After making more flip-flops than an Indonesian child-labor sweatshop, the Environmentalist-in-Chief finally decided to spend his Earth Day Eve and morning at Dick Cheney's favorite disclosed location, Meadowood Resort in St. Helena. Although nobody's exactly sure why W made the last-minute call to go Napa, mountain biking might have had something to do with it.

The perpetually well rested Bush spent Friday night in one of Meadowood's $4,000 a night suites, then motorcaded over to Las Posadas State Forest in Angwin Saturday morning for a 65-minute mountain bike ride of unreported distance.

The ride, which Bush made with his SS entourage, the vaunted Travis Air Force Base cycling team, and AP writer Scott Lindlaw, was part of a carefully scripted Earth Day itinerary meant to highlight Bush's concern for the environment and sustainable fuels. Unfortunately for the Earth and everyone who lives on it, Bush is more Soylent Green than Greenpeace.

"We're able to enjoy the beauty without really disrupting the pristine nature of the place," Bush said of his muddy spin through the forest, although Lindlaw's article pointed out that "a long convoy of SUVs and off-road vehicles rumbled behind the group, carrying medics and security agents with machine guns." Oh Healthy Forests and Clear Skies forever.

But beyond his environmental orientation, Bush is a legitimate mountain biker who rides on a regular basis -- although some have questioned his cycling abilities at their peril. On Sunday in the Napa Valley Dirt Classic, SFist was out chewing some of the same ground as Bush rode Saturday, so we can confirm that he does indeed have some riding chops. The trails were muddy and the terrain is rugged. It's not for the faint of heart (and leg) like weak-ass Representative Dan Lungren, R-Calif, who "began the ride with the president, but quickly sensed he was not up for the rugged terrain and fast pace. He peeled off and pedaled solo."

Lindlaw did lay it on a little thick about Bush's metaphysical cycling ethos and manly prowess. Riding a blue-and-white Trek Fuel customized with the presidential seal, Bush stuck exclusively to fire roads, staying off the much more technically challenging singletrack rippers, pretty much doing the bare minimum as far as serious mountain biking in Angwin goes. Apparently the POTUS did achieve a maximum heart rate of 176 beats per minute though, nearly six times his approval rating.

Politics aside, Bush's reaction to summiting the final climb of his ride was universal. "I could hear him when he was cresting the hill, saying 'Woo hoo!'" local resident Pat Patterson told Carlos Villatoro of the Napa Valley Register, adding "It's quite a climb. I'm sure he got his morning exercise."

Yeah, but where was he on Sunday morning for the Dirt Classic?