The Dark Side

I've gone to the dark side.  Robert convinced me to get a mountain bike.  We picked it up at Bike Tech in Macon last Friday.  I took it for its first spin on Sunday afternoon in the Oconee National Forest in south Jasper County, where Robert has been working on the trails.  It is so beautiful there.

Some of the trails go right along the Ocmulgee River.  Last Saturday we got the first rain in over a month.  We sure did need it!  It probably even improved the trails where we rode on Sunday, making the few sandy sections more ridable.  Unfortunately, we also got a close-up view of Big Sandy Creek dumping a load of sediment into the Ocmulgee River.

We humans aren't very good land managers.

For now, I'm just getting used to how the bike feels.  The turning feels different from a road bike.  A lot of times I feel like I'm about to fall.  I have to let it go where it wants and not fight it.  I can take turns a lot more slowly than on my road bike.  Robert says he had the same sensations when he first started, but they go away.

My technical skills at the moment extend to going over roots that are about 5 cm high.  On Sunday I rode very non-aggressively, walking across creeks, up and down steep embankments, etc.  Overall, I had a good time, but I did get a little frustrated toward the end of the ride.  Robert encouraged me to keep at it, and it will get a lot more fun.  My intuition tells me he's right.

Isn't it handy that there's already a podium right near the river? :)