my apologies, team hoff

i can't believe i haven't posted on our blog yet! i really have been meaning to, but at least i've been reading what ya'll write. i have no pics to post right now which sucks because i have been riding a bunch lately. the turn around time for shooting a whole roll of film and then getting it developed takes too long and then by the time i have the images it's been weeks since that ride and i don't know what to write anymore. also, our digi cam situation sucks. i'll be better in the future, i promise. anyway, if you're interested in what bike related things i've been doing lately you'll have to read the following text without visual stimulation, which could be very boring. consider yourself warned. so, i've actually been riding my road bike a lot lately and neglecting my mountain bike. strange, because in general i like mtn biking better. anyhoo, i started a new job back in august and started commuting in 2-3 times/week. the commutes have been pretty nice overall, except the early, sleepy starts and the dropping temperatures - 50 has been the lowest. then i decided instead of riding straight home or to the gym on those days i would extend my rides and do some exploring. i've been looking up cue sheets on blue ridge bicycle club's website and adjusting them to my liking. this has resulted in mostly awesome rides that have renewed my love for asheville and these beautiful mountains surrounding us. the rides have been averaging 15 miles give or take, which is perfect for me after a full day of work, considering the amount of climbing up here. today i couldn't commute in because i had to attend a training at another location, so i came home before riding. that's where i got in trouble. i made a stop on the way home, then took a 30 min phone call, then looked up a ride. before i knew it it was 7pm and i was just getting kitted up. riding around here at night is not extremely fun because we live so close to the country side of greater asheville and the rednecks out here don't like spandex, especially in the dark. i thought i'd be ok, so team hoffenchard headed out at 7:15pm. i wasn't rolling for 5 mins when eric called from vegas, so i pulled over and set myself back a few more minutes. the beginning of the ride went through familiar mountain roads in enka near biltmore lake and it was quite beautiful with the sun setting. however, enka back roads quickly turned into candler back roads and the sun was now down. i won't bore you with all the details of my frightening, frantic ride home in the dark but i will tell you 3 important things - #1 country mountain roads don't have street lights and it gets dark as fuck, #2 apparently i'm an "asshole" for riding a bike, according to the redneck teenage boys that tried to run me off the road, and #3 you can actually ride faster than you think, even when climbing, if you are freezing cold and scared for your life. in conclusion, my legs hurt cause i was pedalling faster/harder than usual in order to make it home in one piece. ok, i need to get ready for bed kids. i vow to start posting more often and will try to get pics processed in a timely manner. xoxo - kb