Johnny, Pat and myself are on the way to Blue Marsh Lake discussing the route for the mornings ride. It goes something like this:
Rudy: Where should we park? Stilling Basin?
Johnny: Why don't we go out to Church Rd. and do the ski area loop.
Pat: I'm cool with Church Rd.
Rudy: OK, Church Rd., but I don't know if I want to do the ski area loop again. (pause) Hey, let's do the whole lake minus the ski area loop. It's only like 23 miles on fast, easy singletrack. Come on, compared to what we ride in the valley BM is easy. We should be able to do it in like 2 hours...don't you think?
Johnny: You really think we can do it in 2 hours?
Rudy: Well, it may be closer to 2.5, but still...why not?
Johnny: I don't know, maybe. What do you think, Pat?
(Long, long pause as Rudy turns his head to the back seat smiling at Pat and Johnny smiling at Pat through the rear view mirror)
(Pat is silent at first and then says)
Pat: Oh, what the hell.
(Cheers and shouts of enthusiasm erupt from the front seat)
So, it's 8:20am as we set off in the counterclockwise direction from Church Rd. Johnny is hammering up the first climb on his new XTC hardtail. I'm feeling pretty good and Pat is right behind me spinning smooth. The pace is steady, the temps were perfectly cool and the trail was just right - not to soft and not to dry.
9:30 and Johnny asks how far have we gone. Almost 7 miles. "What, it feels like at least 10!" We all attributed the slow pace to Pat and myself laboring up the longer climbs than we remember from the past. No worries. This side of the lake has the bulk of the climbs. At least we are fresh when we do them.
10:00 and we are still about 3-4 miles from Stilling Basin. I begin to accept the truth that I was way off on the time frame. Plus, to make matters worse I begin to start feeling minor cramping in one leg. Thankfully the 2.5 mile section between State Hill and Stilling Basin is relatively flat and easy. I'll just do alot more pulling than pushing. My quad will recover(I think to myself).
10:35 and we are at the top of the road that enters the Stilling Basin lot and Johnny requests that we stop so he can eat a power bar. Pat and I agree quickly. A quick stretch and a snack will be good. At this time we all agree that taking the road to the entrance of the beach area will make up some time.
10:50 we enter back onto the trail at the Dry Brooks beach entrance and Johnny's phone rings. It's the winery; there is some problem and they need his verbal assistance. His conversation ends with these words, "I'll take a look at it later when I come in." It's never good when you hear a sentence similar to that.
It's 11:25 the next time I look at my watch. Johnny has been ignoring his phone for the last mile and a half. Both of my legs are now cramping as have been Pat's and my computer is reading 18.6 miles complete. Finally, I tell Johnny, "You better answer the damn phone! Pat and I will keep going. You'll catch us."
11:45 Johnny has caught up to us just as we reach RT 183 and mile 19.8 on my computer. My legs are now screaming for me to stop pedaling. Pat and I can't even get off the bike without our quads shrinking into an excrutiating knot. It's 3 miles to the car - 3 MILES, DAMN. "Johnny you better go get the car and pick us up. We'll just lie here like roadkill" Thank God he also road rides.
12:00 Pat and I accept the bitter sweet taste of our day as we load into the Tahoe. 20 out of 23 Ain't Bad.