Natophelia

So I had an awesome ride yesterday! We rode about 12 miles to Shelby Farms, did a little of a trail (it got too dark in the woods. Had to stop.), and did the 12 miles back. I've been riding about a month and a half total and have done longer rides than this without any kind of muscle soreness, but the guys I rode with yesterday were much faster than I am. I don't think I'm going to have any 'lasting' soreness but YAY I feel it today! I told them I was slow (about 12mph), but they were still going faster than I'm used to. I think we ended up going about 14-15mph the whole way; I guess that WAS slow to them! I had moments where I wondered why in the hell I was doing this, but when it was over I felt great. Dizzy, but great! I sort of had my first crash, too which was really friggin' funny. There was a huge patch of mud covering the trail and the guy in front of me rode along the very edge of it to get around it. BANG he hits something and falls right over into the mud! He keeps saying F-ing log! F-ing log! We stand there and laugh about it for a good 3 minutes. So I decide to try going around the same side he went. BANG! Something hits me hard in my left bicep and I have to sink my foot in the mud to keep from falling over. It's the f-ing LOG! The whole time he was cursing it, he didn't mention WHERE it was or where it hit him! It was sticking out onto the trail from a tangle of growth. Since it was dark and I didn't have my contacts in, I never saw it! I thought he meant there was one sticking out of the mud and I was going to have to hop it. Now I'm going to have this big beautiful bruise/scrape and my choreographer's going to growl at me for it. I'm quite proud of it, really Showed it off to a few co-workers this morning. They think I'm nuts. I like it

Just had to tell some other dirt mongers about it...

:dance:

mechBgon

Hehe, stupid log... Glad you had a blast on your ride, now you have an excuse to pick up a nice powerful light system too! I missed my ride yesterday... I don't know where the group met to start the ride, but it sure wasn't where I thought!

rockymtn_girl

Welcome to the dirt club Nat! Get used to the scarred legs though. I wear mine (scars) like badges of honor and can tell you how and where I got every single one of them! I've got a chain ring tatoo on my right calf that may or may not ever go away.

The funniest reaction I ever got though was the time I went for a ride on my favorite trail several days after a heavy rain storm. Most of the puddles had dried up but those that hadn't were that real thick gooey mud. I'm a bit of a mud puppy anyway and plowed right through them. I came out of the trail looking like the monster from the black lagoon!

On my way home I stopped by the velodrome to watch my husband race and the reaction from the racers was very funny. No one said anything to me but their looks said it all. My husband beaming from ear to ear just said that's my girl! My "cool factor" went up significantly that day.

Natophelia

Oh yeah..I have a light. Just forgot it. dammit! And it was my arm bicep. Which makes it even dumber. The log was close to my FACE and did I see it?? noooooooooooooooo

Maelstrom 

Mud is my favorite beast. We usually get a lot of rain around here but lately it has been aa dessert. I am hoping for a week of rain so I can get down and dirty.

Nice storey

Natophelia

I'm liking this mud thing, too. Not much mud to speak of in dance studios! My first trail was amazing...I never fell, but I managed to get mud all over my back and even some on my face. I didn't feel confident enough to attempt maneuvering away from the mud so I slugged right through it.
Thanks, Mael...thought it was pretty rediculous! I have to say my bruise is developing nicely! But it looks like someone handled me really roughly. I look like an in-the-closet battered woman.

Joe Pozer

Of course...and don't you know, Scars and Chain ring tatoos are sexy...

fubar5

dead sexy!

Natophelia

I should have taken a picture of the bruise then. Hehe...cyclist porno...

Ice-T

Hey rockymtn_girl I don't know what the monster of the black lagoon lookes like but it can't be worse than me after my ride yesterday. I live in Freiberg (one of the currently flooded cities in germany) and boy are the trails muddy! One of my riding buddys found this new trail on the map so we checked it out. It ended in a huge 2 feet deep mudpuddle...needless to say we had fun

Joe Pozer

Oh yeah!
We need a picture forum so we can post our bruises and scars. I certainly have plenty of them to show and I'm sure I will have lots more after this weekend. Going to Downieville and Tahoe for some great riding. Can't wait for 5 o'clock!

tokus

Phew i was almost taken out by a log today on my ride. There was recently some storms since i last went riding and on a fast downhill section i had a surpise. Right before a downhill section the trail narrows and turns and there was a huge broken pine tree shooting right into the trail about 4 feet off the ground. Luckily i swerved in time and saved myself from serious injury, hitting a big sharp splintery pine tree at 20 mph isnt good lol.