C
Craig Brossman
Guest
On Saturday morning Patrick and I had thought about a ride, but he couldn't go in the morning and I
couldn't get time in the afternoon. "Tomorrow, unless it is raining of snowing at exactly the time
we plan, we ARE riding". Sunday came, it had snowed a bit the evening before, but true to our plans
we went. We left from his house in town, about 3.5 miles to the trail head of Colorado Trail up
Junction Creek. The trail is damp, but not at all muddy, the creek is flowing well, no one else
around with a little snow dusted everywhere. Patrick usually kicks my butt, he is strong, in his
twenties, and a very good rider. I've been riding a lot lately, so I felt this would be a good test.
Once the climb starts, it is a few miles to Guddy's Rest. Not too technical a climb, but steep
enough to get a sweat up. Still cold, but warming fast, we comment that it feels like fall instead
of spring. I hang on Pat's wheel with little difficulty, maybe he is just warming up. We hang out at
the rest for a bit, what a beautiful morning. You can hear the creek some 1000 feet below, no other
bikers or hikers around, steam coming from our breath. We continue on. Over to Hoffin's (sp)
Connection and drop down into Lightner Creek. (Remember when they brought the herd in in City
Slickers, it was filmed in this area). I feel real good and take the lead, pretty fast down hill,
the trail is in great shape, the snow made it tacky in this area. At the bottom we start the climb
back up again on Dry Fork Trail. This is a lollypop-loop. The climb is nice, a little pocked up from
cattle, wetter and slick in spots (the Python on the rear is really pissing me off), but easy to
sustain, nothing too technical. Still hanging on Patrick's wheel. We arrive back at Guddy's Rest and
continue down into the Junction Creek drainage. Now we begin to see other trail users and have to
take it easy in spots. Lots of blind corners, switch backs and all. What a fun down hill (why is it
you only realize how much uphill you did when you go down it?). Back to the road and cruise back to
his house. He is coasting much faster than I but I still have lots of legs so I can hang ok. I get
to my truck and have already noticed my rear wheel is a bit wobbly, perhaps I kicked it out of true
somewhere. I lift the bike and can barely spin the wheel a 1/4 of a turn. How long have I been
riding like this? Oh well, I had not problems hanging on this ride (and Patrick told me he was
working pretty hard) and at least some of it was with a seized rear wheel. Maybe all this road
training is helping a bit. 23 miles, seized rear wheel, lots of energy left.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove .nospam. if replying)
couldn't get time in the afternoon. "Tomorrow, unless it is raining of snowing at exactly the time
we plan, we ARE riding". Sunday came, it had snowed a bit the evening before, but true to our plans
we went. We left from his house in town, about 3.5 miles to the trail head of Colorado Trail up
Junction Creek. The trail is damp, but not at all muddy, the creek is flowing well, no one else
around with a little snow dusted everywhere. Patrick usually kicks my butt, he is strong, in his
twenties, and a very good rider. I've been riding a lot lately, so I felt this would be a good test.
Once the climb starts, it is a few miles to Guddy's Rest. Not too technical a climb, but steep
enough to get a sweat up. Still cold, but warming fast, we comment that it feels like fall instead
of spring. I hang on Pat's wheel with little difficulty, maybe he is just warming up. We hang out at
the rest for a bit, what a beautiful morning. You can hear the creek some 1000 feet below, no other
bikers or hikers around, steam coming from our breath. We continue on. Over to Hoffin's (sp)
Connection and drop down into Lightner Creek. (Remember when they brought the herd in in City
Slickers, it was filmed in this area). I feel real good and take the lead, pretty fast down hill,
the trail is in great shape, the snow made it tacky in this area. At the bottom we start the climb
back up again on Dry Fork Trail. This is a lollypop-loop. The climb is nice, a little pocked up from
cattle, wetter and slick in spots (the Python on the rear is really pissing me off), but easy to
sustain, nothing too technical. Still hanging on Patrick's wheel. We arrive back at Guddy's Rest and
continue down into the Junction Creek drainage. Now we begin to see other trail users and have to
take it easy in spots. Lots of blind corners, switch backs and all. What a fun down hill (why is it
you only realize how much uphill you did when you go down it?). Back to the road and cruise back to
his house. He is coasting much faster than I but I still have lots of legs so I can hang ok. I get
to my truck and have already noticed my rear wheel is a bit wobbly, perhaps I kicked it out of true
somewhere. I lift the bike and can barely spin the wheel a 1/4 of a turn. How long have I been
riding like this? Oh well, I had not problems hanging on this ride (and Patrick told me he was
working pretty hard) and at least some of it was with a seized rear wheel. Maybe all this road
training is helping a bit. 23 miles, seized rear wheel, lots of energy left.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado (remove .nospam. if replying)
