I’m so happy to have spawned a number of regular rides with my friends at WTB. I’ve even set up an Email list that’s dedicated to announcing and inviting people to go for lunchtime rides. I’d say that we’ve been doing one to three lunchtime rides per week since January, and it’s been really great for me to have the company instead of putting in the miles on my bike alone. The winter was a pretty solitary time for me, and
without riding with these guys I would have literally gone bonkers.
The weather was outstanding today, and I was fortunately joined by two friends on today’s lunchtime ride. We headed out a little bit after noon today and we made a beeline for the mountain that looked amazingly inviting.
We rode up Railroad Grade, and as I warmed up, and after riding a 40 lb beast of a bike yesterday, I felt pretty darn frisky on my Santa Cruz SuperHeavy. After yesterday’s ride on the Nuvinci-based bike, my SuperHeavy felt like a feather blowing in the wind. I began pedaling faster and faster, and all of a sudden I no longer heard my buddy’s voices, and I looked down at my GPS unit and I was pushing 9-10 mph up the grade. That's a record breaking pace for me. My fastest time to the West Point Inn since June is 49 minutes, and today I think that I could have broken that record, BUT we didn’t go to the inn today. ;-)
When I reached the intersection at Double Bow Knot, I stopped for a break, and to take photos, and then to wait for my friends to pedal up the hill. I really felt badly about taking off on them, but I was just feeling really good in the saddle today, so I simply kept pushing on the pedals.
After a few minutes of discussion, and a couple of suggestions from my buddy “F” whom I like to call the Trail Master, we headed off to the trails that he suggested. He knows the mountain better than anyone else that that I know, and certainly better than me, and you all know just how much time that I spend up on Mount Tamalpais. I wonder if I'll ever know the whole montain's trail system. It sure doesn't look that big, but it's bigger than you'd ever imagine.
After a brief bit of additional climbing, we began our return to Mill Valley. The descent included things like multiple stairs, which I’m always a awkward to ride, 10-inch wide plank-crossings over creeks with ten foot drop offs, tight and technical single track, and then extremely beautiful terrain. It’s a fun ride. My only complaint was the dog poop that I rode through at the end. It hit my front tire and then sprayed me from my head to toe. Dog owners, please pick up your dog's poop, and don’t leave it on the trails. ;-) I reeked on the way home, and it was nasty. I peeled off my gear, and then tossed it in the washer before tossing myself into the shower. Uugh!
The end of my day was the best part. I helped my young protégé “El” put his brand new bike together from scratch. We did a frame-up build with some of the very best components made. You see, he’s racing, and that requires light
and durable components. We’re talking about fractions of a second that make the difference in racing, and your gear is quintessential in one’s effort to win. He’s now going to be riding a bike that’s just about pro-level (The pros ride stuff that we don’t get to ride until the following season, if ever at all.).
The smile on this appreciative. and talented. young man’s face speaks volumes for the joy that can be found through wholesome sports like cycling.
S
aturday it is “El.” We’ll get the new Mean Green Racing Machine dialed in then.
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