Riding is it's own reward.

Firstly...

And secondly, do y'all even ride bikes?

Yes! Back again for the Super Fun Cross Loop in Santa Cruz. I think mileage was in the low 50s
But then, no one had a computer or a GPS...so who can know? Alls I know is- DAMN that was fun! Up the fireroad through Nisene, down Demo (trails/fireroad), out Eureka to Summit, over 17, down Mt Charlie to Cowell (dirt again), across HWY 9 up UCON and singletrack all through UCSC to Wilder (and singletrack sections I hadn't ridden before) back into campus, through town back to Aptos.

When I got wind of this event, I was under the impression that there'd be:J__, maybe T___, K___, M___A__, perhaps M______. So, including myself it'd be 2-3 guys, and 3 gals. An unusually (in my experience) large # of ladies, but they're all at least as capable as I, so cool. When I got to the start line, it was no K___, and no T___- just the 3 ladies and me. Again, cool. Riding up the climb, MA starts to push (this time she did not have her partner, so the dynamics were waaay more in my favor) the pace. Cool. Cross bikes are so fast! We floated up that hill. At the catch, J__ told us we'd be sorry come mile 50, but I was already sorry. Then 2 more ladies joined us at Sand Point Overlook, and it got weird (for me, and I kept it to myself). That's a lot of clucking hens. 5 women climbing and chatting. I became very quiet.

I got to be That Guy by flatting on the climb after Sand Point, and finding out my spare had a hole in it at this point. [NB-when I get a flat, I must remember to patch the tube upon return home, or this will happen. Again.] Getting a flat with a group of women was eye opening. One gal took my pump off my frame, another opened my tool bag and grabbed my spare and they began prepping it for use. I was torn between (very) petty annoyance that people were grabbing my stuff and amazement at having people do something other than heckle and stay safe. It was a new experience.Patched both tubes, go! T___ joined us here, and it was nice to balance the boy/girl dynamic somewhat. Climb up and up to the top, and...pinch flatted immediately after starting to rally down the (for sure) rocky and lippy trail through Demo. Here, I borrowed M______'s tube and swapped her my patched spare. More dirt fun. Followed by sweet asphalt ups (the road to Demo is closed for serious repair at the slide, and there must have been 40 cars parked up there-no lie. San Jose was riding bikes, I guess) and sweeter downs.

Stopped at Summit Store for snacks and tall boys, moved on to the start of Mtn Charlie for a beer stop. I've said it before, I'll say it again:" Mtn. Charlie is my favorite road anywhere. Up or down. You cannot beat it." Down and on to dirt and after the technical sandy uphill(s), more singletrack and more singletrack and more singletrack... The possibilities for fun are so expanded when you can ride dirt and road with ease.

Isn't that what we all want? Expanded possibilities for fun?

I like to put raw almonds in my water bottle on longer rides. It's real food, and they begin the sprouting process, which changes their texture a lot. The water gets a nice flavor, too.



You gotta get a cross bike.