It’s the (Real) Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Yesterday, I rode to work in the rain. It wasn’t a hard, soak-you-to-the-bone rain, but it was definitely coming down at a pretty good clip. And you know what? I had a great ride. The fenders kept the road crud off me, the rain jacket kept my upper body dry and warm (a little too warm; I didn’t need the long sleeve jersey with that jacket), and the temperature was nice and moderate.
By the time I rode home, it was entirely dark. With my light setup, though, it was no problem. The temperature was mild (one of the great things about WA), and there’s something about riding in the dark that really gets you thinking about the act of cycling itself. Instead of looking around, you just look ahead. You hear your breathing, notice how it’s timed against your cadence, and just enjoy the feeling of the motion.
As I climbed Inglewood, I noticed: it was easy. I usually do it in my lowest gear, but yesterday I climbed it in third and fourth. Maybe that’s partly because after climbing that hill on the fixie, it just feels easy on a geared bike. Part of it, though, is the end-of-season payoff. I’ve been training, working hard on losing weight and getting fit, for about six months now. Now, with all the events I’ve been focusing on behind me, I get to be fast (for a little while) and strong without really working for it.
As I rode, one thought kept bouncing around in my skull: without a doubt, autumn is the best season.
Weekend Rides
It’s a sad irony that many cyclists wind down and stop riding by the time autumn rolls around. Since you no longer have anything special to train for, you stop riding, taking a break. That’s the right idea, but the wrong way to go about it. The break you take should be taking nice, spinning rides out in the country. I think I could de-burnout-ify just about any rider in the world with a quick 30 mile tour around Sammamish, Issaquah, Carnation, Snoqualmie, and Fall City. The rain has brought all the ground cover back to life, while the trees — the ones with leaves, anyway — are all changing color. The bright oranges against the deep greens just can’t be seen the same way from a car, and you can see only a little bit of it on foot. On a bike, you see it slowly enough to appreciate it, but fast enough that you get to take in more than one little spot.
I tell you: biking in autumn is just the best.
Mountain Biking in Autumn
What I’m really missing this year, though, is mountain biking in Autumn. For the first time in ten years, I don’t have a mountain bike. I’ll fix that soon enough (I hope), but meanwhile I’m missing out. And I’m missing out doubly, because I’m not getting to mountain bike in UT in autumn this year. By mid-summer in Utah, a lot of the mountain bike rides have become so dusty they’re no longer as much fun — they’re loose and slippery. And it’s hot.
Then autumn comes. Rain packs the trails; suddenly you can clean climbs that you weren’t even bothering to attempt a few weeks ago. You’re lighter — climbing with just a water bottle instead of 2 bottles and a camelback. The sun feels warm, but the air is nice and cool. You’re riding for fun, the trails are perfect (and nobody’s on them), the weather is somehow both cool and warm at the same time, and everything smells great. Heaven.
And then there’s the scenery. Riding on the Ridge Trail in autumn is just unbelievable. The mix of yellow and red leaves, the white bark of the aspen trees, the evergreens, and snow just starting to show up on the tops of the peaks: it makes you stop and stare.
You don’t get to stare during the downhills, though. Leaves cover the trail, hiding branches and embedded rocks. You’ve got to read the contours of the leaves, make your decision what the best line is, and go with it. Sometimes you’re right, sometimes you’re wrong. Downhilling in autumn is how you discover exactly how good — or bad — your Spidey sense is. The surprisingly loud rattling of the leaves as you roll over them adds to the adventure of an old trail suddenly becoming completely new.
Autumn rules. It’s not debatable.
Then winter comes. Which sucks.
Today’s weight: 159.8
Bonus “Best Commenter Ever” Award: A couple weeks ago, I described how, in a fit of feeding madness, I spread peanut butter on Oreos. BIG Mike of Australia — who, sadly, is not experiencing autumn right now — let me know that in down under, there are actually peanut butter Oreos available for purchase. He then went one step further and sent me a box of them.
I have two observations regarding these peanut butter Oreos:
1. They are the most expensive Oreos I have ever tried, since it cost BIG Mike $18.50 to send them. BIG Mike, I think I speak for everyone when I say that you rule, and that you’re completely insane.
