The Power of the Birthday Ride

There is truth in the saying, "strength lies in numbers". Everytime we have a birthday ride, it confirms my belief in the strength we gather when amongst friends. Our favorite Carebear, Mark, celebrated his 47th birthday on Saturday and called a celebratory ride at Rich Mountain.

Now, mind you, Rich Mountain rates as one of the most difficult rides in our area, if not THE hardest. Even though we have been riding this trail for 20 years, it has never gotten to the point where I take it lightly. Rich, or Stanley Gap (it's other name), deserves the utmost respect. The mere mention of its name in a crowd will elicit groans, ooohhhs, aaahhhhs, tales of horror, and even somber silence.

The ride had originally been planned for Saturday, but as usual, the rains foiled our plans. The ride was postponed till Sunday, and we prayed the weather would cooperate. January has been an unsettled month, to say the least, in regards to the weather, and we are all getting antsy, cranky, and eager to get out and ride.

In the midst of our despair, the skies cleared Saturday afternoon. A quick call was made, and we rallied around for a spontaneous Carebear Birthday Road Ride.

We were all so happy to be out on our bikes, that it did not matter whether we were on the road or mountain. I was also honored to be riding with Millhouse for the first time on the road. I am used to chasing his singlespeed down the dirt trails, not pavement. His lovely wife, Kristen, has been diligently attending spin classes all winter, so I look forward to having her join us on some rides soon.

Carebear, Tweety, Robb, Millhouse, Speedy, Regularjoe, Raja and I enjoyed a leisurely ride through the nice roads of Alphatucky taking care to save the legs in preparation for tomorrow's big ride.

On a side note, I was honored to meet Lauren this weekend. Lauren is the first (and only) female in the Cherokee Mountain Bike Club. How refreshing to see teenagers engaging in a worthwhile discipline, thanks to the leadership of their coach, Stephanie! I look forward to seeing these young riders out on the trails. Having been the only girl cyclist in my group for many years, I am especially rooting for Lauren.

On Friday, I was joined by The Caminator and Rlaz for a few hours on the road to jump start my system. After almost 12 days off the bike due to an injury, I was dreading that feeling. You know the feeling. Dead legs, no strength, no power, can't breathe, the horrible realization that you're starting over. The longer I put it off though, the more I would prolong the agony. After 2 days of riding to shake out the cobwebs, I was ready to head North for some Rich Mountain Fun.

Sunday morning looked promising for the drive up to Cherry Log.

As much as I love to encourage riders in their conquest of a new trail, I confess I am always a tad nervous with first timers on this particular route. You never know if their mental skills are up to the task and if all will emerge unscathed. Sure, Milma and Tibbs are mutha's of a trail, but they're only an hour or so of suffering. A Rich Mountain ride ain't over till it's over, and there's never any promise that all will end well.

Regularjoe conquered Rich last August on his 2nd attempt, and he was on hand today in case our first timers needed coaching. The morning air was cold down in the valley where we started, but we would warm up quickly. The ride starts with a mile climb up a gravel road leading to a 3 mile singletrack climb.

Ony was not afraid to take on the challenge of Stanley for the first time!

Another first timer was The Power of Cheese!

Emil, Clogger, and Speedy rounded out the First Timer Group. Speedy was lovin' the singletrack!

The singletrack climbs relentlessly for 3 miles cutting through the side of the mountain covered with the barren trees of winter.

Occasional clusters of rock covered in moss line the trail and brown leaves cover the frozen earth that will be mush once it thaws in the afternoon warmth.

Our tires were able to get perfect traction on this half, but it was another story once we headed back down to the pkg lot. For now, we climbed in ignorant bliss having no clue as to the slop awaiting us on the return.

I enjoy this trail the most when I get in my own little zone, not concerning myself with other riders or trying to keep pace. It seemed to also be the MO for everyone else. I like to look back on the trail and see each rider in their own little world making their way up through the trees. How many cyclists can you find in this pic?

RaceyTracey has ridden Rich a number of times, and she has no problem holding her own against the guys. We were the only female contingents in this sea of males, but we're used to it. That's why we're so tough;-)

Just when you think you cannot climb anymore, the top finally appears. Victory, for now. Ony was stoked over making it to the top of Stanley Gap. A few more climbs to go, but first, some nice long downhill.

