So last week I did the Ridge with the 4:50 club.  This time its with my crew.   The only takers for this one were Kent and Ron.

It was really warm today.  Much warmer than I though it was going to be that early on.   I brought all kinds of clothing for the cooler side.  Little did I know it would get really really warm.   It was so warm that  after  a mile or so I had to head back to the car for a clothing adjustment.    Ron and Kent followed suit a few minutes later!

Finally we climbing and life is good.  For once in a long time I actually brought a HR monitor just to see how much I have been slacking lately, not doing any Road Riding.    Ron of course set a hot pace up the Ginny Trail.  One that neither I nor Kent were prepared to handle.    I did try and keep Ron in check for a little while but my HR was in the low 170's and that was too much for me to maintain for an extended period,  so I slowed it down a bit and rejoined Kent who was a  tad bit back. 

Even after Kent and I were riding easier,  It still wasn't easy.    I hadn't done anything all week except for a 4 mile run on Friday, and Kent had a pretty grueling schedule in the Gym which left his legs a bit soft.   In any case we could catch a glimpse of Ron ever so often.    We were pretty winded and the nominal stuff that we would clean with some effort was too much for us under these conditions of  Lack-O-Fitness.

We did finally settle into a mellow pace and enjoyed the pleasantries of chatting and riding without the primal urges to chase.    I must admit we walked a lot of stuff,  much of that I had ridden  the weekend before.    Finally as we neared the summit Ron came back for us and joined us again for our trip to the top.   The temps were getting warmer with the ascent.  At one point it was 66 degrees!   I had to stop and remove the jacket as I was just too hot.

We make ready to head towards the fire road, but Ron is under time pressure so we will only go as far as we think we can so as to keep Ron's family Happy.   This is my time to lead on the flowy stuff and I am having  a good time on the rollers and moderate techy stuff.  

Seems that each of us has our Strengths,   Ron's Climbing,  Kent  Technical, and me I can let the run fast.    It was fun to let the Yeti run and with Push'd suspension units the bike works better than ever... but I digress

After a bit  we need to turn back as Ron's  bike is starting to change Orange.   We turn around and I spend a lot of energy chasing Ron.    There wasn't enough  descent for me to make any real ground on him and every time the trail steepened I lost any thing that I may have gained.   The wind was picking up a lot too so that really sucked when it wasn't at my back.   Anyway we stop at the  Sign post to regroup.

Time for the big Descent and I've gotten a flat.  Ron needs to checkout so we let him go.    I make the repair and Follow Kent down the single trak.    We were working the trail and life was good!  This descent is so sweet with a bit of everything!    I was following  Kent  pretty closely and I am not sure what happened but over the bars he goes after his front tire stuck something.    He was OK,   Stirred but not shaken.  

Time for me to take the lead and the Yeti is doing it's thing.    I am getting more used the bike and  it's  allowing me to relax a bit more and  runs some lines a bit faster.    After a bit I get another flat!  Oh well.    We make the repair which included 3 holes.  It was warm and I was in no hurry so we just patched it.  While we were doing this  the Ranger came by.  We chatted with him for a bit and he had some saga's of how his previous 2 bikes were stolen!

Off and running again! and the bottom come too soon but that's OK.  We see a group of 5 MTBr's going up and we chat for a bit.  One guy says I look like this "Tim" guy who races the mountain states cup.   These guys have some serious rigs and looked to be riding pretty hard  as we watched them ascend for a few moments.

We decide to do a loop instead of heading straight back.   There were tons of hikers many of which commented on my shark helmet cover, which I really didn't need today.     There were so many hikers that  we weren't able to go as fast as we would have liked.   I don't like passing hikers fast, cause I know they don't like it and it doesn't  help the use conflict thing.   We do speak to those that we did pass and they seemed friendly enough.   One guy didn't speak to Kent, but Kent was going  fast enough that  this may have not been the best forward foot if one expects some exchange of pleasantries.

It's really really windy, but it's at our backs as we make it too the cars.  Nice to end the day that way.   I felt like the ride was short, but I am so used to riding to Lory from my house that I get in 20+ more miles that I would on a day where I have to drive before I ride.

