NICA, Hemp Slippers, and Bronsons

Last Friday we had a meeting with Nat From NICA, (pronounced n-y-k-ah: National Interscholastic Cycling Association) which is officially the best thing to happen to our sport since the invention of the Velociraptor. All of us old school folks are flush with envy that the youth of today have the option to race mountain bikes instead of playing football, badminton, or baseball (GO GIANTS!).

Maurice “Can I borrow a pair of flat pedals and a trash bag? ” Tierney joined us for the ride, making do without his SPD shoes and rain jacket. He made the sweetest black trash bag rain poncho vest I have ever seen and he rocked the trail wearing a nice set of hemp slippers.

The rain on Friday made for a perfect excuse to continue the meeting on the mountain. I was giddy to see how our new Bronson 2.3 AM TCS tires would fair in the greasy wet roots and mud of Mt. Tam. Trying to keep up with Nat was no easy task as he darted off the pavement on to the famed Tenderfoot trail. There is a dicey root infested section within the first thirty feet of the trail that will usually dictate how the rest of the ride will go. Clean this section and you are on your way to a gold metal, dab or go down = Fail. Cleaned it and grinned with plenty of stoke as we shredded down the rest of the trial. The Bronson 2.3 AM TCS passed the test and I look forward to more rides with Nat and Maurice and supporting NICA.