Grant Creek Rd.
Headed out of Missoula up Grant Creek Rd. I like this route. Enough climbing to make you feel it (especially when I have my navigator along for the ride in his two-wheeled trailer), but nothing steep and it gets you out of town quick.
Today there was a mix of slush and ice on the road surface and a couple inches of slush on the shoulder though, that combined with an ambient temperate of 31 degrees F to produce conditions that were barely ridable. I did a lot of running next to the bike. I pedaled downhill just to keep the bike moving. The slush filled the fork crown and the chainstays and the spokes. Running down the hills became safer than riding. Ride up, run down. Slush creeping in between the toes of my Vibram Five Fingers. Sweat stinging the eyes and fogging my riding glasses. Julian singing, enjoying the scenery rolling by.
Insight: These conditions were considerably less than ideal for riding. It doesn't matter. Left the camera at home because of the dark skies and rain. Doesn't matter. What matters? Ride. Climb. Descend. Run. Breathe. Wipe sweat. Smile. There is only this moment. This suffering is the Truth. This suffering is real. It lets me know I am alive. And it is a direct result of doing what I love to do.
This ride up Grant Creek Rd is quickly becoming Julian's favorite. He knows we usually stop at the coffee shop on the way back into town for a quick snack. Mmmmm. Banana chocolate chip coffee cake.
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