First Bruises!

Well, got that out of the way! It's a fact of life when riding a new bike - there will be plenty of firsts. The one I always want to get over with is the first major crash - the first bruise inducing wipe out. It's bound to happen sooner or later, but until it does, there's that fear. Of falling, of dinging or scratching the new bike. My bruises heal, but a scratch in the pristine black frame? Yikes! I know it's inevitable, I've already whacked the crank arms and the bash guard - yay bash guards! But until Sunday, I'd managed to keep the rubber side down. The good news is, now that I've gotten my first bruises out of the way, I can relax and have fun on my bike!  

And I can't think of a better place then Monument. Every time we go there, I get to ride something new. When Jon joins us, it's even better. He's the local trail guru and master planner, so he knows all the secrets. Sunday was no exception. We did something completely different and had a great time. After a short meander from the Work Center to Palmer  Lake, we started climbing. And kept climbing for the next hour. It was only about four miles of double track, but steep, steep and steeper. Lots of practice with crisscrossing ruts and body posture on the bike. Every time I thought we reached the top, the road turned and headed higher into the mountains. Between the blue skies, green pines and gold aspens, it was plenty to distract from the elevations we were climbing towards. Finally, we reached the top and it was time for some fun. First up, a rock feature worthy of playing on - everyone took a turn and Nick did the big line. Wasn't pretty since a aspen wanted a hug, but he made. I had camera duty, so only took one try on the rocks. Then the real descent started - an narrowly benched, tightly switch-backed line of fun. Lots of rocks and big lines. I was using all of my suspension and throwing the big wheels around. It was prefect. The bike was made for that kind of fun! I was making more then I thought I would and pretty confident on my Stumpy.

Nick on the big line - better watch out for that aspen tree!

"Did you see that?" I nearly took that aspen out!

One more steep climb, dodging the ricochets from the idiots shooting off Mt Herman rd. Yes, not only were we subjected to the noise and mess, but the distinctive bazing-swish of a flying bullet way to close. There was no stopping until we reached the road. Only then could we stop and regroup. Stupid trail. More fun than it sounds and I was doing good. Maybe I could prolong the first bruises for a little longer - that's what I was thinking. Then it happened. I came into a rock garden a little too slowly, grabbed too much front brake and toppled right over. Onto a big, hard rock! Shoulder and hip definitely took that hit hard! Oh well - had to happen some time. Then we finished out the rest of Stupid - I actually rode more of it then I thought I would. Some of those rocks are pretty scary (for me!) We finished the ride out on HotShots and returned to the van all grins.