Sand Point

I rode Niscene Marks yesterday. I rode from the parking lot to Sand Point. The odometer on my bike said it was 18 miles. My trail guide says 1600 feet of elevation gain. My initial intend had been to ride to the Loma Prieta trail head. A ride that, at one time, seemed long and tough. When I got to the trail head, I was barely breather harder than normal, and I didn't feel it in my legs at all. So I stopped, munched a power bar, and started an attempt on the incline. When I got up as high as I had been with my parents I rested for a few minutes, then I got on and started spinning up again. On an exposed stretch a rider came struggling up behind me, "How far to the top?" he asked. "I'm not sure, I've only done it twice before, and that was in winter *GASP* things looked different." I replied. he passed and as he rounded the bend ahead of me I heard him cry out "YES!" I rounded the bend and saw the sign. "Top of the Incline" This is as far as I had gone before. I had mistakenly believed this to be Sand Point. So I stopped, rested for ten or so minutes and started cranking up further. The climb was much less sever, but after the Incline my legs were a little tired. After a while (and several miles) three riders were coming down. They had passed me at the Loma Prieta trail head. "Come on, come on, come, your almost there man! keep it up!" they said as they passed me on their way down. Then... I crashed. At about 2 MPH, I hit a root... rock.. something... I don't know what. I tipped over, and then I was lying on my back, still holding the handle bars, feet still clipped in, and the bike vertical above me. I let it fall to the side and unclipped laughing. No scrapes, cuts or bruises. To be honest I have no recollection of the fall it's self. One second I was riding, the next on my back. I righted myself, and pushed on a short distance thinking "If I don't get there soon, I turn back, I'm to tired." But there it was. The top. I sat down and rested. Then the decent. I was tired, so I took it easy. I knew I wasn't sharp enough to bomb down like I normally would. The ride back to the truck was tougher than the ride up even though it was all down hill. When I got to the truck I collapsed into the bed and lay there for a while until I felt strong enough to stand. Then I loaded my bike and sat on the tail gate for a while watching people start their rides, and others get back. A group of 4 college age guys came riding up to the SUV next to me on their long travel full suspension bike, wearing knee pads, chest protectors, elbow guards. As they disassembled their bikes and loaded them they started chatting with me. I asked them if they had shuttled up to the top for the down hill, they had. One asked me where I had ridden. When I told him up to Sand Point and back one of the other guys said, "Dude, we suck!" which amused me greatly. It was a great ride, but despite the short run I did last night to keep my limbs from tightening up, they are still a little sore today. I'm rather proud that I climbed a hill, stopping only once to rest, that I had previously believed impossible to ride up. A good day.