2. They tasted good, but not as good as just spreading peanut butter on regular Oreos.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 3:51 pm
Ah, yes. Autumn riding. Fall has fallen late this year, at least in the lower valley where I live. The green, yellow orange and red show promise of lasting a long, long time. The temperatures have remained in the 70’s during the day, and the mountain trails are taut and grippy. Porcupine Rim and Gooseberry are both on the near horizon, and every ride home is unbelievable as I undulate above and below the valley floor. Sadly, and greedily, it never lasts long enough. You are a smart fatty-fat-fat-fat. Anyone could cure ride burnout with some contemplative Fall riding. Night rides this time of year are especially good, too.
Comment by Fat Cyclist | 10.20.2005 | 3:59 pm
rocky – yeah, night rides in autumn are the best. as you breathe, the steam from your mouth gets lit up by the headlight beam. riding on frosty frozen leaves is the crunchieset of all possible noises. night rides in the autumn are surreal.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 4:11 pm
not sure i’ve ever ridden a taut trail. i’m gonna keep my eyes open.winter does not suck. you haven’t yet discovered the perfect winter complement to mountain biking: backcountry skiing. just like mountain biking, you get to the top of incredible mountain peaks under your own power, then fly down them. sometimes you undulate, sometimes you don’t. but there are no bad days in the mountains.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 4:15 pm
Not to take anything away from BigMIKE, but they have those same oreos here in the US…in double stuff variety even. There are ones with pure peanut butter, and then ones with the chocolate peanut butter mix like you have there. I miss the old Mint Oreos. http://www.nabiscoworld.com/oreo/memories/default.aspx
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 4:26 pm
Taut trails are the best…maybe they don’t make them in Utah. Punk.And winter sports are just something to do when there is nothing better to do with the frozen, sleepy hell outside. But tearining down a mountain on two waxy slick boards is fun, if there is nothing better to do.
Comment by Zed | 10.20.2005 | 5:28 pm
Yes, but I’ll bet there’s something satisfying about NOT paying GST on those Oreos, huh BIGMike?For the record, I usually save mountain biking for fall and usually stick to the roadie in the summer. It’s way too hot to be running out of water in the middle of nowhere during the summer, and it’s easier to imagine yourself being Lance Armstrong while the Tour is actually happening…
Comment by Fat Cyclist | 10.20.2005 | 5:36 pm
dug – i have to agree with you; winter doesn’t suck. i was thinking in context of riding. the fact is, even though i don’t ski, i like to get out in the mountains in the winter on the snowshoes. like you say, there are no bad days in the mountains. but biking in the winter–well, it sucks.
Comment by Fat Cyclist | 10.20.2005 | 5:39 pm
phil – oh, why’d you have to go point that out? i preferred thinking that i was eating the Most Exotic Oreos Ever.caloi-rider – not a bad way to divvy it up, i guess. i’m less structured about it though. i ride road when i feel like its, and mountain when i feel like it. which, come to think of it, may be exactly what you’re doing too.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 5:54 pm
rock, you coming to fallmoab05? we can sort this out there. i’ll be the one with the duct-taped handlebar.really, are you coming? i’d love to see you there. please come.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 6:00 pm
Dug–That handlebar thing is never going to go away, is it?…I’ll be the one with the duct taped kidney.I was unaware that I could be a part of fallmoab’05. When? Trails, etc. Winter still sucks. Snow-shoeing, skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating were all invented by guys who wanted to ride bikes and got so stinkin’ bored they had to come up with some lame-o thing to do while dressed like Randy from "A Christmas Story". Plus that eight hours of sunlight makes it all the better.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 7:41 pm
rocky, i’m re-thinking the whole fallmoab05 invite in light of your views on winter. clearly i need to get you into the wasatch backcountry.nov 4,5,6. trails? if you are gonna get picky about trails, you can’t come. but in case you do come, usually it’s goofing on either the porcupine singletrack uphill or slickrock on friday, all day saturday on gold bar rim, and sunday this year i hear is amasa back.
Comment by Sun Goddess | 10.20.2005 | 8:06 pm
Hey! The don’t only have those oreos down under. We have them here in California too! They also have mint, coffee, and double stuffed ones. All pretty good.
