On The Pedals
By Jason Giacchino

Making the Most of the Digital Age

I’ve finally been able to take a deep breath and get myself focused these past few weeks. With an off-season as long and stretched out as ours is the first few weeks of spring are typically a little more than chaotic as we try to cram month’s worth of inhibitions into the span of a few days. The warmer weather had me balancing riding time with work related stress, chores around the yard, and gathering and editing material for this very issue. As much as I complain about the long winters, I must confess that they do allow ample opportunity to get things done indoors!

Occasionally though spring brings with it moments of riding conditions so perfect that they feel euphoric and dream-like even while they’re happening. Last weekend was one such occasion and fortunately my cousin and I were quick enough on the draw to capture the fleeting moments as they passed. I awoke Saturday morning on account of the singing birds outside in the large maple tree above my driveway. The sun was shining but the air was crisp and breezy. Jersey and baggies weather; no sweating, no shivering. Mike and I loaded up his truck and headed down to the lakeside State park to put in a good two hour run which included some well known loops that had been unvisited (at least by us anyway) since the fall. We finished back at the trailhead in that perfect state of homeostasis, hydration, and physical exertion. We pushed hard up some pretty steed climbs, enjoyed the pressing wind from a long twisty descent, and even gully hopped some pretty ugly hike-a-bike sections and yet we concluded the run in the early afternoon feeling perfectly recharged. Were we fueled by pent up energy that had been lying dormant from January? Couldn’t tell you, but it felt great regardless.

Office on the go.

The problem with days so perfect is that they have to come to an end sometime. As if going to work on Monday isn’t difficult already, it gets even uglier when the weather is picture-perfect and the memories of a weekend so flawless do linger on. I like to view these trips back into the daily flow of society as a good opportunity to catch up on the technological side of things: To surf the internet on all that is biking, to drop by some of my favorite forums and read up on everyone else’s weekend adventures. Let’s face it, if we didn’t balance our love for the outdoors with clacking away at the keyboard, I wouldn’t be writing this and you certainly wouldn’t be reading it. There is probably some kind of poetic irony in the two extremes that we find ourselves immersed in from one day to the next but I like to think that I’ve found a small deal of balance along the way. I accept that spending long hours of the day in front of the computer monitor is simply destiny in the winter. After all what else is there to do when the temperature dips below zero at noon and night begins to fall by 3pm? In the summer, however, it simply feels wrong to be vegin’ out any longer than work necessitates. This is when I rediscover the annual joys of my Blackberry PDA almost as if on cue.

Suddenly the ability to take the office to the coffee shop becomes a reality. As does jotting down article ideas while waiting in traffic, getting in touch with contributors while meeting with a client, and even writing columns trail-side should the inspiration strike. Of course the gray cloud to this silver lining is that many of you ride (myself included) to escape the reminders of society, the pressures of being accessible, and the technology that keeps so many of us from being outside doing what feels right. Couldn’t agree more, this is why RIM was wise to include an off switch on this little gizmo. If I’m not moved by the desire to pen something up at a given moment, into the backpack it goes where it is quickly forgotten. For the most part, however, I’m glad to have it along on my many excursions- at least until next winter anyway.

Questions? Comments? Love letters? Send 'em to Editor@mountainbiketales.com.