Pee Hill

Found a pleasant hill near Pleasant Hill to ride this morning. Camels in Missouri are good indication it's gonna be hot today.

4TFOUR

My good friend Joe turned 44 today. So my gift to him? Get our asses up at 4am, roll out around 4:44am for a 44 mile sunrise ride before work. Fortunately, it wasn't 44°F... unfortunately, closer to 44°C. Not my birthday, but I feel spanked.

Ride yer bike! While I take a nap. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Freedoms

I set another of my bicycles free today, and it returned the favor. Thanks to all the revolutionaries, emancipationaries, foreign warrionairies and current militaries that have fought and served this grand experiment of cultures that is the U S of A. Letting freedom ring sounds suspiciously like a bicycle bell. Be free.

Independence

Don't lose any fingers.

Levee ride

Rode from Lee's Summit with my buddy Joe up to check out some gravel I saw on Google maps. Metric century, °F a few shy of a century. The levee was cool but washboarded and beat the hell out of us. Rode it for 2 (of 5) miles and bailed into a corn field farm road. Hot day. Cool stuff. Go discover something.

New dirt

There's a ~3 mile parkway extension in town that has yet to be wayed. I wish it would remain parked. I'll get in some traffic free packed dirt roads while it lasts... Saw upwards of 50 deer in 30 miles. 1.67 per mile.

Lots of riding planned for the 4th weekend. More gravel tomorrow, Clinton Lake mtb Sunday, roadie Monday. Give each bike some love.

Stay cool. Keep all your fingers. Ride yer bike!

Worth the wait

Hard to believe it's been over a year since I posted about my new bike build - Edwin Cycles 29er SS. But this was in the shop getting assembled the same time I was in the hospital getting my elbow assembled after the crash, so a long summer off the bike, eased back into some CX grass trail (no singletrack) last fall, then a winter and wet spring of trainer/road/trainer/road/road and finally, FINALLY!!! - I got to take the Edwin out this morning for its virgin trail ride.

My buddy Joe and I saw a window of opportunity in the busy schedules and between rains. Alarms set for 4:30am - on the trail by 5:30! No better way to welcome the day! We hit Landahl Park at first light - could have used a light but decided to go on instinct and roll the less-technical Will's Wanderer trail to warm up as the day brightened. Right off the bat, the bike felt great. Light True Temper OX Platinum, smoother in the rear (as opposed to my previous AL frame) and the White Bros Magic fork helped absorb some of the stress on the elbow. I hate to use the cliché, but "everything felt in the right place". I love the way this bike looks and feels. Last night I finally took the time to apply the script logo I designed for Doug (Edwin)... careful alignment then just COMMIT. The green against the patina is simple and elegant. Kinda cool seeing my work on a bike I own, too! Forgot how good GOOD steel rode. Awesome bike, Doug!!! Hope to have many more years and dirt miles on this thing - even if I have to get up with the roosters to sneak in a ride before work.

Ride yer bike!