Gnat Likes Bikes blog moves to an official dot.com!

The GnatLikesBikes blog is no longer being maintained here.   I’ve got two new sites.    I’ve moved all the history built here to www.gnatlikes.com.  Check it out.

I’ve also launched a new website committed to serious but small cameras.  Check out NO DSLRs here.

Thanks for all the support and I hope you check out my new websites.

Gnat

Broken

I finally made the Tuesday night mountain bike ride.   On top of that, I rode with Jason (Big29) for the first time in about a year.   It was so nice being out riding dirt on the Big Mama.   It was also nice riding with Jason.   Temps were just perfect.  Not too hot.  Not too cool.   Simply an awesome night.

Riding dirt was a real eye opener for me.   I’ll be honest, it was pretty darn hard.   I’ve been doing some dirt as part of my Fargo gravel, dirt and pavement adventures.    My Fargo adventures are just not the same as riding twisty, flowy, rocky, & rooty dirt.    It was a good thing to get the body broken in considering I’ll be riding what is described as “Truly world class” singletrack for 5 days next week.

Heavy. Thankful. Eager.

Short post today.   I’m super busy.    Work is quite demanding at the moment.  Considering that two friends lost their jobs this week, I’m thankful considering I have a good job I love in a viable industry.   I’m also planning my next mountain bike trip.  I leave Sunday and will return next Friday after 4 full days of riding and 3 nights of bike camping.    This trip is a little work and a lot of pleasure.  I’m eager to share my stories and pictures with you when I return.   I just might even be able to share the other thing I’ve been working on, moving my WordPress blog to a dot.com.    I’m pretty excited about it for a number of reasons.  I’ll share those reasons later, but I will tell you it’s got an amazing photo gallery functionality.   We’ll see.  It’s going to happen.  It’s just a matter of when?

Well, that’s all I’ve got today.   I’m packing this morning for a fun evening of mountain biking with friends.   We are hitting some prime single track tonight.    Should be an epic evening of riding.

And….Since I can’t have blog posts without pictures, I leave you with this.    Heavy and wet air blanket the valley as the sun inches upward toward the horizon.   It was a beautiful morning for riding.

Sunrise over Thomas Lake Park.

Heavy.   Thankful.  Eager.

Share the road

I think it is interesting how certain phrases bring specific images or thoughts to our minds.  I guess that’s an indication of good marketing.   When I hear “share the road” I immediately think about cars sharing the road with bicycles and/or motorcycles.  Recently, in relationship to this phrase,  I got a new image in my head.   That image is not only sharing the roads, but also  sharing our bike lanes and resources with others.

Share the road with our animal friends

Turtles are amazing creatures.   Just look at the close up features of this turtle.

Just look at that armor and those features

I felt fortunate to see him.  I hope he got to where he needed to go.

Walk the plank

The Friday ride was great.  It was an incredible morning.  Damp and somewhat cool when I left.  Hot by the time I got to work.

Not much to report on this ride.   It was a great group with 2 Mamasita’s, a Dos Niner, a Rohloff equiped El Mariachi and me on my Fargo.  We hit dirt and the pace went a little crazy.   Too fast for my legs and my 35lb loaded Fargo.   It was fun though.   It is these rides that keep me going and healthy.    If I didn’t go on these Friday rides I just as well walk the plank and fall to a certain death.

Hope you all have a nice Saturday planned.  We’ve got a morning plan to hit the farmer’s market in Saint Paul, but its gloomy and rainy and I just might sit in my chair, look out the window and have an extra cup of coffee.

Friday Photo – The first week of summer

Thought I’d share a few of the images from the first official week of summer.

Big Mama @ Leb

Landmark Center @ sunset

Morning on the River

Friday Morning Breakfast Ride!

It’s been quite a week and it’s not even over yet.   As long as it doesn’t rain, we’ll be spending tomorrow morning at the Farmer’s Market followed by who knows what?     Summer is shaping up nicely here at the Gnat household.

Hope you all have had a great week too.   Have a nice weekend.

Ride your bike!  Take some pictures!

Ride to Eat or Eat to Ride?

Yeah, I like to ride.  Yeah, I like to eat.   Do I ride to eat or do I eat to ride?   It’s sort of like which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Mel-O-Glaze - Mpls Southside Sugar Stop

Some days I think I know.  Other days I don’t.   Last year it was eat to ride.  I managed my diet and ate the right foods.   This year, I’m eating and then using riding to “recover”.    I’m still managing my weight, but I’m not where I was last year.    I find that when I ride 3 or more times a week I am eating to ride.   When I am riding less than that I am riding to eat.  I think the year is getting better from a planned riding perspective too and that should help.   I’ll finish off this week with 2 of my long commutes, each being 50+ miles of pavement, gravel & singletrack.    I might even squeek in an extra dirt ride on my Big Mama.