The Downhill! There's plenty of downhill at Rich. This is what Raja lives for cause he has a need for speed. The Fox rp3 had just been PUSHed and was getting a test run today. I was hoping against hope that this would make him happier with the MotoLite. It certainly didn't slow him down. Nothing does.

Our roadie friend, Brian, had called at the last second to see if he could catch a ride with us. We were thrilled to have him join in, and he wowed us with the ease at which he flew down the hills (and flew UP the climbs).

Tweety is a diehard downhiller, so he brought his Santa Cruz Bullit for the ride. He never even felt the first rock or root, I'm sure.

Robb was sporting a new Rocky Mountain Slayer.

This was the latest in the lineup of bikes he is reviewing on his website, Mtb Trail Review. Whenever I asked him how he liked the bike, he would grin and say "I love it, everything about it is great!" Judging from how he was flying down the hills, he was lovin' it!

Everybody was riding in top form, and no crashes were to be had. Thank goodness! Rich Mtn can dish up some nasty spills if you get in over your head. Regularjoe has come a long way from where he was almost this time last year when he rode here for the first time.

We continued on down towards Deep Gap before heading off to the Flat Creek Loop. Paul is no stranger to Rich.

Neither is cRASh. Although he did not live up to his name today, fortunately!

As we started the climb up to Flat Creek, the rest of the birthday crew joined us. Carebear's Dedicated Athlete teamates, Brian, Shane & Tim, rolled up on their singlespeeds, barely breaking a sweat after chasing us up and over Stanley Gap. Millhouse was happy to have SS company, and we all secretly called them freaks behind their backs. These guys are crazy!

Brian Bell took off up Flat Creek with the Dedicated Athletes right behind him. Somehow, I found myself riding behind them and decided to enjoy being in their presence while it lasted. They weren't going all out race pace, but I still had to focus in order to stay on Flatfender's wheel. I reminded myself that their bikes were feather weights compared to my 28lb MotoLite. I was also carrying a loaded camelbak AND 3 lb camera on my 115 lb body, while they had nothing on their svelte muscle chiseled bodies. Well, all that was supposed to make me feel better about my lack of physical fitness, but it only made me more aware of the small child I was carrying on my back.

My motivation was to be with them once we hit the downhill. Flat Creek's downhill is super rocky and technical and lots of fun when you have good riders to chase. But the real mystery for me was to see them pull off this descent on hardtail/rigid bikes. Insane, I tell ya, downright crazy. These guys ain't right;-)

At one point, the trail is basically a creek bed of large rocks and water. With the cold temps, it was now a trail of ice. The ice was beautiful and I wanted so badly to stop for the great photo op this would be of riders coming through the rocks and ice. But I did not dare break stride and lose the train. I was having waaaaay too much fun riding behind Tim and Shane, watching them pick their way smoothly through the rough trail. NOW I was really appreciating my 5" travel Titus and the fact that my eyes were not bouncing out of my head. I could hear Tim shouting out comments; something about having a hard time keeping his eyes in their socket.

At the bottom of the long downhill, the trail takes a left turn to lead you to singletrack climbing back out.

This climb is relatively short and one of my favorites. It's beautiful. The racers took off, and my wasted little legs did their best to get me to the top. Carebear was keeping a fast clip, and I could not catch him. None of us could! But we were still enjoying being out on our bikes on the dirt.

Back at the trailhead, we congregated to discuss our options. Raja was ready for more, but my legs were fading. The loss of muscle over 2 weeks was sorely showing, and inwardly I was questioning my ability to get back up and over Stanley Gap. Most of the group was still eager for more, so I dared not back down and show any weakness. I was pleasantly surprised at everyone's eagerness to keep on exploring. The power of the Birthday Ride was starting to kick in.

We crossed Aska Road and climbed up Green Mountain. Once at the top, we descended down to the Long Branch trail and flew down that at warp speed, eventually dumping back onto Aska Road. A nice mile long climb up Aska, and we were back at Deep Gap pkg lot.

All we had left was a 3 mile climb up Stanley Gap and then a nice 4 mile descent back to the cars. Sounds so simple. My legs were killing me, and had no umpf in them. I was envisioning having to hike-a-bike the entire 3 miles.

As we plodded up the gravel climb to the trailhead, I started whining to Regularjoe. Well, bless my soul, instead of whining back, he began to dish out the tough love speeches I have been preaching to him over a year. He reminded me of some things I had told him that were of help in tough moments like this. "I said that, really?" It was a nice splash of cold water in the face, and I swallowed my own medicine as we made the turn up the steep climb.

