Exactly one year ago...

Every cyclist gets asked at one point (and another, and another) how they got into the sport. Well, here's my story.

(Reposted from the MMBA thread, "When did you realize that you loved mountain biking?")

I owned a decent (at the time) hardtail throughout highschool, and rode it mostly on dirt roads and twotrack in our woods just for fitness. After a bad breakup about a year and a half ago, I returned to the hobby and took up road cycling. I got seriously bit by the bike bug, and on July 25th (the day before my birthday) I dusted off the old mtb and hit up the Hadley Hills trails near my parents. (Which I learned shortly after were bridle paths only! Oops!) Long story short, I was hooked. I loved it.

I brought the mtb back with me to my apartment at school and hit up Burchfield singletrack five days later. Not being possessed of technical skills at that point (or a bike truly capable of handling technical singletrack), I wiped out on one of the switchbacks, flew off my bike and onto a log, and in doing so tore a muscle in my side. After a few days of being stubborn and in serious pain, I went to the doctor and picked up some meds. After two (very interesting!) weeks of muscle relaxers and painkillers, I was still unable to ride (or walk, or bend, or breathe) without serious discomfort. It took about two whole months to fully recuperate (all of August and September, with only short road and trainer rides!). I realized I needed a better bike to ride the trails I wanted to ride, and I test rode a GF Superfly for a week to see how I liked the 29er geometry and sizing (thanks, ACF Pontiac!). I purchased a Paragon shortly after. The rest is history. :)

What does a girl do when she's sick and it's raining?

Go mountain biking, of course.

For the past couple days I've had my hands on a 2009 Gary Fisher Superfly. It's carbon. It's got 29" wheels. And I'm pretty much in love. Unfortunately, I've also been sick with a cold, and it's been raining just about nonstop since Thursday morning. We're also in the midst of fall, which means the trails are carpeted in red, orange, and yellow foliage. This has brought me to the following conclusions:

1. I don't dislike mountain biking in the rain nearly as much as I dislike road riding in the rain.
2. In fact, I barely even notice the rain offroad.
3. A combination of mountain biking and tomato soup may not cure a cold, but it makes it a lot more bearable.
4. Wet leaves on top of gooey mud makes for a slick surface.
5. Very slick.
6. Fall colors are pretty much the best thing ever.

It's been a while—since my now-famous side injury—since I've hit the dirt instead of the pavement. In that time, I've lost about 15 pounds and gained a lot of muscle. And I've gotten a lot faster. (Well, "lot" being subjective in my case.) On my road bike, I've been averaging 17-19 mph. I could really feel a difference on the trail—I won't attribute the extra speed entirely to myself, I know the carbon 29er made a pretty big difference too. Those factors combined, and it makes for one of my best rides ever.

The bike. Gorgeous, right?

Aptly named the yellow trail

More beautiful fall colors

One thing I know now for sure: mountain biking, Iron and Wine on repeat, and the steady rhythm of rain takes me to my zen place.