Man, I stink. The wind is blowing thirty knots and I can still smell myself. This isn’t good. Am I supposed to wash this jersey more than once a month? Please advise.

I found a new morning loop. Slightly longer than my old ride but more beautiful, more challenging and more diverse. About 50/50, pavement vs dirt. Groomed dirt to be precise, but after last night’s three-hour downpour…super tacky. Just like I like. In one ride I’ll hit the pavement, groomed trail, singletrack, mud, sand and just about everything in between.

I thought about how many other people would like this ride. Even those who don’t ride that much. Head out Old Las Vegas Highway, which is a two-lane paved road that runs parallel to the I25. Some people don’t like riding roads, but this one has a nice, wide shoulder and is smooth and mostly void of glass and rock.

Turn right on 285, right at the second light at El Dorado and stay on the main road till you hit the railroad tracks. Boom, a groomed trail which is the “Rail Trail” to Lamy. As I hit the dirt my first thought was “It’s warming up, after a night of rain, I’m gonna have to watch for snakes.” Almost back to the pavement I came around a corner going downhill in a full lean and this baby was blocking almost the entire trail. Thank God for the rain and the tacky Earth otherwise I would have had to run this guy/gal over. Bullsnakes are great for the ecosystem so no reason to do them harm. Total of 26.2 miles.
