After another tube delay (broken down train) Wednesday morning which put me in a foul mood, I resorted to commuting on my bike again. Or, as I like to call it, dodging vehicles for sport. I brushed the back of a cab with my messenger bag and heard a loud car honking shortly thereafter. Crap! Visions of being intentionally doored filled my head, so I quickly pulled to the middle of the road and scooted up past about ten cars to the front of the line at the light to get a safe distance away, just in case. No morning caffeine needed, thank you, I’m well awake by the time I roll up to the study centre. Everytime I start thinking about how nuts it is, I look over at some woman in a skirt and heels wearing no helmet and riding a 20” foldable bike and remind myself that I’ll be just fine...

After class, I met Rob for another mountain bike (‘cross for me) ride in Epping Forest. A mere half hour ride from my flat (now that I’ve am 95% sure of where I’m going to get there, it’s 30 minutes) lands me at the southern tip of endless singletrack through enchanted forests. When I stop concentrating on following Rob through the many intersecting trails - getting lost would be all too easy - I see contorted, moss-covered trees that look like they might just turn nasty and pluck me off my bike if I paused too long in their dark shadows. It has been so dry, the trails were actually a bit dusty – just my style of riding!

We came across a 13 year-old pip-squeak racer boy and his dad, which turned into a complete throw-down. Rob had actually told me about his kid. He’s a strong little squirt. That whipper-snapper had the balls to grab Rob’s wheel from me, as we headed up a short hill (I refrained from throwing an elbow, crit-style) and then he passed Rob as well! The nerve! Does he not know to show his elders respect? Well, despite feeling like crap, I would have none of that. Although I couldn't pass him (me on cyclocross bike, the rest of them on mtn bikes - advantage them), I made sure to hang on his little wheel. I laughed (to myself, of course) as he looked over his shoulder continuously and then made sure to appear entirely unimpressed when I was right there at the top with him. We repeated this pattern over the next few climbs - good thing (for me) the climbs weren't any longer. His dad, who was hanging on for dear life, gave me some kudos for still hanging not far behind Rob and the ankle-biter even in the tight, winding (and sometimes bumpy) flat sections on “that bike.” Mind you, these are the only other two people we saw out there riding in this incredible forest during a two-hour ride on all singletrack… did I mention this is only a 30 minute ride from my flat?