Perfect

What a great day. If you wanted to write a perfect prescription for the weather you would have prescribed a day just like last Saturday. We have been looking forward to this event ever since we got into cycling a year ago and we were not the least bit disappointed. In fact I may be spoiled. I'm having trouble getting up for our local trails after San Felasco and Santos.

SteveA, Rupe and I headed down Saturday morning, getting there with very little time to spare before the crew was scheduled to leave. I had no idea what the pace might be and I was a little concerned about Rupe following the lead crew and blowing up before we got to the lunch stop.

It's different when you have your kid along. Mingo and Little Mingo were going to ride to the lunch stop and then come back in so I figured if Rupe lost the main group he could fall in with them and at least make it back to the truck. He had only planned to ride to lunch anyway so we headed out into the cool clear morning.

It was congested at first but we soon cleared most of the traffic and were into the first section of single track. The pace was a little faster than I had anticipated and since I had never ridden 50 miles off road I didn't know if I could maintain it and still enjoy myself. After some arrow confusion and a flat tire the main group stopped so Rupe and I went ahead. It was the last time we saw most of them until we got back to the truck.

I'll let someone else tell that story but anyhow we hadn't been at the first stop long when Mingo and crew came in along with Bob Marley. We rode with them for awhile until we got separated by traffic and then we all met up again at the second sag. Rupe and I rolled out together so we could be at the lunch stop at the same time and managed to catch BJS and Lil Ball there where we learned of the groups uh, shall we say, adventures.

At lunch we sat on the ground, stretched, and munched. After a little rest Rupe decided he didn't want to bail and wanted to finish the whole 50 miles. BJS and LB were riding faster than we were so they headed out. I knew the Mingo crew was finishing at lunch and there'd be no one behind us so I decided to ride in with Rupe.

The trail before lunch had used the new Conquistador section which runs up and down the side of a large hill. Beech and oak bottoms with pine on the hilltops. Ground conditions, like the weather, were perfect. They threw in a few freshly cleared sections which were tight and soft in places but even these put a grin on my face. I should have stopped to take pictures and was telling myself that as I rode but I was just having too much fun. I remember a single track along the edge of an old field that had brown broom sage in it and large oaks. The oaks had moss hanging from them and against the deep blue sky would have made a perfect shot but I had just passed 5 riders and hated to stop and have to pass them all over again. And so it went all day.

After lunch the trail opened up and we ran through some large pine uplands then a section of hickory hills. For state owned property this place has some amazing views. It's a shame we can't ride these trails all the time. The single track toward the end flowed and I kind of got into a trance or a rhythm; pedal, coast, brake, lean, and pedal again. Rupe had no problem keeping pace and my worries that he might have trouble finishing were for nought. I was pumped to be able to ride our first 50 miler together. I couldn't help but think how fortunate I am to be able to do this with my son.

What a day!