Self Esteem Hill Stomps.

Wednesday's ride was a good one for self esteem. Grumpy Jay and I went to Great Falls and Riverbend to ride some hills. I hadn't had the chance to bump up the gearing on my monkey after Big Bear, so I was still pushing a smaller gear. That helped me keep my pace up a little on the climbs. I needed that. My goal was to work my lungs as hard as I could for 60-80 minutes. I hoped in the process that my legs would get some work too.

That is exactly what happened. J and I took turns leading up the climbs. His pace was naturally faster than mine, but I managed to hang on his wheel. When we got to the long climb out of great falls into Riverbend, I hung on his wheel up the steep part and then moved past for the rest of the climb. It was nice to set the pace a little, even though it was slower that what J could have done.

There are a few trails in Riverbend that are okay to ride down when it is wet. They're a bit too steep to try and ride up since you'd dig in and cause damage if you spun your wheels. We did all the fun ones on the way down.

The parks folks at Riverbend are in the process of armoring the trail along the river. they've picked a line pretty far back from the waters' edge and have been trucking in tons of rock to make it very firm. Though it isn't very interesting to ride on, it is GREAT to have there because it gives you access to a relatively gradual line up the ridge.

I took the armored and rocky trails up the climb to the road. There is a small section that is hard packed dirt to the point where the little bit of rain didn't loosen it up at all. That area is getting a little rough, but is still very ridable.

We rode back down the doubletrack into great falls and rolled through the park. It was good to relax a little and talk with J about things. We've both been stupid busy of late and that has limited the time that we have to just hang out.

Then the big climb came. I'd pushed hard on all the previous climbs, so my legs were starting to feel it a bit as were my lungs. I managed to stay with Jay up most of it. He eased up a little at the top because he didn't know what I had in mind for the final part of the climb. It was great for me to chase him up the hills and work it. I honestly think I'd be faster on that climb with a bigger gear. I guess I'll find that out soon enough.

The end result was that I had a great ride and worked pretty hard on some of the hills. It confirmed that I still have a bit of recovery left to do after Big Bear. It also confirmed that I need to get a lot more rest than I've had this week. I hate riding when I haven't had enough sleep. My body just doesn't want to do what I have in mind for it.

Thanks for a great ride, J. I can't wait to do it again soon.

Pete