It's July in Fruita, CO and it is hot. As I type this my body fat is turning to grease. We are riding early morning before the sun is on full blast or in the evening, when it's a bit cooler, before the sun goes down at 9:00 p.m.
So what can we do when it's too hot to go for a mid day ride? Stay inside where the air is conditioned and the sun isn't beating us with it's burning fists of fury, and watch Le Tour De France!
We are all mountain bikers, it's who we are, it's what we do, it's why we live here. However, we are CYCLISTS first. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you ride, it matters that you ride. We all have and have ridden and many of us have raced road bikes as well, and we appreciate road riding. We follow Le Tour De France. (we also follow theh Giro d' Italia and Vuelta d' Espana)
The TDF is a three week saga way more interesting than many of the drama series on HBO. It's a rolling soap opera, with thrills, spills, chills, excitement, heartbreak, and a bunch of other emotions all rolled into one.
We've heard mountain bikers say road riding is boring, or isn't as cool as mountain biking, that road riding doesn't take skill and isn't interesting. No one has to enjoy road riding or like it, but don't disparage it.
Mountain biking requires skill and technique, but if you think descending down a narrow twisting paved road with hairpin turns on ridiculously thin tires, going about 40 miles per hour, doesn't take skill and serious bike handling abilities, you have no idea what skill or bike handling means. Try riding a century. Now try riding that century every day for 21 days. That is an oversimplification of the physical abuse a rider in Le Tour takes. You gotta appreicate that.
If you watch Le Tour, and understand it, it will inspire you. It can get you pumped and excited to go ride the road. An added bonus is road riding makes you stronger for mountain biking, so you can spend more time playing in the dirt. That's a good thing.
So, if it's too hot to go out and play, and you are sitting around jonesing for a cycling fix, watch the TDF, see what those guys are putting themselves through, watch the graceful display of power and skill, and get inspired. It's all cycling, it's all who we are. If you come to Fruita to enjoy the amazing kickass mountain biking we have to offer, and you have a road bike, bring it. We have some kick ass road riding as well.
We hope you get to come and ride with us. Both dirt AND road.