The Recovery Ride

After your first day of cycling, one dream is inevitable. A memory of motion lingers in the muscles of your legs, and round and round they seem to go. You ride through Dreamland on wonderful dream bicycles that change and grow. ~ H.G. Wells

I thought I could remember how to ride-how to pedal, how to spin the cranks 'round and 'round. But I couldn't. That memory, that Wells speaks to, is still there somewhere inside me. But it is a bit too distant to power through the snow a week ago. Four months away from the bike was a bit too much to make riding that day a “wonderful dream.” That was then and gradually I'm finding my legs again.

I'd pedaled just once previous to my “real” snowbike ride last week and that ride signaled that it could be a long road ahead. The packed singletrack at Levis Mound finally needed to be ridden if I were really going to test my fitness. I'd be totally surprised if I passed the exam. Although Levis is a popular trail for snowbiking (and XC skiing) I felt relieved that I could escape the parking lot by myself-no point in embarrassing myself or holding anyone else back. Bundled up in the barely single digit temps, the unfamiliar motion of my legs turning pedals prompted me down the trail. The snowbike trail groomer guys do excellent work here and although the snow couldn't be better, I struggled with every incline. The trail is nearly tabletop flat, but no matter, the shifters were constantly searching for the right (easiest) gear.

What we call the base loop at Levis is just over five kilometers and I knew better than to tackle anything more. At the halfway point, my lungs and legs burned and I seriously wondered if I'd make it (knowing no matter what, I would have to). Cycling usually cheers me up, but this struggle was pushing my moral down in a hurry. Every familiar turn in the trail, every snowy bridge I traversed, brought me closer to ending this frustration. The final few hundred meters were the worst-the chalet was in sight, but all I could do is look at the big fat tires to see if they were flat or not.

The following day was much the same-I left my two riding partners a short time after we started and bid them well-I was gassed already. Backtracking to the previous trail intersection, I explored the base loop again with about the same results. Feeling like a whipped puppy, I stowed the fatbike away and vowed to keep at it until I there was some semblance of legs astride my bike. A midweek ride and a couple classic ski outings gave me a little hope-it seemed I could breathe again.

Spirits lifted somewhat, I set about thinking maybe we should have a no-rider-left-behind ride on the long loop. I hoped the no drop idea would keep me with riding partners anyway. A Facebook ride event was created and I soon had a few brave souls that would join me. The 9 mile long course is no easy ride (for me) so this would be jumping in with both feet and I hoped I'd have understanding bikers in case I faltered. Just to keep things reasonable, I took the lead, feeling the rest of the gang really should have an “easy recovery ride” so to speak. The memory of how riding on snow was supposed to feel started to drift back and the ribbon of white through the woods flowed beneath the fatty as it should. There was no illusion of spinning up the more difficult climbs-just mashing whatever gear I could to make it over the top. The difference this day was I could recover and continue onto the next section of packed powder. “Yeah, this is going much better” I thought-I am going to pull though this trial and actually enjoy it! The guys were great at encouraging me and maybe they saw too that  I was on the road to recovery. This time, with each recognizable section of singletrack rolling past, I felt more and more confident-not that I wasn't tired, but at the least my demeanor improved.

By the end of the outing over an hour and half had passed and I felt a sense of accomplishment when the bike rumbled across the trailhead parking lot. That feeling had usually been reserved for the end of epic races or terribly difficult adventures on the bike or skis. Today it was back-and it felt good. For the rest of this biker gang, it was a stroll in the park I'm sure and the post ride banter was of how perfect the snow was, the prime conditions and how great the ride was. I couldn't agree more.

Mountain Bike Friendships

Steve at the Start Finish

I'm finding that a lot of times a photograph is the instigator of a new piece to sit down and write about and lately the subject matter (of this blog) is less about photography and more about other musings (did I just use that word?).  The photo above was one such inspiration and is of friend Steve Steinke, who I ran into at the Growlers Snow Bike Race this past week hosted by the Bear Paw Outdoor center.  I still remember the first time we met-a warm summer afternoon at Levis Mound.  I had pulled into a  empty parking lot,  with the exception of one older pick-up truck with bikes latched onto the roof.  A small tent was pitched, a lawn chair and a rider sat enjoying a cold beer on the adjacent picnic table.  I went out and put a quick ride in on the singletrack and when I returned he was still there relaxing.   I introduced myself, and he asked if I'd like a cold beverage myself...the best of introductions.  He realized I was a trail builder here and had nothing but complements on our trails.  An hour or two passed and our conversation dove into mountain biking, trails we ride, land use, favorite places and other outdoor activities.  Sometimes you just know a first meeting will become a friendship.

"Steve-O-Punk" Hammerin Singletrack

 Our paths would cross from time to time, for not only is he an excellent rider but also a cross country skier and Levis Mound seemed to be a favorite destination.    Steve is also a fishing guide in Medford, Wisconsin and an artist producing some great work.  Anytime we meet, like this past race weekend, I know we'll have a great conversation and pick up from where we left off, no matter how long ago it was.  He contributes often in MTBR forums, a website for mountain bikers and trail advocates.  He's close in age to myself, but spends much more time on the bike and can hammer the trails to no end, as results from last weeks fat-bike race can attest.

Randy Hammering the Dirt Cat

Finding friendly faces, like Steve's at a race venue, is very welcome-I'd driven half way across the state to just be a spectator and shoot some pictures, all the while hoping to just observe how the folks (whom I didn't know) at the Bear Paw would run their event.    Another Friend Randy Wegener, happened to be  sitting inside the bar area warming up, or contemplating his race strategy for the day.  Or maybe just enjoying a beverage?  Gnomefest brought our circles together a few years ago at Levis Mound and another picnic table meeting.  Randy  from Plymouth and I hooked up while heading out to ride the "Dirt Cat" check point race back then.  Since I set up the course and it was my home trail, he didn't seem to mind tagging along.  He's super fit, and one of the best riders in the state, so my only hope of riding together was that I knew every short cut.  We clicked off the checkpoints and had a blast doing so, and post race we enjoyed some quality times over a beer or two at his campsite.  Since I knew few people at this event, Randy and girlfriend Sara became quick friends and have remained so over every addition of the fest.  Randy is a trail builder down in the kettles and is one of those riders who embraces the sport to it's highest level, but also loves to have fun.  He joined up with two other talented riders at the snow bike race, but was more than willing to take PBR handups during his lap...-they ended up winning, of course.

The O'so Hand-up

 Mountain biking and skiing have introduced me to a lot of friends over the years-during the race years, I think it's the shared suffering of an event.  Or maybe the pre-race preparation or post race celebration that bring like-minded people together?  My long time friend Marvin Schmieser from Antigo, learned through the social network grapevine that I'd be at the Bear paw, so he made the short drive over to just catch up.  It'd been a few years since we'd gotten together, maybe since we both retired from the Birkie?  Marv is still hitting a few mountain bike races and now helps build trail as I do.  I think we met at a ski race a long time ago and at some point we've hit every major race in the state.  We share a love of the outdoors and good beer and expensive bikes, so we never are for a shortage to things to talk about when we get together.  It was just the best to spend part of a day with him.

Races and outdoor events have brought me to meet many new friends-Gomez, of Fat-Bike.com fame, Bethany, Marty, Adam, who so kindly delivered my latest bike, and many others at Gnomefest.  I'm sure Scott Berry from the Bear Paw will be another-there are just too many things we have in common for a friendship not to grow there, and I'll be looking forward to it.   I'm also looking forward to those friendships with people I have yet to meet, but would guess riding or skiing or the trails will bring us together and who I know will enrich this life.