Comment by Fat | 10.20.2005 | 8:30 pm
I experienced a little autumn cycling myself yesterday. It was the most perfect weather I could possibly asked for. The sun was making it’s slow decent over the horizon, it was warm enough to be in a long sleeved tee with no coat, and the leaves on the trees were just exploding with color as the sun’s rays hit them. Just perfect.~ Fat Chick
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 8:45 pm
Dug, dug, dug…me picky about trails? I don’t have enough skills to be picky. The trail selections sound good, although the Gold Bar Rim is more work than…well, it’s kind of like skiing…you know…if ya hafta. Isn’t that where you tried to kill Fatty last year? Saturday would be the only option for me. Well, maybe half of Friday. Fatty has the what fors. Anyway, it’s on the books. It’s touching just to get the invite.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 8:53 pm
Nice guy but $18 aussie bucks is only like $13.50 USD ; )Yes fall riding is very good.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 9:08 pm
As a truly fat cyclist, I appreciate Fall riding more than most. This weather is just better for big dudes, and I’m finding it easier to eat less, so the weight loss seems to be continuing despite the reduction in miles, down to around 90 – 110 a week. (plus a spin class or two, plus a night or two on the rollers each week). That, and there’s no peanut butter Oreos where I live, thank God. I’ve actually taken up bike commuting a couple days of the week, partly to keep on losing weight, and partly to stay fit, and also because road rash gives my legs a nice ruddy hue that I was losing as the Sun waned toward the equator. More on my commuting misadventures here, but only if you are interested in tales of crashing, vengeful drivers, and desparation eating: http://coldfury.com/index.php/?p=5853BTW, I did pick up the 25 year-old Fuji to convert to a Fixie, which I will do soon providing the wife quits coveting it. It’s awful purty. That makes three bikes for me now, two for the wife, and a trailer and tricycle for the son & presumptive heir, putting me in the, what, 38th percentile of Fatty readers on bike ownership? Ps: Geez, Mikey. I was going to say that, I even worked it out on the exchange rate calculator, but I thought it would be too nasty. Thanks for doing jumping jacks, hopping on one leg and hitting the floor with a hammer, in the place where I didn’t dare tread…
Comment by Jodi | 10.20.2005 | 9:10 pm
Totally off topic, but I saw this commercial last night where a bicyclist’s light goes out on a dark windy road, and a car tails him, presumably to light the way. All I could think was that it would completely freak me out if somebody did that to me. Also, Rocky, I’d like to point out that dug prefers to be addressed with a liddle-d. (dug, not Dug. You’re welcome).
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 10.20.2005 | 9:11 pm
I AM NOT INSANE.I’m short.I’m fat.I’m bald.And I will pay whatever price is necessary to bribe someone to be my friend.
Comment by Unknown | 10.20.2005 | 9:44 pm
errored one–notice i did both because one never knows what dug Dug wants…never ever.
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 10.20.2005 | 9:51 pm
Fatty – Those Oreos were the most exotic in the world. Just look at the cost. Caviar is just fish eggs if you ignore the price. Caloi – The postage was GST free, the GST on the Oreos was 10 percent.MikeyF – you forgot to add the price of the biscuits… but you can’t put a price on bought friendship?And for anyone who cares, it’s early spring here and it got down to 63 degrees F overnight (Florida style cold). True Winter is a vague concept for me.
Comment by Katie | 10.20.2005 | 11:46 pm
they totally have those oreos here. or at least in new jersey.
Comment by Ariane | 10.21.2005 | 12:44 am
I swear I’ve never seen those oreos here. So I can at least say they don’t sell them in this, the wee-ist lame town Upstate. And fall is totally the best season. We’re just about to reach peak foliage here… It gets pretty colorful everywhere around here, but you guys should see the ‘Dacks. (Do people ever call the Adirondacks "The ‘Dacks"? Hmmm… Well I guess I just did. Such a rebel.) Have you ever noticed that fall even smells better than any other season? If only "fall" wasn’t synonymous with "semester" and "exams."
Comment by Unknown | 10.21.2005 | 1:02 am
Toad, WTF are they teaching you kids these days? Everybody up there should know, it’s the "ADKs", pronounced "Aaaay Deee Kay’s". Everybody should also know that the highlight of the brief period of my life when I took mountain biking way too seriously culminated in crashing on a nasty, corduroy root trail, and landing in a pile of still warm bear crap. Which probably still would have tasted better than the first generation Power Bars, not that I’d know because back then we ate Pterodactyl breast and Mammoth burgers, mostly.
