This is why everyone I know has so many bikes (Doug)

So Brian and I met the KyMBA folks out at Cherokee/Seneca Park tonight for their weekly "no drop" ride. Exactly what I needed for my first try at MTBing. Turned out to be a great group of 8 guys that all seemed pretty solid, but who were willing to hang with the new guy while I learned how my new bike (essentially the SRAM shifters and hydraulic brakes) worked. I think we managed a reasonalble pace (not fast, according to the good racers in the group, but not too boring for the other guys, I hope), and definitely got plenty of technical stuff for me. Jeff, the ride host, had me following him over some really scary (for me) sections of the course, but showed me the right line, and I did o.k. No major malfunctions, no end-overs, and no blood. I'll take it. I dismounted a couple times when the log jumps were just too big, but am really happy overall. Between Barry-Roubaix and now the MTB, I am really starting to find the stuff I enjoy about cycling. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice road ride every now and then (mostly when it's part of a sprint or olympic tri), but I think the "getting dirty" cycling is going to be my thing. Between this new MTB and cyclocross, I see myself having a bunch of fun on two wheels for the next few decades. I'm sure it loses some (read: most to all) of it's excitement in the translation from actual dirt to computer screen, but here's the screen shot from google earth (courtesy of my Garmin 305) from tonight's ride. Fun stuff. I'm hooked!