I woke up this morning with a sore throat that felt like it was on fire, the sickness I'd be fighting for the past couple days still hanging on despite my attempts at curbing it with various tea concoctions. Going out into the cold and riding a bike wasn't exactly the most appealing thing at …
It's the wheels that make the bicycle. They're what keeps you rolling, what takes the brunt of the impact through that rock garden or off that drop. A bad pair of wheels quickly ruins a great bike. So, needless to say, they're important. And so, for this reason, hand-building a bicycle wheel is an incredibly …
Lately, the world of mountain biking for those of us living in the vicinity of Raystown Lake has changed a bit. This fall, the Army Corps of Engineers is drawing down the level of the lake more than twice the usual seasonal 2-3 feet in order to perform shoreline maintenance. For those of us with …
Continue reading "A fat-tire’d, mud-slingin’, rock-skippin’ Sunday."
Outside the cabin, a motley crew of people gather. Some have been strangers until now, some are friends reunited after too long, some know each other all too well. Some ride every day, some a couple times a week, but for a few, this will be their first ride in months. Our ages range from …
The weather was perfect. One of those days that still carries the warmth of summer but hints at the crisp coolness of fall. The sun shone through the leaves, illuminating the hues of red and yellow that were just beginning to color the forest with the sure signs of an impending autumn. We pulled off …
I guess I had asked for it. I said a storm might be nice. Really, all I wanted was some rain to cool me off a little. It was one of the first warmer days of the spring, and my body was rebelling against the drastic change in temperature as I sweated my way up …
Trading a warm bed on a lazy Sunday morning for the promise of legs burning with exertion in wet 45-degree weather, I stand, slightly chilly, in the parking lot as the rain comes down and he gathers the last of the gear. Riding to the lake, in slightly-nervous anticipation, raindrops pattering on the windshield that …
As a preteen to young teenager (about ages 11-14), I went through an intense mountain biking phase. I biked nearly every day, having fun pushing myself to get better and better. I got into racing for a while, which resulted in several medals that are still hanging somewhere in my old room at my parents …
helena kotala 