Forced vacation days, an unemployed friend, stoke from last month’s trip and some pics on mtbr begat a roadtrip.     Maad and I both like to take dirty photos (if they’ve got me in them, they are James’ pics), which perfectly filled the gaps between his climbing faster than me by about the same amount i descended or hit techy stuff faster than him.   3 days in the San Juans was totally bromantic.   After all, Maad invented the term “blog about my radness“.

Though it started on a down note: James feeling sick and me driving us all night to Cortez, jacked up on caffeine and candy, til we crashed in the dirt near the Phil’s World TH. ~5am, it rained. ~5:10, i crawled into the driver’s seat after discovering the tarp i was under was not waterproof.   Thus began 12 hrs of moping and shuffling and wondering how the fuck we got the one wet day in a month?!?!?! we visited several bike shops and placated our woe with some really good biscuits and gravy from Edna and Annettes (or some such place in Cortez).   Osprey does not have a storefront. Several rounds and bowls of peanuts   at the Steamworks in Durango and the weather cleared enough for suburban hooliganism on the Animas River Trail.

43 stairs on this one!

i found about 10 jumps and trials, and that could be doubled after another recon of the route. what a fun place to ride and barcrawl, or go 2-biking.

the wet weather was just chillin, and proceeded to thump us every 2 hrs til about 2am as we hid in our tent at the campground.

Thursday was another mopey morning, having to kill time til the sun dried things out. James got the great idea to head up to Molas Pass and check out the conditions for the big ride we hoped to do the next day: Colorado Trail to Engineer Mtn.

would all this porntastic snow turn the trail to slop?

or lead to moneyshots?

psyched that our big ride would be dry enough for the next morning, we drove back to Cortez to hit Phil’s World after some drainage and sun.   i had a kinda crappy ride – the foreplay unfolded all wrong, me sporting a woody for some alpine and mountains, not a high-desert mesa that felt way too much like home. and a day of junk food and altitude kicked my ass.   both of which were too bad, cause Phil’s World is pretty fun, with lots of whoopdees and ledges.

about 3 hrs and 20 miles of surprisingly hard work for the little vf gained. If you’re looking for swoopy flow and a sense of purpose, Phil’s is not it – i turned, braked, or lifted every 10 yards. but if you are in the mood to play, its a sweet ride in a great location. Next San Juan’s trip Phil’s and i will have great makeup sex.

dinner fixed everything. Hands down the best pizza place i’ve been to.

Friday we broke camp early to get into the mtns for a 9:30 start

a steady 10 mile climb and traverse across the mountain tops, then up and around Engineer Mountain, and down down down towards Cascade Creek. 20 miles, about 2500 climbing and 4k descending.

The trail was instantly beautiful, with bike-friendly flow as it rolled along at 11,000 feet

it undulated across the mountains’ ridges and flanks, most of the pitches tolerable, with some exposure and rock-falls and off-camber to keep you entertained and grounded as the altitude nipped at your quads...

…or beat you down

we took a break a bit over 2hrs moving time, when the CO Trail intersected Engineer Mtn Trail

the moisture and the altitude started to take its toll as we turned onto the Engineer Trail. this pitch was overgrown and slick, and each downstroke i slid into the dying weeds or the lip of the trail’s trough. it was easier to walk.

we then rolled through the only really steep pitch on the trail, the mud and drops and exposure a welcome rush; gnar junkies of the world unite!!

what goes down must come up, and we pushed a quarter mile up a significant pitch. The slickness and altitude made it hard; horse tracks made it awful. Some dumbass selfish stinking slow-moving idiots and their horses apparently climbed the trail the day before in the mud. They trashed 3 miles til reaching the bottom of the same drainage we hooted down, and decided to turn back. What they left was a bog full of divots and slop and horsepiss and horseshit. all that should have flowed downhill off the trail pooled in the postholes of horseshit deathmud. I HATE HORSES!

