wander wonder.

Look out. Loop wonders. Wanders. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of beauty cities can have. In Ann Arbor there is about 30 miles of trail, you wouldn’t know it just by looking. You know it by exploring. It is not what you can give to your city, but what your city can give to you. And you might be sitting reading this blog, but it is better than talking shit about racing. I have never been nor will I be a sarcastic mofo. Yeah I want you to race, but I must know where I have come from, where I am going with a tad bit of exploration if it is to be a tasty cake. Look out. Wonders. 30 Miles of riding, training in my own backyard. It is time to reinvent myself, keeping the core, never forgetting about the past. 30 miles of loving in my backyard. Yeah, Michigan has its downs, but finding beauty in the valleys, as in a recession is punk. I said it and it is any surprise, let’s just say it and get it over with and get onto business. We are in a recession. When it is time to shine, it will be shown, until then I think I will get a tat of a beer logo on my leg and talk smack…on second thought…I’ll just shut up.

I was riding days ago and I ran into whom…an older dude, he looked a bit disheveled. It was clear he had fallen, crooked helmet, some scraps and bent over inspecting his bike. His chain was broken. I thought, just ride past. The sun was setting and I was just getting started on a 3 hour tour. I stop just after passing him slightly. Some small talk. I ask where he lives; he is troubled and takes me up on my offer to push him home. Up and down the hills here in Ann Arbor, away from my local loop wonder... I say to myself, “self, what is it going to hurt your pushing this guy home; there are more days to train.” He was on a Trek. Riding a Trek and Fisher is like a brother hood, the fact that is a mountain bike is deeper than any road camaraderie could ever reach. Mountain bikers help one another out and prefer adventure over exercise as a whole. I would have offered even if the guy was on a Specialized but would have lectured him the whole time about their crappy manufacturing practices. As I am pushing this guy home, (he has no chain, I have no tools on local loops) turns out this guy’s name is Ron Olson, and although I never met him, yet I was instrumental in the sale of his bike through my best friend Shawn. Ron is the head or chief of Michigan Parks and Recreation in Michigan or the DNR. And now I am pushing him home rather than training and that is punk, albeit first, last or DNF in a race, it is early in the year.

Ron goes to one of his DNR parks this past weekend and does a mountain bike race. He f’in loved it. He loves the people. He loves the sport. If the head of DNR loves the stuff I love to do at his parks, that is the punkest. More bikes. More trails. I think I will look him up at least once a month for a ride, turns out he lives a half mile form my house. I’d love to trade a second place for 10 more trails. As far as racing, like I said it is early. How did you shine today? Look out. Wander. Wonder. In your own backyard.