Comment by pete | 10.21.2005 | 3:10 am
Guys. 50 degrees is not cold. It’s definitely not cold in proper terms and it’s still not cold in the crazy world of colonial temperatures. Round here, the tights only come out when it gets below zero (you call it 32.)Big Mike, you’re a good guy but I genuinely feel sorry for you because you’ll never know the joy of taking that first deep breath on a crystal clear and frosty morning, when the chill in the air cuts right through you and the water it brings to your eyes is the only thing that interferes with the clarity of the light.Love, Pete.
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 10.21.2005 | 3:43 am
Cosh – I enjoy the clean cool morning air. But I can do it barefoot and in my shorts. (no peeking)
Comment by Chris | 10.21.2005 | 4:00 am
Now you have me really bummed that we missed our ride around the Plateau last weekend and that I am too busy to ride this weekend. Damn! It is a good time to ride.
Comment by Unknown | 10.21.2005 | 6:58 am
Hey, Fatty… your sister isn’t the only painter of pictures in your family.. you just did a brilliant job on that one. And that Mike… he may be crazy, but he’s one bewdy bonzer mate, eh? Those Aussies are like that. I knew one of my closest friends maybe a month when she sent me a beautiful pair of ugh boots (before they became popular here). Then she sent me a pie machine and omigosh.. be glad you don’t have one!Good on ya with your 159.8, too!Hugs,MuMo
Comment by Unknown | 10.21.2005 | 7:00 am
P.S. I even understand a lot of their language now. And I Am Australian is one of my favorite songs.
Comment by sam | 10.21.2005 | 11:53 am
We have the peanut butter Oreos here in St. Louis too. But they are not as good as the plain Oreos dunked in the peter pan container.When it drops below 50 that is the best time of the year to ride. I can remember riding during a snow storm and having a big glob of ice forming on the face mask I was wearing. That was one of the best rides I was ever on, but just a word of advice Take off the racing slicks!!!! if you try it.
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 10.21.2005 | 12:16 pm
MuMo – This might scare you. Your favourite Australian song started life as a brand jingle for a phone company.Some folks overseas even think it’s our national anthem, but therein lies a different tale. The tale of 3 anthems:1. Was – God Save the Queen… we still have the union jack as part of out flag.2. Is – Advance Australia Fair… nobody knows how or why were got stuck with this monstrosity.3. Should be – Waltzing Matilda… about a thief (sheep rustler)who preferred to kill himself rather than be caught.Down under we breed ‘em proud, friendly and tough; in that order.
Comment by Ariane | 10.21.2005 | 4:07 pm
BIG Mike– Say, what’s a "Coollabong tree," anyway? Is a coollabong like a billabong? Who’ll come a-waltzing Maltilda mah darlingWho’ll come a-waltzing Matlida with meee?.But the swagman he up and he jumped in the billabongdrowning ‘imself by the coollabong tree…
Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 10.21.2005 | 9:31 pm
Toad – It is actually a coolibah tree. There is a picture at http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/outback/historic-coolabah-tree/Many plant and animal names in Australia come from the Aborigines and are difficult to spell from their pronunciation. This tree is commonly mis-spelt as coolabah. The words to the song both original and contemporary along with the music at (yes a government site – I told you this should be the national anthem.) – http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/matilda.htmAnd the author of the original lyrics also wrote a song about a fellow who sold his horse in favour a penny-farthing and then crashed it at the bottom of a steep hill into no less than ‘Dead Mans Creek’.This is such national heritage stuff that it is published on a website owned by the biggest university in my state and the third biggest university in the country.http://www.uq.edu.au/~mlwham/banjo/mulga_bills_bicycle.html
Comment by Jaimster | 10.24.2005 | 4:53 pm
I love autumn, too! And right now UT is very pleasant! I wrote a whole entry on that today, if you’re interested. and, well, I kinda hate to break it to you, but I can get peanut butter Oreos on BYU campus. I can’t get caffeine, but I can defintiely get about every kind of Oreo they have. I am currently in the middle of a box of Mint’nCreme. But I agree with you that spreading the pb on the Oreo personally is so much better. And you don’t have to eat a whole box of them that way if you don’t want to.Love the blog! It’s great!*Jaimee*