Winter "Training" Camp

It is now less than one month before I make my sojourn to the desert for some riding in and around Tucson, AZ. This trip was planned to add sunny warm miles to my cold weather training plan (which typically consists of complaining about how it is too cold to ride) and also to catch up with Declan who lives in a place less sunny and more gloomy than I do.

As you, the faithful readers of this interesting and informative narrative of mediocre riding experiences know, I have been suffering from an injury. I have been off the bike now for over two weeks which is the longest span of time I have gone without riding in many years. I will be off the bike for a few more weeks while I try to heal and avoid half drunk spine and neuro surgeons with sharp rusty knives. It has been against the advice of all of the so called experts (doctors, physiatirsts, and surgeons) that I have chosen to attempt to allow my body to heal itself with alternative care (stretching, walking, mental awareness of stress induced pain, and no lifting). It seems to be working, although this is the least amount of physical activity my body has seen since I was an infant. However, I have become more aware about the psychosomatic causes of pain and illness, and this, if nothing else has been enlightening.

If all goes well I will be able to get back on the bike about the time I arrive in the desert. If all does not go well I will be training for my new hobby, bird watching.

Declan and I met riding in Jamaica with the SMORBA crew. He lived and worked in Jamaica for a number of years and started Island Sport Trust while there.





Since then Declan, who rides all over the world, places like Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Turkey, etc. has been duped into traveling to the U.S. to ride, help me renovate my house while he was promised a lot of riding, and witness how lost I can get on trails I claim to ride all the time.



Riding at the Pisgah. Just arriving on top of the Laurel Mountain climb and ready to head down Pilot Rock.



Stream crossing in Dupont.

Chasing Declan around on a mountain bike in the desert will be the same as trying to keep up with him in the Pisgah, Jamaica, and the Ocoee only with different trail obstacles to hopefully slow him down a little.







Log in often as I will be providing periodic updates so all three of you that read this blog can stay abreast of the winter training camp plans that may consist of riding a mountain bike in the desert or bird watching or a little of both.