, including several children. It seemed to be very well received by both the riders and the Lake Tapps folks. I'm thinking we'll do this one more time before calling it a season and putting it away until spring.

Things on the docket for the not-so-distant future:
* A trip to the north Oregon coast, that will include a couple opportunities to ride in a new area. I'm mapping some mixed-surface rides.
* An old racing team mate of mine is planning an assault on the hour record at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome (formerly the Marymoor Velodrome). No, not the international Hour, but the record for the track -- currently at 27 miles. It was originally scheduled for this Saturday, but has been postponed a few weeks. I was thinking I'd head up to witness the carnage and cheer him on.
* Ramping up for the Oregon Handmade Bike and Beer Festival in October. This will be my second showing at this festival, and hopefully will garner a few new customers, as well as spending some time with the area's top-notch custom builders.