Sierras to Appalachians

What do you do when you start a week long skiing trip with a 25 mile bike ride? You end the trip with a long bike ride. Yes I know, after my comment yesterday, I should had been sleeping all day yesterday. However, that is not my style. My style is to purge the depressed Sierra mountain spirits out of my system with new fresh Pisgah spirits.

The last Wood report will have to wait for tomorrow.

I put a little thread out on MTBR that had the wrong date for a Tuesday weekday ride. Oh well maybe I will get a couple to show up. As I pulled into the lot, PisgahProductions and Mike R were getting ready. Shortly thereafter, David, Old_Dude, SingleTrack Pig and Jack22 all showed up for my ride.

PP immediately started with his “I would like to go up and over Black Mountain. . . .” that guy has some kind of suffering disease. Instead we chose the following route:

Grassy Road, Sycamore Cove, North Slope, ClawHammer, Black Mountain

Not an easy route for an afternoon ride. The funny part about this loop stems from me showing the seasoned veterans of Pisgah the loop. PP and Mike R had never ridden Sycamore or North Slope before. That blew my mind.

PP negotiating a tricky crossing on Sycamore:



Once we made it to Maxwell Cove, some of the group dropped off. Here is the rest of the crew awaiting the last push over Black.



I was really feeling quite good on my bike yesterday. Lines were smooth and I didn’t have any mishaps until the last stop on Black. I had my leg still strung over my bike and my other firmly on the Earth when I looked up and saw Mike R coming at me. I freaked and tried to get out of the tangle I was in, well I fell straight over on my back and just continued to roll all the way over. So count me in for one fall off the bike and zero falls on the bike.

Pushing up the steeps: