I began my 30 days of biking by fixing a flat tire. But the rest of day was better. I installed some new fatty tires on my touring bike and rode to the top of Shaw Butte.
Parked at the top amidst the radio towers.
I had never before been up Shaw Butte on a bike, mostly owing to the fact that I've never owned a mountain bike. As I pedaled up the steep grades, with my drop handlebars and my knob-less tires, I thought I was doing something heroic and maybe foolish. But after arriving at the top and striking up a conversation with a hiker, I was told a guy once rode to the top on a unicycle. So never mind on the heroism.
View on the way down. The radio towers of North Mountain, the finish of the LMI last weekend, are visible in the center background.
The descent didn't prove as technically challenging as I anticipated. The hardest part was preventing my hands from cramping, for I braked hard nearly the whole way down. You can't tell from the photo, but parts of the trail reach grades around 20%, and the terrain is sandy with largish, jagged rocks.
Once back on the desert floor, I rode to the North Mountain Visitor Center to refill my water bottle; then I rode trail 100 back to the safety and comfort of asphalt and rode home uneventfully.
