Maiden voyage of the Niner...Got a *decent* night's sleep despite the crazy partying going on down the way
You guys sounded like you were having a blast!Woke up around 6:30-7 to find the camp shrouded in foggy dampness. Made breakfast with Nancy and Roger again and waited for the troops to stir. Got two pots and walked over to Jesse and Tim's tents and started banging them together... love you guys! (Theirs were the two voices we kept hearing at 12 am, 1 am, 2 am...
)We packed up camp so today had a much more leisurely pace about the morning. The route was scheduled for the Thomas Mountain fire road climb to the delectable Ramona Trail singletrack descent.
We got to the trailhead with a sizeable group then picked up Ladd_Jasper and crew on the way up. By the time we got to the top, we totalled 17 riders!
Anywho, I felt much, much better today. I didn't take any Claritin and made sure I was properly hydrated. I could tell immediately that it would be a better day than Saturday. I did shed some blood on the first climb (had an un-clipping issue and tipped over) but that was the only "carnage" for me.
It was also the Niner's virgin voyage!! It performed so, so well, and I was very pleased!
I climbed slowly at first, trying to warm up. By the time we hit our first major re-group, I was feeling strong and continued to climb the rest of the road in my middle ring. I just felt strong and managed to find a decent rhythm.
I took time to admire the view...what a very beautiful day with many gorgeous sights...fog spilling into the valley, bright green manzanita, valley views, the lake...
We got to our re-group site and had a little lunch, took some photos and shared some stories. Then, it was time for the descent! Yee haw! Not too long after we started, there was a log that a few of the guys sessioned (rolling up and then down the natural ramp). Henry had taken a digger at the beginning of the trail and some of the riders stayed back to make sure he was okay.
We continued on down, and I was taking it a little easy, not being sure of how the Niner would handle. Well, it did phenomenally! A lot of people had warned me against scandium feeling harsh, but honestly, it felt great. Ramona Trail is quite rough in spots with lots of loose rocks and various other trail hazards. I didn't make it through 2 or 3 switchbacks, but I did hit all the techy sections and rocks.
I had a blast descending most of the trail with Liz...it was a hoot!! Not too many pictures of the Ramona Trail because it was too fun to stop!
Today was a huge improvement over yesterday. My bike felt great, and most importantly, we got to ride a sweet trail with a bunch of our best riding buds...
Special thanks go out to Allison & Justin for setting the date aside and picking the rides...and Nancy & Roger or their all-around awesomeness.
To everyone who I met this weekend...it was a pleasure
To familiar faces and old friends, you make mountain biking a lot of fun!Hope to do it again some time very soon!
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