TALES: The Final Stretch of Dirt in Paradise

It was a sad day for me today, as I took my last MTB ride in Okinawa for a very long time (thanks to Alex, Jeremiah, Matt and Joe for making it a good one!). Not bad at all at 20+ miles, but still far short of what’s needed for the Shenandoah Mountain 100 with Tom in September! I’m not too proud to say that the prospect is incredibly intimidating while tremendously exciting at the same time. I’m anxious to see how we hold up (actually, it's me and not Tom that I’m concerned about).

Despite my SOCAL and Durango heritage, those who know me know that Okinawa is where I fell in love with mountain biking in 1998, so it’s been nostalgic this go-around. It’s also a bit tougher to say goodbye this time, knowing that I’ll likely never return. I must say that I’ll even miss the banana spiders!

I spent the afternoon boxing up my baby for advance shipment this week. It's been a great 3+ years here, and the guys of OMBA are a fantastic group to ride with (I hope this blog has done them and the association justice). Riding here has been technically challenging and rewarding, and what I've learned here has already paid off on short trips elsewhere.

I'll be moving to KC, where I'll do my best to replace the fun riding with OMBA by riding with the crew at Earthriders Mountain Bike Club (100+ miles of singletrack within 30 minutes of home – never thought it of Kansas).

Looks like skinny tires only in the meantime, and there’s plenty of Okinawan coastline along the highway to explore in my spandex before I leave! I look forward to continuing this blog once our tornado touches down in the land of Dorothy and Toto.