Rabbit Lake

Hooked up with my other relay team members today for a ride out to Rabbit Lake. It's a short ride but the rocks never end and the climb does not let up the entire way. The clouds lifted and the sun beat down on us as we huffed and puffed our way up to the lake.



Climbing on a bike never seems to get easier for me. Maybe it's because a year ago I would have climbed myself to exhaustion and then walked the rest of the way. This time I climbed myself to exhaustion, which happens to be a lot farther, but I still feel just as bad as I did a year ago. I can just get a little farther and go a little faster than I could before.

At the lake, North and South Suicide Peaks looked even more ominous than they do from town. Hopefully we will be back soon to climb them...



The reward for a long climb like that is that you always get to ride back down. One added challenge today was that the sun was shining straight into my eyes and I could only see about 10 feet in front of my bike. It proved to be an advantage for me, because I had to just go fast and absorb the rocks as they arrived. There was no time for hesitation or getting off my bike.



I had an almost disastrous crash at the end. We were getting close to the road where we parked and was hitting my top downhill speed. I hit a sea of rocks and maybe pulled on the front brake just a bit too hard as I slammed into a big one. My front tire dug in while my back end came up off the ground. I was sliding on my front tire, body hanging over the handlebars, for about a five count. My heart was up in my throat as I scanned the rocks that were about to meet my face up close and personal. But somehow I shifted my weight back and the back end bumped back down and I kept riding. Close one!

So the clouds are gone and as I write this I can actually see the mountains from my window. Maybe we can squeeze in a few more summer days... If not it was fun while it lasted.