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I used to come down to Vegas almost every winter when I lived in SLC. The trails at Bootleg were just being born and people were loving the flowy goodness at Cottonwood. So on our way into town….after riding Fantasy Island in Tucson and Estrella in Phoenix…we hit Bootleg for some ill riding. I was a bit skeptical since we’re rockin’ the 20t on the SS’s. But it gets the SS stamp of approval. I suggest Boyscout….and pretty much anything else that hugs the contour.
Today we hit Cottonwood. I used to tell everyone that Vegas was one of my favorite places to ride. I still think that is true. Cottonwood is covered in trails now. They are a good one foot deep in some spots as well. I remember them being surface trails back in the day.
We hooked up with Nat Ross for another couple hours of sweetness. Nat’s rockin’ some fatty prototype rims. They are OCR’s that look to be about 25mm wide. They make his Jones tires look huge.
Other than being quite cold up here, it looks like it’s going to be a good holiday.
I find it funny that so many “racers” try to train all winter in the base mode. They tend to insist on doing this on the road. So when it’s freakin’ 25 F in the am, they are stacking on clothes to ride their road bike for 4 or 5 hours. Dumb. Most of them don’t even get into the aerobic zone. They spend most of their time freezing their butts off doing a 4 to 5 hour active recovery from a ride they never did.
I prefer to hit the trail. It’s much warmer due to the slower speeds, but the pace is generally at the top end of the aerobic zone just below the ventilatory threshold. Every now and then you’ll have to gasp for air up a steep climb, but rarely do you fry yourself.
Yesterday was a beauty. 4:30 ride time, 4 miles of pavement. No loops or repeats on any trails. Ate about 2000 kcal when I got home. A bit more sun on the face but I remembered to wear sunscreen this time.
I have eight more lab reports to grade. These are long….luckily half the students left out half the material. That makes it much easier to grade them.
I graded quite a few this morning before my ride. Before I headed out, these guys were letting it be known that they wanted to play with my dog. I freakin’ hate my neighbors. Almost everyone of them has some dog that they never do anything with. These gals have no collars….probably no chip (which is law here), they aren’t spay’d, and their yard is a shithole. The white one fell into my back neighbor’s yard but later climbed out. Amazing! So what happens when they get brave enough to jump into my yard?
For all you guys in snow country, this is my “don’t hate” posting.
The previous day’s SS ride turned out to be a windy mess. Luckily I weigh 200 lbs, but the girly had trouble staying upright.
Dec 2. Undershirt, knee warmers, arm warmers, thin cap. And I’m sweating. Incredible day for a ride.
Jen negotiates to loose baby heads.
….And trys to avoid a stabbing.
Me exiting the Casa Diablo….
Time to enjoy a fast and smooth trail….
Jen rides the edge….
Next time I’ll try to bust out some lyrics and do some “Turgeoning“. Maybe some Widespread Panic. Space Wrangler would have been a good one for this….rides away without fear.
Trails of Gnarnia 