Went MTB riding out at De Valle yesterday morning and had a great adventure. [See pics]. The ride started as usual at the bottom of Mines Rd. The weather was wet, lots of mist, and cool. The climb up Del Valle road was one of the best I've had. Our pace was fast and when we got to the top I wasn't pooped like usual. I'm guessing this added power was either the weather or the Cytomax Fast-Twitch, maybe both. Back to the ride- we dropped into the park at the staging area at the top of the hill. The trail starts out with a fair amount of gravel so the trail was. Very ride able. We took off down the first big downhill, the mist drops hammering my eyes, we passed a older man walking his dog. He moved to the side and allowed us to zoom by. Our zooming was short lived. About 3/4 of a mile or so down the mountain I began to have mud issues with clay sticking to everything. I got to the point where I couldn't pedal anymore. I stop while my friend used his momentum to keep rolling. I cleaned my bike and caught up with my friend. His tires are a bit narrower and he wasn't having problems, yet. We made it about another 1/4 mile before I was put out of service for good. I had mud caked everywhere on my bike and as I struggled to pedal, I was muscling my way through each stroke, all-of-a-sudden... Snap!!! My rear derailure cage snapped right off my bike. The derailure mechanism got caught in my cassette and folded up. So now we are about a mile into the park and I was having to walk back up the mountain (before it was a hill, now that I'm walking, carrying my bike, its a mountain) carrying my bike (that is now 10lbs heavier). The hike was tough but almost enjoyable. "R" was able to clean up his bike and ride back up some of the trails. So we agreed to meet back at the top of the mountain. As I hoofed I just though of it as part of the adventure, which made things much more exciting and helped pass the time. The last 1/4 mile was mostly flat so I actually jogged, still carrying my bike on my back. At the top of the mountain we chatted a bit then decided since I couldn't get my bike to roll, "R" would go get the truck. Is was a cold ride down the mountain back to my truck, riding in the bed of an F250.
All-in-All, it was a pretty good day!

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