First bike ride of 2011

Today, Kelly and I went for our first bike ride.  Considering this was the first ride for Kelly we decided to travel a relatively simple route for a medium distance.  The route consisted of 7 km of single track and 3 km of logging road.  The first half consisted of climbing over roots, and through puddles.  And the second half we would enjoy our labor with a fun, flowing downhill ride.

We set out down the road on our way to the trail head.  Due to the cold temperature and rain we decided to travel relatively quick and avoid breaks.  Each break would allow cold to set in.  Something we both wanted to avoid.

Kelly's first bike ride

Our first break was about 20 minutes into the ride.  We had a quick discussion about proper gear changing, breaking techniques and dealing with wet roots.

We hopped back into the saddle and rode the uphill portion of the ride for about an hour which took us through the woods across a number of creeks and though a tonne of mud puddles.

The turn around came after passing a few dog walkers, and we enjoyed a snack of dried mangoes and walnuts.  The cold started to set in and it was back in the saddle again.  At this point we were at the top of our ride approx. 500 feet above where we started.  This is where the fun began.  We traveled back through the woods carrying much more speed.  Down hill is so much more rewarding than the climb.  The only problem was the cold setting in and my fingers started to lose feeling.

Kelly having fun

Kelly was doing great until the descent.  At this point she felt slightly intimidated with the wet roots, rocks and puddles.  Also the fact that the brakes on our bikes seemed less powerful in the rain.  She walked a few technical parts and then her confidence grew again.  Behind me I heard a few "Woo hoo's".  Then the next thing we knew it, a bridge and a small hike-a-bike was in our way.  We pushed the bikes over the bridge and up a small steep slope that brought us to the next descent.

dirty, tired and hungry

We were nearly home.  That was great to think because hunger was setting in an the idea of a hot shower sounded awesome.


We popped out of the trail into the park and it was a short pedal back to the house.  We dropped the bikes in the garage, threw all our  wet, muddy clothes into the washing machine then it was shower and beef stew for lunch.  All and all this was a fun experience for the both of us.