Dirt

Today, Brant and I hopped on our mountain bikes and rode out our front door. That is one of the magical things about where we live--within minutes you are in open space and you rarely need to drive your bike anywhere to get a good ride, and in our case, we never do.

Ten minutes later we were climbing Stage Coach Road. On the way up we found some familiar faces, and for a few moments we got to share the climb.

This ride was a big one for me, not only because I am still quite the novice mountain biker, but more because I really got to test  out the feel of a Rohloff hub. One ride in and I am hooked. It was super simple, responsive, and functional...a pretty nice ride for a beginner. I'm super stoked to ride it over the next few months, and then finally to get one of my own.

The way down was a roller coaster--a bumpy one--but just as thrilling. Brant was a patient, fantastic teacher, never pushing me to go too fast but always offering good technical pointers. I am most definitely a beginner, however, I have been riding mountain bike trails since childhood. My mom has been riding mountain trails and playing bike polo since the eighties, so I've been towed in a Burly trailer all through Annadel State Park, and been the only girl at mountain bike camp in Yosemite. I couldn't be more thankful for the support from my family to live life on bicycles. In honor of my mama, I am excited to build my confidence in the dirt.