Steve's Mountain Bike Page
Turlock, California

Auburn, California
June 5, 2010

After four consecutive rides at New Melones I was getting bored, and I also needed to try something more challenging. Cohenfive and Tahoetic joined me for a ride on the Foresthill Divide Loop (FDL) at Auburn. It was already pretty warm when we started at about 9 am, and it warmed up quite a bit by the end of the ride. I found the mostly uphill start pretty challenging, but I did better than I thought I would on my fifth comeback ride. Although I was working about as hard as I could, the guys were always way ahead. But they stopped occasionally and waited for me.

By the time we hit the intersection of the Connector Trail my heart and lungs had settled down. But after two years of no activity my legs were having a difficult time on the climbs. Those first 10 miles seemed like the hardest ride I had ever done. However, after a bit of rest I decided to join the guys for a little out and back on the Connector Trail. I got carried away on the mostly downhill, fast, swoopy, beautiful singletrack for about two miles. But after seeing a big climb ahead, and realizing I had to go back up what I had just come down, I turned around and headed back to the FDL trailhead. The guys continued on and did the full Connector. Except for the heat it was a beautiful day, and the trails were still quite green and full of wildflowers. It was even more spectacular than I remembered, and I was reminded why I dream of retiring there. Since I was struggling to keep up I didn't get many photos. Below are a few. Tahoetic is wearing black and Cohenfive is wearing blue/red. And thanks to both of you for your patience and a great ride!

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Ride Stats

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