DMG
Noted
A Pair of Fun Rides
Last week I tried to squeeze in a spin around the classic Rosewood / Space Mountain loop, and failed. By the time I finished, riders were coming up with lights on. I don't think I'll be back there again on a weekday until after DST kicks in. I did not manage to clean the switchbacks above the access road, but I did reach the picnic bench in right around 37 min, putting a sub-hour loop within reach. Just have to climb strong, and clean the switchbacks, and I'll be golden.
And today I got to play a bit around the Long Canyon trailhead. I did the usual loop, then turned around and did the gnarly climb back up the Long Canyon Trail, straight up the trail from the parking lot. I managed it with just one stop-- I lost traction at the last possible second before clearing the last major rough patch. Next time for sure.
So if that's not a recipe for mountain biking happiness, I don't know what is. Every ride, I do something that I couldn't before, or I do something better than I did before.
continued"The Wall" at Cheeseboro
Well, I guess I'm out of excuses. Next time I head out there, I'm gonna take some time and finally climb that thing.
Rosewood & Space Mountain
Managed to squeeze in a trail ride after work yesterday. I felt fast the whole time, but in the end I finished in about 1:17, nowhere near my PR just under an hour. Honestly, I don't know where I'm going to find 20 minutes' worth of faster. I've done this loop a couple times on the new bike, and each time, I have more respect for how fast I was on that day.
But for the first time, I cleaned the switchbacks above the access road, which I feel great about.
And the more I think about it, the more time I think I spent working on the switchbacks. It took me at least 4 or 5 tries, with each attempt taking a minute or two. And the last time I did this loop, I didn't stop, and finished in just 65 minutes. So getting back under 60 minutes feels within reach...