Everything is better with bacon and bikes

Bacon does make everything taste better.  And biking makes life better regardless of temporary setbacks and disappointments.  The wallowing is over!  I got a little freaked out this month (May has just overtaken April for cruelest month category) over a variety of events including career implosion, tragic loss, and general malaise that seems to have started on October 28, the day my beloved Allez Pro was purloined.  I hadn't really ridden since Granogue, and I was beginning to spend an unnatural amount of time on the couch.  Enough is enough. 

Baby geese--a nice element of spring

I got back on my bike last Tuesday and have ridden every day since.   I almost bailed on a commitment to ride with a beginner road clinic sponsored by Sturdy Girl on Thursday, but got my as in gear and showed up to ride with the new girls.  The clinic would have been just as successful without me, but I would have been at a loss without it.  When I start failing to honor commitments it's a one-way ticket to disaster.  

Friday afternoon I went on a road ride with M and was pretty convinced that I could spontaneously combust every time we stopped.  We've had our 5 minutes of spring--welcome to humid and 90 degrees for the next 6 months.

Rock, Naomi, M, Erik, Kim, Steve, Frankie, Roger, Colleen

Saturday a group of us went to White Clay which will be remembered as one of the best smelling rides ever.  Honeysuckle mercifully pervaded the air which would have otherwise smelled like us.

I'm really getting the hang of the art of the self-timing camera.  Erik was getting all Quentin Tarrantino on us trying to make a movie with my crummy camera.  His vision didn't exactly turn out as imagined, but we'll get it next time!

Sunday we hit the Wiss which was not as crowded as Memorial Day can be.  Kelly Cline was at the Inn and we had a nice chat before heading for the woods.  Today's cast of characters included Frankie, M, Naomi, Bonnie's husband Robert, Karen, and briefly Blakely.  The following self-timer photo was managed by resting the camera on the saddle of a bike leaning next to another bike.  Eat your heart out, Graham Watson!

Robert, Frankie, M, Naomi, Karen, Yours Truly

Highlights included a Mike Abatte sighting, Frankie riding over a giant log, and running into the entire Bike Therapy mountain bike team on the pipeline trail.  A gang of tattooed miscreants!   Mike's ancient Bontrager is as old as my Salsa which is older than most of the aforementioned Bike Therapy team. 

When I grow up, I want to be able to do this:

I saw Drew G. and Ben S. in front of Coach George's house whom we interrupted from chores.  I like to help out where I can. The weirdest part of today's ride was seeing these things on a tree on the Other Other trails.  What the hell is this? It looked like playdo that goes through a pasta maker.  Gross. It seems vaguely fecal.

I've felt much better since I got my ass back on my bike.  This week marks the end of school and is the prelude to Philly Bike Race weekend.  I've got my press credentials and plan of action for the day already configured.  Do not disappoint me Philadelphia! 

OK, off to make some bacon.