Yesterday's Ride...

...started a bit sluggish.  My stomach was not cooperating in the morning - maybe it was the tuna the night before, maybe it was the sugar-bomb oats & coffee - but I was still out the door by 9am and on the trail by 9:44 am.  The bike was set-up before I left with:

• 110 psi in the fork
• 280 psi in the shock (5 lower than usual)
• 20 psi in the front tire
• 26 psi in the rear tire

I had suited up for a warm day:

• Primal road bibs
• Twin Six Metal jersey
• Sock Guy socks
• Giro lid
• Giro gloves
• new Nike glasses (clear)
• Lake shoes
• 1x bottle with 2x scoops of Skratch
• 1x bottle of water, straight

Rolling out was a typical roll-out at Browns - a ranch road with shit-tons of clueless geriatric hikers.  All over the trail, no clue that anyone was around until they jump away scared after I announce myself.  Trying to be nice is harder when the seniors' meds haven't reduced the aggravated scowl.  Soon enough I turn on Chuckwagon.

The lower saddle definitely felt different as I grind my way up the first rolling climb.  The allergy meds I have been taking ever since the trees in the 'hood began blooming are making their presence known as well.  It seems to take forever (but only about 20 minutes) for my lungs to open up & my breathing to settle into a harder rhythm.  Still I climb, I drop down to Whiskey Bottle and start up Watershed.  The pace gets eased off until I reach Cholla Mountain where I stop and let my heart rate get into Zone 1.

Still only 17 minutes in, I kick the pedals over and start up the climb.  This is the same climb I did intervals on a few weeks ago with the singlespeed.  Pacing the climb is not too hard but you have to accept it is gonna SUCK when you hit that one last tight switchback.  My heart rate quickly gets into Zone 3.  "Just manage it well" is the only thought in my head until I glance down and see Zone 4.  Now I am pretty much hammering, I guess.

In my head I am distracted though.  The front end seems to be skating through corners.  Am I too far back over the saddle?  Do I need to be over the bars more?  The internal conundrum is split between lowering the bars again despite NO sign of tension in my hands.  This is nice.  And my back is doing well - the pedaling feels smoother and my lower back hasn't even made a noise.

I come over the top of the climb and it gets clearer that my speed is higher.  Was the front end skating 'cause I am not used to going THIS fast on this trail?  Possibly.  Stay in the gas, left at the intersection and the last corners are just being attacked rather than ridden.  I pop over the top and start the downhill

Hold up, let's look at numbers:

• I was indeed going faster.  My previous PR was tied @ 7:22 on May 2nd, 2023 and January 22, 2026 (the singlespeed ride).  My NEW PR is 6:34 - 1.1 mph faster than before.  So... yeah, the front end was skating.

Down the other side of Cholla Mountain, stop at Stagecoach to breathe and eat some Shot Blocks.  Any idea I had about riding this loop as ONE BIG EFFORT is out the window.  My lungs, my heart, my legs and my brain cannot team up and make this happen (well, unless I decide to NOT attack climbs and ride like I am riding all-day... duh.)  As I lumber down Stagecoach, the momentum in my brain to push harder is lost.  

The trails, all of Browns... not just Stagecoach, are LOOSE with gravelly sand in the middle all the way to the outside of the corner.  After a few skippin' turns, my confidence in leaning into anything is gone.  So, Stagecoach to High Desert... and for the first time in the ride, I begin to feel some issues.  My lower back was whispering but the outside of my knees into my shins were aching - the sign of a saddle too low.  I ease off the pace, reach Renegade and pause to... lower the saddle.

Yep, the opposite of what I was thinking but something I wanted to try.  In the past multiple times, what I think I should is not what I should do.  Push the saddle down a bit and take off.  

The bike felt weird but oddly comfortable.  Any tension in my right hand was gone.  I am able to climb just fine but after any hard effort, my outside knees are twinging.  This isn't gonna work.

