Rode last Thursday afternoon, so as I write this it has been almost a week since my last ride... and I feel it! Riding relieves stress and gives me more optimism and energy; hopefully I can get out tomorrow afternoon.
Anyways, the scenery while riding Laurel>Pilot last week was some of the most beautiful I've ever seen in the mountains. At those higher elevations everything feels like its a month behind the valleys and flat land. All of the foliage still had that "bright green look" and lots of little flowers were blooming. And the weather was perfect!!! I still have only ridden Laurel>Pilot less than half a dozen times, which is a real shame. The first time I rode it was about a year ago with Keith. I think it took us about 3.5 hours to get from N.M.R. campground to the connector trail that leads to Pilot Rock. I was struggling and was like what the hell with the hike-a-bike?
When I rode it last Thursday I started at Yellow Gap and did the whole loop back to the car in 1:50! This included a couple of wrecks on the switchbacks, cleaning the rock garden, and about a 10 minute stop to fix a loose cleat on my shoe. I'm sure there are plenty of guys that can do it faster but I was pretty proud by how much time I've dropped in a year. Just for kicks and giggles I'm going to aim for doing the loop in 1:30 in the near future.
Also, I have a Canfield Nimble 9 frame awaiting assembly! It should be super fun with its super short chain stays (16.25") and slack head angle. Hopefully it will eliminate that awkwardness and monster truck handling that I sometimes feel with my current 29er. I'll put up some pictures when its ready to ride.
Super nice guys, check them out:
Canfield Brothers
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