M
Mattb
Guest
Since the daylight savings change is coming and the light is already going pretty quickly, I decided
to take advantage or one more evening ride last night. With the help of the lovely Mrs. B I was able
to get out right after work. I hopped on the SS and spun up to the hills just NE of town. This is
the closest dirt riding to my house, maybe 3/4 of a Mile away. It's about a 8-900 Ft climb that
rolls up along a ridgeline on doubletrack. I made the climb on my SS without stopping for the second
time (out of a total of three attempts so far) and this was by far the easiest it's been. I felt
strong and even powered through a bad line choice where I got into some baby heads, which can make
an already strenuous SS climb even harder. I took my first pause at the top of one last push before
the descent begins. I was feeling good and the light was nice. I decided to take a "portrait" of my
fun new toy. http://mattb.net/images/misc/surly_med.jpg The pointy little peak to the left is Signal
Peak, and the trees to the right of that is Signal Mesa. Lots of fun exploration to be done in these
parts, and it's a pretty convenient location. After a quick break, I started down the doubletrack
for another 1/4 Mile until I could turn down the twisty singletrack of Chicken Gulch. This bike
likes the tight, twisty turns through the sage-filled valley. It seemed to be really hooking up on
the banked corners, almost finding it's own way through like a horse taking a familiar trail back to
the barn. The air was getting chilly as the sun dropped below the horizon and I was glad I put the
shell on. I kept hitting very cold and then pretty warm (enough to make me start to sweat again)
pockets of air as I lost the altitude that took me 40 Minutes to gain in under 10 Minutes. Another
10 Minutes of spinning the road and I'm back home again as the day's last light is fading away. It's
a ride I do frequently, but I still really enjoy it. Too bad the evening opportunities are going
away for the season. I'm going to have to start taking break in the middle of the day to keep up
with my regular rides.
--
Matt
"Gravity. It's not just a good idea, it's the law!"
to take advantage or one more evening ride last night. With the help of the lovely Mrs. B I was able
to get out right after work. I hopped on the SS and spun up to the hills just NE of town. This is
the closest dirt riding to my house, maybe 3/4 of a Mile away. It's about a 8-900 Ft climb that
rolls up along a ridgeline on doubletrack. I made the climb on my SS without stopping for the second
time (out of a total of three attempts so far) and this was by far the easiest it's been. I felt
strong and even powered through a bad line choice where I got into some baby heads, which can make
an already strenuous SS climb even harder. I took my first pause at the top of one last push before
the descent begins. I was feeling good and the light was nice. I decided to take a "portrait" of my
fun new toy. http://mattb.net/images/misc/surly_med.jpg The pointy little peak to the left is Signal
Peak, and the trees to the right of that is Signal Mesa. Lots of fun exploration to be done in these
parts, and it's a pretty convenient location. After a quick break, I started down the doubletrack
for another 1/4 Mile until I could turn down the twisty singletrack of Chicken Gulch. This bike
likes the tight, twisty turns through the sage-filled valley. It seemed to be really hooking up on
the banked corners, almost finding it's own way through like a horse taking a familiar trail back to
the barn. The air was getting chilly as the sun dropped below the horizon and I was glad I put the
shell on. I kept hitting very cold and then pretty warm (enough to make me start to sweat again)
pockets of air as I lost the altitude that took me 40 Minutes to gain in under 10 Minutes. Another
10 Minutes of spinning the road and I'm back home again as the day's last light is fading away. It's
a ride I do frequently, but I still really enjoy it. Too bad the evening opportunities are going
away for the season. I'm going to have to start taking break in the middle of the day to keep up
with my regular rides.
--
Matt
"Gravity. It's not just a good idea, it's the law!"