And no wonder it wasn't gonna work 'cause when I stop at Cowpoke Trail, the saddle has slipped CONSIDERABLY.  Raise the saddle to a point close to where it was and I start grinding up Cowpoke.  The aches and pains are gone... even at my knees, but there is a strain in my quads that is new.  Not painful, just a sign that my quads are kicking harder than usual.  

Still Cowpoke goes by QUICK - my 4th fastest time on the trail outta 22 - but I am winded at the top.  Stop, raise the saddle maybe 2mm, adjust the shifters... again before I hear someone approaching.  I take off 'cause... well, I wanna hammer this one, too.

By the way, the shifters:

• I am still back on the bandwagon of the rocker paddles.  The multiple options suit me better than the single pod.
• I was still botching the operation.  I even swapped the controls in the app at one point... and switched em' back.

So... up Granite Mountain was all I expected - hard, sprinting efforts outta the corners all while going uphill.  My heart rate was solidly in Zones 3 & 4 but still felt good.  Past two old women who just acted pissed and one old guy who I think woulda hung out and talked if I had stopped instead of slowed.  Over the top, take another break... and take inventory.

My lower back was STILL good.  My hands were good.  I felt like I found the right spot... but it seemed the testing was over.  The west side of Granite Mountain was so dry and so thick with sand that it felt like every corner was a challenge to hang onto an upright bike.  I eventually gave up, settled into cruising and kept coasting.

Out past Balanced Rock & onto Chuckwagon, the last test was coming - Vaquero Trail.  When I reached Powerline Road, there was a longer pause to take inventory again.  This time was more about how much energy do I have.  Eat my last Shot Blocks, sip some water and tell myself, "Self, just ride hard... but be as SMOOOTH as possible."

Roll up, pause to relax once more.  Heart rate drops into Zone 1 and I take off.  While Vaquero Trail is mostly downhill from here, it is a series of short, steep rollers.  The whole trail is only 8/10ths of a mile but it is one of my favorites.  The first climb has me easing in, using the shifters PROPERLY (as in I hit the right buttons at the right times) but after that it was on.  I find myself attacking each uphill, trying to spin moreso than mash.  When I get close to the top, I gear up (with the right button) and hammer away.  Every corner at the bottom is a sketchy mess of deep sand and ruts but the Mach Wu gets through.  When I come outta the last corner, it felt like a good run.

How good?:

• the PR was set back in June on the Mach Wu, 4:03.  Yesterday it was a 4:11
• Comparing the efforts on Strava, I gave up 9 seconds on the approach to the first climb.  After 1 minute or so, my time gap dropped by 1 second by the end.

I roll out on to Browns Ranch Road, winded, cooked and done.  Ease up over the top, past more hikers... even more closer to the trailhead, some taking the trail 3-wide.  At this point I had already announced myself 3,4 times and was just riding by with less regard... and they never seemed to mind, ignoring my calls.  Enh, old people.

Back at home, we ate lunch, Bea and I took a nap.  Once I was back to functioning, the Mach Wu was set up to be measured.  The numbers were not as far off as I expected:

• final saddle height was 832mm, 2mm more than I started with, probably 5mm higher than the lowest point.
• the setback dropped by 2mm just from the drop.
• the drop is 49mm, 5mm more than the start.

Ironically I am not far from where I was in September.  Those measurements only changed back in January after doing a MyVeloFit session that raised the saddle 3mm and set it back 7mm.  After the first ride with that setup at Cave Creek, I dropped the bars on my own... but raised em' back up after Sunday's McDowell ride with saddle too high and bars seemingly too low.

There is a part of me that wants to lower the bars yet again, put more weight over the front.  Here's my thinking:

• If the saddle is too high, it makes me rock my hips & places weight on my hands disproportionately. 
• If the saddle is the right height now, my hands might be feeling better because there is less weight thrown on them from NOT rocking.
• So... will a lower handlebar create the same issue?  While my hips should be balanced, there is still a certain amount of core strength engaged to keep my hands light on the bars.
• So... will a 5mm spacer drop make a difference in 1) feel and 2) handling?

My plan, for now, is to try it out on the ride AFTER the next ride.  Verify that what I felt yesterday was indeed good and not just luck.

Later.