Anyway,  A good time was had by all.  hope to see some more folks out here one of these dayz.

Now I am at Devils BB after doing the 7:00  450club ride.    My legs are a bit tired, but as long as I don't push too hard I should be good to go.      I don't have much water with me, but I shouldn't need much as I don't plan to be going that hard.

I take off and life is good.   I took some air out of the  push'd shock cause it seemed a bit stiff at  BobCat.   I had the recommended 155 pressure in there but the sag seemed way to much, so I upped it and now I am putting it back.   The bike seems to be riding a bit smoother at the head angle is a noticeably slacker.

So am taking it easy, tying to feel the bike.  I am near the back side when I see some riders behind me.    I am stopped for a moment to take in some food when I hear this, "Steve:".  Turns out it's Tim,  Jo and ???.   I decide to join them for a bit.  Tim in on the SS 29'r which he plans to ride in Leadville!  Well, he's actually having another one built.. details....

The ride suddenly got faster and I can feel the fatigue in the legs.     I am struggling to keep up, but I am OK.  My bike is much heavier that Tim's 19lb rig and surely heavier than Jo's 4inch bike with the Mavic Crossmax's etc.  Yeah, that's my excuse for today.    I am also out of water but Jo is kind enough to give me some of whatever she was drinking.  Thanks Jo!

We travel over to the edge of  Devils and head towards Coyote to meet the other half of Tin's group.   My legs are burning at points, but I guess this is a wake up call that I need to start riding more than twice a week.   Seems that the 450Club,  Gales Crew & these folks all have their eyes on doing  Leadville, and if I am going to be able to enjoy riding with any of them I need to up my game!  Oh well, more riding is probably good for me.

We get Coyote and 1 of  Tim's fiends (??) shows up late.  Jo needs to get home so we head back the way we came.   Knowing I have only a few more miles I can will my bike to be able to stay with the crew.   I am doing a bit better now, but at what price! 

At least we are heading back and I know how much I have to do.    I try harder to stay with the group and it's working.    I am holding my own at the back of the  pack and I can relax on the descents, taking advantage of the  gears and suspension. 

The climb up to Devils is grueling.  I am too tired to clean the switchbacks and steps that I can normally do.  I am in that slopping tired mode so I don't want to press my luck.   Tim,  Jo etc. are riding really strong and I am wishing for my  Y-22 which would have given me some help after all these miles.

Now we do some techy rocky stuff on the way back to the lot.  This is where the Yeti excels so I am doing OK now.    Finally onto the home stretch after doing all the technical stuff.   I am forced to disengage from the group when my chain starts skipping.  Must be a tight link or something bent, but I just soft pedal back to the lot.

A good time was had by all.  2 good rides today.

Another Sunday and the typical crew want to ride the road or the trainer but not the MTBs.   This is an opportunity for me to do another one of the 450Club rides.    Good thing that the Sunday ride starts at 7:00 so at least that doable, but really on the edge of what I would really want to do.   In any case I figured I wouldn't post this on Velocal cause,  No one is gonna show anyway, and just in case I don't wake up in time I'm not committed to this insanity.

So it's really dark at 6:10 when I packed up the car and left the house.  I was a bit weary from enough sleep but I am sure I will come out of it after it gets light and I am riding.    I arrive a bit early and the gates are closed at Bobcat ridge at 6:45, so I decide to go back down the road to get a picture of the moon..... Well that didn't' work out but it did kill about 15 minutes and when I went back the gates were open and Doug Cutter was there from the 4:50 boys.  It wasn't long until  Rand,  Yann, Michael showed up and it was time to ride.  Oh,   Word is that Steve Lacey broke his collar bone Saturday, so he won't be here!    N

The temperature is 27 degrees and that feels warm, especially since there was 0 wind.    We begin the climb at a civil pace and stop to stretch and whatever before the real(tm) climb is to begin.   Michael hadn't ridden in a long time and he was a hurting puppy.  He was OK with us leaving him, but Randy  hung back with him from a while. 