And just like Regularjoe said, things kicked in, I dug deep and found something somewhere to keep my legs going round. One pedal stroke at a time. It was slow, but I made progress. In fact, I was surprised to round a turn and realize this was the top. Thanks, Joe. The power of the Birthday Ride in action. You give a gift of wisdom on one ride and it keeps going round to be used over and over again.

Clogger and Carebear had long since dropped me on the climb, but I did not mind the solitude. I was enjoying being out on the trail, lost in my own little world, focusing on my pedal stroke and breathing. Once at the top, Clogger was waiting. I told him to go on and I'd wait for the rest of the crew. I know all to well how mental one can get when on a new trail for the first time. Being alone for too long is not always good when you don't know where you are, and I wanted to be their connection back to civilization.

I made sure to wait at the top of the climb, so I could holler down and assure any riders that the top was just ahead. The last pitch is a bugger and really steep. I've only made this climb twice in my lifetime. Today was not one of those times.

A few nasty roots were the only thing standing between us and the last downhill.

Millhouse is a rock star in my book. Anybody that does Rich Mtn on a singlespeed deserves a medal, or psycho analysis. (I'm just jealous I can't do it)

By now, the ground had thawed and created a nice sloppy trail for us to descend. Things were tricky and a few riders had some unplanned dismounts, but nobody was hurt. We survived the entire ride only to get muddied up in the last few miles. But we sure had a blast!!!

A treat of homemade Rocky Road Bars were in order. We rode 22 miles and climbed 4100'. And we did it with a little help from each other. The power of the Birthday Ride is strong!

I am very proud of the first timers! Rich Mountain is a toughie, and you have to be real tough to stick it out. Well done Emil, Brandon, Ken, Ony, and Mike!

There is strength in numbers, at least amongst us. I ride with a fine bunch of folks.

Happy Birthday, Carebear! Thanks for sharing the Power of the Birthday Ride!

Conquering the Beast.....Within

Tackling a challenge in life, whether it is on the bike or otherwise, is the impetus that keeps one fresh, current, strong, and alive. There are certain trails in our repertoire, no matter how many times ridden, that always test and stretch my cycling aptitude.Introduced to these trails in the early nineties, we refer to them as Rich Mtn. Now, many folks call it Stanley Gap, but that's just one of the many "gaps" you climb on this beast of a ride. Accessing the system from the Cherry Log end of North Georgia, or from Aska Rd outside of Blue Ridge, you will find more than your fair share of a climbing fiesta.
Today's ride originated from the Cherry Log end at the game check station off Rock Creek Road. Being the "elders" of the group and stuck in our ways, we insisted on this starting point. That's the way we learned it, so that's the way they must do it. None of this easy warm up stuff off Aska Road. A nice 1 mile climb up a gravel road would bring us to the 3 mile singletrack climb to begin our challenge.The first time Raja and I ever attempted Rich was probably in 1989, and it was pretty pathetic. Sure, the initial climb was harder then than it is today, (thankfully it has been rerouted a bit) but we only made it a couple miles up before bailing. Pretty bad.

Dozens of repeated attempts and many years later, we now manage to do the entire trail. Sometimes it is ugly, sometimes it is fun, but it is never easy. Ever. We have been in various forms of fitness through the years from expert racers to just riding w/the racers, and it still has never been easy.

We have brought along all types of riders from first timers to seasoned veterans, and have been witness to all kinds of results. From bailouts on the first mile, to "show me the quickest way back", and "I'm going to finish this thing" attitudes, we have seen it all.
Rich Mountain has dished out more wild experiences to us than any other trail system we ride. I was hoping today would just be one of the memorable because it was fun rides.

Our cast included Regularjoe, Tweety, Concrete Blonde, and Robb. Each person had had a few encounters with this monster course, with Regularjoe being the most green behind the ears. His first experience here was 5 months prior on a big epic group ride in the snow. It was not a ride he wanted to remember. Today represented something big for him. Would five months of pushing himself, learning and growing as a cyclist be enough to turn the tide in his quest to conquer this beast called Rich Mtn?
Inwardly, we all hoped this would be a day he would not forget. But that was a battle he must learn to fight, for it was not Rich Mtn he was battling today. It is the beast from within you must conquer.

