Alone in the Mud

I rode alone today. Why? Well, two reasons. First, there were the normal excuses—I started a new workout program three days ago and my body is in shock (I’d cut/paste the actual text message here but this is a g-rated blog) and Hey, I’m stuck in meetings and can’t get out. Second, there were the naysayers, the ones who question my ability to judge trail conditions, which is tricky this time of year because of the snow and the sun and the sun and the snow. OK, so maybe I made a slight misjudgment on the trail conditions yesterday. I thought the big boys, the UC execs, would be able to deal with a little clean mud. They didn’t like it so much and decided to stay out of the dirt today: Sources.

So I rode alone. My plan was to ride a few laps on the local race course. The race course is always a safe bet this time of year. It’s not very exiting but it’s a good solid ride. On the way to the race course, on the dirt road, I could hear the voice of Dry Canyon calling me, tempting me. I followed it and before I snapped out of my trans, I was at the top of the Dry descent licking my chops.

Was it messy? Yes. Did I smoke the pipe? No, not completely, I dabbed up top. Was it cold? Not really. Was it sweet? Oh yeah. Will I do it again tomorrow? Yes, unless I start a workout program between now and then and my body goes into shock or I get stuck in meetings or I have immovable deadlines.