Lovin' it despite the bruises and bug bites

I think I had the most epic ride of the season today. Well guess now it would be yesterday, which is why I'm a little delirious right now. When I say epic, I mean in more than one way.

Steve and I decided to ride to Pinecrest Peak, a 20-mile ride. This is only four miles longer than the ride we usually do, so it doesn't seem like it would be that much more difficult. Of course, the first 14 miles of the other ride aren't uphill like this one was.

And the downhill section is even more challenging, with sandy sections that look like they are about to slide down the hillside, a single track trail riddled in rocks and sections with series of rock steps and obstacles.

It was great. When we arrived at the top, we had a dramatic view of the Sierra in all directions. There are oceans of granite and spires of volcanic rock. It actually looks down on Dodge Ridge to south. We ran into a ranger up there, who told us the elevation of where we were standing was about 8,400 feet — about 3000 above where we started.

I was a little shaky when I first started down. It was the first time I have done something so technical with the clip in peddles. But I eventually started getting my confidence up, going over rocking narrow passages and off some of the steps. I was still walking some of them though. Just as I was starting to get into a rhythm, a cloud of gnats descended on my head, providing somewhat of a distraction.

A little while later, I was cruising through a smoother section when some sort of bug decided to sink its teeth into what I will call my upper left buttock region. It was such a shock I screamed. Poor Steve, who was behind me at the time, almost had a heart attack.

I managed to survive the rest of the ride without falling (though my legs look like they have been through a wringer.) I did lose some nerve after the bug attacks and ended up walking quite a bit. I think part of the reason was I got to witness Steve flying over his handlebars — twice.

Lesson learned: Gnats and bee stings won't stop me. I'm addicted.