Yankee Springs!

Man, there's something special about the first real mountain bike ride of the year! Now........we've been riding all winter. The trails have been dry and I got out to Bass River w/ Rach, Ted, Lee and Max-the-dog 3 mornings in a row last week alone. This wasn't even the first time we'd ridden @ Yankee...Rach and I met down there before work last month w/ her roomie John. So it's not that we haven't been gettin' out.............but...........still.............today was different. For one thing, we weren't squeezing in a quick lap and rushin' off to work. For another, the cast of charactors was different. Nothing against my fellow velo-Citizens, they're among my fav folks to ride with after all, but it was different and cool to plan a ride, look forward to it all morning, show up down there not knowing who to expect, etc etc etc. Just felt like the beginning of something, y'know?
So..........'twas Chris K, Tator, Rick P and Mr-n-Missus Doez gathering there in the crowded parking lot. The trail is in great shape right now, dry, fast and hardly any sand. Sadly....that will not last. Regular Yankee riders are all too aware that it gets ridden into a beach-like state by June or so. Still-the MMBA does all it can to protect the trail and as long as we all do everything we can to help.............it'll be okay. Hopefully.
(Note to the butt-head that just had to pass Tator and I on the short loop and couldn't muster up the breath to let us know he was coming........bite me! Dude..........I'm 49 yrs old, 30 lbs overweight and on a single-speed. Passing me ain't gonna get'cha a pro contract! I've been passed by tons of dudes and dudettes.....all ya gotta do is say something like " When you get a chance can I get by on your left?" or something like that. But no..........you had to practice your "race passing technique" and come up on Tator all silent like. You're lucky he didn't put'cha in the weeds. As it was you had to go off-trail, always a lame move, and then you had to do the same thing to me. Jack-hole.)
Still.....a great ride on a great day in great company. No complaints from this boy! (Except that my fitness is still hibernating or something.)

Lots going on @ the shop. Still wrestlin' w/ the new computer project. I just this second made it my personal goal to make that the last mention of the whole software thing. Why should anyone care? We'll see how I do.
Gotta get the next newsletter out this week. If you're reading this and you don't get our Rider's Reader in your e-mail inbox every month...let me know @ velocity587@hotmail.com I send out nearly 1000 of them each month and I sure wonder how many fight their way through the maze of spam filters, cyber-weirdness and other obstacles to actually get read by folks? (Why does this subject conjure up pics in my head of Woody Allen dressed up like a sperm cell in that silly movie?) They are also archieved on both of our websites, FYI.
Hopefully we'll see our first batch of Macatawa Bike Works frames next month! Man, that's gonna be so cool ! Can't wait!

My record remains intact.............I have yet to ride a single mile outside on a single bike w/ gears. All my dirt riding's been on my single speed, all my commuting on "Putty", my one-speed city ride and all my road miles have been on my fixxie unless I've been on the tandem. ( Big whup, eh?)

And on that somewhat self-important note..............
Vaya con Dios mi Amigos