Part 1
By Monday night it was clear that I wasn't gonna lead our group on the state's most famous epic
loop, Fisher/Williams, north of Sun Valley. This ride has brought people from all over the country,
and been written up my more publications & people than I'll ever meet. I'd ridden it a few times in
the past, and so I painfully knew what I was missing. It was harder than AMB-ID 2003, a little
longer, and every bit as awesome.
Three of our group had already bailed for various reasons. Why not just skip school and go riding
all day? Work? Family? Responsibility? What's that compared to this adventure, anyway? So I tried
real hard to talk to the female riding buddy and the one guy who were still on for the trip, ending
up with voice mails telling them that I had to bail, would gladly orient them by phone, etc.
So as a consolation ride for not going on Tuesday, I went out that Monday night and beat myself up
hard solo, riding up the ski hill road to the Corral's turn-off, rode Corral's Trail and even
eventually caught up with a female pair of riders that had driven to Corral's when I had started out
from town riding. Like I said, I wanted to hurt to make up for not going tomorrow.
On the way down off the Corrals summit, I see this guy older than me coming *up* the hard way on a
fully rigid singlespeed. Too cool for words.
Then, with a hard-on going for self-abuse, I hit the top of Bob's Trail, our most technical, close
in trail. I hit it hard, and almost bought the farm a few times. The closest calls came from slowing
down to be cautious, rather than trusting my bike to bang through that circus.
Finally bounce my way down, wet, chilled, tired, bloody, but satisfied that I'd punished myself
enough for missing my all-time favorite ride tomorrow.
So the female riding partner calls me up late that night, and she just got my noon message that I
was bailing on tomorrow. The phone was smoking! Ouch! Long, stunned silence on the other end of the
phone when she realized that I *really was bailing*. The ultimate SUB (Sport Utility Beater) Paladin
was failing the whole team.
I encouraged her to go with the other guy, but no, if I don't go, she don't go. So I'm still sweaty,
tired, my legs ache, its late, everybody's in bed, and I promise to call her back before midnight,
to see if there's any possible way to a) sell the deal on the wife, b) rearrange work
responsibilities, c) rearrange picking up the kids from school, take the dog in, and d) pull this
off without getting royally doghoused.
Here's what I was giving up for the inevitable entanglements of normal life.
Paladin
mtbreview.comFisherCreek.htmlOpen ↗
mtnbikerider.comketchum idaho.htmOpen ↗
groundeffect.co.nzhotride28.htmOpen ↗
but stay tuned....