Mt Taylor Lookout Ride - JdFinley.com

This was most climbing I have ever done on a bike.

At 8220′, the sign said “La Mosca Lookout”. That sounded nice – a ride with a rewarding view at the end. Off I went thru the forest on the double track. After I climbed to top of the first stretch that was within sight and was able to see around the corner, I noted that the next stretch was also climbing. As I got to the top of this next stretch, I again noted that the trail continued to climb. I’m not exactly sure how many of these stretches I climbed before I started to wonder if the climbing ever stopped but it did eventually register as a question in my tiny little brain. The double track was fairly nice with an occasional wash and exposed rocks every so often – not bad.

At some point, the discomfort in my legs began to set in. I stopped occasionally to suck on my water bottle but generally kept charging up the hill.

I climbed…

I was very proud of myself. I’ve seen the climb profiles of some other cyclists and some of the mountain bike races and I was beginning to think , based on what I was experiencing, that I was a much better climber than I had dared to imagine.

I climbed…

I even started wondering about hitting some of the big races in New Mexico and Colorado next summer.

I climbed…

I really didn’t know where this trail was going nor how high but I knew that nearby Mount Taylor was something like 11,000′ so I was pretty sure this ride was one that I would tell with great pride for a long time to come.

I climbed…

Finally, my legs were toast, I was exhausted, and I wanted to do a lot more riding on this day. So, I decided that my spectacular performance thus far would have to suffice. I turned around and headed down hill. Interestingly, the trail continued, uphill, as far as I could see.

The following photo is looking downhill – I wish photos could properly show the angle.

My previous riding on steep down hills is pretty limited but most of the steeps were very short. As I was cruising down the mountain, looking down some really LONG stretches and riding my brakes, I got to wondering if bike V-brakes (rim brakes) overheat and fade at some point. So, naturally, I tried not to use my brakes so much.

I really do get the idea of suspension on a mountain bike. However; I learned a bit more on this ride to backup that understanding. While you and your bike are flying downhill at some eye-watering speed, your rigid bike (frame/forks) is still hitting most (all??) the bumps. This translates the handlebars into a sort of vision-blurring, muscle numbing, jackhammer piece of equipment.

Initially, this was interesting. However; as the minutes past, the discomfort and adrenalin factor increased to the point of making the descent very exhilarating!

As my computer would hit 30 mph, my brain would automatically extend my fingers and engage the brakes – even though I could barely feel any of this. I was pleased. I can imagine that the guys with the full suspension bikes just fly over the washes but I decided it best to slow WAY down for them. Getting catapulted from my bike was not what I had in mind for today.

What a rush! A 55 minute climb and 10 minute descent. My hands, wrists, and arms were feeling… well… they weren’t feeling much – kinda numb.

I was stoked and proud!

As I started looking at the data, my pride started to diminish. My epic climb for the record books appears to have been kinda epic-less. I climbed from 8220′ to 9051′ in 55 minutes over 3.3 miles. I didn’t like what my brain was telling me so I got out a calculator to confirm. Doh! It was only a 831′ climb, not exactly epic. It sure felt like several thousand feet….

While I was trying to reign in all the racing and pro-status thoughts, I took some time to remember that I’m a noob and this was a good experience. I am certainly happy to have made the climb and got to experience some of the feelings that comes along with it. I didn’t expect to learn so much from the descent.

I started my GPS a little late – appears to about a third of a mile late. Also not sure why it occasionally skews my position on start.