overland mountain bike club
Seems like when the college kids roll back into town, I see a whole bunch of folks on the trail without a helmet - especially Maxwell. And for those of you who were riding in the social ride on Wednesday, you know first hand that a helmet saved a life when a rider went over the bars and landed on top of her head on a rock. The dented and cracked lid now resides in my garage and will be used to educate others. And yes, Jen's been a bit sore, but she'll be back to ride another day. Patrollers and non-patrollers alike - please talk to people about the benefits of an intact skull.
I hate to say it, but I haven't found much time to ride in the past week. In fact, in the past seven days I've been out only once - much less than our pal, Steve Lacey, who's been in the thick of the Colorado Trail Race for the past week. For the middle of summer, that pretty much stinks for me. So, this week I've committed to getting out more. First off, on Tuesday, as penance for my lack of pedaling, I'm heading over to the Lory Mountain Challenge to get beaten into the ground while supporting high school mountain biking with my $10 entry fee.
Overland Mountain Bike Club's very own Steve Lacey is in the thick of the Colorado Trail Race. Go Steve! You can check Steve's progress on the Colorado Trail Race Website with live GPS tracking. As of Tuesday at 4:25 p.m. he looks to be in 7th place. Go Steve! Go!
Weekly revelations: Knee pads and elbow pads are a good idea. Emergency orthopedic surgery on a Saturday night ain't fun. Sam splints, ace bandages, triangular bandages, and a cell phone can sure come in handy on the trail. Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive ranger trucks, and you're more likely to patch a friend up on the trail than you are a stranger. Have you checked your first aid kit lately?
Got to spend some quality time with the Reverend Ballyhoo over the weekend. Good times. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves.
Patrollers: New challenge this month. We're looking for the most improved Patroller. Whoever has the highest increase in the percentage of patrols over last month will be recognized at the next meeting. Thanks for all the work you do out there. Please remember to log your patrols.
We've got a busy week:
Ahhh, Monday mornings...the work week begins and so do plans for the next ride. When will yours be? We do really have mountain biking heaven right outside our back doors.
I learned an important lesson this week. Don't assume swapping pedals is something anyone can do without a little explanation. That whole left/right specific thing might just be something worth mentioning. Aluminum threads are soft. Cranks are expensive. An extra five minutes can save time and money. Road biking just isn't as much fun.
The Overland Crew hit the trails at Curt Gowdy this past weekend. Anyone have pictures? If so, lets get them into the gallery. I can't wait to hear some tales at the meeting tonight.
Dirt Devils,
A week off without musings about riding mountain bikes has left me with plenty to report. But first off, I have to say, last Wednesday eve during the Overland Mountain Bike Club Social Ride was one of the best rides I’ve had all year. Picking out alternate lines, riding over big rocks, laughing, goading each other on…and more is what a Social Ride is all about for me. Rolling that big rock on Wathen, something I wouldn’t have even considered a couple of years ago, (or even maybe a week) was a blast. Joe, Joel, Lewis, Jim, Jen, Tami, and Chris…let’s do it again. Oh, and thanks to Don H. for grilling up a bunch of food and opening his house to us. There must’ve been close to 30 of us snacking and sharing stories in his backyard. Oh, and lest we forget - thanks again to Matt for leading the Beginner ride around Pineridge.
Find Freedom on a Bike!
Hope you all enjoyed the 4th of July weekend. Nice rainstrom, eh? I enjoyed seeing a full room with a combination of new and old faces at Catalyst last Monday night. Great to see the club grow and evolve.
Last Week o' June. First Week o'July...
Time's flying...So I learned this week that climbing Towers in my Keens on my Candy's probably isn't the most efficient method of turning the cranks. Apparently the pre-ride check wasn't complete before departing at 5:50 a.m. Dropping down Carey Springs/Loggers/Sawmill managed to be a little more dicey too. Would'a been worse without my Gravity Dropper.
So, what was wrong?
I'm sure the question's just around the corner, so I'll just answer it now. What was wrong with our old website? Technically, nothing. The site worked fine for when it was designed and what it was designed for. However, times have changed - and quickly. The need to be able to update content, host a blog on our own site, create easy links to sign-ups, etc. necessitated the change. A huge thanks to Barrett Richards Advertising, who unfortunately closed its doors earlier this year, for our last website design and the support they gave us.
