I figure I’ve got another two months before I can even start thinking about riding hard up Kings again. No, that’s not quite right. I’m riding hard right now! There’s nothing more to give. I’m just not going very fast. I’m hoping that another 12-15 degrees warmer and the old me will come back and I won’t be struggling to get a 31 minute time up Kings, like on today’s ride.
We finally had both Kevins again, with the younger Kevin, 5 days off the bike, seeming no worse for wear. How does that work? I’d be happy with 29-anything, even 29:59, but today? I wasn’t happy. At least I wasn’t happy when I was climbing. I hit the 3rd-way point OK, just under 10 (9:50 to the park entrance), so there was a slim possibility, very slim, of making it to the top under 30. Reality set in shortly after as Kevin, Kevin, Karen and Marcus dropped me at the halfway point, where I needed to be at 15 minutes but was looking at almost 16. At 1.41 miles to go, where, on a good day, you’ve got just 9 minutes (or less) to go, I was at almost 22. This was not going to be that 30 minute day. The final timing point, at the Archery range hairpin, I was at 26:16. On a really good day, you’re 4 minutes from the top. A really good day. I haven’t seen that day in quite some time! But I plan to again, soon as it gets warmer. Yeah, that’s the plan.
The photo at the top? A reminder that we might have seen the worst of winter, but there’s still a lot of potential for issues down the road. Each ride we see a bit more exposed roots from trees above the roads. Will drier weather arrest the process, or will the drying process itself result in more dirt falling away from the hillsides?
Nothing new to report on West Old LaHonda. Not that we’d be in a position to know.
