Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Ride That Wasn't.

Did a scouting ride today with Kurt and Jim  to see whether this "interesting" road that Jim discovered a few weeks ago would be a good training ride candidate. Fresh meat! Let's go! 

Nearly every ride I've done in the off-season has been on roads I've ridden before. I knew what to expect, what to dread, how much energy to put forth and how much to keep in reserve. Today's ride had the element of surprise - a road only seen on a map and by an elevation profile. It looked okay... And Jim drove it... 

Sure the road was pretty. The creek tumbled and burbled next to us as we climbed and climbed. Loosely dotted with homes ranging from ostentatious mini-mansions to what-are-they-cooking-in-there shacks, the narrow road winded its way up and up. Yellow-billed Magpies laughed at us as we struggled by. Even as I watched 14, 15, 17 and, yes, 26% grades flash by on my Garmin, I still had the lung capacity to bellow at Fearless Leader just how much I loathed him at that particular moment. Besides the truck with boat trailer passing me closely on a particularly steep and narrow stretch where I could have used the wiggle room to stay upright (I didn't - haven't rolled a bike in awhile!), and Jim's bike issues which cut the day short, it was a perfectly pleasant cold, gray day on a freaking steep hill, punctuated with a Lagunitas IPA and a fine burger at The Good Heifer

Mix Canyon: 3, Intrepid Riders: 0

As always, a bad day on the bike beats any day not on the bike.