Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/105496
out with. She is quick witted, brutally honest and brilliant at bitch slapping Mike in to place when needed. We leave when Brandi's wine glass is empty and she slumps onto Mike's shoulder. Take II The highway thrums as Mike, Paddy and I make our way toward Philadelphia and his now frequented training ground of "the Wiss." Today I am to join him, Paddy, and Lee on a mountain bike ride. Forty five minutes later the sky line of Philadelphia appears and his truck is a verbal battleground of rapid fire haymakers, battered egos and proverbial black eyes. We make our way through the back streets of Philadelphia and park alongside the world headquarters of Bicycle Therapy. The truck doors swing open and laughter spills out into the street. He is loose and laughing, relieved of the Romulus and Remus of an at times public life. We wait curbside for a few minutes until Lee pedals up, smiling wide, weaving through the pedestrian traffic. Lee glides to a stop while dismounting and unlocks the shop door in one fluid motion. Yeah, he's done that move before. We make ourselves comfortable while Mike pressure tests the plumbing and Lee goes through his ritualistic pre-ride preventive maintenance check. We load up the MTN bikes again and the King Ranch dwarfs the surrounding traffic as we rumble through the city streets. Finally we are pedaling up a series of long, quadriceps burning hills. I am a flatlander by geography and the hills of The Wiss set my quads on fire while Mike pushes dutifully up each hill. We rode together a month or so before and the improvement in his strength and stamina is evident. Lee eases ahead, just far enough out front where Mike pushes himself to keep Lee in sight. The down hills are another matter. We press on for 17 more miles, cresting thigh burning hills with rapid, rock studded descents. At the end of the ride we are back at the truck where the smiles and laughter drown out the passing traffic. And there it is: he's having fun again. Lots of fun, it permeates each facet of his program. There is no mention of a record breaking 9th National Enduro Championship, as if discussing it may eviscerate its possibility. If "the 9th" is on his mind, he's keeping it to himself. Maybe he is simply enjoying the time he has left? Nah, he wants it. It isn't until I press a tape recorder to him that he puts things into this own words. "It's the bike. The 2 stroke is the biggest part of it. I struggled with the 2 stroke in the past and have always gone back to the 4 stroke. This bike is different though. I ride it with a lot less effort which makes it more fun. The mountain biking has also been an important part of it, as is having consistent training partners that push me. I haven't bagged on a day of riding or mountain biking this year. I can't say that about previous years. I am not nearly as beat up as I've been in the past and it's the switch to the 2 stroke and the fact that I am having fun training that has made all the difference." But you have probably already gathered that from his actions. We stand outside his garage and I thank him for the hospitality as Berg launches himself at me in mid sentence, tongue first, one last time. I back out of the driveway and he turns, heading for the garage, happy to do it all over again. 19 years be damned. January 2013 43