sarals 

I mentioned that I bought a mountain bike? I don't know what got into me. A bit of peer pressure, which I am (highly) susceptible to, came into play - well, maybe more than a bit I've ridden it four times only, in spite of having it for almost a month now. After my fourth ride, as I was putting it on the Yakima rack on the roof of my car, I stepped wrong and broke the fifth metatarsal in my right foot. A silly, silly injury.

Silver linings. A few positive things have come of that injury, not the least of which is that I'm forced to REALLY take a break. I've been watching videos on all aspects of riding, bike maintenance, and contemplating life as it is for aging me right now. I stepped into the Mountain Bike Culture and have been looking around courtesy YouTube, and wow. I'm impressed! The people are super nice, tribal (much like the track culture), and OMG are the high level riders skilled. I've learned that the riding style is totally different than anything else I've ever done. It's mostly chill, except for the jumping part. It's also all about getting to the top so one can do that descent, and that getting to the top doesn't necessarily mean riding up. I've learned about bike parks (I had no clue); I've learned a new jargon (drop in, manual, bunny hop, send it, gnarly, shred....to mention a few - and by the way, much of it will NEVER apply to anything I do); I've learned how complex and beautifully engineered a top tier full suspension mountain bike is; and that mountain bikes are heavy almost across the board. That weight, at least from my very limited experience on mine, is only felt when climbing, the rest of the time the weight seems to serve the bike in making the suspension work.

By the way, my MTB is a GT Sensor Comp. I've read mixed reviews on the thing, mostly related to the quirky design of the rear suspension. However, it came with decent components, and at my level of having never ridden anything in the dirt except for a cross bike, it works very well for me.

My injury caused me to think about taking care in how I do things, as in I'm not young and I need to be careful. So, I bought a class C hitch for my car and then bought a Kuat Singletrack rack to use so I can carry that heavy (and maybe one day "dirty") bike around easier.

For my foot, I see the orthopedist on January 3rd. I'm reasonably confident I'll be cleared to return to life at that point. The foot still hurts, but the swelling is dwindling, and the bruising is also fading.

I'm looking forward to going out on the trails of Fort Ord, and I'm really looking forward to getting back on my track bike. I've some goals for the 2019 track season, and I'm anxious to get back to work.

Happy Holidays, everyone!