Friday - Rob rode Huntington State Forest in Bethel, CT. He went out to check out the course for a trail run that we were doing the next morning (Rob did the 10K and I did the 5K). He started following the trail markings going backwards but eventually found an intersection to start following the course forwards. It started off really nice - swoopy, flowy single track that was a BLAST! If you haven't ridden Huntington State Forest before, it is worth checking out! Rob eventually started following a trail that he had never ridden, and that is when things got interesting. Definitely encountered some good climbs in Huntington before, but he came around a corner on a trail that was new to him and the downhill was so steep that his rear end was way off the back end of the bike and still felt like he was going over the handlebars. It was only at the bottom that he could take his eyes off the trail immediately in front and saw it...the giant hill just as steep and probably longer in front. He knew there was trouble when he saw the big chalk smiley face on the ground marked for the race. Maybe it was mocking him. He went at it pretending he was going to ride it but knowing there was no way in hell. He did stop at the bottom to take this picture.
So up he trudged, barely able to push the bike up the hill. He reached the top and found the exact same down and up in front again. What the heck? On top of being nigh impossible for mountain biking, this did not bode well for the running of the trail race the next morning. Eventually things calmed down and he started following some nice single track and fire roads before the final ascent to the parking lot. Rob insists on pointing out here that he rocked the final ascent, a way narrow trail through dense brush forming a tunnel and popping up countless really difficult water breaks.
Monday - We both brought our road bikes down to the lake to get in a road ride together in the area around Candlewood Lake and New Fairfield. I, however, opted to spend my Monday noodling off the back of the boat on the lake, having told Rob that we could ride bikes any old time, but it's not every day we can noodle off the boat. Rob thought I was wimping out. He went out anyways and did a 25.5 mile road ride. He took a right out of the Knolls and headed down past Squantz Pond and then started hitting the hills. There is one hill in particular with a B-I-G climb and then a really nice descent. Only trouble is it's a 30 MPH zone coming down because of all the curves. Plus the road was still damp where the trees overhung. Heading down this at 45 MPH is super-sketchy to say the least! And then the 1.25 mile climb back out. Ugh. Anyhow, he finished with 25.5 miles at 16.6 average (did I mention it was REALLY hilly). I think in the end, I made the right choice by opting for noodling over riding.
Thursday - Rob and Harry did the Thompson Recreation Kids' Mountain Bike Ride at the Thompson Dam. Rob leads a group of about 10 kids (and some parents) on some of the carriage roads and single track. It was an awesome ride this week. A few of the kids, including Harry, are showing some real skill. We still have kids showing up for the first time and that is throwing them off a little in terms of being able to stick together. Everyone seems to be having fun though. We were able to throw more single track into the mix this week. We finished this ride with 2.75 miles. At the same time, Cori went out with her friend Michelle to do a bike/swim/bike brick. They biked 8.33 miles up to Quaddick Lake and then swam the length of the beach 4 times before riding home again. It was a hot night and the swim in the middle was fantastic!
So that is it. One busy week, with plenty of bike miles in the Paton household.
~ Keep Pedaling
Should I be offended that you failed to mention our bike ride?? :(
ReplyDelete-Your sister