an event to look forward to

we went to see this event today at mercer county park. we saw people from different categories of capabilities sweat it out in the event they've chosen to participate in, with that determination on their faces, and strangers cheering them on. i envied them for having the courage to do it, for i have been thinking of doing it but did not have enough courage to do it - i'm afraid i'd really suck in the first leg and be the last to finish in this tri-event. but seeing the average joe's and jane's do it gave me the motivation so i said to myself - next year, i'll be one of them.

see you next year.

driveway sealcoating

last saturday, after that early night riding with the 2 kemosabes, when the forecast for the rest of the day was sunny, humid, with a high of 90+ and a feel of 100+ (and we have not planned to go anywhere to beat the heat), i decided to do something productive - seal/resurface my driveway. after two trips to home depot, 7 5-gal latex-ite driveway sealer, more than 2 pitchers of cold water, and a sunburn, i've done it. my whole body ached, and i slept soundly that night.

total cost for this diy-one-day-project = $210.00. not bad.

back to night riding

the three 'late-bloomers/oldies' went back to a very fun and rewarding night riding last saturday. boy, how we missed this kind of fun. we rode the trail like it was a bright morning ride, oblivious to the surrounding, so focused on the trail ahead. and we did the grand tour trail and back, for a total of 15+ miles. the reward? a post-ride breakfast at mcd courtesy of m-presidente.

are we doing this again? definitely!

_cializ_ conquers wissa, and harts...

_cializ_? wissa? harts? what are we talking about?

the three 'late-bloomers' went to wissahickon valley last june 28 and did another grueling epic ride - 20mi exciting trail, 4673ft elev gain, 4+hrs on the saddle, and the best-tasting pbj sandwich :). and i did it with my 'old and trusted new' bike, _cializ_ ss. old and new? _cializ_ is my old specialized stumpjumper bike that i've converted to ss - and now it's a brand new bike. and i really enjoy riding it. riding ss is not as hard as some might think. i actually find it easier, even on some hard and steep climbs. on climbs, i just put my foot on the pedal and speed up - momentum helps. before i know it, i'm at the summit looking down and waiting for my buddies hehehe. wissa + ss is one fun experience.

and harts? hartshorne, of course. one of our favorite mtb trails. i never thought i could ride _cializ_ there. but i did, and was happy with my ride. giant-trance-mtb'er and i went there on july 4, and i brought _cializ_ with me. climbs were harder, but i managed. yup, i struggled (and eventually walked) in some sections (the staircase climb, the root section to the summit), but no regrets. i've proven that i could do ss-ride in hartshorne. i've enjoyed the ride - another milestone for _cializ_.

next stop for _cializ_ - chimney. and that would justify my desire to get/build a 29'er ss hehehe.

i'll put a pic of _cializ_... on my next post.