We continued on the road, reaching Fruita at about 4pm. We unloaded our stuff into Casa Fruita, a fabulous house owned by a Longmont couple who rent it out to mountain bikers and wine afficianados. The house is beautiful, filled with cycling art, and blessed with a huge kitchen, space for eight to sleep, wireless internet, DVD player, stereo, and a garage with bike workstand. Needless to say, the place kicks ass. I was SO glad we stayed there! It made the trip that much more pleasant, with home-cooked meals, music, and safe storage for the bikes.
I jumped on my bike and decided that since I couldn't take any more of the car, I'd ride out 18 Road. I had forgotten how long that road is! It took me 50 minutes at an aerobic pace to make it to the singletrack of Prime Cut.
Love that sunset light. I got totally sucked in by the sinuous trail and could not force myself to leave until the sun was already dipping below the horizon. I zoomed back down Prime Cut and hauled ass as fast as I could back to La Casa, making it there just as total darkness was setting in. It was a really pleasant solo ride.
The next day, I got up and found Jules getting ready to ride -- with a passenger:
Jules and Amanda and I rode while T.J. looked after the baby. We did some trails on the Kokopelli side... Rustler's Loop, part of Mary's Loop, and Horsethief Bench, one of my favorites. Jules, who used to ride constantly until she got pregnant and then broke her ankle, was overjoyed to finally be riding again. Amanda has done some mountain biking in her hometown of Annapolis, but totally impressed us with her fearlessness of the technical aspects. Sadly, though, she's a smoker in addition to being from sea level, so I watched her with some trepidation as she bent over her handlebars, gasping for air, at the tops of hills. She complained of her airways closing up, and I was terrified I'd be forced to test out my never-used CPR certification on her. Thankfully, nothing happened, and she seemed to suffer her breathlessness with good humor.
That night, two more folks arrived, Jules' former roommate Shelly, and her husband Jason. They're very fun people as well, and since they live in Westminster, I may get to ride with them again in the future. Jules had brought an entire turkey, of all things, so we enjoyed Thanksgiving in March.
The next day, everyone but T.J. and I headed out to ride the Bookcliffs. I really wanted to ride with T.J., and he had baby duty for the morning while Jules rode, so we planned our ride for the afternoon. He and I went to the coffee shop for a little while, where I saw two Boulderites. I swear I am absolutely not exaggerating when I say that I never see these people in Boulder, but I see them in Fruita almost every time I go there. It's like they read my mind or something.
When the group returned and had lunch, T.J. and I got ready to go. Jason decided to take on an entire day of riding and came with us. We were psyched to ride Troy Built, a trail none of us had ever ridden. It's built, obviously, by Troy Rarick, the man who owns the bike shop and singlehandedly turned Fruita into a mountain bike destination.
We rocked some Pantera on the way there, and I was just itching to get on the bike. We started hauling ass right from the car, and I felt incredible, like there was no chain on my bike. I love that feeling!! It seemed so effortless, which is a rare reward in a sport that usually feels like very hard work. I was charging the hills, railing the turns, and flying over the technical stuff. I could not pry the grin off my face. I couldn't dream of a better day -- the weather was warm, the trails were in perfect condition, the company was wonderful, and Troy Built was a fantastic joyride.
Artsy fartsy shot of Jason:
T.J. and Jason on Lion's Loop:
Then T.J. wanted to shoot the same photo with me in it, which I could hardly refuse:
We finished not long before sunset, and after three hours of zooming around, I still had energy left. I couldn't believe it. It's a testament to the consistent training I've been doing, that's for sure. I've never ended a ride in Fruita without feeling completely blown out! It was a refreshing end to a killer day of riding. We made it even sweeter by grilling steaks and salmon with baked potatoes and salad on the side. Yum!!
Sunday morning was the last quickie ride for us, since all of us except Jules and T.J. were driving home that afternoon. It was windy and chilly, a far cry from the previous day's balmy warmth, so we layered on all our clothes and headed up to the Bookcliffs, where there was some possibility for dropping down out of the wind.
Jason on Chutes and Ladders: (I was always shooting him because he was always right behind me!)
After a hot shower and lunch, we made our goodbyes and headed out. We decided to forego the hot springs on the way back, because we heard there was bad weather over the mountains. But the driving home was just as easy as the drive out! What more could you ask for from a weekend road trip???
The only thing that would make that even better would be... you guessed it -- another trip back THIS weekend! My teammate Cindy and I are planning on it, because her brother-in-law, who lives in Grand Junction, invited us to stay at his house. The only stipulation is that I need to be feeling better... I woke up yesterday morning with a raging sore throat. We'll see what happens, but another chance at Troy Built, as well as stuff we didn't ride, like Moore Fun and Mack Ridge, would be fantastic!
And this time, I better not see either of those two Boulder folks stalking me. :)
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