The Perfect Morning Mountain Bike Rides

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I had one of those solo rides this weekend that I have dreams about, so I just had to share it.

It was Saturday morning. I headed down to Blankets Creek to get in an early morning ride to beat the heat. Just like I expected, I was one of 3 cars in the parking lot this early. Usually, this parking lot is filled with over 40 cars on a weekend. The morning fog hadn’t even lifted off the lake yet and I started to get ready for my ride. There is an overwhelming calm feeling I get when preparing for a ride in a quiet parking lot. My mind is focused on the task at hand…the endless pursuit of that perfect ride. As I put my shoes on and went through my final checklist…I had a feeling this was going to be a special morning.

The initial sound of clipping in really got my attention. I was focused. I have ridden this trail a thousand times before, but it is never the same. I started off at a decent clip. When I am out by myself on an uncrowded trail, there is no pace setter but myself. Usually, that means it is going to be a fast ride due to the lack of social breaks. The humidity this time of the year in Georgia is almost unbearable, but on this morning there was a slight breeze and low 80’s temps. The ground seemed to have loads of grip as I started to get into my rhythm and pick up the pace.

The entire first half of the Dwelling Loop, I was in search of one thing…that moment. That moment when everything seems to click and nothing can go wrong. That moment where you are the bike are one. When I get this moment, it is like a horse with blinders…every thing but the trail gets blurry and I can’t seem to ride hard enough or fast enough. My body goes numb and the bike flies effortlessly.

I kept on hitting each part of the trail harder and faster in that endless pursuit of perfection. Then it hit…the blinders went on and I had found that zen moment. Many religions and philosophers describe a zen moment where everything is working in harmony. I found it on this ride. The rhythm hit and every turn, every downhill, every climb just felt perfect. All I could hear was my breathing, the contact sound of rubber grabbing dirt and rocks, and the constant zinging of the rear hub. The bike and I were one for these few miles and nothing could go wrong…until SLAM! Pedal strike against a rock on the trail and I went sliding! Oh well…it was incredible while it lasted.

I spent the rest of the afternoon riding with several riding buddies of mine and after 5 hours and more laps than I can count…I was spent. I left the trail with a feeling of satisfaction from early that morning. It is not very often that you get one of those zen moments on a bike, but I had a long one on the deserted trail. It doesn’t get much better than that.