Great Balls!!

Well seems like Mother Nature still cannot decide what season she wants to be in.  Friday's light dusting of snow turned all melty and made for a bit of a sketchy slick solo ride over wet leaves and roots on our local Waterdown trails on Saturday morning.  Even plus tires and fat tires don't really like wet roots and our local trails are challenging enough in perfect conditions.

So after a couple hours of butt clenching and bar gripping to keep the bike on the trail, I headed home...electing to take the technical rocky trail home as even the rocks felt safer than roots and leaves.

By Sunday the wind had dried things up significantly.  And I had recruited NewfieSteve and PowerPaul to join in a longer MTB ride.  So we headed west from my house this time...Steve and Paul on Fatboys, and me on my single speed...taking the trails along the top of the escarpment, along Spencer Creek, through Christie, and down into Dundas.  The Dundas trails were almost perfect...so we ripped the Main loop, and the Headwaters Trail, dodging the odd horse pie, and horse-and-riders, and a few dog walkers.  Otherwise nothing technical...just a lot of climbing.

At a couple of hours in we stopped for a mid point break...

And perhaps a refreshment...

The refreshment inspired us to ride back to Christie and hit the trails there.  That meant heading back up Weir's Lane...a nasty road climb (75m elevation over 1.5kms, 5% grade)...and it was...on single speeds and fatbikes.

But once we cleared Weir's we dove into the Christie trails...ripped the Trillium Trail, then Ebb & Flow a couple of times.  These trails were awesome...dry and packed...tires humming while hugging the berms!  Then we headed back for home...

The plan was to take the technical descent from Dundas peak to the bottom of Sydenham Road.  The problem was that would mean we would have to climb Sydenham road (100+m elevation at 8%grade) to get home...and after 3+ hours and almost 900m of climbing we were winding down...so we stayed up top and took the flatter trail option back home.

Where Lois had a warm recovery meal, and cold recovery beverages waiting...

Something like this...only way better...

Lois also had the Christmas Tree up....

Complete with Jany's balls...and I am serious about this part.  Our friend Jany is a cyclist, rock climbing, artist...we have one of her pics on our wall...

But she also does Christmas balls...and Lois having Jany make a Christmas ball for me has become a tradition....

For 2014...me on the Fatboy

2015...that easily noticeable orange jersey...

2016...our small country home, Lois making snow angels, and me...yup...peeing in the snow...

If you are lucky enough...you might get Jany to make you a ball for 2017!!

She also makes Christmas cards, that you can get at Freewheel Cycle in Dundas...

Anyways...enough about Jany's balls....nice as they are...

The other big news this weekend...JeffS hit 10,000km for the year...on bikes.  That is huge...I am currently barely over 8,000.  Congrats sir!!!  For a guy who says he doesn't train, this might explain how he is one of the fastest guys in the world on a fatbike.  Now it all makes sense....

Kind of like this??

Or not...

Anyways...I am rambling forever here...

Now I have nothing for a Thursday post...
Someone throw me a bone...
Till then...

Stay posted!

Will winter get here this week??