The climb up is rather brisk with Yann and Doug having an easy time of this pace that forced me to breath hard.  I was able to hang on the parts that weren't technical.   I was amazed how easily  Yann and Doug cleaned everything on the way up, even taking some hard lines that I would never have even considered anyone riding.  These guys were riding this stuff at a good pace and just walked up these rocky switches etc. like they were not even there. Sure I could clean these too, if I rested and had a few do-overs.   School was definitely in session today and  I was paying attention to lines even though some of them I would never consider riding.

We did stop a few times on the way up to check out some mechanical stuff and to regroup, take photos and what not.    There was some time pressure for Yann, so we did need to keep moving.   We weren't able to go all the way to the fire road before we turned around but that's fine.  Randy turned back at this point with way too much work to do.

Now it's time to make the descent and School I am sure will be in session again.     Yann leads and Doug is next followed by me.  Yann is flying and checks out!  I am following Doug and he is taking some Sic lines that  I won't do but I am able to keep up with him on the common path.    I was pleased to be able to watch Doug's lines.   At some portions I think I was faster, and once I let him get 50 yards ahead so I could reel him in.    Could be that having a 5 inch bike is a big advantage.   

Half way down Doug flats and we fix it.     Later on  Yann flats and then breaks the valve stem and it's "Rinse Lather Repeat".    It's kinda cold standing around and I am shivering at times, but it;s not too bad.   Before long we are off and running again.  Doug takes the lead and Yann is on him like "White on Rice".    It isn't long before he goes around Doug and checks out!    I would have liked to follow Yann a bit more as I am sure his lines and bike technique were sweet.     I did notice some interesting bike lean angles he was using , but I didn't get to see them long enough to put any of this to use.

Yann is all packed up by the time we make it down!  We chat for a bit.  I still have time to ride a bit more.  Doug asks if I riding here and I say yes.   Now I am thinking,  Hey, I'm close to Devils backbone, so why ride here when I can be there in 15 minutes....

First Sunday ride of the year and it's a bit chilly.  Looks like 13 F outside with a high of 28 expected.    In the great scheme of things this isn't nearly as cold as those low single digit dayz a few weeks ago, so it should feel balmy out there in comparison.

With all of the usual suspects obligated to other fun family stuff, looks like I'll be going it along.  That's OK,  as it will give me a chance to get in whatever I want + a chance to check out the new Push'd rear end.   .   I still need to fix the dragging brakes on the bike, which is quite annoying.   I've done everything to them but bleed them, so that's the next/last step before replacing the caliper....

So I take off and the bike is feeling pretty sluggish.    I guess this is because I rode the trek last time and it's so much more lively.   This is more re-enforcement that I really need to keep that  bike alive in case I need to go racing or on a fast group ride.   In any case I just settle into the Yeti's pace and make it down the bike path.

Pineridge was OK with a bit of wind out of the South.    Now many folks out, but I saw a few dog walkers across the fields.    I do the loop and I am still amazed at how well the fork is performing.   The rear, well, I think it's got too much sag, but for todays ride, I'll live with it. .

The Maxwell climb is always a challenge and I thought I might be able to clean it today but it was not to be.  I didn't want to commit on one  of the rocky sections ....   That's OK  it was still a good climb. 

Up top saw a couple of other MTBr's.  I had a chat with one guy on a Surly SS  650B bike.   He was cool, especially since he said, his other bike is a 575.    He was running a 33x20 gear, which kinda validates the 34x20 that I just put on my SS.

Off and running.... The shoreline trail was good.   I  woosed out on the staircase....    The rest of that trail flowed nicely.    Nice light dusting of snow and no other traffic.    This went well enough and I thought I would do Michaud lane instead of Lory cause I haven't done it in awhile.  Unfortunately,   Some of the bare spots started to pack up on the wheels so it's onto plan B "Lory".

Lory was good, but a bit icey at spots under the snow.    I had to be cautious, but it was better than falling or worse yet, being stuck at home riding the trainer!

Finnally out to CR 38 and the last 2 hogbacks to home.   The wind is still out of the South with the temps at 22-25 are making my hands a bit cold.  I opted not to do the handwamers thinking that I should be OK, but this was on the edge of my comfort zone.  Would have been OK, except for the wind.   I had some warmers with me but just knowing I could pull them out at any time offered some comfort that I wouldn't get frostbite.

