I got this route from Yuri, and had to go back into his queue sheet for his PEE race a few yrs ago for proper directions.   I was lulled by an 8pm start, the darkness, and easy CX terrain on a 4 inch mtb.   My only company suicidal rabbits and homicidal cats, my moving speed so fast that I kept wondering if I was outpacing the directions, and had to leave a petzl strapped to my upper arm for reading the sheet and my 2 gps units.   Past memory of the route was useless, but current cartographical wisdom of Scottsdale was invaluable.   I still blew a turn or 2 when Yuri’s directions said “follow the path around some walls and shit“.   Ok, I made up the last part, but things look different at night.

I passed up the suggested turn off the Res path and pushed onward behind houses and strip malls, popping out next to the ACE Hardware where I bought some insulation at 90th & Via Linda, turning almost a mile of road into dirt.   A quick shot under the 101 and I was on my commute path and now-familiar territory.   Back-tracking on Via Linda, I spotted a grocery store and several bars – essential beer resupply points before the 11 miles home through dark corners.

My moving time was 2 hrs, 23 miles, with a surprising 1200 vf.   I was beat, but not beat up.   No bikes were injured in the making of this movie.   Next trick is to link in some of the Taliesen\Quartz\Paradise trails, and some of the washes and paths north of Bell along 98th St., and I could have myself a 4 hr NR workout ride.

sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song?

i’ve had this thing about 24th St. since even before i rode 24th St. It was this superduper hard trail, DHrs spoke of total flummoxation, and trail riders were afraid of the steeps. I have no pictures of 24th St., cause 80% of the time I’ve ridden it alone, and i and others have always been so focused on the ride we don’t come up for air.   a little over a mile and about 800 vf in ~12 minutes — it feels longer. It certainly looms longer for me.   it ends in this awesome place on the north side of the mountain, a quick spin back to the old office. I rode it like a drug the first year i had the Heckler, and since then its been my benchmark for how i’m riding. There isn’t a single move that’s all that, but quite a few that are almost all that, and they stack up 20 or 30 in a row and i crap my pants staring down on them.

I haven’t ridden National in a month, again. only 3 times this year. Hairball and antiMcDs-antiXC waking up the technical cravings, and my thing about 24th Street.   So up 24th->National->Tele->road->National->24th.  

I think dblbypasage is strengthening me, or maybe its swimming, or maybe heat-induced hallucinations. I did not feel strong-man-needing-powerful-deodorant strong , only able, more able than in awhile. Low gear didn’t stall so badly, further up the hill. On the climb out of BV i got a lift i i’ve maybe gotten once (the one below the one you think it is), and i slid through the Waterfall without much worry, afloat on the the choppy cadence of National, dimmed by rhythm and heat.

i told myself on the way up 24th the way down would be about discipline and technique and screw stoner bullshit about rhythm and flow.   I WAS TIRED!!!   and hot and spacey from thus far leaving it on the field. whatever shred of flow i had left was like finishing up last week’s dblby when a guy on a huffy pedaled past me on the roll out Levee trail (i was coasting, duh!!) (and i caught him on the next rise).   24th St. has pwned me too many times.   right brain off, left brain on!

i got the whole thing but for 2 dabs – one for a hiker which should not count.   the other was a tight switchback that could be on any xc trail.   I just worked it, hanging back over the seat, and massaging the brakes and the nose.   It was probably pretty smooth looking, it did not take very long, its linger on me is like a math class.

The right brain part went like this: mmmm….me fork eat up big drops chomp chomp chomp nom nom…burp! WOOT WOOT!