Here it is, the route I ended up on this weekend:
It was a miserably fantastic ride to the top, the last six miles to the summit felt like 15 miles. On the descent down Bear Creek Road I glanced back for a second, just long enough to slam into a big rock when I turned around , and crashed. I dented the crap out of the front wheel, but everything else is good. (stay tuned for an article on straightening bent bicycle wheels) I only got a little road rash, and a bruised knee and ego. Oh well, that’s the price for speed. I ended the day with a total of 60 miles, and 6,091 feet of climbing.
I was a bit timid coming down the first few technical sections, but once I got onto Deer Creek Road it all came back to me. There’s not much like the experience of flying down a technical descent at the same speed or faster than traffic (~40 MPH). A great ride, and today I feel great, even when I rode into work. Yeah!