Yeah for dirt!
This morning I connected with Tony B and we got an early start at Tiger Mountain. Based on my last experience here you don't want to arrive too late or you are out of luck regarding parking. We arrived pretty much at the same time, aired up the tires and headed out.
On the agenda today were two laps. It was pretty wet so you guessed it, we both fell but at least only once each.
To add some variety Tony suggested that we head out on the Timber Trail and then climb to the summit from the north on the Crossover Road for the start of our first lap so since I Love the Timber Trail I was totally on board.
Did I mention it was wet? Maybe it's because my skills suck or that I have a fully rigid bike or that these trails have tons of roots at odd angles but I was moving sideways like crazy and just five miles in all that caught up with me and I went down. Luckily it was a soft fall and other than a scrape on my shin dirty clothing was the only result.
Once up on the Preston Railroad Trail there was a lot of standing water. As we descended some sections were like riding through a small creek. I was really happy I had the forethought to bring along a front and rear fender! At least it was not cold. In fact, the temperature was quiet nice.
Tony is the better descender for sure but he was having some issues with his rear wheel (it was out of true) and his rear brake (it was rubbing) so I was climbing faster. Luckily this was a social ride and NOT a race so we stopped once to enjoy the view, twice to eat and once to try and fix his bike. No worries.
The climb to the summit is f'ing step! I had to keep my arms straight and just use them as hooks as they were not strong enough to muscle my bike up the hill.
During the first lap I was gripping my bars way too tight and my hands got sorta sore. During the second lap I finally relaxed and it was much better. During the first lap Tony also had his get-off. We were approaching a drop-off and I was in front. Knowing I was going to launch into outer space if I attempted this I dismounted and moved aside. Tony slowed down too much and tried to finesse it; in the process he slid out and went sailing down the mountain instead of into the hill. Ouch. Thank goodness he was alright and his bike was no worse for wear.
The second lap was much more enjoyable. I was loosening up, my bike handling had improved some and the sun was starting to come out. As we rolled into the parking lot most everyone else was just getting started or had started riding a very short time ago - that always feels good.
Tony is fun to ride with.
| Sleep | 6 |
| Waking HR | |
| Body Weight | |
| Body Fat | |
| Breakfast | 5:15 AM - cereal |
| Lunch | |
| Dinner | |
| Workout Food | water, 3 mini/sample size Clif Bars |
| Injuries | |
| Therapy | |
| Time of Day | 7:00 AM |
| Workout Type | run ride, big gear intervals |
| Weather | upper 50s, calm, dry sky, wet ground, cloudy at start, sunny at finish |
| Course | classic Tiger loop |
| Distance | 25 miles |
| Time | 3:29 |
| Power | |
| Results | |
| Equipment | Mountain Bike |
| Clothing | bib shorts, Craft short sleeve undershirt, short sleeve jersey, arm warmers |
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