Saturday, a small group of us headed out to weave our way around White Clay and Middlerun. The group was Buddy, Dennis, Bothell, CONsorto, Michael, James and I. It was really cold.
Racing down the Whitney Farms Trail, Dennis took the high line across the first field section and rolled to the front of the group. Diving into the single track, we all filed in nose to tail. In the woods, the trails were pristine. Frozen, tacky and fast- yeah they were pretty much perfect.
The Whitney Farm Trail twists and turns its way down the hill towards Pleasant Valley Road. The single track dives in and out of the woods and threads together the fields. While the track in the woods was pristine, the fields were still snow covered in many areas and with the high winds the fields were much more susceptible to snow drifts...
We blasted out of a wooded section with Dennis still leading the way. Frankly, I was struggling to hold his wheel. As the track headed across the field, I could see where it was obstructed by drifting snow. I watched as Dennis, never letting off the gas, guided his bike off the track and up the hillside into the snowy off camber. At the peak of his arch he was 10 feet off the trail and in the snow, but he never slowed. The trail turned and wound around the hillside, Dennis drifted down the snowy off camber and right back on to the trail on the clean side of drift. He quickly opened up 10 yard gap on the group.
I led the rest of the group through the section cleanly, but with neither the smoothness, momentum or mastery that Dennis displayed. I didn't get the arch right, and even caused CONsorto to groan as he grabbed a fist full of brake. Dennis was poetry in motion and gaped us immediately. As I cleared the snowy drift I stood on the pedals struggling to get back to Dennis's wheel. Wasted energy on my part, inefficient buffoonery...Rookie mistakes... That's why he's the master. The professor taught the class, gave the test, and emailed the grades. If Dennis was a rapper, he would have just dropped the mic and walked off stage.
That subtle move was glorious to behold. While I have a number of amazing memories from fun riding this weekend, watching this move was the headliner...
thanks for reading.
Try to stay warm out there...
respect
FATMARC VDB
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