This week I walked for the first time in two months without my protective boot on. Indoors, on a flat surface, with a cane, and I have no strength in my right leg, but I’m still calling it progress. Today or tomorrow I’ll be starting on the spin bike. As much as I hate stationary riding, it’s hard not to be a bit excited about the prospect of lacing up some fresh flat pedal shoes and feeling the familiar interface. 

I’m not certain when I’ll be back on the trails, or able to drive, but my physio has all but indicated that I’m around the halfway point on a journey to getting some light cross country riding in with The Clairebarian and that’s more than enough hope to raise my spirits. It may be Fall yet before I’m back riding with friends on the janky trails I love but even that doesn’t seem that far away now. 

Yes, that’s still a half-a-year away from Tuesday morning Pipeline-to-Lower-Crippler runs with JacAttack, and actually-early morning weekend rides with Crash Test Kevin, and then maybe some nights trail building after Claire’s gone to bed but it sort of reminds me of ‘riding the bungee’ up any big, steep, straight hill where you can see the top from the bottom. Mentally break it down into smaller sections, don’t worry about taking a break when you need to, and make sure you’re out with the sort of folks that will wait for you to catch up. 

Crash Test, or CTK for short, is my oldest continuous riding friend and also my little brother by a couple years. We’ve been riding together since we were teenagers. Sometimes on our single speeds. Sometimes on multi-speed full suspension bikes. Usually, over the last two decades, I’ll ride my #1FG rig and he’ll ride his ~6″ full suspension bike. It’s like a proper group ride from when we started out in the ’90s, everyone rides whatever mountain bike they own and we get out there and back together. 

Sometimes we ride with other people, but usually, it’s just the two of us. Sometimes we ride Fromme, or Seymour, or Bear, or Woodlot, or Eagle, or places less traveled but usually we’re the first cars parked a Burke Mtn and off the trails before they get busy for the day. Even then, it’s very rare we’ll run into other riders on our preferred lines – Bean, Sawblade, Nescafe. Elevator when the mood is right, with the amazing progression that CTK went through this year I’ll be following him down it when I can pedal again. 

Afterwards, we’ll grab a quick coffee. Well, Crash Test will have a hot chocolate but either way we’ll sit outside rain or shine and shoot the shit. Most of the time it’s just standard adult prattle – work, politics, back in the day sh*t. We often have very different perspectives on the same events and it’s refreshing to be able to disagree with someone and leave it there. Sometimes we just watch the world go by. Then it’s “see you next week” and home.  

Now, CTK’s not the sort who’s going to be sending me emotional text messages about how much he misses riding with me (that’s more a Drew-Bob thing) or complain for a second about putting in solo rides on his favourite trails. But I have been very much loving his ongoing photo series, including the few shots I shared here, of Lego-Andrew and Lego-Kevin getting out mountain biking. Rain, snow, early in the morning, after dark, these dudes are out riding. 

There are a lot of ways to tell you absent riding friends “wish you were here” but I think this is one of the best I’ve seen. The fact they’re on rigid single speeds wearing full face helmets makes it even better. Can’t wait to get out there, but I can live vicariously through some Lego people in the meantime.