With the two races early next month, I’ve got a few irons in the fire. Time to do something about it.
Sunday I did a 20 mile hike. Time on the feet, no substitute.
The Leviathan has been restored to full glory: Reba, 8″ front rotor, both tubeless wheels. I’ve made some bags for it (see below). Yesterday I headed out in the occasional rain storms and did intervals on the road out by the railroad tracks. Dead flat, push into the wind, turn around, spin back, repeat. iPod obligatory.
This morning I headed over to Sentinel to put some snap in the uphill legs. Battering rams in tow.
It’s odd to have something out beyond the bars that doesn’t turn when the wheel does.
It was a very nice day. (Hope the same for the Divide racers.)
The main virtue of Sentinel is (was) the trail above the M (a 30′ concrete letter, standing for, something), which gained 1100′ vert in 3/4 mile. But the stairmaster trail is there no longer.
The upper trail is now a quite impressive bench cut affair, wandering across the face in long switchbacks. Very textbook.
They might have cut enough Christmas trees to obfuscate the old trail.
Problem 1 is that all my old times are no longer generalizable. This morning was 38 minutes up, 10 minutes short of my best, but the added distance (a good 1/2 mile, I’d reckon) changes the game.
Overall, it’s a nice piece of trail, and a good addition to the ultimately unsustainable fall line trail. It might even get more folks hiking to the mountain’s summit. The real issue I have is that, aside from one poorly built, too tight switchback, the whole thing is now easily rideable uphill. And off limits to wheels, as is all city open space.
I blame the dog walkers.
Here are my Leviathan bags.
The frame bag I finished last week. The gas tank I made this afternoon. I used a 1 zipper design because, I only had 1 zipper in the fabric bin. It has hefty foam reinforcements to keep it stable. After using Mike’s Epic tank last week, I was sold on the idea.I also got out this evening for a training ride. Up to and up the Ravine Trail, which is another of my favorite area climbs. A great place for sessioning tight switchbacks (I have all but one down pretty well) and doing climbing intervals. I did both.
I have no idea what these are, but on sunny slopes above 5000′ they were going crazy.
I hadn’t taken the Lev down Spring Gulch in far too long. It’s a great descent on any bike, but on the Lev (and with today’s crazy velcro dirt) it was true point and roll. Soooooo fun. Summer is good.
Bedrock & Paradox 
Leave a reply to Bill Cancel reply