Day 242: What a Gorgeous Day!

It’s been such a wild and yet welcome turn in the weather. I went from doing ride after ride in the rain and cold, to riding the past few days in the weather that I’ve been dreaming about. It's been warm and sunny simply perfect riding conditions.The winter took a toll on me in many different ways, but riding in weather like today's is absolutely rejuvenating me quickly.

I met up with some friends at the WTB world headquarters. The ride preparations had aready begun by the time that I arrived. “F” was getting his ride ready for fun with the help of one of the founders of the company. Those of us that have been there for years just jump in when help is needed, especially when it comes to getting a bike ready for a ride.

We rolled down the driveway, and out onto Miller as we headed off to do one of our regular lunchtime rides. We turned up Evergreen St. and for some reason today I asked the guys to keep going up the street instead of turning onto Ethel Ave. I’m happy that I did, because otherwise we would have missed bumping into a new acquaintance of mine.

As we rode up the street we found another mountain biker riding towards us. It was another "F."We stopped, and I made some quick introductions, and an invitation to come ride with us. Within seconds we were all headed up the road together. God, I love this so much. The inclusion of friends and the instant ability to share experiences with each other is amazing to me. We all love riding, but we often have other shared traits. Things like dogs, food, politics, and the list goes on.

We rode up a combination of fire roads, streets, and trails while on our way to the Marin Headlands.

As we reached the entrance to the Coyote Ridge Trail there was a large abandoned suitcase on the trail, and of course “Fast F” decided to ride right over it! He was showing off, but then again, he should. He’s one of the very best technical riders in Marin County! He was riding on a fully rigid single speed. That's right, no suspension! I told another of our crew today, that the only way that I’ll ever beat “Fast F” down a hill is if I bust a lung getting to the top before him, and that alone will be quite a chore. ;-)

So we all had a good ride today. The Marin Headlands were as beautiful as usual, and I’m enjoying them more and more as I get deeper into R2R. I had somehow forgotten about riding there over the years, and ended up riding primarily on Mount Tamalpais. I’m glad to be riding here regularly again. It’s some amazing countryside that we're so fortunate to have.

“B, F, and Fast F,” thanks for the fun ride today!