There was Mud...

 ...at Reach 11 when I rolled in.  I knew there would be - the night before had a couple of thunderstorms blow through.  Sometimes Reach 11 drains, sometimes it does not.  

The DiiVerge was the next bike on the list to "test" the new saddle pushback & angle.  It was almost 8am before I rolled out... but the muggy air was still cool enough.  Roll up through the 'hoods, use the sidewalk to avoid school traffic and down to the dirt.  Heading west first seemed good enough... especially since it felt like my body was NOT cooperating.  The work I did in the gym the day before had been heavier than usual and left me more sore than usual.  "Spinnin' will clear out the shit," I told myself.

Hit the singletrack portion, taking my time.  Stop at the end and angle the saddle up a bit so it doesn't feel like I am fighting to hold myself up.  Roll 20 feet, angle it back down so it does not feel like it's stabbing me in the crotch.  Hit the backside next to the canal hill and the bike feels pretty good.  My legs still do not.

Under the bridge, I make one more adjustment a little more up with the nose.  Start riding down the south side and it's clear THIS side does not drain so well.  Rather than cake mud into my chainstays, I walk the worst of the puddles.  Up the Princess side, stop... angle the saddle down and roll into the Grand Canyon singletrack.

It too is not draining well... and where they came in and widened the trail, the new dirt is a sponge.  Find my way through and back onto the regular north side trail.  My legs are not having it though.  There is nothing there.  My shoulders are revolting against the work.  All I want to do is spin easy... so I do.

Try to climb the big hill out (since it's tacky) but I choose the wrong gear.  Walk the rest, catch the road but weave into the 'hoods.  Shaking off the fatigue, my legs DO come around and soon I am motoring again... and the saddle feels "right".  Get home, shed the sweaty duds... and measure the bike.

The tilt is about where I started.

Admittedly I was kinda bummed that ride had felt so sluggish but the next morning the chance to get back out & try again looked better.  With less overnight rain, the hope was the dirt up in Cave Creek would be drier.  Up early, grab some breakfast and load up the DiiVerge again.  I am suited up and rolling out by 6:42 AM.

As soon as I turned outta the Sears Kay Trailhead, my lungs were screaming, "ahh....FUCK."  It was as if trying to breathe deep was a chore.  Thick, humid air used to be standard in NC but the last 12 years in AZ has made me less adapted to soggy air.  Still... I push the pedals over, grind my way up... resting when I can but pushing when I have to.

Past the EOP (End of Pavement) sign and down that first hill.  Still just as fucked-out as ever - loose rocks, washboard, ruts from rain & UTV's - roll down and there's some surprise when the water isn't flowing from the one creek... which means the dirt is likely dry.  Up the next hill SLOWLY... 'cause my legs were not participating.

Between trying to manage the new position of the saddle & deal with built-up trash, my legs felt lethargic.  I was also only about 15-20 minutes in... and it usually takes at least 30 minutes before my legs feel "open" even on a good day.  Up, over... down through the paved area.  Before the climb starts in earnest and the pavement goes away again, I stop and adjust shorts.  I have this tendency when pull on bib shorts to yank em' a bit high, make sure the chamois falls into place and then pull the leg grippers back into position.  This seems to work but admittedly after having some issues with weird chafing, the need to re-adjust comes into my head after the sweat starts to flow and the fabric falls into place.

Anyways, adjust and start climbing... and I had forgotten how long this first (2 mile) climb is.  It does undulate some but it never lets up much.  I can't remember even looking at my heart rate but I did watch power... and I was happy enough.  The goal was never to push a certain wattage as much as it was about pacing properly to come back feeling slightly more than wasted.

Up, over the top and starting the descent.  It takes a moment to settle into the bike, let my lungs recover and my legs clear the last bit of trash.  Now the ride is starting to be FUN.  While it is "just" a gravel road, the washboards & loose rock make you pay closer attention as you start to speed up.  By the first little bump, everything inside me has recovered enough to put in a decent effort.

This was when my legs started to feel like they used to, that SURGE of power coming through when you jump back on the pedals.  No aching, no hesitation... just that feeling of a good SOLID kick!  Of course my HR kicks up and it only lasts as long as I can breathe full gulps of air... but it was good for the moment.

Into the weaving canyon section, the descent is close to over.  The first time I rode this road was January 2016, just after moving from Tucson to Scottsdale... and I remember thinking then, "don't get too crazy 'cause the sight lines are SHIT and there are lots of UTV's out here."  (Honestly, yesterday was the FIRST time I can remember so few cars, two, and NO UTV's.)  So... I laid back, catch the pavement into Seven Springs and roll easy.

Stop at the trailhead, drink a bit, watch my glasses fog up and feel the sweat continue to DUMP outta my body.  It's not hot... maybe in the 80's by now.  Five minutes pass... and I am back to work.

Chug outta the recreation area, make myself slow-chug up the first hill 'cause honestly my heart rate was floating easy.  I knew the next 4 mile climb would take awhile... and by my calculations I was running ahead of the schedule I had in my head.

