Lonely weekend riding

Saturday I wanted to get in a 4 hour ride, and hit up the ol' Cascades-Wakefield loop. Just me, myself and some tunes for company. Weather was great, and I had a window of opportunity that didn't take away from any domestic duties. The roads around Cascades were suprinsingly busy....probably traffic to and from the golf course.

The back road behind Cascades...a bit of a washout, but nothing serious enough to shut down the road.

At the Wakefield bridge...can't decide if I like this pic or not.

On the way back from Wakefield, other cyclists were out in droves, along the road into Wakefield and on the parkway. I also ran into Pascal and his son Felix who were out for a little spin in the park. Felix was rockin' a new Nutcase "8 Ball" helmet, which we agreed was much cooler than an "8 ball jacket" (search for bad 90's fashion trends!). I got home after putting in 115km in a touch over 4 hours, and the legs were still feeling kinda fresh...a good sign!


Going back to the start of my ride, I was listening to DJ Champion's album Chill 'Em All. This is an album I  never get tired of listening to. It's sort of housey break-beaty, with a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks. There's a good flow to the album, with enough changes in mood to keep your attention. Whenever I listen to this album, I'm reminded of the couple of times I saw DJ Champion live. His live act goes by "Champion and his G-Strings" as it is comprised of himself (on beats), plus 4 guitarists, a bassist and vocalist. Quite simply, it is one of the best live shows I have ever seen...Champion himself is full of endless energy, jumping up and down behind his laptop and getting the crowd whipped up into a frenzy. The first time I saw was a few years back at Bluesfest, where his show was above and beyond Kanye West, who performed later that night. Check the video below, which captures the energy of the live show.