Someone mentioned here that after we take ride we should post a little note 
about our experience here. Might as well give it a shot.
Saturday April 5th was my first 'real' ride this season... I was psyched to 
go out and try my new Magura Tomac hydros!
The day was about 65-70 degrees F and we picked what our memories told us was 
a fairly easy ride around a pond ('bout 1.25 miles) with a little of 
everything... We normally did two loops around this one last year, but we 
were aiming at one this time. This ride consists of some technical rocky 
stuff, some good rooty stuff, some smooth riding, a good uphill or three, 
some tight single-track and some water x-ings...
One of two things occured. (maybe both)
1. Our memories SUCK! 
2. We are fat, lazy beer drinking idiots thinking we can still ride like we 
did at the end of last season...
VERY shortly after we started I realized that I had practically zero muscle 
tone, and less than zero endurance. That's what I call a generous slice of 
reality pie!
Funny how you can start a season not only physically unfit, but also mentally 
out of shape. Time for a new diet, and a new mindset. (I think you all know 
what I mean here)
The old familiar "I know I can, I know I can..." that always chugs along in 
my head while riding had turned to "Man I suck...Man I eat too much... Man I 
sit around too much...Man I drink too much..."  Heck, my mind skipped right 
over the lesser "I think I can..." mode... (I think I heard "I hate you" a 
few times in there too)

Anyway, I felt like a complete dork, bumbling through the woods. My buddy 
laughed at me since this is NOT usually my style... I broke my electronic 
speedometer off, got large branches caught between my chainstays & spokes, 
and got stabbed by a large dead branch in my jugular. (still have the nasty 
scratch to prove it)
You might think that the whole day was a loss by reading that...
Not a chance!  Even though I rode like a moron and swore my buddy to secrecy, 
I was psyched to get out there and get the blood pumping. It woke me up to 
JUST how physically UNfit I am and that I need to do something about it ASAP 
so that I can look like I have SOME skills on a bike once again...
Also, on a side note...  Maguras are PHENOMINAL. Nice feel, great stopping 
power, zero friction from dirty cables dragging through dirty cable 
housings... (but none of us here have dirty cables, right?) 
Needless to say, SUNDAY went a little better.
Here's to a GREAT riding season...
Cheers everyone!
Tell us about YOUR ride!
Bill Arlofski
waa@megahits.com
Brought to you by the letters O, and S and by the number 2
... Now there's no more oak oppression, for they passed a noble law...
--- Sheesh! 1.11+
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