Brown Phat V

FU-Glade Park-GJ-FU was the plan for ride # Uno of the Brown Phat V training camp and loaded up on #HotTomato pizza Dash, Chad, Brad, Torin, Sean and I commenced out from under the CO River bridge abutments, as all quality rides do, up, up, up into the Colorado National Monument and eventually to Snickers in Glade Park. Sunny, breezy, not-hailing buckets...all the good things basically and we quickly made work of the drop back down to Rimrock Dr. before a minor amount of suffering back over to the W. Entrance and down, down, down to more pizza and beers in FU. The climb up from the W entrance was a cakewalk this year for some reason...some reason NOT having to do with actually being any fitter, as the next day's ride would demonstrate. #2 was planned to be an up, up, up to the top of the Grand Mesa - Cedaredge and then back and by the outskirts of Mesa, CO I could tell this was not going to be my day. 8 miles of cold headwind climbing, to get to the BASE of the climb at Powderhorn ensued during which I scraped the very bottom of the barrel looking for any energy whatsoever, yet none was to be found. Kept climbing up through the snow with beautiful views back down and flocks of Sandhill Cranes dropping in from the south but my chi resisted being forced into the shape of a diamond, and in fact I couldn't get out of my own head so finally had to watch my last marker, Dash, disappear around a switch back and call it a day. 50mph descent for most of the next 12 miles without a single pedal turned in anger found me eating cheesesteaks in Mesa, and there was much rejoicing. Day Three redemption ride: FU-FU via Highline and the flat, fast grid of farming roads N of Fruita with pace lines, echelons, attacks, regroupings, pack chatter and all the social ride shenanigans I'd missed from the previous day's solo suffer-fest. Perfect end to Brown Phat V with carbo-loading at Fiesta Guadalajara (Feliz Cumpleanos Cabrones!)to wrap up all those miles with a thin sheen of fresh brown fat. Don't want to get TOO fit TOO early! Thanks Torin, Chad, Dash, Brad and Sean for the good times, bourbon, breakfasts and bullshittin', see y'all again soon!