Uglyhead

Blame it on my sleep deprivation; blame it on my stir-craziness. Either way you look at it, my inaugural fall mountain bike ride may have been my final foray of the season. When the pain is bearable enough to lay off of the Ibuprofen and Aleve, then I will know whether or not I will be throwing a leg over my bike’s top tube before spring rolls around.

You may recall that I wrecked my mountain bike a few months ago. Since then I have managed to secret away a small amount of cash made up largely of birthday money. A couple weeks ago I used it to buy a bargain bike. It was a cheap because it is only a single speed and has a rigid (unsuspended) fork. It also has 29″ wheels instead of the standard 26″ wheels, which is a growing trend in mountain biking. Large wheels soak up bumps better.

Yesterday’s ride was filled with multiple firsts. In hindsight I realize how important it is to limit your variables when doing new things. It was my first ride of the year, my first time on a single speed, my first fully rigid ride, my first ride on big wheels, my first ride on an unfamiliar bike, my first ride in woods behind our house and; finally, the first time I wrecked and landed on my hind quarters. To add injury to injury, I also managed to pull off the latter a second time before the ride was done. Both times I landed on rocky hard-packed soil.

As far as the damage report goes, I came home with several nasty looking cuts and a few contusions. The cuts are nothing — if you haven’t bled then you haven’t ridden — but the bruises are the worst. Once the fleshy portions heal, I will know better what kind of damage I inflicted on my tailbone and back. It is not so bad that I feel the need to go to the doctor, but bad enough that I am uncomfortable without rest and drugs. Oh, and I also broke the exterior screen on my cell phone, which happened to be in my cargo pocket as I rolled over some rocks. At thirty-five am I too old for mountain biking? Nah, I honestly cannot wait to heal up and hit the trails again.