I rode Sourdough Trail with some friends today. Last year, they were
so much faster than me on both ups and downs that I kind of gave up on
riding with them, but this year I thought I'd give it another go.
Sourdough goes up for a little over four miles. After that, I'm told it
goes down to Brainard Lake, but all of us were feeling pretty beat, so
instead we just turned around and headed back the way we came. The
trail starts at about 9000ft and ends around 10Kft; the altitude
probably had something to do with our exhaustion. It certainly felt
like more than a thousand feet of gain.
Sourdough is all about the rocks. Big rocks, little rocks, loose
rocks, embedded rocks. Also roots and switchbacks. Last year, I
remember an awful lot of this trail scaring the bejeezus out of me.
A lot has changed since last year.
I'm more fit and my friends are less so, so we were able to ride more
as a group. That made the whole ride less lonely.
Last year, I remember walking multiple downhill sections rather than
attempting them. This year, I only walked one short DH section where
rocks formed a narrow channel that kind of freaked me. In retrospect,
I probably could have just ridden atop the rocks ... maybe next time.
Last year, a lot of uphill obstacles stopped me cold. Okay, that hasn't
changed. But overall it was less frustrating than last year, and never
was I frightened the way I was last year.
Last year, I was *so* slow on the downhill sections. *So* slow. This
year, I rode the downhills fast enough that I ended up taking the
lead. Our hardtail rider said he just didn't feel comfortable riding
as fast down the rocky trail as our full-susp rigs would go. Last
year, he was way ahead of me.
And this year, I discovered how much better my balance has become.
Riding downhill, I saw a guy who'd clearly just fallen while coming up
a switchback. I stopped just above to ask if he needed help, but I
forgot to unclip. So there I am, braked downhill on a rocky trail,
trying desperately to keep my balance while I try to gently, ever so
gently, unclip my foot. I actually stayed up for several seconds,
long enough for me to delicately extricate my foot without tipping the
bike in the process. Amazing!
One funny moment -- we were taking a snack break and enjoying the
view. I gestured at the blue sky. "How is it," I wondered, "that it
looked so cloudy and stormy when we started, and it's so beautiful
now?" One friend said, "Well, weather here can change awfully
quickly," and instantly, as if on cue, a huge thunderclap sounded. It
was the only thunder we heard while on the trail today.
--
monique
"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain