‘Twas Nice While it Lasted
We were teased with a taste of springlike weather last week, and I enjoyed every second of it. Our winter came early this season, so this was a well deserved break….a chance for us to gather our wits and brace ourselves for the next round of yucky ole winter.
Still riding on a high from our Rich Mtn ride, Raja and I had a fabulous road ride the next day with Damyankee. He led our group on a new route through some beautiful backroads on a warm sunny day. Fully expecting my legs to be dead from the previous day’s hard effort, I was stunned to pull out a great ride. Whether it was the beautiful weather, spectacular route, or excitement of seeing so many old friends, Raja and I were stoked by the end of the weekend.
That weekend was the setup for riding the perfect wave, and I rode it all the way in to the shore through the rest of the week. The warm temps had everyone giddy, tipsy, and eager to ride. Tuesday I hit Blankets for a ride during the daylight and then picked up the crew for a nightride. Wednesday I beat the afternoon rains and got in hill repeats at Kennesaw Mountain thoroughly trashing my legs. Gosh, a thrashing never felt soooooo good!
By Thursday, I could hardly walk, but could not resist an easy spin back over to the Mountain. Passing Cam enroute, he told me I had to go to the top and enjoy the view. The day was exceptionally clear and the views were killer. Greg greeted me at the Park entrance and kept me company for the ride up. Cam was right. The view was incredible and worth the effort as it is not often that crystal clear. You could reach out and touch Stone Mountain. I laughed when Greg said, “Wow, is that Macon in the distance?”
A rest day was in order for Friday, but once again, springtime was in full swing. You just cannot say no when opportunities like this come along. My legs had just enough left in them for some singletrack fun at Big Creek. We checked out the new downhill run with the Perfect Berms……….very very impressive! I don’t care who you are, that’s just Fun!!! Superb job, RAMBO.
My mission had been accomplished. Every perfect weather day had been enjoyed and by Saturday, the weather had turned on us. It didn’t bother me one bit that we aborted our plan to ride in Ellijay due to the less than optimum conditions. In the words of Greg Herbold, I was one haste puppy.
Sunday was a post Valentine treat with one last teaser of warm weather. The skies cleared from Saturday’s rain and it actually got up to 60 degrees. Damyankee could not lead the Sunday afternoon Rubber Mallet ride, but Cam stepped up to the plate as our ride leader.
Eighteen of us showed up for a repeat of the new route. Word had gotten out of how nice this ride was and of the supposedly “easy” winter pace. 
As soon as I saw Rich in the parking lot followed by JeffL, I knew the whole “easy” winter pace thing would be thrown out the window. But that was okay. There were plenty of other riders along for me to draft. Sweetwater had come out of retirement, Rlaz showed up (he normally doesn’t ride on Sun), Psychobilly drove an hour to join us, and even Al got a hall pass to ride. I was pretty excited.
I don’t know how excited Al was about climbing Hulseytown, but he put on a good game face. Raja was feeling good and chased everybody down, while I slowly got into the rhythm of things. The climb itself is a big enough challenge, but you gotta throw in the extremely bumpy road conditions and it makes for a real workout.
For a change, I have been enjoying my road rides lately. That’s not like me, but I’m glad it’s happening. If I can just figure out how to make it last…….
Hulseytown is old hat for us, but then the new stuff begins shortly after that. Beautiful roads, no traffic.
Long fast sections with Southern cows watching from the sidelines.
And a nice climb up Hutcheson to wake up the legs. This is going to be a real treat in the Springtime when the earth comes back to life.
The pace was winter speed for the likes of Bruce and Juan, but others of us weren’t so sure about the definition of “winter pace”! I didn’t mind. The day was gorgeous and I knew it would be the last of the comfortable rides for a while.
Raja and I are so fortunate to have hooked into a good group of road riding friends. The days of hammerfest after hammerfest had gotten very old, and it is refreshing to ride with people that enjoy riding for the sake of riding. We push each other, but we can also talk to each other without airs and attitude.
The only thing I question about this group is their choice of fuel. I’ve never seen so many “non approved” foods consumed during a ride. Psychobilly ate his version of a Hammer Bar. Rich did not eat his usual ice cream bar and chocolate milk, but he was downing an awful lot of stuff for just a 50 miler. Of course, I can’t hassle him too much ’cause he rides so fast and strong. Makes me wonder if I should rethink my diet.
The past 10 days have been nice. Lots of good riding was to be had, and now I can take a rest week since it’s turning colder. Tuesday was supposed to be the high 50’s, but it felt like the 40’s to me. I went to Blankets for one last hooray before I officially started recovery.
Oh joy, Greg was in the parking lot. That meant I’d get in one last torture session. There aren’t many riders I respect and admire more than Greg, so it is always a treat to ride with him. Not that I ride with him, but he allows me to follow in his wake. There is so much to be learned riding behind him, watching his movement and lines. It does inspire one to follow a rider of his ability and you almost feel empowered to do more than you would on your own. My legs were so full of acid that I couldn’t keep pace with his singlespeed, but I had more fun on the downhills than I’ve ever had just following his lines.
I saw so many friends out on the trail and in the pkg lot. What a treat to see Brian Harper and Ray Perryman (from 18 years back). Caesar, Flatfender, Ony, Regularjoe, Chris, it’s like going to the local hangout……….I love it!
The past 10-12 days have been nice. The temps are dropping and it is raining. The freeze/thaw is coming back and we’ll play the watch n’ wait game for weekend rides. < sigh> I’ll take what I can get! It was nice while it lasted. As long as we get to ride our bikes, it’s all good!
