Monday, December 17, 2012

Sunday Cruise: The Beast

Well, she did it.  Slayed 'The Beast'.  A local hill climb, that beastie has been hurting us mtn bikers for a long time now, offering up a 4 mile-ish ascent up a semi rough fire road that leads right out of town and into the Angeles National Forest.

I am not sure where it got that silly name but it is stuck there now.  We never called it that.  But it is a climb to reckon with if you are trying to make the minutes count.  Good training run, it leads to several options for bigger loops and even a very popular multi use trail-head.

But somehow, my wife had never ridden it, even back in the day.  So we had been talking about taking that challenge on some day and Sunday was that day.  It was also misty, cool to cold, and with wet soils to deal with.  Still, the wife was resolute that The Beast would fall to the sword of multiple gears and 29" wheels.  Sophie the dog agreed.  Bring it!

It was brung.

Mid way up, we stop for a nap.  All pros do this.  Really!  They leave that part of the Tour De France out.
Nap accomplished, we are ready to roll...or trot, as the case may be (do dogs trot?).
The top after an hour or so.  Fully enveloped in the clouds and windy, it was nicely hardcore.  Cold and wet, we bundled up and dropped back toward warmer temps and a car heater.  #drippynoses

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