Despite... and the Yeti Debut

A herd of deer we saw along the way

Despite...

• the necessary 7:30 AM start time
  
• the 25 degrees thermometer reading
• the fact that Eric did 27 mi the day before
• the fact that toes and fingers were numb
  

We hit the single track across from South Hills Church and then headed up the backside of ST Park so that we could rip down the Stiles Ranch switchbacks. Eric was his usual skillful self, carving the trail like a Thanksgiving turkey. Russ was elegant and graceful as he flipped over his handlebars because he employed poor braking technique as he went around a 160 degree turn.

The Yeti did well on the downhill - clearly what that bike is meant to do, though the uphill was a bit of a struggle for one man and his new machine. New geometry means new mechanics and slightly different muscle usage. The result was a slow and tiresome climb - even though it was a relatively small one.

We ended up doing 12 miles in about 2 hours. We stopped for a bit to take some pictures of us going off this drop, which looks much more daunting from behind the handle bars than it does from the bottom.

Afterward Russ cruised over to Trailhead Cyclery to get his Time Z peddles put on and get his bike officially fitted. One shock pump and pair of shoes later, and he's ready to roll.