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First mountain bike ride = SUCCESS!
Rex and I rode 18 miles this morning. We did the Logan river trail for about 14 then we rode around town stopping into some bike shops looking at pedals and mountain biking shoes. It'll be a few weeks before I actually buy a pair but I want to get an idea of what's out there - just like road cycling, clipless pedals change everything. With regular pedals, the rider can only get movement forward by pushing down. With clipless pedals, the rider's foot is attached to the bike so you can push down and pull up, which makes climbing and accelerating completely different. I absolutely love my pedals on Mr. Mac so Rex should have a pair, too.
The ride was awesome though. The thing I like about mountain biking is that it's a nice blend between trail running and road cycling. You get to the distance of cycling but you get to be close with nature like you do running. It's absolutely perfect.

I even had my very first crash today!
I was coming around a lake and there were tons of divets from rain water washing away the trail. So I'm all "LOOK AT ME!" as I'm going over the divets with my 29" wheels and my suspension - absolutely lovin' life. I"m already dirty from the woods and going over water so I'm feeling totally badass.
Well, God put me right back in my place.
Just as I was getting confident in my "diveting" abilities...I went splat. My wheel hit a rock wrong, Rex was swept out from under me and I hit the ground rolling.
So naturally I leaped up as quick as I could, hopped back on my bike and continued on like nothing happened. I'm not sure if the guys fishing a couple yards down the path saw me or not...but I was back on my bike pedaling away before the dust could settle.
Then I stopped a minute later to assess the damage:


Oops.

But then I felt even MORE badass!!! Look at all my cuts/bruises!!! Look at that dust!

After this I actually felt legit.

So overall, a successful ride. I'm so happy with my Rex!

-Katie





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