Steve swaggers into the office at 330pm yesterday with my new gloves. You gotta love a bike shop
that makes house calls. So we both get these gigantic Calvin-n-Hobbes grins, and bail on work to go
ride. He says bring the gears, we're goin high.
He's our state downhill champ and expert xc racer. I don't hold that against him. He'll outgrow all
that hype some day.
So we meet down at the park, and as usual, his rig is getting lots of attention: f1.pg.photo-f1.pg.photo-Open ↗
s.yahoo.com/ph/cbro77/vwp?.dir=/MTB+Related&.dnm=A-Team+after+riding+Brundage.jpg&.view=t
What you can't see from the photo is all the company stickers all over his metallic blue van. But
I digress. So a bunch of fans gather around, and this ride with him takes on a life of its own
until we have 7 in the gaggle. And a good group, all sport and expert racers. I'll probably be
the slow guy.
We head out and its 80 degrees f, and clear as bell. Business as usual here in the high desert. I
find myself in the lead, and by the time we hit the climbs, I let two younger chaps stretch out
ahead. I make good time up the first hill, so stop to photograph the rest of the group coming up.
I'll post 'em if they're any good.
We make a pace line, all decked out in bright plumage, and I'm the only guy on a hardtail. Rest are
on high-end boingers. The ride discussion seems to center on how to train hard this winter to hit
our first race strong, blah, blah, yawn, yawn. But I get to visit with Steve the bikeshop buddy a
little, and hear that his son is making a name for himself in racing too.
We go up Sidewinder, one of those miserable climbs that DO NOT improve over time, but the
further you go, the steeper, looser and narrower it gets. But we all make it, even the one guy
slower than me.
Sunset's awesome, its cooling down, and we fly back the way we came, take the Red Sands turn-off,
and Steve wants to show these boys a little detour. I roll my eyes, because the route really is
suicidal. I'd ridden it a few years back before my big crash, and thought maybe I'd try it this
time, but "no thank you pleez, it only makes me sneez" and I slide down half this absurdly steep and
loose descent. Steve and his partner in crime are the only ones to roll it.
We hustle it back to the park and the guy in front of me I name the Bunny, as he's hopping
everything he can, and getting pretty good air.
Coupla brews with new friends, and it's home to mamma.
Paladin