AVLersary!

Any day on your bike 

is a good day

Exactly one year ago today, my wonderful wife and I arrived in Asheville, NC. We moved here for many reasons, but the big one for me was the fact that I could no longer handle Chicago winters.

Even back in grade school, I remember looking at maps and wondering why I lived in a place that made me extremely uncomfortable for more than half the year. Where “the air hurts my face,” as a recent meme on facebook explains perfectly.

To put it mildly: I hate cold weather. It sucks. F*ck cold weather.

So I was thrilled when the predictions were correct and it was 53 degrees today. Blue skies, sunshine, world-class mountain biking a few miles away – a perfect day to hit Bent Creek!



First hour?

Five measly miles

Over three long hours, I only covered 23.6 miles. But as you can see above, I was climbing for almost the entire first hour.

Oy.

Up, down, up, down,

fast, slow...

I took the North Boundary fire road almost all the way to the top of the ridge. Then it was time to have some fun. So I shot down Green's Lick trail. 

Holy mother of god, what a good time. It was a little muddy, but at this time of year, I'm used to frozen tundra, so I was laughing as the mud hit me in the face. 

Ha ha ha! F*ck you mud!

I love the fact that I can ride year-round here. That said, I don't like getting all sweaty while riding up a mountain and then flying down it while drenched in sweat. Then there are all the leaves that cover all those obstructions. Oh yeah, and the ice at higher elevations.

Can you believe that? Note to self: You carry five different hats with you when you ride in the winter, shut up you whiny little b*tch. And you're best friends with the greatest shoulder surgeon in the world, so don't worry about it.

Therefore, it bears repeating: Get on your bikes and ride!