October 15th (Morning)

A bit overcast this morning, so again I left 5 minutes later than usual, but it was a bit dark nonetheless going through Juniper. I also felt rather sluggish and tired (muscle tired) this morning, so I didn’t manage a great pace on this morning’s ride. Still a decent time of 59 minutes in the end, which is actually starting to become my slow time (used to be my average or better-than-average time).

My chain jumped off the chain ring again while shifting to granny gear on the 2nd to last climb along the pipeline section at Rose Hill, so I ended up walking that hill. I really wish I knew why it did this!!! I can’t adjust the stop any further, or I have poor shifting. I will try to remember to tighten the cable a bit this weekend, as it has been a bit slow on the upshifts recently. I wonder if the cheaper derailleur means a spring that tends to “slap” more than a more expensive derailleur? For the price of a decent front derailleur, this might be something worth looking into.

One thing I noticed this morning, though, was I had better cornering speeds along Frolek’s road. I used to take these corners slowly, around 18km/h or less. Then I started getting confidence in leaning and cornering techniques and recently I average closer to 22km/h through these corners. However, I still feel that is too slow and that I could be going a bit faster. This morning, I averaged probably closer to 25km/h so that was cool. It’s really nice to come through with that kind of speed, as it helps keep the momentum for the two single-track trails that cut the road’s switchbacks, yet they both have a decent, steep climb going this direction. The more momentum I can carry through the corners means the faster I can hit those climbs and get up and over easier.

I didn’t make a clean section at the dip/corner of single-track, and had to dab a bit, but then managed to at least complete the rest of it without walking (which, in my humble opinion, equates to 1/2 a stop! ). Going down into Peterson’s Creek was good. I can’t say enough about these new brake pads. I can go as slow or as fast as I want down this section, fully in control now. Previously, I would be dragging the rear wheel and increasing speed whether I wanted to or not!

I did make it through the creek OK, but didn’t make the climb. I blame the coyote that was probably about 100 yards to my left and suddenly started yipping and howling… When I’ve been riding in silence for the last 30 minutes, listening to nothing but the crunch of dirt under the tires and my breathing, the sudden yelping from a coyote so close made be about jump out of my skin! I never did see him/her, even though I stopped at the gate and ditched my jacket. The entire time, though, ‘till I was pretty much done the climb and up to Summit Drive, he kept yelping. Not sure what his issue was… Oh, and that pile of bear scat I talked about yesterday? Gone. Yep, completely gone. I mean, it vanished. There’s no scratching or digging marks indicating that someone pushed it off the trail or even picked it up. Just a dark spot like it disintegrated into thin air… So, now I’m not thinking bear or grizzly anymore, but some mystical monster that is haunting the millionaires living on the edge of Peterson’s Creek… Could make for a good move, Harry and the Henderson’s, the sequel maybe? Whatever… Time to get back to work!!!