dreadedmonkeygod . net

The bike upgrades are awesome. The wheels are great-- stiff, fast, light. Noticably easier pedaling just like I'd hoped for. And the brakes are nearly as nice an improvement: much smoother over rocky terrain, and the improved control was great for my confidence, which I have to admit was a little sketched by my fall on Chumash. Took some riskier lines today without hesitation, and had a great time.

(Map: "Rocky Peak - Johnson Loop")

And the egg beaters are great. Lighter, easier to clip in, and zero down side. Thumbs up all around. It's like I have a whole new bike.

The heat sucked, though. It's the first really warm day of the year at 90°. Nice breeze, but still. 90°. I took a full 2l Camelbak and drained it. Damn near turned around on the "Hell Hill" climb to the top near Rocky Peak.

But I decided that water and rest and a Clif bar would do me good, and perservered. The water and rest were great, but I ended up passing on the Cliff bar: my stomach wasn't happy with breakfast, and I was worried that adding "chocolate mint" anything would just compound the problem.

The ride down Johnston Fire Rd. was great. Excellent riding all the way to the pavement, and great stuff for getting my confidence back. The longer you stay in the zone, the easier it is to get back.

And I discovered a short, fun singletrack side trail just before the "hell hill". I can only take my late ignorance of it as evidence that I need to spend less time hammering and more time looking around. (That's kind of why I take the camera, right?)

Great ride, and I couldn't be happier with my bike.