sunday january 12th 2003.
4pm. sun setting. someone suggests we go for a ride in the woods. i only have my 24" cruiser with me, it is freezing outside and i don't have any gloves - "ok"

climbing up the hill warmed us up a bit but you know that burning feeling you get right down inside your ears. top of the hill, feel the ground in the woods crunching beneath my 60psi tyres, round the corner and below us is a lot of hard, icy singletrack. is this really such a good idea on a bmx?

pump to get up some speed as the ground is so crunchy and then start hitting the roots. the track switches back over and over and is going down all the time. pull over as the others aren't sure where to go. nose dripping down my face and hands are numb from the cold and riding rigids.

pump up again and keep descending. back slides out just right on every corner, and then just forget about everything.

forget the cold, forget the fact i'm riding a bmx on singletrack, forget how stupidly painful my hands are, forget how ridiculously icy and dark it is, forget that my watering eyes are going to freeze up. just me on my bike, flying down a hill.

i wish i had taken my camera as it looked really good with the ice everywhere, but nevermind. i just want to get out and ride more. home, warm, tired, happy.