pitches that we should have climbed we pushed – in the trail, in the uneven grasses on the side, bike in the trail and walking on the side, walking in the mud and the bike on the side – there was no good way that didn’t lead to sliding sideways or an achy back. I HATE HORSES!

the pain was soothed by the views

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James has a phat degree in Geology, and asserts that this is one of about 3 melting talas mountains in the world. I say huzzah, i shredded that!

finally! the descent began the moment we crested this saddle

the trail quickly transitioned into perfect switchbacks through the forest. the consistency and trueness became apparent, inspiring trust, and we flowed one after another after another, anticipating the arc and the slope and the scattering of rocks and roots.

i shot through one of the few s-curves, and looked up to see the aspen changing through the whole mountain range

more perfect switchbacks had us opening up the speed as we descended into the aspen

the ride became a golden glow

We planned to audible at the bottom, and if feeling strong ride up Lime Creek Road for 11 miles\1500 vf then 550 for another few miles\1000vf to our car. But i came prepared with a 180 pt sign just in case.   After the mud, and all the fun from the descent, we took the easy way.

James asserts that this photo is kinda salacious and just a little brokeback biker.   Perhaps, i shook my moneymaker so well i got a ride from the very first car to pass, and was back in a cool 45 min.   it also looks like my pants are unzipped a little.   lots of things happen on an epic descent; i’m pretty sure i came 3 or 4 times.   The couple that gave me a ride asked where i was from, then said how much they loved our governor.   I took a deep breathe to ensure i did not get booted out of this car.

Driving back down from Molas Pass, i snapped a pic of this one which turns orange every year, and is in just the right place to cause constant near-accidents on the twisty road

Long westward drive home

my first day in the gym in 2+ weeks i discovered how weak my left side still was. Lifts I could single leg 100, 140, 200 lbs and was used to pressing 500 i could barely handle 80.   I fell on my face trying to do a lunge. 20lb quad curls made me remember everything i hate about hard lifting and having to improve, its been so long. This back ailment has been vetted – its officially an injury.   My expectations must also change, as I thankfully can not remember the last time i was really good and hurt.   Maybe 2004 when i broke my thumb. Thumb? A thumb is nothing, i did freeweights in a week. i give my grandmother a foot massage. have you ever sucked dicks for coke? That is what my back pain is. I can’t tell whether to see it as progress or regress when i can squat 80lbs 10 times.

Hard work and return to normalcy are the only benchmarks i have anymore. So i talked myself into a morning ride on National, desperately needing to get a fix and test my leg.   A week prior i was curled on the floor, a week of focus, ice and stim had me feeling almost normal.   Except for the unshakeable truth coming off the machines, that i kept forefront every section i had to do more than spin.   There were so many spots i own that pwnd me. I was good about knowing the limits, riding with 1.5 legs, and still moved up Javalina quickly, up Mormon quickly. Ironically, each of the other 3 guys on the ride had some sort of coffee-shits or fatigue or balky knee to deal with, and it prevented me from wallowing.   At the top of Javalina I said that if I make it past Widowmaker i might make BV.   My leg buckled on the descent on 2 feet of air, but seriously? What was i gonna do? go ride the trainer more? this wasn’t painful, it just hurt all over.   So once we cleared Widowmaker it was foregone I would finish the climb and descend Geronimo.   My leg hurt, got dead, and gave out on me when it should have held me up. Cenobite and Maad got a nice view of that. Whatever – 46th to BV is 1.5 hrs of work on any day, how bad off could i be if i could make that?   I rode the descent so in control is was stupid fun to walk down the trail, to reassure myself that i’m not dead yet.

Each of the last few days has felt like progress.   I forget what it feels like to see small daily progress.   Seeing it in children is no help to evaluating your own injury, and every activity and every set is evidence to be weighed.   I hate hard lifting, and there is so much of it i will have to do. I have only my prior benchmark to motivate me – no race or club or much anything in particular. I am so tired. I am glad i have a benchmark.