The road was uneventful. The 2.35's were sluggish and  if I weren't so lazy I would have put some more air in them for this part of the trip.  Oh well,  it's not like I have to keep up with anyone ...

Good 1st ride of the season....  Just need to work on that rear brake and I golden....

  It's  been pretty cold the last two Sunday's but this one is supposed to be much warmer (50) and perhaps windy.  I don't think I will need the hand warmers today, but I pack them in the camelbak just in case.   .

I was hoping for a nice leisurely ride over to Coyote Ridge but just as I was leaving I went to pump up the rear tire and the valve stem had broken off last Sunday and I had forgotten to fix this issue.  I hoped I could just pump it up and have it stay but alas that didn't work.  OK,  after a quick tire change I am off and riding but late.   I try and keep a brisk tempo until I realize I am OK with the time and them back off.   Well as I got within 1/2 mile of the park,  the tire blew off the bead and the tube was sticking out and had ballooned to the size of a small watermelon! .  I quickly jump off the bike and release the pressure and I saved the tube.     Another quick fix and I am off.

I arrive to find Kent, Ron and too my surprise Bob.   We chat etc. and  make ready and we are off.  The early pace was IMHO a bit brisk.   I know Kent likes to take off kinda quick and I was glad to be warmed up and on the Trek for once.   Bob and Kent are kinda hammering, but before long Ron blows by them and sets the new hot tempo that only Bob was able to maintain.   Meanwhile it was apparent that my middle chainring is spent and I need a new one   as the chain slips off it every time I stand on it.   Oh well. the bike is due for a few more improvements so I'll take care of that as part of it...

Ron and Bob check out, but do wait at the summit of the big climb.    We all regroup there and while we are waiting we see Sammy of  TTH fame coming from the opposite direction.  We exchange greetings and he is off as are we.

Kent takes to the lead on the descent and it's all good.     Ron is a bit rusty on the MTB since he's been on the road more but he's having a good time and it's coming back.

We   head towards Blue Sky cleaning as much of this as we can.   Kent is the only one who chose to ride the horrible stair case that intersects with Blue Sky.  I have ridden it before, but I just don't like it.  I suppose if everyone else rode it I would have but this was not the case today.

The Indian Summer climb was pretty nice with Ron setting a blistering pace.  I stayed with him to the top, but would pay a heavy price for this effort later.  Bob stopped to take some Pics of us on the way up. Kent was bringing up the rear with a solid effort.   Kent of course leads on the descent and I am quick to follow.   Good to see he can't drop me even on the   Trek.  I must admit that the new riser bars make a difference in my position that I like.    Bob is descending pretty fast and would have caught us if the  trail was longer.

Now we head towards Devils back bone and the challenges.     Bob is 1st up and cleans everything except that last section at the top.    We hangout at the top for a bit, each of us doing retries until we were able to clean that last section.   Lots of falling but Kent and I did manage to clean it.

Enough chat and we descent.  Bob is going to show Kent a sweet line when he as to bail and almost looses it after the 2 step descent.  Ouch!, he is OK but his confidence is shaken and there will be no more bravado from Bob any more today.

Back down towards Indian summer and this is where the suffering would begin, for me anyhow.   Bob must be overheating and has removed his helmet for this climb!    At the bottom he makes a faux attack and Ron is quick to follow, but not too quick.     This was too much for Bob to hold and had to recover, meantime Ron and I both found his wheel.    He kept of the pressure and I am unable to keep contact!  My legs were too tired and since I hadn't been doing any intensity lately this effort hurt.    I was close enough that  I would have been able to pull them back on the descent. However  Bob and Ron stopped in order to regroup..

I get to lead on the descent with Kent pretty close on my rear.       At some point I did get a small gap on him which he closed up some  by the end of the run.  

At this point my legs are tired  but we have one more climb to go.    Bob and Ron hammer this one, but I just take it easy and hang out with Kent.   At last we are there.    Ron and I decide to take Blue Sky, where I will take Harmony back home and Ron will continue through  Lory!        Kent and Bob head back over to Coyote.

I am tired at this point and don't have the energy to chase Ron.   I keep him in site, but hta's it.  He is kind and slows his pace so that  I don't get too far back.    I am able to hang with him when the rollers start however.  I watch his lines and see where I can take advantage of faster ones. 

