new bike excitement

This week has been pretty low key so far. I don't have any sessions booked so I've just been trying to work on Google stuff as much as I can. Got a bunch of errands done monday and got in a short ride on the crosscheck. I headed the back way from Green Hills over to Belmont Blvd and then down past Bongo Java. My initial plan was just to ride to Bongo and back but I got there so fast I wanted to keep riding. I decided to head down to Cumberland Transit and show off the bike to Hensley and chat for a bit. Just headed home after that, took Natchez, over to Belmont and back the way I came. It was a fun little ride. I'm really enjoying the idea of just grabbing my bike and rolling from the house somewhere. Sure beats packing up the truck and driving to a trail.

Yesterday I rode over to my friend Geoff's house about 3 miles away and helped him get some drum machine software installed. We hit up Fido with his baby and our friend Devo and had lunch and coffee. I'm really starting to like Fido a lot, as long as it's not crazy busy. My only big beef with them is the whole "here's your buzzer for your latte that you just ordered. We'll buzz you when it's ready" deal. How long does it take to make a latte, do I really need a wireless buzzer?! Apparently it takes a while at Fido. The reward though is the best latte in Nashville. Although I've been on a big coffee kick lately and not been getting espresso drinks. I like that they have the self serve station to refill and deposit 50 cents. I'm not the biggest fan of asking people for stuff so this fits me just fine!

Tonight turned into a big group ride at Percy Warner Park. We had about 7 riders show up for a little dusk/night ride through the paved section. This was my first longish ride on the crosscheck and it performed flawlessly! A little cable stretch here and there, but the shifting is still working great and I'm getting used to the geometry. It was a different experience riding the hills on a road bike. I'm so used to riding mtb bikes on pavement that I'm still amazed at how well the crosscheck rolls, even with the cross tires on. The plan was for two medium loops of the park totally about 24 miles. I decided to roll to the park from the house and not drive....love it! That added about 8-10 miles to my journey but it was fun and rewarding to not be driving. I didn't quite dress warm enough for the brisk night and had very cold feet. Could of used leg warmers, but my toes were the real problem. I just couldn't get the blood down there no matter how loose I had my shoes. By the time we were starting the second loop, my feet felt like big square blocks. I decided to take the 6 mile cut-off and head back home. It was a fun ride and I got in 28 miles by the time I got back home.

I'm really lovin' this crosscheck!! The next step is to try it off road. I'm thinking about racing in the cyclocross races at Chickasaw next weekend. I'd like to get some practice in on the trail to learn how the bike handles before then though. Might have to head that way next week sometime.