Crossover to Mountain Biking

Still
love mountaineering; matter of fact, i'll always be a mountaineer at
heart...But times change and people change with it...Some of the
trekking companions seemed to have moved on to other things apart from
the outdoors. Some have heeded to the economic calls of life...

But
i stll love the outdoors, the highlands, the mountains --nature--which
is why i have returned to  the 'riding life' i had when i was
younger...Used to do it on a road bike though...But now, for me to be
able to climb  the mountains still, have to  use a climbing machine of
choice -- for me the best invention of human kind, the offroad
bicycle...

i
can take her anywhere my legs allow me; she doesn't complain one bit
and has always carried me safely through each time...from the foothills
of nopol, balakayo and upper labay to the fire trails of alabel,
malapatan and paopao to the heart-blaster climbs up kinilis and
lemblisong...and who would forget the six-hour epic ride to davao?

i'm
a speedblaster on the downhills (u can ask leo or charlie, hehehe) but
my bike (even my previous merida matts sub60d), my spanking new pearly
white merida tfs 900d pro-series racebike soaks it all in...

i've
raced quite a few crosscountry races and the competitive juices and
thrill is simply unmatched...this is no longer just a hobby...it's a
life and time commitment...