Finally we are near the end of the trail for me.   We see Bob from the Friday Flyer and we chat about Sport Bikes for a bit before we keep riding.   We cross under Harmony and Ron heads for Lory and I take the Hogbacks to the homestead.  

A good time was had by all.       Just need to get a few more folks out.

It's a  Cold Sunday Morning!.  I look at the thermometry and it says 7 degrees!   This is colder than I have ever ridden before and it presents a dressing problem.   Get it right and life and riding will be good.  Get it wrong and I could be a miserable puppy.

So I choose a  some bib shorts and a fleece jersey and a fleece lined pair of  leggings and Jacket.   Does not sound like much, but last time I wore this combo at 15 degrees I was roasting so this is a good guess.  I like the fleece lined jacket cause it breathes really well, hopefully not too well today, but it will allow any moisture inside to be wicked away.....  Oh and gloves, and glove liners and those chemical handwarmers. 

So you are thinking that I am doing this Solo, but as usual Ron has decided to join me on this one.

Out the door  I go and I  thought for a moment I had overdressed, but this concern left me after about a mile or so... I arrive at the FCHS but Ron isn't there.  I check my watch and I am 10 minutes late and figure rather than wait I would head down Horsetooth.   That was a mistake cause it was crazy to ride the roads and the sidewalks were double covered with snow plow wash. 

After a bit of this I don't see Ron and I figure that he was either going to meet me at the park or he took the bike path down.   On my way to the Park I feel twice, due to me not seeing the sidewalk lip.  On one of these I would loose my Camera, but I didn't realize it until I got to the park and wanted to take a picture.

I get to the park and look for Ron's traks but I don't see any.  Oh well.  Now I decide to put some chempack in my shoes.  It's soooooo cold when I pull my hands out of my gloves.   I had better make this quick or my hands will be frost bitten.   While I am doing this, I see Ron about 200 yards away or so.  I call out but he doesn't hear me.   I quickly get my stuff together and go off  to catch him.

My  Polar HR monitor says it's 14 degrees.   Unfortunately 14 is as low as it goes!   Anyway I can see Ron in the distance and by the time I start the trails he is at the ridge line.  I call out again, but he is too far away.  Ok I've got one shot at this so I better really hammer and hope I get lucky.   I get to the ridge line and I see him in the valley. I see a way to make up some ground but he is still far I away.  He isn't hammering so I have a chance to catch him.  Finally after wasting much energy I catch him near the end of the park...

Now my hands are hurting from the cold.  I had exposed them too long fixing the booties.   I can feel the warmth of the heating packs and I hoped they could revive them.  I hate that cold feeling and if I had to ride home I would be frost bitten seriously.    After a few minutes the warmth takes over.  Bummer I don't have my camera....

Ron is doing OK except his goggles are fogging and he can't see that well.   We are only a few miles from Ron's house so we know we can go to his place to recover.  We decide we are OK and we start to head towards Maxwell.   It's climb that will help warm us up.

Did I mention that our liquids were frozen.  Even with the thermal tube on my Camelback.   I had filled mine with hot water before I left the house but that wasn't enough.  Oh well, we will be Ok for now.   We are traveling North and we have a tail wind.  When we stop and look into the wind it's really fracking cold.  I dread turning back.

At the summint we head along the ridge line.   The water in the resovoir is steaming and it's quite a sight.  Wish I had the camera.   We press on and the snow is good.  Ron's got new rubber and is doing a bit better than I am at some points.  

After a bit we turn back and take the shoreline trail.  It gives us some shelter from the wind but it's cold.  I have dressed OK for this one, but my glasses don't give me the  wind protection like my old Oakleys did.  My eyes are tearing a bit.    

We take Maxwell descent and I tried to rail this turn but it was Icy so I had this nice  low side, but I was able to run it off sorta.    We continue on, and having fun.  I am not sure where it happened but I lost a lot of air from the shock and it was bottoming out!   Because of this I hit a rock on the way down and the chainring hit the ground and pitched me over the bars.   I am Ok....