This is all he had to arm himself with before today's ride: "The first time I was there (in March) we only did Stanley Gap and Flat Creek. The ride was 14 miles. it was pure hell. That ride was pretty depressing, but it drove me to realize that if I want to ride in the mountains, I better start learning and riding and pushing myself.

I'll never forget that ride. After that ride, I remember sitting at El Agave in Ellijay and Chocolate Girl asking me about my ride experience that day and gently encouraging me by recalling her experience with that trail some 20 years ago. I also remember saying to Tweety that I thought I could never get stronger riding at Big Creek all the time. He told me to that was B.S. and to do intervals in the freeride area. So I did. I had delusions of being right with my sherpas the entire time."

We began the climb up Stanley Gap with a gentle stride. The ride ahead was long, so a conservative approach would be beneficial. Each wheel click goes round, stroke by stroke, that's how you make a climb. Amazing the progress that can be made when taken inch by inch.

The three mile climb is beautiful. Thick fern covers the ground and glimpses of the mountains can be seen through the trees. But no one is gazing off at the scenery because the climb demands your full attention.
Normally we ride here in the dead of winter through ice and snow. I was enjoying seeing cool features of the flora I do not usually notice.
Raja had scored yet another demo bike for the day. Rich Mtn is not easy on the body, and he wanted all the suspension he could find. The RacerX was not going to cut it here. He was very pleased with what the Fisher had to offer so far. After letting the rear shock absorb the rough roots, all he had to do was flick it back into pro pedal for some more climbing.
This was my MotoLite's first visit to Rich and I was loving it. The Talas is almost as good as a box full of chocolates to me. I dialed it down to 120 for the climb and switched the rear to pro pedal to see what this baby could do. I felt indestructible. The higher bottom bracket has opened up a whole new world to me than the Blur could ever offer. Raja may go through the bikes, but so far I am content with what I have.

At the top of the climb, faces were rather serious. I was a little concerned, and hoping the mood was not going to turn sour. But then the magic word was spoken and smiles began to appear; Downhill!
For all your hardwork climbing at Rich, there are equal amounts of long downhills to reward you. Screaming, fast, technical, flesh ripping, rocky, rooty downhillin'! Whoohoo!
Rich always pushes me to the edge of my comfort zone on the downhill. The price one pays for a crash here is quite high, and I let that sit in the back of my mind. That's not necessarily the beast I want to conquer, but a consideration to take in mind. Raja has no issues here, of course, and he was chomping at the bit to take the lead.

Robb, Tweety, and CB live for that stuff too. I did my best to stay on somebody's wheel as long as I could before my eyes began to shake out of their sockets. Once you talk yourself through it.....relax, look ahead, weight back....it is alot of fun.

Racey Tracey is the huckster supreme, and my little point and shoot could not keep up with her. When I grow up, I want to be like her!

No time for daydreaming though. That downhill ended and we crossed Aska Rd to climb Green Mtn and head down down down to Lake Blue Ridge. With the thrill of the 2nd downhill fresh in our minds, we turned around to climb back up what we just came down. Regularjoe was fighting a major battle. Who was going to win?

I knew he could do it, and I did not mean that flippantly. The past few rides we had done together showed he had the endurance and stamina, but this was a different beast from anything else he'd done. I wanted him to want it, to taste it, to own it.

Other than hearing him say he thought he was bonking and us encouraging him, we didn't exactly sit down and have share your feelings time. I know bonking, and he was not bonking. Trying to kindly let him know he was doing better than he realized, I could only hope the truth would win out over the screaming demons. I knew all to well about the battle going on inside his head, but was not privy to all his thoughts:

"Coming back up out of there was tough and I started to get really nervous. I was tiring fast and I was starving. When I tried to eat I felt like I wanted to puke. I was afraid I was on the verge of bonking and I couldn't stop thinking that we still had to go back over Stanley. The part that killed me last time. Dammit. Again, I was encouraged by chocolate girl's gentle brand of tough love, Tweety's no nonsense coaching, RSutton's positivity and Concrete Blonde gently giving me tips from behind as we climbed......"

As the battle raged within us all, we climbed up to the intersection of Long Branch Trail for a well deserved reward of downhill that dumped out onto Aska Road. See! I did do some road riding afterall!

