Friday sneak away

After reading Chris's post below I've got to rub it in a little bit that I was able to get out yesterday and hit the dirt. After a week of frustrating work, I threw the bike on the rack and headed down to Morrisville to hit Crabtree and some of the other associated trails.

Rather than hit Rocky Road -- not my favorite trail -- I headed to a newly cut trail across the road from RR. I'm not sure what the trail's name is (it's a bandit trail and you've got to be one of the cool guys to be in the know), but it was a fun few miles. It's one of those weird suburban trails that has lots of miles squeezed into just a few acres, with the trail twisting back on itself over and over again: at one point there are three segments of trail running parallel to one another, each a different direction, and all within fifteen or twenty feet from one another. Still, it was a fun trail, and reminded me a lot of what Rocky Road looked like a few years ago when I first road it, and before it was eroded down to the ugly mess it is today.

I still had some daylight, so I sprinted across Old Reedy Creek to hit Crabtree. I realize that this isn't the most exciting trail in the area, and that it's certainly not difficult, but this really is a great trail: it has lots of traffic, but it's well-managed and is constantly changing, with new obstacles on it every time I ride it (admittedly not that often). Right now some of the park staff and volunteers are working on a pump track, which should be a nice addition. I also found some new log stacks, and the elusive loop 6 that I'd never ridden before. Together with the "beginner skinnies" and the artificial rock garden, this is a great trail in the middle of the city. I really wish that there was something like this a little closer to Durham -- even in it! -- where people could get an afternoon ride in, as well as be introduced to the sport.

Take that, P-ride cold kids! Really, though, I hope that you guys warm up reasonably quickly. Let's hope we can ride tomorrow.