No real point to this post, not even any form of preaching or anger. Possibly getting soft as time goes by, sorry it won’t happen again. No, I thought I would post about possibly the best ride I have had in a long, long time. Think of this as the ramblings of a bike deprived individual.

OK, keen observers out there would know I haven’t really ridden a bike offroad in a long long time. I fact my last excursion into the bush was at the Sydney 24hr back in early feb. Well on the weekend I got out and got the Ye Olde Proflex all dirty and dusty again.

I’ll have to admit to a lot of trepidation and fear before going out on this. I’ve been told to go out and be active, just not push the limits and let my back settle in again after 6 months of inactivity. My initial plan, probably very flawed, was to go for some light DH shuttles. Hmmmm, maybe not the best idea for a shagged back, so at the last minute I ditched those plans for a cruise around awaba and a beer (or two) at the end.

Now, despite being told to go ride gently ( not that I know any other way) and not grind up any hills, the thought of getting out again still scared me. Would I have the legs to get around, would my back hold up to the bumps and stress and would I actually like riding after such a big break.

Those questions were answered pretty quickly. No, my legs were not going to carry me far. Stopping, under the guise of stretching, was the order of the day. Probably need to work on some fitness and thankfully those riding with me didn’t take the piss too much. Fortunately the back held up, all though I didn’t bother to attempt to ride anything that resembled a slope nor did I hit any real speed. But for me the biggest thing of the day was how much I had forgotten how I love to ride my bike.

I’d forgotten just how cool it was to get out in the scrub and be free on the trails.

Within two corners I can easily say, I am in love with riding my bike again. I don’t think I really realised what I had been missing while I was off the bike, maybe it was a conscious decision to forget so I didn’t go crazy. One things for sure, right now I am almost obsessive in my quest to find excuses to get out and ride (shame its belting down rain).

Maybe there is a point to this ramble, maybe its true that you don’t miss things till they are gone, although in this case I didn’t realise how much until I got it back. Just don’t take your riding for granted, or too seriously. Enjoy it for what it is, an escape from the mundane things that we have to endure from day to day, A break from reality and weekday stress, a complete and utter drain on financial resources (OK, that’s not a good example, but you get my point).

Yes, I’m back on the bike and I couldn’t be happier. Now, if only I had another bike………..