Red Rocks, Morrison Slide, Dakota Ridge and Green Mountain. I didn’t plan to ride hard leaving, it just ended up that way.
When climbing Dakota Ridge, is there anything else to do but ride hard? I should have known better.
I caught myself grinning several times. Or it was more of a smiling grimace. Gasping for air, heart pumping in the temples of my head. Finally, I was limited by aerobic capacity rather than my legs.
Just give me a pain that I’m used to.
I still had enough energy to want to climb Green Mountain. It’s rather pathetic that I haven’t been up to the top yet–only ridden around it.
The trails aren’t anything to write home about, but overall I quite enjoyed it up there. Standing and climbing felt good. Nothing was lung bustingly steep/technical. I found my way down through an assortment of official and non-official trails. All of the options are pretty overwhelming.
25 miles, 3:30, 4600 feet of climbing
The next day I felt almost no fatigue. But I rode easy anyway.
I tested my legs on the steep trails of North Table Mesa. No crippling leg pain, but power levels were definitely low. It was maybe 48 degrees, overcast with rain/snow on the way. The Mesa was empty. It’s like being transported into a different world up there. Very easy to forget you’re really in Denver. The cold and threat of rain further emptied the place.
I had already spooked or been watched by several herd of deer on the way up. As I rounded the rocky mountain with the “tech” trail on it, I noticed a large herd against the mountain. I kept riding, but thought it was a little odd their ears weren’t tracking me.
At some point I turned around and saw three deer running directly at me. I didn’t know what to think at first. I’ve only ever seen deer run AWAY from me. A few seconds later I saw what was going on — they were chasing off a Coyote. Indeed I had walked right by a Coyote den while returning from the tech trail.
A little later three more deer ran off from the main herd, chasing off a second coyote. It was pretty cool to witness some wildlife interaction, especially so close to the city.
I’m making progress on TopoFusion these days, and Paula has a big marathon this weekend.
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