First rite of spring is to go for a ride when the sunshine
beckons. How could I not? I spent the whole weekend
cleaning, sorting, organizing and reconfiguring my workroom.
So when it came to working in my spiffy work room this
morning, not a chance. I had to get the ride out of my
system in order to progress on anything else today.
view from the trailhead. Not even a shell needed.
www.cet.com/~pennys/images/springrides/springday.jpg
The first flush of wildflowers, butter cups and these:
www.cet.com/~pennys/images/springrides/flower.jpg
I didn't do my usual riverside loop. I wanted to try a
different hill and do somethings in reverse. This was a solo
ride as my planned pal had to bail due to some stuff. I
started in mosey mode - the first few miles are really just
old old double track and you can fly through the forest.
There is a lot of single track that does look like this,
from last year. Mules ears aren't out yet.
www.cet.com/~pennys/images/springrides/IMG_0113.jpg.
Tho lots of the riding here is really easy, there are a few
spots wehre you can see if you remembered how to ride over
the winter. The first moment of truth... half mile hill.
This is the grade that will tell me if I kept somewhat in
shape over the winter. I know of course, that it's no
problem. I play with Paladins' idea to imagine a winch
pulling you up the hill. Then I mentally play "kashmir" in
my head, and I finish the grade with gears to spare, woo-
hoo! Onward through the forest, now I'm getting in the
groove and enjoying my solo-ness. I always find some sort of
groove after about 7 miles or so. The next point of
contention is a gully I've always called nemesis gully
because I took a flying endo in it when I first got the
kona. There's a route around it of course, but I brave it
and head right into it, making sure I'm geared right to
power climb out of it... ok, so I brake a little dropping
in, but not at the bottom and not enough to slow me down, I
power out, and across the road to the next section of
singletrack.
The "devil's up" is a steep climb, that's basalt pavement, I
don't quite make that one but that's a one-in-five for most
people. Then last but not least, the devils down. I remember
I just freaked at this section and wouldn't ride it all for
a few seasons, then I'd make half hearted attempts where I'd
chicken out a quarter of the way down, and now ( for the
most part) I just pick a line and go. I make it most of the
time... today I washed out on the loose gravel at the very
bottom. The sanitizers moved a bunch of loose big rocks out
of it last year.
Gab, how about this when you come up??!!
I took these just for grins, the upper and lower
sections. www.cet.com/~pennys/images/springrides/devilsd-
ropupper.jpg www.cet.com/~pennys/images/springrides/devi-
lsdroplower.jpg These pics don't show it right, but
there's very little over lap.
then, I also got hit by a roadie I know flying down the pave
ment on the
1/2 mile of bike path that you ride on back to the parking
lot ( sorry, tim, I wasn't paying attention
penny