Curse of Tamarancho (cont'd)
Yeah, so I went back to Tamarancho on Saturday. The curse, as usual, struck. No blood this time, though, just heat exhuastion and cramps.
This time I rode with Coaches Kim and Aaron. They suggested a Tamarancho to Pine Mountain loop. I've never ridden Pine Mountain, so I said why not.
Total ride time was estimated at three hours, which is long but not brutal. Actual total ride time was four hours and fifteen minutes, which is a death march.
We left the trailhead at 9:30 a.m. It was already warm by then, and it only got hotter. I knew things were going to suck when I didn't clean a series of doable switchbacks. Then we broke out of the forest and I began to bake.
At about three hours and thirty minutes into the ride I started to cramp. I got cramps in both quads and in my right hip adductor. I took some Gu (thanks, Aaron!), electrolyte pills (thank you, unknown stranger!) and some Gatorade powder, yelped a bit and walked off the cramps. At about that point, there were some serious discussions about my taking a shortcut back to the road and being picked up in the car. But I have never been shuttled off a ride, and I wasn't going to start that day.
Aaron, by that point, was having problems of his own. He wasn't cramping, but he was beginning to overheat. So now we had twoheadstrong idiots hardcore dudes who refused to let the trail beat them.
Then we all ran out of water.
Our goal was the world-famous Repack Trail, the one on which Gary Fisher and his merrie band of psychos held the first mountain bike race. Once we made it to Repack, it was virtually all downhill to a 7-11 and all the Gatorade we could chug.
As you might have guessed by now, we did in fact make it to Repack, the 7-11 and Gatorade (sweet, sweet nectar of life). But not without a lot of cursing, cramping and pushing bikes uphill.
We made it back to the cars at 2:00 p.m. I thought after I regained feeling in my toes (Repack is one seriously steep downhill) that my cramps were behind me. But no. I drove home, and the second I got out of the car, both quads and that pesky right hip adductor cramped yet again. After about ten minutes of yelping and hobbling around, the cramps subsided. I locked the bike and went inside.
There was no time to rest, because I had lamb shanks to braise for that night's dinner party.
Here's what we ate:
to start
Mark's world-famous tapenade
Stuffed mushrooms w/pecorino romano, pine nuts and lemon zest
main course
Braised lamb shanks
Vegetable tagine
dessert
The Little Girl's world-famous mixed berry cobbler
Many thanks to Scott L. for guidance on the menu.
Many thanks to Lila, Steve P., Michael S., the Little Girl and Bret and Tammy for attending.
It was a wonderful evening.
Finally, this morning I dragged my sorry ass out of bed to go to a 9:00 a.m. swim practice in Novato. Part of the reason I went was because Aaron said that he was going as well, and there is no way I'm going to let that dude be more hardcore than me. But he bailed.
He is so in the doghouse right now.
This time I rode with Coaches Kim and Aaron. They suggested a Tamarancho to Pine Mountain loop. I've never ridden Pine Mountain, so I said why not.
Total ride time was estimated at three hours, which is long but not brutal. Actual total ride time was four hours and fifteen minutes, which is a death march.
We left the trailhead at 9:30 a.m. It was already warm by then, and it only got hotter. I knew things were going to suck when I didn't clean a series of doable switchbacks. Then we broke out of the forest and I began to bake.
At about three hours and thirty minutes into the ride I started to cramp. I got cramps in both quads and in my right hip adductor. I took some Gu (thanks, Aaron!), electrolyte pills (thank you, unknown stranger!) and some Gatorade powder, yelped a bit and walked off the cramps. At about that point, there were some serious discussions about my taking a shortcut back to the road and being picked up in the car. But I have never been shuttled off a ride, and I wasn't going to start that day.
Aaron, by that point, was having problems of his own. He wasn't cramping, but he was beginning to overheat. So now we had two
Then we all ran out of water.
Our goal was the world-famous Repack Trail, the one on which Gary Fisher and his merrie band of psychos held the first mountain bike race. Once we made it to Repack, it was virtually all downhill to a 7-11 and all the Gatorade we could chug.
As you might have guessed by now, we did in fact make it to Repack, the 7-11 and Gatorade (sweet, sweet nectar of life). But not without a lot of cursing, cramping and pushing bikes uphill.
We made it back to the cars at 2:00 p.m. I thought after I regained feeling in my toes (Repack is one seriously steep downhill) that my cramps were behind me. But no. I drove home, and the second I got out of the car, both quads and that pesky right hip adductor cramped yet again. After about ten minutes of yelping and hobbling around, the cramps subsided. I locked the bike and went inside.
There was no time to rest, because I had lamb shanks to braise for that night's dinner party.
Here's what we ate:
to start
Mark's world-famous tapenade
Stuffed mushrooms w/pecorino romano, pine nuts and lemon zest
main course
Braised lamb shanks
Vegetable tagine
dessert
The Little Girl's world-famous mixed berry cobbler
Many thanks to Scott L. for guidance on the menu.
Many thanks to Lila, Steve P., Michael S., the Little Girl and Bret and Tammy for attending.
It was a wonderful evening.
Finally, this morning I dragged my sorry ass out of bed to go to a 9:00 a.m. swim practice in Novato. Part of the reason I went was because Aaron said that he was going as well, and there is no way I'm going to let that dude be more hardcore than me. But he bailed.
He is so in the doghouse right now.
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