I’ve basically stopped riding since moving east coast. Road is practically off the table since the area is known for aggressive drivers and no room on the road to avoid them. Unfortunately, I read of cyclists being hit and killed on the roads not that far from us. A few years ago, I started exploring some of the mountain bike trails, but they were few and far between and let’s face it… I’m spoiled when it comes to riding (I had some of the best imaginable trails readily accessible right out our back door). Going for a ride would be nearly a half-full day commitment. So that too was a distant thought.
After working to get in a little better shape for our trip to Colorado, I started getting the bug again. Even though that didn’t end well, I’ve kept that bug alive and still want to find my place in cycling again. Since the trip, I’ve been looking at replacing my old steed (hard to believe its over 20 years old!). So over the last several months, I’ve been keeping tabs on the trends, deals, geometries and more. Of course… you know me, it’s all in a spreadsheet. Maybe one day soon, I can post some photos of a new horse in the stable.
Fortunately, the landscape has changed for the better in the last couple years. There’s a trail just outside Annapolis now that boasts somewhere around 14 miles of single track. While I can’t compare it to Mt. Falcon in Golden, or Reno-Flag-Bear in CB, I’m just not the rider I was years ago when tackling these rides