Best Day Ever

This week good friend, former Knoxville resident, and all-around super bad-ass single-speed guru Tarik Saleh was in town. He let me know before his arrival that work related conference-type science things were bringing him back for the first time in three years and that bicycle-type riding would and must happen. I figured just to visit would be great as this guy is one of the best people to come around these parts and that he was the reason that I became so fond of this single-speed obsession that I still enjoy to this day. Time allowed him to come by the shop on Tuesday and catching up and much laughter commenced as well as the beginnings of a Thursday ride plan. I told him that I was off for the day and that whatever work-related things should be blown off in the interest of riding. With the recent onset of East Tennessee monsoon season it looked as though we would default to a fixie road ride as he brought the venerable Bike Friday folding fixie travel bike with him anyway.

However, I had secured a borrowed mountain bike that would fit and was a single-speed just in case mountain biking were to happen and when he called Wednesday and said he was going to blow off attending any of the talks I knew we had to go. Nowhere in town would do as the trails just don't handle rain, especially this much, very well with Norris being the exception but if you go there you might as well road ride instead. So, Big South Fork was the answer as I believed that the Grand Gap/John Muir loop would have to drain well and would provide a very scenic and super fun loop. It just so happened that The Hammer and Keith D. were available so off we went and while others sat around and bitched and moaned about the rain we went a little farther north and ended up totally scoring!!!!!! Trails were perfect and the sun was even out for most of the day. Lots of laughs, lots of ripping, beers were had and not only that after we all dispersed in K-town for our early evening activities we reconvened at the Sunsphere bar and had many drinks, many laughs, and many good photo ops. Look for those at the home of blog gold-Moscaline sometime real soon. To Tarik-very good to see you, great ride, my stomach still hurts from laughing so much, and I can't wait till Durango!