Ride all the Time. . .

[tmac]

This may be a bit of a ramble, but I wanted to share a few riding experiences and encourage everyone to get out and ride - MORE.

After riding in the 24 Hours of Afton, and just getting back from a great early morning ride at Leb - it dawned on me that if you are just riding on Saturday mornings during the summer, you are missing the whole value of the sport IMHO.

Ride all Day.
The 24 hour race was a terrific example of this. The same trail can seem totally different in the evening and the morning. I shouldn't have to convince you about the differences between Midnight and Midday, but if you have not yet experienced it - get out tonight and RIDE! Do it on the trail, do it in the city, do it as long as you can!

Ride All Year.
I try and commute year round, but this year I am going to make a point of riding off-road as long as the trails can sustain it as well. Like they say "have the right gear - ride all year." In the same way that a trail can seem completely new when you ride it at dawn for the first time, the difference between a mid-summer River Bottoms, and a frosty ride with no leaves on the trees is like riding two copletely different trails.

My point is that one of the great things about Mountain Biking is that it gets us out into all kinds of great natural locations. You are missing out on what that can offer if you don't put a little effort into getting out there at all hours of the day. And get out to lots of different trails. You will thank yourself, and you might even be surprised at what riding actually means to you.

In the end it is not about how good a rider you are, but how many good rides you get.

[nicnac]

My point is that one of the great things about Mountain Biking is that it gets us out into all kinds of great natural locations. You are missing out on what that can offer

I would just like to add my thoughts to this comment.
Lately I have been doing far more street riding than trail riding and mainly for 2 reasons. Since I'm not a great rider or terribly strong one for that matter, street riding has helped my endurance and confidence level considerably. But even more than that is the enjoyment from seeing what the Cities has to offer. Although I recently moved here, I'm pretty familiar with the area. (My small hometown sucked so I always came to the Cities for fun heh) I've had a great time this summer touring around on my bike and seeing everything from a completely different perspective. I've had a ton of instances where I had driven by an area and always wondered what was down there. Now I'm taking the time to find out.
I like having the opportunity to bike around the surrounding Eagan areas. It can be very relaxing but with the variety of hills I will still get a pretty good workout...especially if I get bored being relaxed and just haul a$$ for a while.

[tmac]

That's exactly what I did when I moved here. Actually, I had moved from CO, so I said to myself, time to ditch the Mtn. Bike, since there are no Mtns here, and give being a roadie a try. (Boy have I been missing out). Anyway, I often drive by spots now, and say "hey - I've biked here I had no idea how to get here by car. . ."

Reason # 283 - Biking is a great way to explore a new city.

[nicnac]

For example, one of the fun things is to get across the river and down underneath the incoming flight path at the airport. It's not nearly as cool as the 'Wayne's World' scene but it's still pretty cool :)

[Trevize1138]

BAH!

Winter is for snowboarding and x-country skiing! :mad:

... on second thought, if we have yet another crappy, warm, snowless winter, I just might have to join you guys on the frosty trails :).

[SPR]

Riding off road in the winter through the snow is a blast. It's a great workout and it strenthens your bike handling skills. When you fall you just land in soft snow.
Riding on a frozen lake is also a blast. I built up some studded tires which are a requirement if you do ride on ice. I have a creek running through my back yard and when it freezes I take the bike out. I also enjoy racing on the ice. Hopefully the ice races that took place last winter on Bush Lake will continue this winter.

[jitterjepp]

I agree winter is for skiing and ice climbing too. I do like to ride though. I try to stay out of my vehicle as much as possible. I put about 45,000 miles on the thing in one year. I hate driving!


TMAC- "After riding the 24 Hours of Afton...." Yea after you do that going for a six hour ride around town is like sitting on the couch eating potato chips.

Racing on ice? Now I might try that!

[tmac]

Originally posted by jitterjepp

TMAC- "After riding the 24 Hours of Afton...." Yea after you do that going for a six hour ride around town is like sitting on the couch eating potato chips.

Racing on ice? Now I might try that!

Of course I only did about 5 hours of riding at Afton . . . .

But I agree with Chris that there are plenty of seasonally appropriate sports to be out in. I never quite get the folks out on roller skis with poles and all that, day after day. I do like to get out and ride in lots of different conditions, but I usually only do one or two snowy rides a year. But when conditions are dry, and cold, biking gives you a unique perspective.