Camp Lynda 2.0: Day Three

The weather finally broke clear and the rain was nowhere to be seen as we, for the last time, rolled up Bluff St to Starbucks just before dawn. It was a colder day though and it was still very cloudy. Today was the big mileage day. 100 miles was the plan. Matt was pretty fragged after the last two days of riding and chose to stay back at the hotel.

KT, Ed the Tall, Cliff and I were the lucky ones to join a much smaller group for the last ride of Camp Lynda 2.0. Now I had no illusions of doing the whole 100+ miles. I have never ridden that far on a mtn bike ride and I was not about to do it now in infamilar terrain, uncertain weather, and behind a faster group that would quickly out pace me. Bad ju-ju. So, I had planned to ride out to the first high point at mile 20-ish and then evaluate my options.

The pace was brisk from the beginning as you might expect of a small group of high caliber riders. It is amazing how fast a good SS rider can go, even on a paved ride. Both Dave and Lynda just looked like they were cruising along cuz, well, for them, it was cruising.

I really was not expecting much as far as ride quality or scenic value, but it was a really nice route to Desperation Point once we jumped off the pavement. Lots of character, really. The view from the top was very nice and we were able to catch some photos of the pack leaders as they retraced the route to head into the longer loops of the day. Bye bye fast persons.

Just before the top I had run into Cliff who was not enjoying his day. We decided to flip it around at Desperation Point and retrace back to town. I wanted to re-visit the day 2 route and see if I could reclaim some of my pride from the Clay Disaster of 2009 (yesterday's debacle).

Back in town I bid farewell to Cliff who was off to rejoin Matt and see a movie or something. I easily walked through the mud that was pretty dry compared to Saturday, cleaned off my cleats and rode up towards the Race Course area on the plateau above town. This is a really fun area. I never got to the major trails as the wind was really beginning to pick up and it was spitting rain. The temps were dropping fast so I shot some photos at the edge of the cliffs and headed back to town, enjoying a zoomy singletrack off the mesa.

A shower and some food from Pizza Hut put me back on top after 6 hours of riding and 50 miles for the day.

About two hours later, I was pulling out to grab a coffee with Matt and Cliff and ran into KT in the parking lot. He was hungry and tired and feeling the effects of an oncoming cold, but still had energy to burn after 90 miles of a shortened route. Ed had the same result, as both of them fell prey to confusing route directions, conflicting GPS tracks, and too many roads to choose from. Still, they both hit 90 miles which was a personal best for Ed the Tall. Congrats to both of them.

The weather is turning around tonite as intermittant rain showers, snow flurries, and temps into the 30s are forecast. Brrrr.

Camp Lynda 2.0 is one for the books and we are ready to head home. Final wrap-up and finishing thoughts to come.

Dave and Lynda...thanks.