...since late June went about as I expected:
- a bit slower 'cause it was hot already (86 at the start, in the 90's when I finished)
- a bit slower 'cause the hangover lingered...
- more than a few stops to adjust new stuff and...
- as fun as I expected... 'cause mountain bike.
The Mach Wu has been through a few changes since that ride in June, so I was showing up with a major change to sort out: AXS shifting. I had been thinking about it for about 6 months, never would plunk down the $$$ but waking up bolt upright from a nap one afternoon, I took the plunge & ordered an X0 rear derailleur and the rocker paddle shifter. A few days later, I was shifting with a "wwwhiiirrRRP-clunk".
And then it sat. I would pull the bike down every once in awhile, check the tires and shift the gears. I tinkered more than once with the position... knowing full well I would tinker more once I was out on the trail.
But the weather... and other goals got in the way. I was riding the DiiVerge more in July 'cause I had signed up for Bear Howard... and was pre-riding the course and "training" when the days cooled off. The rest of the time I was on Zwift, squeezing in road rides in the EARLY AM or in the gym. Loading up and driving anywhere for 30-60 minutes meant I had to be up 30-60 minutes earlier. And I just don't fuckin' get up early.
However, this week started looking good last week - cooler mornings with the 100's hitting later. It is still gonna be in the 80's at 5am but it lasts longer, too. Add in school being back in session and I had no interest in trying to ride the road with the minivans and SUVs as they drop off the rugrats. So... I loaded up.
Roll into the Alma School parking lot, suit up and roll out. As I hit Browns Ranch Road, my HR is climbing into high Zone 2 right away. I remind myself that I reset the HR zones... and Zone 2 is still pretty comfortable but it's more clear that my legs are trying to push ALOT of shit along with all the blood. I give into the idea that my warm-up is gonna be slllooowww.
Ease out Vaquero, up Watershed and left to Cathedral. I ease off more and more as my HR climbs into Zone 3. Starting to feel better but still I seem to be riding HIGHER in my heart rate than I expected. Get to the intersection with Stagecoach, stop for a break. HR drops to Zone 2.0 and I roll out.
Up until this point, the shifting had been pretty easy - I reversed the original set-up with my big paddle downshifting. As I make my way up the climb, it doesn't feel as natural as I would like. Push on, HR goes into Zone 4 and I focus on managing the effort moreso than does my thumb feel right. Grind to the top and stop for some pics:
The shadow is HORRIBLE but it's still a decent shot. I took a bunch more but those are being saved for a deeper explanation of the bike. Not much is stock at this point...
Anyways, drop down and weave over to Granite Mountain. Stop and adjust the shifter, reversing the paddles to make the big paddle upshift. It feels a bit more natural... but we will see. As I approach the downhill portion, I give it one last kick... and let it roll. I want to see if I can coast ALL the way to the next intersection (with Chuckwagon). With more than a few pumps to get over some SLOW knolls, I reach the left turn and drop down the south side of Granite Mountain.
The dust & smoke in the distance is real. The Billy Fire is still a burning more than few miles away...
More than once I failed to downshift or upshift. Clicking the right button was not as intuitive yet as I would have liked. Still I clunked my way into the right gear til I hit Black Hills and Turpentine. Right turn and I settle into the closest thing to an interval I was gonna try - Z3 Tempo....
And it was sluggishly slow... kinda. I wasn't necessarily hauling ass but I wasn't losing time either (7th of 22 fastest times on Turpentine, 6:40 vs. 6:02). Get to the end, ease off and drink more before Latigo. When I hit Latigo, it was more of a bastadized effort to stay in Zone 3 than an interval. At one point, I had just touched Zone 4 and eased off to drink & let my HR sink to 3.1 (or my 29th of 37 fastest times on Latigo).
Pass the exit to ??? Street and kick it up, decide to just let my HR ride where it's gonna ride. When I cross over the top, I just stay on the gas. The bike is skipping a bit 'cause... well, it's Summer and it's Browns and the dusty gravel gathers ALL OVER the trail, not just the edges (... but I still set a PR - 2:36, 8 seconds faster than 2nd...outta 37 tries).
Take the "new" exit to cross Alma School and when I hit the climb to the right, I give it as much as I can... but stay seated 'cause the trail has NO traction. One segment says I was way behind, another says I set a PR. All I know is I felt REALLY good...
When it was over, I sat in the back cab of the truck and sweated. It was hot AND humid... and changing clothes felt like trying to get dressed in a swimming pool. Eventually the sweat slowed to a small stream and I was loaded and ready.
Rolling back home I thought less about the ride itself and more about how I felt - sluggish for longer than expected, stronger than expected at the end. I was happy with that.
The bike... was a great surprise. It felt LOOSE in the dusty, dry conditions but apparently it was fast. There have been as many days that I have TRIED to go fast at Browns as there have been days that I just cruised. For a semi-half-assed effort to set PRs is more credit to the bike than the rider.
The shifting is more FUN than I expected. I like the quickness of the shift. I like the multiple options with the thumb and the forefinger. The only thing I do NOT like is the unfamiliarity in my brain space... but it'll come around. Just like dropper posts. Just like squish stuff switches.
More later.
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