29 November 2011 - 9:23LONG Weekend – continued

After getting pounded by the trails around Lake Massabesic, we headed out to get food and more beers at a place called Shorty’s. Not bad for Tex Mex, and the riding had given us a hunger that would have allowed us to eat just about anything. Then it was time to shower and rally to some friends for more socializing, beer and Thanksgiving leftovers. It was a late night, but I didn’t have to be anywhere until 1pm the next day.

You thought I was going to put Electric Boogaloo in the title didn’t you? I don’t want to be too predictable…

After a delicious breakfast of Iron Mike’s signature Belgian waffles, bacon, homefries and the best Bloody Mary I have had in a really long time, I headed off to the next stop, North Hampton MA. The plan was to ride at Batchelor St, a place I have just recently gotten to know and enjoy. The trails here are extremely technical, it took us 3 hours to ride 6 miles. I’d love to post up a map of the ride, but at some point my Garmin parted ways with it’s mount. There was no way I was going to be able to go back and find it amongst the leaf litter. Meh.

Anyway, I was once again impressed at how well the Spot handled the terrain. The gearing was a bit stiff for me once again, I spent the first 3rd of the ride struggling to keep up, the middle 3rd finding my rhythm, and the final 3rd trying to stay on my bike. There were 4 flat tires, the fallen leaves hid a lot of sharp pointy rocks, so there was plenty of time to stop and be social. I was glad I was tubeless… but I was really glad to have the chance to take the Spot on trails other than my own. It’s one thing to know what to expect on any given trail that you are familiar with, but it’s a completely different experience when you are trusting the bike in unfamiliar territory. Again I was impressed at how well the bike tracked on off camber rocks. The high BB allowed me to clear big steppy rolldowns without dragging the front sprocket. Pedal strikes were at a minimum, even in the super chunky terrain we were riding. Again, zero issues with the belt.

partially upgraded Spot

Where I could let the bike fly, it swooped into the turns like an owl chasing it’s dinner. It tracks right were I want it to go every time. The bike begs to be ridden fast, but it’s also more than capable of conquering terrain at speeds slower than walking. It handles loose rubble strewn downhills with authority. I can’t say enough about how much I love the way this bike rides.

don't fall on this

We had a great ride despite the loss of personal electronics, flats and damaged bike parts. I was thoroughly worked from two days of tough biking.

The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and hanging out with friends. I don’t think I could have attempted another bike ride on Sunday, I was shot. After saying my goodbyes, I hopped in the car and headed north, and spent the drive thinking about how I’ve really enjoyed this extended biking season. I mean, we really got robbed here in VT this year. It snowed through May, and rained through July. Then of course, we had Irene to deal with. It was the Summer of Bummer for sure, and all of the nice weather this fall has feels like some sort of an apology from mother nature. I am still in disbelief on the warm weather we have been having. I know it’s going to end soon, but I am going to do my best to cram as many more rides in as I can. As nice as it is now, I know it will be the polar opposite before too long. Polar being the operative word.