Thursday, July 30, 2009

Real training rides








I finally got out for a good ride at Elizabeth Furnace last Sunday. Saturday me and the wife rode the tandem only 30 miles on the uber-easy C&O Canal but still I got sore. I think she quits pedalling plus there is 100 lbs of twins in trailer to work with. Well, back to EF. Garmin is almost useless as it is in most real mtb rides. It says 3K ft but the trace is so nutty who knows. So I did my fave loop sans camelback up Bear Wallow, left on the pink trail, down the FR, white up to BW, and back to the car. 50 min/5 miles of fun. Walked a little more than I remember but it has been a year since I last rode there. I did clean the whole loop in the middle ring except the 1st 2 nasty climbs right out of the parking lot but the rocks were wet and sandy, hard to keep traction and a couple of techy spots, I have no skilz. So I loaded up and left right after a guy on a SS 29er. I saw him near the end of the day again. Did the same ride except I went uphill at the famed EF FR climb. Seems easier than when I started there in 2007. Made it to Little Passage Creek and did a photo op...actually brought a camera.




The creek is nice and cool. Should take a dip some day. Oh, I had to cross it like 10 times total on the appropriately named Mudhole Gap trail. On one crossing I found the lucky horse-shoe of a not so lucky horse.
So I keep on trucking and what did my eyes behold but some nature lovers buck naked at the reservoir and it looked like they were having a good time. Need a helmet cam now. Soon I was at the hard ass climb to Signal Knob. Gotta be steeper than 20% and rocky-loose. Ended up stopped twice due to rear tire slippage and bad lines chosen. I used to clean that climb. Need more practice. So I made it to the top. Got set for this photo op and scared up what I think is a black bear, never saw it but shure heard it! Check the SK view, sweet.

Right after the last pic I heard some kind of bear vocalization and got right alarmed and hauled ass. 20+% downhill was FAST as hell. Speed said like 30mph+ ...hard to see when you are about to eat it. Naked peep's dog almost bit my leg, haul even harder. Finally got back to the FR to get out and I noticed the skinny SS guy right behind me. No way, race on. I can't help it. I totally smoked em. Up and down hill. Stopped a couple times til he caught up enough to see me and hammered more. I love hurting people on the climbs, warms my heart.
Since then I have been a slacker. But I got a useful 21 miler in this evening averaging 19.7 mph around the hood. If there weren't so many turns I could really move.








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