I don’t get many weekends off. That’s a consequence of working in a retail business. When I do get an “off weekend,” it’s not often that I can spend it on leisure. This past Saturday and Sunday included some excellent riding!
Saturday was a day off. I rode in to the shop to lead the morning path ride, and then, after a stop for a peach milkshake, took my time riding back home. A nice morning, all told.
The Picnic: Saturday afternoon was the South Side Cycling Club Summer Picnic. Kudos to Dan and the others who made this a fun and happy time. The event was held at the Peachtree City Baseball Soccer Complex, right adjacent to our new city mountain bike trails!
Yes I went. Yes, I ate big. And yes, I took a bike. I took the time to dust off, lube up, and tune up the FrankenFixed. And I did ride it on the trails. What a gas!
The trails were a bit more technical than I remembered them, from last Winter. On the fixed gear monster, they were more like riding observed trials than your typical mountain bike excursion. I found I had to really gun it to get through some of the obstacles.
On a few occasions, I’d get set up for one of the long upward inclines, only to have to negotiate a tricky bit of twisty. That robbed me of momentum, and made it necessary to stand and exert maximum power just to keep moving.
The twisty bits were a blast too.
Sunday, Urban Adventure: At the request of a coupe of co-workers and friends, I led a small party into the depths of Atlanta, for some urban street riding.
Folks, it’s fun to get out of the sandbox from time to time. We took MARTA, from College Park into the city, and hit the streets in Inman Park.
We did a pretty good tour of the city, including Little Five Points, Georgia State University, Centennial Park, Georgia Tech, Piedmont Park, Druid Hills, a touch on the Emory campus, a trip through Decatur, and finally, back to Inman Park to re-board MARTA.
Riding in Atlanta requires a combination of vigilance, and street-smarts, but includes long stretches of quiet residential streets too. Lots and lots of good fun hill climbing were on the menu too. Chris, Michael, and Chris, thanks for helping to make some great memories.
Want one sample? I don’t think any of us will ever forget seeing Chris attempt to stop his brakeless fixie on that hill.
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