Big thinkers and good writers have often used sport as a metaphor for life: the lessons of the playing field or arena applied to daily living.
If Norman Mailer (boxing), William Kennedy (baseball) and John Irving (wrestling) had spent time on a mountain bike, they would have learned that:

Boldness pays.
Desperation breeds mistakes.
The hardest parts are also the loneliest.
There’s fresh horse flop in the trail ahead.
Balance is first among the virtues; momentum is second.
Success requires confidence, but cockiness invites failure.
Sometimes, the best way past an obstacle is straight through it.
Some people get lucky at parts; nobody gets lucky at everything.
It’s all about the being and the going, not the having and the arriving.
At each intersection, there’s the easy way and the hard, rewarding way.
It’s tempting to focus on the immediate problem to the exclusion of the big picture.
The thing that nails you is the one you don’t see coming.
It’s worth stopping for a breather to see where you are.
Thousands of tiny decisions shape the trip.
The fun starts when you push the limits.
You can get hurt, heal and go again.
Ups are followed by downs.
Practice makes you better.
No quitting allowed.
Love hurts.

Tonight I mountain biked with five guys that I consider way above average riders.

We left the parking lot at 5:30 and headed for the dusty single track in the Prescott National Forest.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott/

The great thing about tonights ride was that we climbed high , descended fast and took the long way through stuff I had not seen before.

I love riding with guys younger than me, faster than me and stronger than me……because it pushes me.

I also love riding the 23 pound carbon fiber Trek Top Fuel mountain bike. It is great on the ascent and handles the down hill like a dream.

http://www.thebikinghub.com/mtb/dream-cross-country-bikes

www.trekbikes.com

Anyway, Thank you Brenda for the great birthday present. The trail performance of the Trek Top Fuel works absolutley fantastic.

Just one more thing…. Just like in life ….mountian biking can’t teach you anything unless you are teachable.

Staying teachable, bendable and flexable alows me to look forward to the next adventure.

Time for a shower and some pasta.