It is not a bad grind a mile or so up to the Aska pkg lot. Everyone was riding sensibly and keeping their heart rates in check. We still had 2 more major climbs to go after this. I was proud of the Pain Train. All engines accounted for...onward we go.
Our group was a little too sensible today.
Janusz would have been so proud.Okay, enough. I cracked the whip. Let's get a move on. You know how impatient I can get.We climbed up towards the Flat Creek Loop, passing the cut off to take you back to the car. Tweety gave Regularjoe the option to take it, but Joe would have none of that. I was so glad. I could tell, he was going to win this battle. For me, that was his turning point.

We carried on. My bike started making this horrible popping noise, but I could not figure out what it was. Neither could my sherpa. Oh well, must not be too bad. Everything checks out tight. I'll keep riding.

Down the Flat Creek downhill we went with Racey Tracey going at warp speed. Geez Louise, that girl can fly! They all can. Riding with these guys (and gal) was forcing me to push myself. I needed that.
I love the climb out of Flat Creek and middle ringed it to see if I could do it. My legs almost felt stronger as the day went by. Rich never ceases to serve up surprises.

But the sunny side up could not yet be had and our victory was not yet won. The hardest climb was looming ahead as we still had to get back up and over Stanley Gap.
Keeping the grumbling to a minimum, we each picked our way up through steep pitches,
and rocky, loose, rooty terrain.Unless you are riding with cyclists of all equally matched abilities, it is hard to climb together. I prefer to find my own rhythm, enter my zone, and ride away in oblivion to the rest of the world. I could not help but wonder how Regularjoe was doing. This last climb is a Beast with all the miles of effort in your legs, and it takes every ounce of mental energy one can muster. "Please Joe, fight to win," I thought.

He was: "At this point, I wanted to quit and I was scared of the climb back over Stanley. I had a gel, some salt caps, and got a snack to nibble on as well. This is where I would lose my sherpas as they did their thing and I did mine. They waited to give me back a bottle I had lost and I saw chocolate girl, giving a little check after she had taken some photos. I began to feel bad, as I did not want to make them wait on me."

"I didn't see them again until the top of the false summit. I started to get that feeling of never getting off the mountain. I wanted to get off my bike and sleep. I could no longer climb at 90% or more heart rate, so I had to stop a couple times and I walked 4 or 5 steep sections. I was walking as I could see Concrete Blond's blue shirt and pink helmet. This was the false summit. Holy s&%t! I made it and rode most of it! Much better than last time. I walked probably about a half-mile. Last time I walked about 3. I went from being discouraged to encouraged."

With Joe rejuvenated as he relished in his victory, we watched as Spider Rodge inspired us all to tackle the last really tough climb (doesn't appear on film to be the steep wall that it really is).More battles can be won when you join forces with fellow believers. Through encouragement and example the beast within seems to lose its power over you.But there was another beast roaming about, one inside my hub making an awful racket by now. But Tweety said I did not have to be afraid. Just put it in the bigxsmall and keep pedaling. "Have you ever ridden a fixie before?" No! "Well, you're getting ready to. Just remember to keep pedaling."

So that's what happens when your bearings go a wandering! Poor free hub just couldn't stay straight and was all buggered up.

Have you ever tried to pedal on a downhill? A steep, rocky, rooty, 3 mile long downhill? Kinda tricky, if not downright impossible. Thank goodness the real downhillers did not have to be concerned with that.
It was a challenge to say the least, but it could have been so much worse. I did not have to walk it out, no injury was involved, and Regularjoe did not have to feel like he was bringing up the rear!

3 flats, a bum hub, a busted elbow, and 2 bee stings later, we emerged from our 4 hour tour. We all had conquered this ride and had plenty of which to boast. 27.9 miles and 4,800' of climbing.
I was very proud of our cast, especially Regularjoe! He passed a milestone on his cycling growth chart. He dug deep, used his head, rode smart, and stretched himself further than he ever has before on a ride.

He could now go home with positive thoughts of being a conquerer instead of defeat. "I had struggled, but I had made it up the section I had been scared of all day long. It was a challenge for sure, but I made it."

We all conquered the beast within today. The beast that says to quit, you're no good, you have no business doing this, you'll never get any better. It is easy to entertain those thoughts, and harder to shut them up. The battle may be within, but the help comes from without, fellow cyclists fighting the same battle. Victory is sweeter amongst friends than in the solitude of your mind.

Now Joe says, "I'm looking forward to going back." That's what I like to hear. A sure victory.

Well done, my friends! Well done.