Moutain Bike Monday - Ride Together

Late Saturday we ventured to the Park and hit the fireroads. I wanted to get in the majority of the Monster Cross Route before dark. We are gearing up for the Anthem Moonlight Ride on August 17, which is a fun 17 mile night ride in Richmond on the road!



It was a nice night for a ride. We really had a lovely time riding and talking! I do enjoy our time on the trails together. We can be together and talk without the distractions of life.



We take time to stop and look at things, snap a picture here and there, but most of all just enjoy the time we have with one another.



We rode by the pool as they were closing up! That sure is a busy place in the summer! Cars and people everywhere!



Down by the water there were lots of kayakers going out for a paddle!



I'm sure seeing the park from the water is so lovely! We often seeing fisherman and kayakers from the trails!

We wrapped up our ride after about 16 miles since it was getting darker! It was a great ride together at Virginia's largest state park! Did you know that?

Mountain Bike Monday - Mixing it up...

I know I'm a little late reporting in on our weekend ride. I do apologize.

Yes, we rode over the weekend. We took our twin bikes out for a nice spin on Sunday at the Battlefield.



The weather was perfect on Sunday. So...after we woke up from our busy Saturday we played frisbee with Charlie and then loaded up the bikes and headed over to the Battlefield for a Sunday spin! We mixed it up a little this time though!



We did a little packed trail, some of the park tour road, and also headed into downtown Petersburg for a little "real" road riding, cars included!



The old homes in Petersburg are beautiful and riding by them gives you a chance to really catch things you wouldn't normally while riding in your car!





The traffic was pretty steady at certain points, but at least the speed limits were lower where we were riding.



I have always been fascinated with this "leftover" bridge. It's like they just stopped in the middle...



Back on the park tour road we enjoyed the green trees and grass. It's amazing how it can go from brown to green almost overnight it seems...



We had a lovely time just wandering around and exploring.



It was a good steady ride with consistent pedaling. Good for the legs to get road time in!





Looking forward to more good rides as we get ready for the Cap2Cap ride in May!



Hope you have a great day!

Mountain Bike Monday - The park is alive!

On Saturday afternoon we headed to Poco for an afternoon spin!



Being that it was the holiday weekend, there were lots of campers and people using the park. It was a lovely day! We took full advantage!



We broke out the shorts and enjoyed the warmer weather just exploring our park.



We rode the fireroads since the Cap 2 Cap ride is coming up and we wanted to get in some consistent spinning. We started out on the Monster Route and modified it for some new scenery. But, while down at the dam, we saw some horseback riders!



Four horses and their humans were crossing the deep and rushing waters at the dam like it was no problem! The bottom is a little rocky, but you wouldn't know that by how easy it was for them to cross!



That last guy was trying to be funny and was holding his camera up taking a picture of me taking a picture of him! What a pretty sight to see those beautiful creatures!



It sure was a glorious day! We just explored and chatted! We ventured down towards the campgrounds where there were lots of families sitting around chatting and enjoying their time together. Everyone is so friendly! Then, we explored a newer path from the campgrounds just to try something different.



There were a couple of big hills, but it is good training. I have to keep telling myself that right?



We ended the ride feeling great. It's always good to get out on a beautiful day and enjoy the fresh air and the park. Our Easter ride was lovely! We're looking forward to more warm weather and lots more riding. It was nice to see the park so alive with people and activity. Although, it is nice to have it all to ourselves in the winter months!

Mountain Bike Monday - On the trail again!

Finally, the trio was able to ride together after a really long time!



We sure have missed our riding buddy, Mountain Bike Mike (MBM)!



We took off on Friday to spend a little extra time together (remember the anniversary last Sunday?) and decided first thing was to hit the trails with our friend!



It had been a LONG while since we rode Lakeview, but we decided it was long overdue!



WOW! We had really missed it. The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to be back on the singletrack at our home park!





I was a little slower than usual, but it was ok. We took our time and enjoyed the time to chat and catch up!







Gotta love the creek on Lakeview! And, here's an over the shoulder shot from the talented Dynamo!



The rock garden on LV III is awesome!







Here I come...



Ta Da!



Can you see MBM a spec in the distance?



It was cool...Dynamo stood on the hill at the rock garden and we rode along to the next hill. We could see one another at the two top points on the trail!



Thus the name...Lakeview!



It was a beautiful day and certainly warmed up fast!





Soon, we will have great riding temps!



Here I come out of the trail! Whew! Done!



Sometimes life gets in the way of being able to meet up with your riding buddies. Schedules just don't coordinate all the time, you know! But, we were so glad to catch up with MBM. We hope to get to ride more now that the days are longer! Yippee!! Hope your weekend was fantastic!

Mountain Bike Monday - Saddle Time

Well, it had been a couple of weeks since I had hit the trails.



So, Saturday Dynamo and I headed out for a quick spin on the blue and green trails at Poco.



It was quite chilly, but really nice to get back in the saddle...litterally!



I had been testing saddles for a while thanks to Carytown Bike's test saddle program and finally decided on the one for me. It is the Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow. (2nd pic shows the saddle). We ordered it and since it came in on Friday I had to get a ride in and try it out!



It was perfect. Finally, I had taken the time to measure my sit bones and ordered a saddle based on my measurements. Let me tell you, this is a must for comfort! I'd recommend it to anyone struggling with finding the right saddle.



The trails were well traveled and it was nice to be back. For months we'd been hitting the fire roads because Dynamo was training for the Monster Cross race. It's good to diversify your routes as each type of riding provides different benefits.





We had a nice time together and I'm looking forward to more riding especially since warm weather is ahead. It is the year of the snake too might I add. Yikes!





We rode a little over 8 miles of singletrack. I love our riding time together.



And, on Sunday we hit the fire roads with Elise and Marioooochee! We had a great time together chatting and riding. We did about 11.5 miles! Unfortunately, we were so busy chatting that we only snapped one pic! Sorry!