getting back in the groove

More earlier, more cooler is definitely the watchword for this summer's outdoors activities.  Although our Saturday night was a little bit late - we'd gone up to Snowbird for the Cool Air Concert Series and saw the fantastic Andy Frasco and the U.N., which meant that we didn't sit down to eat dinner until after 10 p.m. (note to self: plan ahead better next time) - we got right up when our alarms blared at 6:30 a.m. so we could be on the bike path in Park City a little after 9 a.m.

Once again it was a beautiful, clear, cool morning.  There was a little bit of mud to contend with since Park City had had a "gully-washer" on Friday but 98% of the trails we rode were dry, and the few remaining puddles were easily avoidable.  Because our Saturday hike had not been as long as some we've done, my legs weren't quite as fatigued as they've been and H thought that I was riding a little more quickly, at least on the front half of our ride.  As for him, he rode up Hammerhead Hill (Plasden Hill) like a champ.

When we got to the back half, I felt really good on the Sweet Sixteen switchbacks.  H got annoyed on his way up since a struggling MTBer didn't pull off to let H by, even when the guy stopped in the middle of the trail, forcing H to stop as well.  By the time I caught up with the guy (with H long gone, of course, and already at the top), he was standing in the shade of a switchback, panting, face beet-red.  Me, I rode right past him and even had [just] enough breath to say hello.

Finishing the Sweet Sixteen

Coming through Moose Alley

We didn't come across any other MTBers on the Rambler sagebrush switchbacks - which made them superfun to ride; I beat H in our bike path vs. single track race by 45 seconds; and the headwind for the final run back to the truck wasn't too onerous.  And no crashes (although my calf was bleeding just a little from a scratch I picked up somewhere)!