I've been a bit more conservative this late season - more so than the last few, and as such I've tried to avoid mud riding. With cooler temperatures, just the slightest bit of moisture stays in the ground around here for days due to the large temperature swings between night-and-day. So I've been running in the Gulch, and even took the cross bike through it a few times.
Saturday left me with some obligations for the day so time was short - but not short enough for a 2-hour run up on the ridge, in the gulch, and around the college. That was enough to convince me to hit the mountain bike on Sunday.
So I hit up Skyline first, which I knew still had moisture - and I hit it when it was frozen. That left a fun tour all over Raider's Ridge.
That is my neighborhood below, and the two inclined mesas are Missionary Ridge to the right and Animas Peak to the left, with Hermosa in the background.
Riding up on Raiders is fun, but I actually prefer to run up there. In fact, there are times I can run up Skyline and clear the whole ridge faster than I can with a mountain bike.
We have a big block of blue-sky days coming and I intend to ride the mountain bike all the way through it. Last few seasons the in town mountain biking has stopped usually by December 7th. We are looking clear all through the week ahead!
I did multiple loops in the gulch which was fine, but then it started to get a bit crowded. Should be fewer people through the week, and I will even head over to Sailing Hawks and Animas when I get the chance.
Good times with temps in the 50s, blue skies and a week of riding ahead!
Although the running on the ridge will be calling as well.
How can I complain, with decisions like that to make?
4 comments:
Skyline and the Ridge are always rewarding, no matter how you get up there. :) I can't wait to start getting back to it!
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