Yesterday I finally met my match on a mountain bike. The Golden Ridge trail in the Hot Springs area completely defeated me and I turned around and retreated at the top of what I suspect would have been the final descent. Downhill from here and I put my tail between my legs and went back the way I came without completing the loop. Of course the trail itself had been hard to find and after finally finding it and then an initial nice single track climb it quickly became so overgrown I was having a very hard time pushing my bike through all the rhodo and briers. Nobody had been on that stretch of trail in years and it was harder than any bushwhack I've ever done. With already 30 miles and ten thousand stout feet of climbing for the day turning around and heading back to the party was an easy decision.
And what a party it was. The occasion was Dennis's birthday and him and Diane went all out and rented Slivermine Group Camp in Hot Springs and threw a blowout. Sometime during the long night of celebrating I evidently made plans with Jonathon to ride at 7am this morning. So at 7am there we were on the bikes and up a 10 mile climb for a 3000' downhill and back at camp before right as everyone else was just starting to wake up.
I wasn't the only one who took a beating on Saturday's ride - I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a new bike frame very soon. Jonathon says it will be fine but everyone else seemed to be under the impression that a catastrophic failure is imminent. Since I don't have the money to buy one what I think I should do is just get sponsored. Anyone want to give me a bike? It should have big wheels and the capability to run gears or single speed. Of course, if you just want to give me two different bikes that would be fine as well.
It was an epic weekend. Thanks Dennis and Diane for having us all!
Pictures to come.
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Hot Springs? I think we were there back in the early 2000's. Morale was low on the way up, and we too turned around and went home.
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