Your author is a retired Army officer and current civil servant, living in Fairfax County, Virginia, with (evidently) too much time on his hands. In the 80s and 90s I dabbled in cycling, only to lose interest due to competing demands on my time. Armed with more time and money (and less muscle), I bought a Specialized Crosstrail in March, 2010, and rediscovered why I enjoy the hobby so much. In September, 2010, I relegated the Crosstrail to “family duty” and purchased a Trek 2.1, which allowed me to advance further in the hobby. The Trek 2.1 met an untimely end in February, 2012, and I now ride a Trek Madone 3.1.
I faithfully updated this blog from 2010-2014 with tales of my exploits. After a four year hiatus, I decided to add the occasional update as events warrant.
My apologies to Mr. Tolkien, whom I have blatantly plagiarized in creating the title of this blog. However, it seems appropriate. The Hobbit was the first seriously-long book of my youth and it remains one of my favorites. And my cycling seems to follow a similar pattern, taking me to places, then back again.
“A bicycle does get you there and more…. And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun.”
~ Bill Emerson, “On Bicycling,” Saturday Evening Post, 29 July 1967
There And Back Again 