Tuesday, my training schedule was split in half. After getting up and going to breakfast, I came back and went out for an easy-ish ride. I decided I’d go over to the Vortex/Freeride area of the trail system and ride the “black diamond” loop then gawk/take photos at all the crazy stuff I’d only dream of riding during a nightmare. It didn’t disappoint…

I did giggle my way through these two:

What you DON’T see, either in the photo or actually standing at the top of that first one is that right where the rocks are a little ways down the trail, there’s another really steep drop-off. I’m proud to say, though, I handled it without panic or feeling as if it were a “close call” of any sort. I liked the black diamond trail a lot… it was very reminiscent of some Arkansas rockiness.
Fun side story of the day- the Black Diamond/Freeride area has a “qualifier” obstacle at both the front and back entrances (defined by IMBA as a high-skill-level, low-consequence obstacle that demonstrates the difficulty of the upcoming trail or trail feature). I came in through the back, where the qualifier is a rock… I was like, “hell yeah! I love rocks!” And, I popped right over it. I rode the loop, took my photos, then was headed out the front entrance, when I arrived at its qualifier… a tall, skinny ramp/bridge. I got off and walked, garnering all sorts of weird looks from the 2-3 carloads of dudes in the parking lot. Whatevs… rocks > man-made stuff

Once I was back at the tent, I cleaned up, snacked, and kicked back for a little while to figure out where I’d go for the 20 minute intervals I was supposed to do that afternoon:

The selfie was mandatory since it was warm enough for shorts and a tank top.

I wasn’t familiar with the roads in the area, and the ones I’d driven on were all super traffic-y. So, I decided I’d drive out to the westernmost point I’d reached the day before and ride the open doubletrack paths in that area. It ended up working well- there’s just enough up/down grade to force you to shift & chance cadence occasionally, so it was perfect for long intervals.

Once I was done, I drove back and repeated the previous night’s snack/cleanup/dinner at Chipotle routine. Why mess with a good thing, right?