Adventure: New Mexico Training

I finally got a decent ride in. I did this same ride four years ago, pre-Lyme, on a hot day with not enough preparation. It’s only 33 miles but on that first trip up the mountain I was cramping by the time I made the final climb which actually comes on the downhill, return trip. This time the ride was…..easy….. I hesitate to describe it that way but it was far less than I remembered. I’m in far better shape now, and two and a half years of yoga can’t be understated. I left just before sunrise and had the road mostly to myself. Cool nearly cold in the shadows but warm in the sun. Spending part of my youth living at 8500 feet elevation has given me a leg up on rides like this. I don’t get sapped when it comes to cardio. Anyway, this ride starts out at about 7000 feet and tops out just over 10,000 feet. At the top the runoff forms a beautiful stream where you can sit and contemplate things like “If I were a tree, what kind of tree would I be?” Or, you can think about things like “How fast is too fast?” when it comes to the descent. Descending is harder than you might think. No, you don’t have to do much pedaling but you better have your sh%$ wired or you could eat it at high speed. I think my top speed was just over 40mph, which isn’t that fast. My bike has no death wobble, even at 50+, so I was pretty comfortable on the way down. I love this place.