Simply Cycling and Biking Brews.

Well, motivating for Bike Hour last week was a bit of a challenge because lately, Missoula has looked a lot like this ...

... and that's on one of her better days.

While Missoula is eerily beautiful when raining and snowing, biking around in nasty weather does not sound like the most fun to me.

But we (my bearded manfriend and myself) were determined to go out for a Bike Hour ride regardless, and guess what? It was a blast!

First we layered up with warm clothes and essential rain gear, and made sure our fenders were ready.

Then we loaded up on some tasty rewards using Walnut's 6 Pack Frame cinch.

And off we went!

Biking just to bike is an awesome experience that I hadn't enjoyed in awhile. I bike to get places, I bike to exercise, but I rarely bike just for the fun of it.

We went at a casual-conversation pace and actually paid attention to sights we'd usually blow by...

Towards the end of the hour, we found a cool little gazebo for lounging. After parking the bikes, we cracked open some Deschutes Chainbreakers and toasted to a great ride.

As a big fan of the beers and bikes combo (not too many drinks, of course... be safe out there!), I was really excited to try this delicious new brew.

Deschutes boasts:

"The name Chainbreaker White IPA was inspired in part by a legendary mountain bike race in Central Oregon called the Cascade Chainbreaker. The challenging race features a demanding course with multiple terrains, just as this beer challenges the palate to expand with a fusion of wheat and spice low notes with significant hop highs. Sweet orange peel and coriander round out the flavor profile for a refreshing ride."

Like I said, delicious. I'm a big fan.

We sipped, we laughed, we daydreamed about the up-coming touring season and then something (probably the weather) spurred us onto a long, excited conversation about cyclocross season and hopeful additions to our fleet of whips.

The ride was, without a doubt, a successful Bike Hour. It reminded me of the joy in simply cycling.


All photos were taken by Rachel Stevens with her trusty iPhone and the patience of aforementioned bearded manfriend, Evan Smith.

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ART + ADVENTURES = AWESOMENESS is written by Rachel Stevens, a graphic designer at Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/03/simply-cycling-and-biking-brews.html

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