'm all right now

Never thought I'd make it, but I always do somehow.'m all right now.




...skip to :45.

Today is 4 weeks out from getting straight broke off. I feel better by the day. I been rolling my right IT band (ow! tender) and opening my chest. I cannot complain.

You believe how nice it was today?!? Man.

A little roundy round the rollier section of Ord on some fat tyres was the recipe for win. That bike is getting clownier by the day. I replaced the stock saddle with a Brooks Flyer. The extra springiness may or may not be a keeper- I will switch back and forth between a standard B17 and the Flyer and see. Also, I swapped the stem from 120mm to a 100mm, and changed the bars from the Salsa 17* flat to the Surly Open Bar. The reach is both shortened and lengthened (given the bendy nature) and I have 2 more hand positions, give or take infinity. I feel this will pay off big time when bikecamping or going for longer rides. I have aspirations to both in the future; may even combine them.

In further exploring the old Friday night SS loop environs (and happily, it is almost all open again! we need to bed some sections in more/again, so let's all ride there) I ran into B___ B_____ and we had an inneresting chat about trail right of way. He ran into some other cyclist recently while descending 50 at speed; which is how one descends 50. The other guy flipped out, fell off his bike and down slope. While B___ was leaning down, hand out to help him up, the guy began mouthing off about riding in control and claimed he had the right of way. B___, to hear him tell it, handled it extremely calmly/well. I think I would have told that dude to eat a dick and ridden away at that point. I agree that, all things being equal, the climber is accorded the trail. I further agree that, this being Real Life, it doesn't matter how "right" you are if you're in a bad situation. Getting lippy about someone else ripping legal singletrack downhill while you are laboring around a blind corner in the middle of the trail is bullllllshit.

B___ takes it so far as to climb the road around both 49 and 50, which, to my mind, is crazy talk. But that's what he does, just to avoid the possible crash since both of those are honestly 90% ridden in the downhill direction. I myself climb them both on occasion- though much more 49 since it actually gets you someplace from which it is fun to keep riding. And when I'm climbing these trails, I keep my ears open (no headphones or earbuds or whatever they're called when you are from) and I try to look around/through corners where I can. Because I'm responsible for my well-being on the trail; not the guy ripping down a sweet section of hero dirt.

It's prolly all 6s in here, and I do feel like I'm preaching to the choir, but. Look out for yourself and your riding buddies. Call out around a blind corner if it's a heavily used trail. (B___ has now collided with people who were coming up 49, 50, and Blair Witch). Be aware of what's coming. Call out the # of riders in your party who are still behind you when passing someone in order to keep everbody safe- which, if we're being preachy, it amazes me how few people do you this courtesy. If you yield, try to do it by leaning away from the singletrack while keeping your wheels on the edge of the trail. This keeps singletrack single. Don't put that in your mouth. Etc.

If hassles become legal matters, we will face all kinds of regulations. Trails designated directionally, etc. That would suck. Looking at the proposed diminishment of Fort Ord already, it is increasingly clear we all need to play nice.


Anyhow. Bike ride on a sunny day? Yes, please.