Achtung!

That’s what you gotta tell yourself when you are riding on snow and gravel. This is my 4th winter in CO, and I have been pretty cautious and lucky. I have taken a few spills on the ice, but never crashed going downhill on a snowy road. There is a first time for everything, and today was that time.

Today was my inaugural 2010 ride to Gold Hill. This is a ride I do quite often as you get over 3000′ of elevation gain in about 10 or 15 miles, plus you get to ride the dirt! I usually go up Sunshine Canyon, and down 4 Mile Canyon. Sunshine was great today… dry and painful as always.

Kerkove demoralized me as I was burning, huffing, and puffing…and he was riding circles around me. ptttph on him. It’s good to be humbled, right?  He rode with me to the pavement change, and then I was on my own.

I had a little buddy “riding” with me for awhile. I hope he wasn’t lost… he wouldn’t let me grab his collar to look at the tags. Somehow the most artistic photos I take are the ones where I point and shoot, and don’t even really look at what I’m doing. Kinda funny.

We got our new Adidas eyewear for the year! I have 2 other pairs of glasses that totally rule. These ones are the Supernovas.

After sweating bullets on the way up (I was overdressed), it was time to get chilly on the way down. I brought an arsenal of clothing with me for the way down. I have frozen solid coming down these canyons far too many times… (like my hair has actually frozen solid!)

4 Mile Canyon was very snowy and slick at the top, and the pavement near the bottom was wet. Shortly after I took this picture, I was one with the ground.

It doesn’t take much… you start daydreaming a little bit, and suddenly you are going way too fast down a snowy, gravely road. If you touch the brake at an inopportune moment, down you go… and down I went, HARD.

All I remember is the sound of me hitting the ground, looking uphill and moving further and further away from my bike, and thinking “I am still sliding.” Good thing the road was covered in snow.

This is going to be a bad pain in the butt, especially with the accompanying bruise. Pain in the butt… to quote a dear friend – “Pun intended!!!!”

Ironically, the blood makes it look worse. The cut doesn’t hurt… but my left glute and hip got ROCKED. There will be cursing up every single stairstep to my room, and I’m on the third floor.

Time to ease the pain with some happy hour, and hopefully this won’t impinge upon my training for the rest of the week… If a sweet bruise forms, I’ll keep you updated with the black and blue artwork.