Upgrading a Blah Day with MTB, Beer and Cider

Biker's reward, to share with guests. (Seems I was
attracted to a certain color scheme. All are solid choices.
Yes, even the excellent DuClaw Neon Gypsy.)

                                             • SYOSSET
Cool, damp, threatening rain — one of those weekend days that was in danger of just slipping by — until you realize, "Uh oh, if I don't get outside and do something soon, I'm going to be stuck here with a no-longer-scratchable case of cabin fever."

So, with the regular road bike in dry dock for repairs and the rain bike giving me bad neck pain, I figured an MTB ride was the best option. Do I ride locally (OK for training hill repeats, but a bit boring) or drive 35 minutes to the trail?

M mentioned the weather, so checked the radar and the answer became clear. A huge claw of rain was reaching up from the south-southwest,  and its talons extended from the general direction of NewJerDelWare. If I didn't get moving, soon the day would be a total rain out.

Going further east looked like the best bet. That would probably buy me an hour of rain-free time -- just enough for a nice MTB session.

 No point wasting time zooming the radar out to the wider region, the rain was coming. I grabbed the mini wallet, a water bottle, couple of layers, lights, the trusty old Garmin Edge 305 (which is really feeling its age) ... and plunked the aging Specialized Rockhopper FSR on the back of the van and headed for Syosset.

Stillwell Woods here we come. Hadn't been there in a year; it would be a bit like starting mountainbiking fresh.

The soccer fields there were awash with a league's worth of teams, supporters, parents, cars. There were cop cars and traffic cones, and it looked like we might not even be able to get in. But the south exit was open and once through the throng, there was plenty of parking down by the trailhead. No problem here, and fortunately a few other MTBers for company.

I came dressed to ride, so no time wasted with clothing or pumping tires. We were on the trail in double quick time (I need to do that more often).

After using a road bike almost exclusively for a year, the MTB felt a bit foreign: I really didn't have a feel for pace anymore, or what speed I would roll, so as not to blow up too soon. The Garmin had crapped out, and all I had was a GPS watch on my wrist or a cell phone. Neither would I check while pedaling. Maybe that was a good thing, as I rode fast and things went smoothly.

The first lap was a solid 11.2 mph — not bad for slightly lumpy terrain, with a few features and a couple of hard gravel climbs.

The easy green trail here has a bit of a feel of a pump track to it, so if you get up a head of speed it can be easy to carry it through a few humps. in a few places I was flying and had to scrub off speed as bike got squirelly in the gravel. This was very nice riding.

Third lap -- mix in some favorite blue trail features. The bike swooped and felt at home. Wasn't sure if I could chew as much riding as I wanted to bite off, but it worked out.

"Fast up, fast down" and its companion climb went smoothly, a good sign. Short but difficult climbs. Glad I was not on a road bike, nice to have the extra gears to spin up those steep climbs.

On the third lap I dropped down a wide but slippery gravel chute that leads down to a piece of singletrack, which leads to some tough climbs. I was not pleased with my wind, but I put my head down and took it slow and steady. Yep, I was out of breath, and glad of a downhill section, but the skills were mostly still there, even if the lungs weren't.

Yep, it was the kind of ride that makes you want to celebrate, and with guests waiting at home, I picked up a few hard ciders that tasted like old family-style homemade cider from France, and a few good beers.

Tip for the ride home. Go to Seven-Eleven instead of CVS, or you might end up doing a whole load of fill-in shopping.