Fewer Words, More Pics - GW Cycling @ Raw Talent Ranch

Instead of writing tons and tons of words, I'll please Kyle and Tim's need for brevity by just posting various cool shots from GW Cycling's trip to the lost river barn last weekend. But don't think this'll be brief. If I'm gonna post pics, I'm gonna make it worth your time.

In ironic preparation for the trip, I had cleaned my bike all nice and pretty and shiny, Bike Lust and all. The shininess didn't last long.



Friday:

Pete, Samantha, Dan (Schlomo) and I arrived early on Friday for a ride down Howards Lick Road -






First we took a loop around the Lost River Classic race course. Here's me near the end of the loop climbing up Jenkin's Hollow at a more leisurely pace than I did four times, exactly two months before this picture was taken -


Then we rode a bit back up part of Howards Lick to a loop through Lost River State Park around Dove Hollow and Whetzel Hollow Roads.


Dan found this "mini horse" on Whetzel Hollow Road amazing -




Then we rode back up the barn to find some of the other GW cyclists had arrived and were enjoying the true RTR experience.



Saturday:

The entire 8-person group rode down Howards Lick to meet up with Jay. We took Dove Hollow to Parker Hollow, turning down Kimsey Run.







We crossed 259 to head up Mill Gap Road into the GW national forest where the road headed up gradually, then turned into a steep climb.









Then we descended down past Wardensville on Old 55, stopping for a snack. After the stop, it started raining a bit. We headed back to the barn via Old 55 to gradual climbs back up Parker Hollow and Dove Hollow. I stopped taking pics because it got pretty wet and I was using a brand new camera. This part of the story needs to be told, though.

The short story goes that two of our folks go straight-up dropped at a snail's pace before turning onto Parker Hollow. It's a relatively easy road, but after a mountain or two, the mileage and weather got to them. I hung back with them for a bit until I was too cold. LP had good instincts to keep riding; Lyle's legs wouldn't allow it up the slight bumps.

As I pedalled away, for 20 minutes I basically TT'd the hell out of my legs to get warm. I ate everything I had, and after a few lonely miles I found Scott. At least he was pedalling along. I yelled "Eat food, stay warm" and just kept hammering along, the road aiming up hill now. A few minutes later on the last big hill on Dove Hollow, I caught up to the group.

I flew past telling Schlomo to tag along, but he didn't. I basically just kept hammering past them, another 10 miles down Dove Hollow and then up the long climb on Howards Lick all the way back to the barn so I could get a car and pick up the stragglers. That was a painful, scary, and lonely ride on the ridge.

Lauren ended up hiding in the park ranger's house until we picked her up later. Lyle and Scott both hitchhiked a bit. (I got a great video of LP, Schlomo and I driving around looking for Lyle. To be posted soon.) I didn't think much of the rain or mid-50s temperatures, but it really got to some of these newer folks. I rode 70 miles at the barn in March in colder and wetter conditions, so this was just an ugly day. Sometimes you forget the toll that uphill miles and bad conditions take on some folks when they're out of their own local element. I finished with 63 miles, about a third of that alone in the rain.

Live & learn. Whatever doesn't kill you... makes you deserve beer when you get back to the barn.


Sunday

Sunday was a gorgeous day. We again headed down the easy side of Howards Lick Road, taking Jenkins Hollow to cross into Virginia via Crab Run Road for a lollipop ride through some easy rolling, beautiful valley roads.







(I put some HD video of the group riding down Howards Lick Road and also Crab Run Road on YouTube. I'll post the links soon.)

I've climbed up the "easy side" to the barn at least a dozen times now, but I'd never timed it. I've timed the backside every time I've flown up. I thought about it too late to get the entire climb, but started the clock when I passed the end of the double-yellow line ends (where the road becomes one-lane wide).

I passed Shenendoah Mountain Road, the end of the initial steep climb, at 9 minutes and 15 seconds, hitting the Barn's driveway at 21 minutes, 9 seconds. I went up pretty darn strong, but definitely not in total gotta-kick-Drew's-butt mode since he wasn't there to push the pace. Schlomo flew in over a minute and a half later; Sam lead the ladies' KOM at seven and a half minutes.




Another great weekend at the Barn.

If you want to see my entire Zenfolio album of the weekend's pics, feel free to check them out here. I'll be putting some videos on my youtube account throughout the week.