Somehow we managed to get 5 guys off work on a Thursday! With 2 bikes inside the Suburban, and 3 bikes outside, we left Bikebeat about 7:30am. The crew was: Jet lag Dave, Tucked in Rick, Exhibitionist Steve, Scofflaw Carlos, and me, The Driver. The air still had a biting chill as we go through our pre-ride rituals in the Sherando Lake campground parking lot. A short road ride to Coal Road warms us up and we head for the switchbacks. The first few miles is extremely rocky, but not to steep. Now we are really warmed up as we reach the switchbacks. The skinny singletrack carved on the side of this mountain pitches up more and more. It makes you want to keep pushing the shifter, looking for a lower gear. Your chin stays on the handlebar to keep you from toppling backward. The bike wants to wander back and forth, reacting to the rocks. If you stop, just start pushing. The only hope to get going again is to hang on to a tree, squeezing the brakes, get clipped in, try to push off. Good luck. This goes on maybe only a mile, but takes awhile because of the speed (pushing is slow). The last 100 yards is soooo steep and rocky, I could hardly walk it.
We regroup at the top, and start the descent. The first part has some hike-a-bike, but after that its all good! "Let it flow, let yourself go, slow and low, that is the tempo!" What song is that quote from? Stay tuned for part 2.
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