it’s rained on and off for the past 2 days. Its been under 60 degrees. its been wonderful. i have just started feeling like riding again, but so tired from cleaning and maintenance post-Fruita\Moab trip that i have not wanted to deal with mud. After the first night”s storm i figured it would be a perfect day to ride Hawes – all the dust and kitty litter would be washed away, and i was working from home on a day before a holiday where we usually get cut loose at 1pm.

The storms went on and off til 5pm, and a security audit forced me to pump out a release for the day after the holiday weekend. I didn’t move from my desk til almost 4:30. Then another storm hit. I just didn’t feel like dealing, so i sat on the trainer for an hour and a half.

I was planning to roadie on Saturday wtih singlespeedsycip (Mark), and was looking forward to him kicking my ass, but with the weather he decided to go later in the day if at all. So i stayed up late and drank a lot of beer, and slept late, and lazily rolled onto Hawes at 11. I figured conditions would be primo, and in part they were, and in part they weren’t. The temps were great all ride – end of May and I rode from 11-2 with barerly any worry about my 2 liters of water. The track was tacky in some spots, but you could see every skid and brakelock done by other riders. and there was a lot of sand already forming just an hour after the rain. Hawes has steadily increased in traffic since we moved here, i have no right to complain, but seeing how its developing deep ruts and pits makes me sad. It has gotten harder in some places, which is fun, and more rocks are being exposed and forming part of the trail’s surface, so i just have to accept the changes graciously, though it is not always easy

Today the conditions were going give me my best shot in awhile at climbing all trials on the Tower Trail. And since i really needed to get some mileage, it was going to become the Hawes Greatest Hits route that’s all killer no filler: Las Sendas -> Mudflaps -> Upper Mudflaps -> Tower counterclockwise -> down Saddleback -> out Twisted Sister to Big Rock-> back Twisted Sister up and down Mine -> Ridge Trail to the road -> down TRW. About 20 miles and 3500 feet of climbing in 2.5 hrs.

I struggled finding motivation initially, but cleared Mudflaps and got all but one spot on Upper Mudflaps where my front wheel sunk in a sandpit above a water bar and slid off the trail. I felt crappy but solid, and that made me feel good that i was having a good climb even when not feeling well. I nailed the staircase and perked up going down the slot trail by Alex’s house, and almost cleared the hard incline at the trailhead that i’ve never seen cleared. Then i just focused on spinning, spinning, finding the lines in the ruts and switchbacks, resting when the trail gave me chances, and spinning. And before i knew it I was at the top and cleared it all!

a long downhill made better by some new rock options that have been built up, a perk of the increased traffic, and in another 45 minutes i was at the end of Twisted Sister getting ready for the last push of the ride. i was flowing, the trail seemed easy and flat; it always feels like this coming back from a Moab trip. The climb to the Mine also rolled off me easily though i was tired, i was in a good zone with my bike. The last 30 minutes down Mine and through TRW were really just a blur of hammering and flowing. i barely remember it, which is unusual. the post-Moab lull is over.