We finish out the descent and some of Pine ridge....  Ron heads for home and I head down Horsetooth in search of my Camera.    The road is really ugly and I am bummed I can't take the bike path.    I retrace my steps and I find my Camera laying in the snow!    I try and take a picture but the Camera says the batteries are depleted.  The batteries had a fresh charge when I left!  (Later it warmed up after a few hours in the house and still had a full charge).

This was a fun day but I wish my shock would have worked better.  I just had the fork Push'd and it's wonderful, so maybe it' time for shock.... Anyway this was good clean fun.   I'll be better dialed in next time with better glasses or goggles. however I may think twice about riding in this cold as this is close to my limits.  Oh so I get home about 2:30 so it was a good long ride. The temperature  at home is 7 degrees still!    My finger tips are a bit tender even now as I type this a day later...

With the trails not being suitable to ride I figured I would go and join Gales ride for a base mile ride.  I am hesitant to do this ride cause many times it turns into a hammerfest and for me, unless I can back it up with training,  "What's the point!" 

I arrive at Gales and there are bunch of folks there,   Gale, Todd, Scott, Bruce, Bill, Ron, Peter.   Lots of talk etc. and we are off and running.    Bruce IMHO is setting a brisk tempo, which for me is more than I would like.  I've only riding twice a week for the past 3 months or so, mostly on the MTB, so this is a  shock to the system.

We pick up Dave M along the way and we are off again.   Scott, Bruce, Peter are setting a hot tempo and they separate from the group early.  We regroup and all of that it's like there are 2 groups.   Ron is not pushing the pace so much today, but perhaps he knows he can't do the whole ride and figured it would be poor etiquette to hot up the pace and then run....

So,  We end up getting a bunch of flats on the way up 2 drake.  Todd had 2 and Peter had 2 or so.   We are still sorta riding like  "B" riders and are not together....     I decide to go up and see what the pace is like with  Peter,  Dave, Scott and Bruce.   This was a mistake on my part, but needless to say, these guys are way fast for this time of year and I got shelled pretty quickly.  I would pay for this later.

We regroup in  Drake and head up the Hill.  Todd,  Bill and I were bringing up the rear and chatting about Karts, cars etc.  Peter and Dave turn back early and the rest of us head to  Estes.    We see a ton of  Elk along the way and I think we spooked them and they ran away from the road.  I am sure this probably upset the photographers, but what can we say.

So we are sitting in the coffee shop and eating when some other riders arrive.  Bill sees the Rabobank kit and thinks this is a "Real Pro".  More riders come in and they get a table next to ours.   One of the Rabobank guys chats with us and it becomes clear that it's  TJ Vanderharten!    Well  then I am standing in front of a  Rock Racing guy and it's Tyler Hamilton!.     He introduces himself to us.   There were more riders of note, Including  Tom Danelsion etc.   We get a picture with them and you can check Gales blog to see it when she gets around to posting it.  She's got the full list of deity's on her blog.  So we chat for a bit and these guys were really friendly and approachable.

Now it's time to head down the Mountain.   Scott and Bill make it across 34 and the rest of us are caught back.   Bruce is able to quickly join them, but Scott Gale and I are caught back.    Now we spend massive amounts of energy trying to bring them back.  Todd makes the final Herculean effort and we are in contact.  

We fly down the mountain and  Scott gets a double pinch flat at ~30 mph but keeps in up.  We hammer down and after the Dam Store we get split up again and once again Gale, Todd and I spend massive amounts of energy bringing them back.  As soon as we catch on Bruce goes to the front and I must sat "No Mas" and let them go.

I take it easy and I rejoin  Todd and  Gale who were kind enough to wait for me. We tool in together and have a nice cool down.

So, I have to has myself,  "Did I enjoy the ride?".   To be honest,  Yes and No.  I liked the camaraderie and meeting the pros and riding.    The part I didn't like was really the lack of cooperation on the ride.   By that I mean, folks would sit at the front for a spell and others would accelerate to get around them and bring the pace up.  This makes the pace line not very smooth. Yes, there were times when folks did the right thing, but unless everyone is on the same page then it won't work.   Everyone had probably read my writings on this so I won't repeat myself again.   I  remember a long time ago I mentioned this stuff on a ride an someone said,  "It is what it is".  Well,I should have replied to that,  "It is what we make it".  I am as guilty as the next guy for going along with the program, "When in Rome".    I think this kinda perpetuates some bad habits and makes them acceptable and worse yet, sets an example for some of those who take this to be "How things are supposed to be...  Nuff said...

