My face muscles cramped from smiling

This may have been the most fun weekend on mountain bikes since I got back into riding the fall of 2006. Actually, there is no doubt that it was the most fun. All because I got to go biking with fellow School of Mine'er Scott Sportsman. It may have been 10 years (10 years! OMG) since leaving Golden and the great friends and cycling but the memories have always been with me. sigh. memories. But now I have new memories, a better bike and stronger legs!

I was nervous to ride with Scott. He races. He races long distances. He races long distances without gears. He races long distances without gears or suspension. I'm a wannabe trying my first race with no experience or knowledge other than getting on a bike and pedaling. Of course, I only ever remember Scott (just like all the guys I rode with at Mines) being supportive and encouraging whenever we cycled in Golden. Nevertheless, nervous. What if he was bored with our trails? What if I really am a shitty rider and just have pretenses to mad skillz? What if he had to tell me I'm not ready for the race? What if he doesn't make it though Canada Customs and Immigrations???

A friend lent his Brodie Sauce to Scott who aptly remembered shifting and full suspension on the first day's XCish North Shore ride. We started gently on the Figure 8 loops in Lynn Valley and discovered that the brakes on the Brodie were insufficient, so we rode back down to sea level for a quick adjustment at the bike shop and then back up to Lynn Valley to start the climb to Mt. Seymour. The plan was to ride Fishermans to Bridal Path, climb up Old Buck and then drop the saddles, put on the armor and descend Severed Dick. I only got a little turned around, not lost, just added a few kms of backtracking a couple of three times.... I had to call for a rest break once we hit Old Buck. Maybe if there were more wildflowers for Scott to stop and take pictures of I wouldn't have been so trashed before the second to last climb of the day. The fully suspended ride down Severed was very tasty. Almost as tasty as the burger and beers at the local brew pub after the 5 hour ride. mmmm beer.

I may have a mind like a sieve sometimes, but am 99% certain (at 95% confidence) that Scott said he wouldn't have ridden that on his ss. Success!

Blurry Scott on Severed. I couldn't get far enough ahead to get a good picture! Due to the blur you can't note the full spandex with armor....Not the typical North Shore style of riding clothes...Obviously a tourist!
Since I'm kind (and training for the BCBR) I decided to ride Squamish XC on Sunday rather than show Scott more of the North Shore free ride stuff. That and I'm a lousy downhill rider. There was no goal for Sunday but turns out the Test of Metal course has been marked and once we found the single track there was nothing to do but follow the blue arrows. Of course, I still got us turned around and added a few kms backtracking especially when we rode into the area with active logging. I wasn't keen to meet a skidder or haul truck... Sunday was delicious riding! Though Scott did make wistful comments about not having his Walt today. The downside of riding together was it was not possible to take pictures. I couldn't get in front of Scott (who was now riding a demo Enduro from the LBS as the Brodie hasn't been ridden since my friend got married and had a baby 3 years ago and needed more attention from a wrench), long enough to document his geared and suspended hours. So I settled for his back wheel and attempted to take one-handed pictures on a section of flat wide loamy trail. The best trail of the day was Roller Coaster. Every bit as good as the name implies; fast, wiggly, goodness.
4 hours and a few advils later we decided to go to the Howe Sound Brew Pub for, well, burgers and beer. mmmmm beer. Summer days are long up north and Scott says his knee doesn't give him grief when running so we did a quick jaunt to the top of the Chief after quitting the pub. It's 550 m vertical over 2.5 kms to the top of First Peak. Rolled back into Vancouver around 8 pm and nibbled on crepes and grilled veggies for dinner. There was probably also beer.

I skipped work on Monday and Scott still had the Enduro and was booked on an evening flight. Plenty of time to ride Pipeline on Mt. Fromme. Platforms. Full face helmet. Full armor. Third easiest trail on the North Shore. Conditions were great, the trail was dry, the man mades were in good condition. I think it was a new pivot on the teeter-totter.... My only complaint was that full face helmets mask the smiles and muffle the woohooos. Scott's only complaint was I didn't feed him enough breakfast. We grabbed a quick bite at our much less tasty Chipotle's imitation and headed to the park to slackline; the perfect thing for those mellow in-between times with the added bonus of making Scott stationary long enough for some in-focus pictures. The only word for the weekend was amazing. The riding was wonderful. Probably 12 or so hours over 3 days of riding plus a hike. Scott provided some great tips on the race and some very appreciated confidence boosters about my fitness level/strength and chances of finishing the race. The conversations were fun-- nothing like a couple of Mines geeks talking 'bout the world-- though Scott's American accent often made me giggle. The time off the bikes was pretty damn great too, which turned out to be a relief as his flights out of Van got all kerfuffled and he was unable to get out of town until mid-day Tuesday.

Thanks for coming to visit Scott!! When and where is the next mtn bike get-together? I hear Moab is nice.