Sunday morning dawns as it usually does: my dawn simulator is up to full blast around 6:30 and I roll out of bed some time after 7. I arranged my bottles, bags, and clothing the night before, so I shower and sunscreen up, and am on the road just after 8. (Garmin data)
I roll south under the late summer overcast that pushes over the Santa Cruz mountains each night. I'll be riding in those mountains soon. My on-road destination is the gate at the end of Monte Bello Road. Most of my mountain bike rides start this way, with a 2000 foot paved climb lasting just under 5 miles. From there I often fumble around in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve and descend Page Mill Rd on the other side, usually out of water and desperate for the roadside fountain pictured above. Page Mill is an awesome descent, and I did have a daylight encounter with a coyote there last weekend, but the ride often feels like a short dirt path sandwiched between two road rides.
Today the plan is different. I follow the Stevens Creek Reservoir shoreline a bit further, past the early morning kayakists and stand-up-paddlers, and top off my hydration bladder before starting up Monte Bello Road. Up I go, trying to keep my heart rate at or below 137 bpm in attempt to build an "aerobic base". It goes slower than it normally does. I get kind of bored. I talk to several families of mule deer. My butt hurts, and every time I get off the saddle to let the blood move around, my heart rate punches upward.
I thought I had learned how to pace myself, but using a heart rate monitor is a whole other ball game. As I arrive at the gate (which is almost the summit), I feel fresher than normal. It's a good thing, because today the ride is just starting.
I continue climbing to the summit. I have to get off and walk a couple times to keep my heart rate down, but otherwise I feel very fresh. When I get on top, around 11, I look toward the bay and see the whole area is still socked in, even though I have been in the sun for the last hour or so. I cross Monte Bello toward Page Mill as usual, and head down to the drinking fountain. Again I top up my bladder, and again I feel much better than I ever have at this point. Usually I am absolutely spent and delighted at the idea of coasting for the next several miles.
Instead of descending toward civilization, I head back up Page Mill, struggle a bit with routefinding, then turn right on Alpine Rd, enter Coal Creek Open Space Preserve and add about 4 miles of trail to my ride, pushing out the boundaries of my personal map. For everything else good about this ride, this tiny 4 mile loop of mediocre trail is the best part to me. I learn new terrain, seeing things in a way that maps simply don't provide. This is just the tip of the iceberg, as from here I can explore more of Coal Creek, Russian Ridge and trails and backroads west to the Pacific and north to San Francicso. There are a lot of long rides waiting to be assembled up here, and each time I cross a park boundary or summit, I prove to myself that you I indeed build and ride longer and longer loops.
I leave Coal Creek, cross Page Mill and begin the long trail descent back to civilization. I am carving up the trails. I have no illusions that I am yet a real mountain biker, but I begin to get more aggressive as I descend. As I fly down a newly constructed trail with a loose gravel surface, I hear a skidding sound and see the ground rushing at me. I stand up, feeling a lot better than I have after previous crashes. My knee is bleeding a lot.
I dig the gravel out and decide to let my blood wash out the dirt instead of spreading around any germs with the precious tap water on my back. The rest of the descent is delightful and injury-free. I splash through Stevens Creek, chat with some more mule deer, and offer my spare tube to a woman walking her bike (she declined, her ride was just around the corner).
I hit the brakes at my apartment door in a tick over seven hours, and the shower hurts much less than I expect. But I simply cannot wash all the grit and rocks out of the wound, so I head to the urgent care place, and I get debrided. For the next week I have to change dressings daily, but that's no big deal.
I think I like this mountain biking thing. Can't wait to push the edges of my map further
