Explorations

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Since there was no race this weekend, Nick and I went exploring on Sunday. (A smart call, I don't think the trails would have dried enough to be rideable. And I don't like riding in clay, cement mud) With the Pikes Peak atlas in Nick's pack, we headed up Gold Camp Road. I wanted a bit of a workout and took the climb a little harder, settling into steady state effort. It felt good to burn some of the energy stored from the taper for the race. At the top, we pulled out the map. Time to go find some new trails.

My turn to enjoy the view - looking out over Ft Carson and 115

And we did. With a mix of fun riding, some steep hike-a-bike sections and a few technical sections it was a slow but cool hour and a half. The views at the top were worth all the effort to get there. And we saw where some of the other trails we're looking at might go. But that's exploring for another day. The drop to Old Stage was loose, with lots of decomposed granite scree, but still fun. We finished out the ride on a new trail for me, but one that Nick's done a few times - MacNeil and Swischer trails. I walked a few things and was wishing for a bigger bike and dropper post on that descent! But a good day, perfect weather and fun trails. Made up for not racing on Saturday!
Nick enjoying the view - a little overexposed from the camera phone!

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