Mountain Bike Mudbath

Today, I planned to do my first bit of off-road riding since Christmas day. I was really looking forward to it. I only had a couple of miles left to meet my weekly target so I knew that I could achieve this easily and have some off-road fun at the same time.

I was excited as I knew the mud would be deep. The sun was out when I woke and I was itching to get out before it hid behind the clouds, but annoyingly Mullerton was having a lie-in. I waited impatiently before banging and clattering around the house to wake him. ;-) Yay! He was soon up and we were eating our porridge, but then to my dismay he told me that none of his MTB's were in working order. Something to do with siezed pistons. Grrr... after an hour of him fettling in the garage (and me obsessing over the blue skies, looking for any sign of grey clouds), he decided to just remove the front brake off his "Spot" altogether. I was concerned about his safety but the desire to ride, over-rode any of my concerns. We arranged to meet my Mum and eagerly set off. This was gonna be ace.

I wasn't wrong... it was better than ace. The conditions were perfect (blue skies and no wind). The singletrack was fun (deep mud and even deeper puddles). Even better still, I was surprised to find that my overall fitness had dramatically improved since the last time I rode this route. I nailed it! Despite the sucky mud, my feet were dancing on the pedals. I skipped around the singletrack as if riding on a cloud - floating over obstacles and managing to stay upright. My legs amazed me - there was no pain or fatigue! Although, saying that, I am the first to admit that there was numerous pitstops - mainly to check my mum was still with us and not face down in the mud!



I was on fire, zipping down the loose rocky tracks that used to scare me. I was full of adrenaline and enjoying every moment. This is what I have always loved about mountain biking! I think through my concentration to increase my stamina and agility through all the road riding during these winter months I had completely forgotten how much fun biking is. I just can't wait to get out there and do more - C'mon Spring!

I just can't express the rush it has given me. It wasn't just the great ride though; it has also given me an extra confidence in my abilities and new strength. More importantly it has reminded me why I've spent so many tedious miles on the turbo and the occasional monotony of riding laps around the village.

It felt wonderful out there and it has left me with such a great natural high. (LOL, if I hadn't spent the last 30mins bloggin' about it, poor Mikey would have to endure more of my constant ramblings about how much fun I had and how awesome I was.)