Wow... Up at O'Dark Thirty, quick breakfast, some coffee, and arguing with the wife that she should go back to bed, and not drive me to the start. I lost... Thank you for the ride, Honey.
As Paul says above, the Warrior Society puts on a well organized event, and the Warriors are a riot all day long. Encouraging, ball breaking when needed, and really into it from start to finish.
As mentioned earlier in the thread, my plan for the weekend went to hell. The lighter Highball decided to die a couple days ago. I killed it. So, the weapon of choice today was the Chameleon. Heavier frame, heavier wheels, bigger tires. I honestly don't know what she weighs now- maybe 26? 27? She's fun to ride, but she would not be my first choice for an 11,000 foot day. I went with pretty light 32x22 gearing and the oval ring. It helped...
The air was pretty cool when we rolled out, and I thought the wind breaker would be perfect for the climb up to Beeks, and maybe all the way to Motorway. That lasted about two miles, and we ran into a really warm wind just before the start of the climb. My first stop of the day was at the second switchback on Black Star to lose the jacket. I went the rest of the ride with short sleeves, never needing the arm warmers.
This was also about the time that I heard Mr.
@Runs with Scissors behind me. I passed him and never realized it. Thankfully, one of us was paying attention and said "Hello".
My plan was to not push too hard on the initial climb. That also went out the window, but I caught myself on the second half past Hidden Ranch and backed off a little. Made it to the gate in 58:xx, while my target was an hour to an hour:02. Trudged up to the ball, and headed out across Main Divide, walking the usual stuff on the single speed, but having a lot of fun on the downhills. Dry, dusty, chunky in spots...
Motorway was a riot... The plan was to take it easy. That went out the window and I let the dog run through the scree for a new PR. I knew it was a good run, but didn't expect a PR as I had to slow down to pass 6 different riders on the way. Motorway is narrow, so passing is tricky and takes time...
My wife,
@mtnbikej and
@horsebikerider were a well oiled pit crew! Fresh water from Horsebikerider, fresh bottles from Jason, and my wife ended up with all of the junk that I didn't need to carry anymore.
The pit stop only lasted a couple minutes, and then it was off to the pavement. No PRs here. It sucked. I kept the pedals turning and thought about having some cold water at Four Corners. Passed a few guys on the pavement and on the dirt, but we were all suffering.
@tortoise was at the top of Harding, cheering us on as went went by. I'm kinda curious about the animal he saw...
I took some ribbing from one of the Moto guys at Four Corners for my bright pink bottle...
And then it was off to the chunk under Modjeska. I've cleaned it the last few times. Not today... But at least I stayed upright.
@singlespeedrider .
Rolled about 1/3 of it, and then engaged the shoelace drive.
Walked a little of the rock garden under Santiago peak, but still felt pretty good for the descent to Holy Jim.
Main Divide below the peak is the chunkiest part of the ride. But it's not the kind of chunk that's a lot of fun. It's deep, jagged scree that is never the same. And there are a couple potholes that would easily swallow a Prius. And in-between the scree are several sections of sharp jagged embedded rock. My only goal was to keep moving and not slice a tire... I was way ahead of the cutoff times, so I didn't push...
Holy Jim is flowy... No issues with the hikers or riders headed up. Everyone was polite and the trail is a riot. It's also a great recovery run... Time to give the legs a rest before the climb to Horsethief. Again- didn't push.
Rolled to the bottom of Holy Jim and ran into Calvin, who filled my bottles, and even asked which position each one belongs in!
I did not set any PRs headed up lower Trabuco and I walked more than usual, but that's expected. I kept moving and made it to the West Horsethief cutoff. I rolled in right behind a young lady. We were told that we were #31 and #32 on the day. I moved up a few spots on the HAB, passing a few riders on the way. It was brutal. With fresh legs, I've done it in 41 minutes. All HAB. Too steep and loose for anyone to ride. Today, on tired legs, it took 53 minutes.
And one of the highlights of the day. As I emerged from the WHT trail onto Main Divide, a very polite lady with a German accent took my bike and held it upright while the guys filled my bottles. Yeah... I had to spend a few minutes talking German. At that point in the day, it was easier than English. The same thing happens after a few beers. Three beers? I'll go all night...
2.5 miles across Main Divide, with a couple chunky downhills, and a couple lousy climbs... OK, I admit it. I walked the last 100 yards up to Trabuco. The volunteers at the top tried to get me to stop. Probably because I looked like hell. But... I rolled right onto Trabuco. My motivation was the two other single speeds that I knew were behind me. I wanted to get a head start on the DH- just in case.
Trabuco was a riot. Extra extra chunky near the bottom.
Passed one rider who split a tire, but other than that, I had it all to myself back to the parking lot, and out to Parkers Ranch. Made it through the finish line, collected my feather, and enjoyed some el Pollo Loco with
@singlespeedrider and his non-riding friend.
56 miles & 11,000 feet. 8 hours and 15 minutes. Not DFL! Woo-Hoo. It's a win!
Edit: I'm still having visions and hallucinations.
@Mikie - Any chance you could move this post into the Ride Report thread that Scissors started?