Hot Mountain Miles

Quick update just 'cause I feel like a big blog slacker. Got up the mountain today for some miles. Was going to do a forest road gravel loop, but then taste some single track, and opted for some double track before I hit said gravel roads. So instead of 3ish hour ride, I got a 4+ hour/40+ mile ride and it was dog ball hot. I sort of felt like a limped back to car. The ride was great, had some solo fun, but my head at times was not on right. Strange.

I did get some photos and video, but right now I'm all caught up in some 60 Minute IPA and Mexican chow in the oven. So, to be continued....

Later.

So anyway...

I was going to do the forest road loop to get some climbing in and avoid what may have been some soaked trails from the previous night's thunderstorms in the area. As I started out down Firetower I noticed that it didn't seem like the mountains got the same downpours we got the night before. So I set out down some single track. Seeing that it was in perfect shape and the ferns where now out in force I couldn't resist staying on the Endor like trails for a bit more and then some double track.

Eventually I made my way on to Beltz Rd. (which really isn't a road, but a wide double track) and as I made my way down encounted a mud puddle that was more a mud pit that I swore to God was going to suck my whole bike in. Once second I'm pedalling on dry dirt the next I was in almost to my top tube in mud. OK, maybe not THAT much but it was over the hubs for sure. I still don't know how I didn't come to a complete stop.

Once Beltz was done, but was climbing on forest roads of various lengths and gradients of suck for the next 35 miles or so.

I changed things up a bit from some of my normal loops up there and increased some mileage just by weaving up and down some roads and track that weren't even that far from each other as I made my way over to Seven Springs.

Once at Seven Springs I went down, down, down, down, to some road and then of course had to make my way BACK up and around the mountain to the back side of the resort via forest roads. I thought MAYBE when I got to the top I would hit more single track, but at this point it was hot as ballz and my ass was sizzling like a hairy, glowing white, fatty piece of bacon in the sun. Yikes!
Since I had at least another 5 to 10 miles (depending on which way I went), I headed for the xB over on Rt. 31.

If I would have bombed down the back side to the resort and taken Jones Mill back to Rt. 31 I probably would have finished with 50 miles on the day. But I was happy enough take some pavement through the Springs and return on Firetower.

As I pulled my ass up one of the last little gravel climbs passing a cabin where some folks were mowing the lawn, etc., A big dog (some Retriever type thing) comes bolting down the road in full on spring at me. I just froze and gave it my deepest "man yell" to spook it. That sort of, almost worked. While it didn't run away, it didn't bite me either! AND it got the attention of the surprising apologetic owners (a first for me?) which came and got him away from me.

I was relieved to be at the top of that last climb and able to pretty much coast down to 31. It was a long, hot day in the saddle that ended with about 42 miles. I didn't feel all that great, and the thought of having to go 20 more miles next week at the Mohican 100K left me feeling a bit let down. I guess I do have to look at the fact that I started at 10:30 a.m. NOT 7 a.m. when it would be cooler, I didn't exactly start a "taper" this week riding almost daily in the 85 degree sun, nor did I really hydrate properly on Friday. Not sure if several Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPAs qualifies for re-hydrating from a hot week in the saddle. Oh well, sucking hard on the teet of race misery is something I am quite good at, so I don't rest, hydrate and taper proper this week I will be right at home.

Later.