So I am surfing the web and looking at a web site which had section on group riding tips etc.   Most of the tips were good and then I came along to this section which stated:

Nobody likes to be told how to ride even if they need it.  Therefore, don’t offer riding advice to anyone unless the directly ask you a specific question.  If you overhear someone asking someone else a riding question, refrain from jumping into the conversion with our own opinion.

I was shocked to see this!   True enough, none of us want to be told that we are screwing up but IMHO letting someone go who is dangerous to the peloton is a huge mistake.   In the old dayz,  I had many a seasoned rider give me unsolicited tips and in most cases I was appreciative.  Even if I wasn't I would at least listen to the opinion of anyone who wanted to share one. 

Much of  pack riding etiquette is tribal in nature.   Various groups have minor variations but they are all pretty much the same.   Occasionally there are differences which are not in-line.  As an example, I was riding with a group once that would flick their elbow to the side which they were coming off the front on.  I read this as them wanting me to pull through on that side.   I almost hit the rider as he drifted back!     We talked about this, and this is when I found out this difference.    If someone is new  to the group, and they look like they need some coaching, I would rather have someone a bit miffed at me than to have my $$$$ bike all screwed up cause a behavior which could have been corrected went unchecked.    In any case this tribal knowledge needs to be passed down and not restrained.  

This reminds me of the 1st Spider man movie where our hero could have stopped the thief but choose not too, quoting,  "I don't see where that's my problem"...  Unsafe riding is everyone's responsibility to do something about.  Like I always say,  "If you are not part of the solution. then you are part of the problem".

I know I have told riders things that they didn't' want to hear.  One such piece of advice was, "Don't ride to close to the edge of a ride with a drop  shoulder".  I explained the reason for this is to give riders behind you some look-see room on both sides of your wheel, other wise there was no room to the right without going off the road. This one was about safety IMHO.  The rider didn't agree with me and stated that he and his buddies did it ...... OK that's all well and good, but I was the ride leader and I felt entitled to speak my piece as I had many times before.   Most riders understood, but this was one who didn't.  Just because one rider didn't like my advice doesn't mean it was sound.  That rider never came to my ride again. and it was only months later did I hear about how disgruntled he was.... Hey, you can't please everyone, but if you give up your principles because someone didn't like something you did/said or whatever nothing would ever get done..

A tactful way to give someone advice is to call a "Coaching moment", then calmly give your advice and hope all goes well.   I suppose that if you are shy you could bear your concern to the ride leader who could handle this for you.

Thankfully, I doubt this advice is seriously practiced.

OK,  now let me find my asbestos suit just in case

It's the 1st cold Sunday ride and it's definitely time to get off the road bikes.  I haven't been to Bobcat ridge in quite a while and it's a good chance to get back there before the snow's come.    I got a call from Barb the night before and it was a possibility that she and Tim and their posse would show up on their SS's and what not. but it was not to be.  

Kent and I do the short loop for a warm-up.  It's only 4 miles and if I can believe the park brochure it's 1000 feet of ascent for that little loop.   I'd be guessing more like 500 but it goes up and down so much that it's possible.    The winds were blowing pretty hard out of the North and  we were glad when we turn South back toward the Ginny Trail head.

Up Up and away and Kent leads this one.   He's not pushing a silly fast pace like last time but it's brisk enough that I wouldn't want to be going any faster.    I keep thinking that my rear disc brake is dragging, which it was, but I am not sure it would have done anything to realistically remove that feeling of working really hard.   It's kinda cold and for some reason we were not cleaning as much stuff 1st go.  We did do a bunch of do-overs and got some of the technical challenges.

We stop 3/4 of the way up for some food in the shelter and that made a big difference.  It was still a grunt to the top and  I was using lower gears than I would have liked, but it's the off season.   Truth is that I have been gaining weight, so that's probably what was the real deal.  Along the way, Kent smacked his pedal pretty hard against a rock and it wasn't working very well.  It was hard to turn and he could only clip in on one side.   Finally we make the top and we head towards the service road.  That trails flows so well in that direction and we were having a good-old-time workin-it.

