Dirt + Road = Good Saturday

I crawled out of bed this morning at 5:20 am so I could be at the Yellow Fork trailhead at 6:15 am. I rode with my neighbor Phil and a couple of his friends. It was pretty mellow as they are just starting to ride but I wasn't looking to hammer so it was a perfect start to the day. The trail is dusty, but what trail isn't right now? We rode it clockwise which is tougher than counter-clockwise (more climbing) but I don't think the downhill is as fun. It was all middle ring for me which was easy given I was rolling the 11-34 XTR cassette I picked up from Fox yesterday.

As soon as I got home I pounded some food, cleaned the dust from my legs and filled some bottles for 3 hours with Cami. We rode west to Copperton where we refilled at the city park. I'd never been to Copperton before and figured we could get water at a gas station or grocery store. Well, there isn't much in town except for a post office and credit union that I could see. It didn't matter though, as the park had drinking fountains and bathrooms. It's a funny place as it feels like Sugarhouse yet it's out in the middle of nowhere!

After a quick stop we rode to Butterfield Canyon where we made it to the base of the steep switchbacks. Cami could probably make it to the top but given the heat and our need to get back by noon we flipped a U-turn and headed home.

In total I was on the bike for close to 4 hours of base aerobic work. While the pace wasn't high it was a good, solid day of riding and something I need to remember to do at least once a month.

Next week I have a 6 am ride up Yellow Fork scheduled for Monday morning and a Deer Valley pre-ride either Tuesday or Wednesday.