2015.09.07 Velcro Gnar
You don't really realize just how thirsty you are until you get to have a drink. Says the dirt up at Sandy Ridge.
I knew it was dusty and dry up at Sandy Ridge, but the difference in grip from the moisture-transformed dirt is astonishing. Traction was remarkable today, enabling all kinds of envelope pushing. I finally got back up to ridiculous speeds on Two Turntables, despite its ongoing rocky roughness, thanks to the ability to catch overruns and execute transitions.
The ride today was extra-long, climbing up Communication Breakdown, riding the border through Quid Pro Flow, then bombing down Two Turntables and finishing down lower Hide & Seek. One guy busted off his rear derailleur, another fellow had insufficient front tire and kept ditching, and I snapped a shifter cable. Nobody seemed to mind too much - it was too much fun.
There is a special sensation of flowing, almost flying, that can be attained when everything is working right. It is what I used to try to feel when skiing, and it's sublimely satisfying to also have that through mountain biking.
Life is good.