Back on the flats, the pace picks up and soon everything else in me is back to work as well.  Through the blind corners, up and down the rollers before getting to Humboldt Road which seems to be the point when the rollers turn to a climb.  Still not steep, still loose chunk in between washboards.  Past Bronco trailhead with my heart rate doing good, I come over the top with enough kick to think, "make the most of this descent!"

Well, I did... and a bit more.  The rollers that still seemed steep on the way UP were steep enough to send me into Zone 4 on the way DOWN.  When I catch the pavement, I let the bike go... but it's clear - I have burned one of my last matches.  When the pavement goes from downhill to uphill, everything inside is hedging.  My legs are empty and my HR is riding a bit high.  Once again, the transmission chunks itself down into a SLOW CHUG and I grind.

Stop at the top, take in the views and recover a bit.  One more STEEP climb out then it's just the road back to the truck.  HR drops into Zone 1 quick enough, down the hill and into the STEEP portion - 8-11%... which has always been my Kyrptonite.  Not that I am ANYTHING like Superman but when the grade kicks up past 8%, the burden of hauling my ass up these grades become a battle with Gravity.  This day it was only compounded by LOOSE dirt and washboards.

Once again, up and over... it takes a moment to regather my faculties but the fun of the paved curves are worth giving that last bit for.  I muster up enough to hammer a bit - swing wide, hit the apex, stand to come out of the corner with a bit more kick then settle down to motor up... and over.

At least until I spy that last climb.  It looked SO daunting as I rounded the corner.  Something inside me wants to give up, another part of me says dig in my heels and motor it.  Somehow the latter overcame the former and I am kicking pretty good... until I caught the view.  "Well, I won't get many chances to get a picture of THAT"... and I pull over.  Fuck the Strava time - I got a cool pic.

Take back off... and the momentum is DEAD.  Not missing.  DEAD.  Chug over the top, down the other side and weave back into the trailhead.  Get to the truck and shed the soggy clothes.  Drink more water, eat some Shot Blocks.  I am empty but I am not wasted... so the goal is met.

At least until get home and look at numbers.  In my own head, the idea that I am as strong as I was in 2017 has been a fuzzy affirmation.  The numbers on Strava spell an emphatic "NO".  Look at this:

• the first 2 mile climb: Yesterday was 15:47 @ 7.1 mph.... vs.  11:46 @ 9.5 mph
• the 4 mile climb: 23:07 @ 9.5 mph vs. 20:18 @ 10.8 mph
• the last kick up to EOP: 4:55 @ 4.8 mph vs. 5:05 @ 4.6mph 

(Remember: 2017 was the year I yanked my left hip flexor... and I was nursing it toward the end of the ride.  I was also pacing myself, trying to keep up with Ron...a much faster cyclist than me!)

I can come up with all kinds of excuses as to why yesterday was so much slower - saddle position, heat, blah blah blah - but the fact remains:  I haven't put in the work.  Can I get back to where I was 10 years ago?  Yea...

That level of fitness has only come into view again in the last couple of years and it often gets blurred when I do something stupid... like yank a muscle or find a new ache to deal with.  Still... the desire to push harder is there.  The fun of riding a bike into rougher-than-normal places is still strong, still high on the list of things I love to pursue.  

The last time (before yesterday) I rode this dirt was June 2018.  I had one goal - climb Humboldt.  Parked at Bronco Trailhead, rode up the hill (a 3.8 mile climb with 1600+ feet of elevation gain) and back down.  Pretty sure it was hot by the end.   The key point of this note is to point out that 2018 was likely the last year I took much of this serious... and I remember burn out setting in around this time.

I had recovered from the hip flexor-yank of 2017, trained into Spring 2018 and had a blast racing/riding the Whiskey 30 in April.  I can't remember if the Reno/Tahoe Trip with Mike B was before or after the Humboldt Climb... but I do remember the rest of 2018 was rather mundane.  That was when I bought the Zwift trainer.  I started making more trips north to ride high elevation dirt.  I bought the Stumpy in the Fall after a trip to NC with an underwhelming FrankenEpic.

Fast forward through the next few years:

• 2019 - burnout was real...  elevation gain dropped from 188K to 146K, mileage from 4200 to 3200
• 2020 - COVID.  I do remember my riding was kicking up...until I smashed my shoulder into the ground two days before the pandemic kicked in.  The rest of that year was sporadic at best...
• 2021 - moved to Chandler...
• 2022 - moved back to Scottsdale...
• 2023 - back on track... til August when burnout kicked in about time the heat got... well, hotter.
• 2024 - once again, back on track... until October when I actually got COVID.  Get back in the groove, sprain my knee.
• 2025 - the knee held me back until April but I was bouncing back... until a leaking roof took away the month of October... and the house wasn't really back in order until end of the year.

So... yeah, 2026 has had its own issues: tendonitis from pushing my knees too far, strained back muscle... and once again, burnout.  That is why it's easier to say NOW that the self-imposed break that began in June was smart.  Having my ass kicked yesterday has me a bit more excited.  That's not to say something won't kick up... but the desire to push through whatever AND keep active on the bike is stronger.  Realizing what happens when I do NOT ride (mentally & physically) keeps me pushing a bit more in the harder times.  

Rides like yesterday make me want pushing ever further...'cause this shit is still fun.

Later.