We grab another bite to  eat at the service road and head back.  The way back is a slog, but at least there was some tail wind to help with this chore.   Something happened to my front derailleur and it starting rubbing the chanring.   A little bit of pushing took care of this.

Finally it's time for the big descent.  I let Kent lead so I could follow some of his lines on the technical stuff.   For some reason I am bit faster than Kent on the  flowy stuff but he rules on the technical switches and drops.  Yeah I can hold my own, but I am not as fluid.
 
On the way down we run into Sean from the Cycologist and his crew.  They were playing on the new technical logs and ramps that were recently constructed.  We watched them for a while. One of his posse made it look easy !

After a bit we took off following Sean and crew down the hill.  I was in concact with then when my front tire pushed out and I went down.      Oh well.     I  regroup with Kent and we enjoy the rest of the descent.    Kent was having trouble with his pedal and couldn't clip in very easily.

Finally we are back at the cars.  A good time was had by all.  Not sure why more folks are coming out to play?

It's been a long time since I have ridden at Horsetooth Park.    At Kent's suggestion thiswas the place to ride this Sunday and since the Yeti hadn't seen any of this yet I was game.  OK,  the yeti was up here once before, but I wasn't it's owner so that doesn't count. 

So I meet Kent at JJ's and we meet Dave and Ian up at the park.  Ian has a goat head in his front tire, but decides not to change it until later.   We hit the service road and it's a bit warmer than I expected already.  Dave is setting the tempo which is civil but brisk.   Ian and Kent are right behind us in a two up formation.    After abit Ian takes to the front and sets a pace that none of us wanted to keep.    It seem effortless for Ian and  there was no need for any posturing on my part....

About half way up Ian's tire is going soft so he makes the quick repair.   Now it's on to the South Ridge trail,  which I had never ridden before. It was a pretty tough technical climb which Ian led all the way, even though much of the time I couldn't even see him.    I was having issues with my rear derailleur and my chain kept going into the spokes so much of the time I tried not to use the big 34 cog.  This  wasn't optimal but doable ....

The descent was finally upon us and Kent proved to be the man by riding stuff that the the rest of us had no stones for.   It was fun to watch Kent and Ian descend and I kept up fairly well.     Unfortunately my  fork has blown up and it's in need of a rebuild.  This made the front a bit pushier than normal.   What a rush!

We exit back onto the service road and may our way up towards Spring Creek.  It was a long tough climb with Ian once again leading the way.      Kent and Dave were doing well also but I was plagued with gearing issues.  Time to give the Yeti some TLC and get it back into proper riding order.   We run into some of the Niner boyz from Littleton who had come up to ride with some budds.  We chat with them for a bit and then we were off to Spring Creek.

Kent takes the lead and it's rock and roll time.  This was a fun descent with lots of techy stuff.  Kent was  carving up the trail like it was Thanksgiving turkey!     Looks like Kent is king of the DH and Ian is KOM for today.   Kent knows these trails like the back of his hand and it shows.  He had some impressive displays that were worthy of the 450club.

I was happy to have finally cleaned that nasty lefty turn over the roots for the 1st time.   Everyone made that one today which just shows that everyone is getting much better over the years.  Well I guess having better equipment doesn't hurt either.   

Finally we are back to the service road and Kent takes to the lead.  There were a few hikers on the way down so I took it pretty easy so as not to frighten any of them with reckless displays.

Back at the lot and I bid Kent and Ian good ride.   Dave and I decide to ride through Lory over to the pump track.  Dave sets a really mellow pace over there.    I run into   Steve, Mario, Ayla going South and we chat for a few seconds....  I also see Tony R. from velo1 with his wife enjoying her new Juliana.

Dave and I do a few laps of the  pump track before Dave heads back.   I do a few more laps and hit some of the small jumps before I take off too....   I hit some of the road and trails and head down Maxwell.   I took it pretty easy so as to keep the legs fresh so I can be well recovered for this Wednesday's 5K run.

Anyway A good time was had by all!