K and I spent last two weekends enjoying all things cycling
(bicycling that is), including mountain biking at Dauset Trails, a mountain bike clinic at Fort Yargo State Park, and the annual Twilight criterion race in Athens.
Muddy mountain bikes after an off-road triathlon at Fort Yargo
Dauset Trails is a nature center in Jackson, Georgia that includes over 17 miles of trails perfect for mountain biking. Although I am somewhat new to the mountain bike scene, I really enjoy speeding through the woods over roots and up and down hills... just leave me to the green trails. I did take a few spills, one of which was simply due to my inability to unclip quickly from my pedals, so I hit the ground. The other two were legitimate falls, as I tried to keep up with K on the blue trails. I ended up walking most of those, so next time it'll just be greens for me. Overall, I had a great time, despite my bruised and bleeding knee.
K on his mountain bike looking like a pro.
The Twilight race in Athens is always quite an event, as the entire town comes out to watch the night races. There are various races throughout the day, and cyclists must qualify in the morning races to participate in the main event at night. We headed downtown around 5:00 to catch the amateur race and the women's pro race before the men's pro race, which begins at twilight.
I definitely would not want to be in the middle of that pack!
We moved to a different part of the track for the men's pro race so we could try to identify our friends in the race and cheer for them. This was actually quite difficult as the cyclists were travelling at about 45mph and looked like a big blur as they passed.
Trying to figure out which of the riders were our friends. For some reason it was easier to tell after they had passed.
The evening was a definite success, and our friends Joseph and Frank did well in the pro race. We had a chance to eat at one of our favorite Athens restaurants, Transmetropolitan, and see a lot of our good friends, including Cath of the
AsianCajuns! I also had some time to catch up with some of my fellow future pharmacists that I haven't seen since we began rotations. Overall, it was a great evening. I am tyring to convince K to at least try the amateur race next year, so come join us for Twilight 2010 and watch him race!
Outfit Details: dress and scarf, F21; boots, pearls, clutch, and sunnies, vintage; "A" necklace, Anthro
copyright Hiking in Stilettos