Friday morning I was supposed to do a Phoenix Multisport team ride with a reporter from VeloNews. He ended up cancelling so I rushed to catch Doug and John who were on their way to ride Kenosha Pass. Kenosha Pass to Georgia peak is one of my favorite rides in the Eastern Rockies. See Colorado Trail - Keep it Open to Bikes, Kenosha Part II (pics). This season I've spent a lot of time strengthening my climbing and made a concerted effort pick lines that won't abuse the carbon hardtailed Superfly. As a result my tech skills and descending have suffered causing me to loose 1st place in the Cross Country Superloop in the descent. It stung bad! Riding Kenosha would be a perfect opportunity to brush up on descending and tech skills.
The Superlight was the obvious bike choice for the ride. Since it spent most of the summer on the East Coast I haven't ridden it much. Going from the Superfly to the Superlight (it's purely coincidence that both my bikes have the word "super" in their names) is a noticeable change in geometry. Compared the Superfly the Superlight feels like a BMX bike. The punchy, smaller wheels along with the longer head tube and more rearward CG are noticeable. As Doug found out, wheelies in the parking lot easily result in going over the back until you get used to the change in geometry.
I've had the bike 7 years and easily have 10,000 miles in its saddle so it didn't take long to feel at home on the Superlight. By the top of the initial climb it felt completely natural. After riding a hardtail all season it was nice have a little suspension to soak up the roots and rocks. The quicker maneuverability of the Superlight was also a pleasant surprise. One of the tradeoffs between a 26er and a 29er is maneuverability and the 26er definitely wins.
As we descended the backside of the initial climb the ominous sound of thunder echoed through South Park to the North. It turned out to be more show than substance and other than a few sprinkles we dodged any major weather. It was good to ride with Doug and John the latter who I've never ridden with. He's a strong rider, never keeping Doug and I waiting long. After rolling through the lower sections of the trail, a few rock gardens and a short climb we crossed the creek at the base of the climb up to Georgia Pass. It was so fun to not be afraid of cracking carbon. I made it a point to pick the hardest lines, huck off anything I could find, and ride everything without fear.
The climb up to Georgia Pass was just as rewarding. It's filled with semi-steep tech sections followed by longer flatter sections which suits my riding style nicely. Knowing the climb, I like to power through the tech sections in a big gear and then recover on the flats. The overhanging cloud cover kept the temps cool and because it was a weekday we didn't see a soul on the way up. Near the top it was getting pretty cold and I was glad to have brought a jacket. I didn't get much sleep the night before and started feeling it as we broke out above treeline. It took us 1:35 with stops to get to the top, definitely one of my fastest trips up.
After a bar and a GU we turned our wheels downhill and the fun really began. I wanted to get my abs and back to cramp like they did on the descent of the last race so I stood the entire time and only braked when absolutely necessary. It was some of the best descending I've done this year, though it would have been ugly if I crashed. The only carnage was a near miss ducking under a fallen tree at the top. My camelbac took most of the impact, allowing me to ride out of it. By the end of the descent I felt like I was back. I felt in sync with the trail and the bike and never could get my back to cramp.
At the bottom I had plenty of power left in my legs to speed through the aspen groves on the edge of Deadman's Gulch. I've been riding a lot of the same training rides this year and breaking the monotony with a ride like Kenosha couldn't be more refreshing. Doug took the lead up the last climb as a testicular injury from a small stick and many stops to take pictures opened up a gab between us. He rode strong all the way to the car.
At the end of the ride we were smiling and sore. I felt a regained confidence in my tech skills and descending and enjoyed being reunited with the Superlight. Sometimes it's just nice to get out, ride, and enjoy the scenery without worrying about training.
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