Missed Again

 Straight from the training log of long ago:

Sunday 1 January 1995

Happy New Year. Unfortunately this new year picked up right where the old one left off. Did the New Years Day ride with Dave, Monty, Mitch and about 70 other riders up Big T, Angeles Forest and the Crest to Mt. Wilson. I again climbed very poorly and so about half way between Clear Creek and Red Box I packed it in and ran back down hill in an attempt to outrace the evil Bonk which was gaining fast. At least I can trace my poor performance to specific reasons - lack of training recently, poor diet and maybe the five beers [or does that say five bears] yesterday.

What was I thinking? Five? Just a few hours before the big January 1st ride? I remember nothing about that. Who threw that party? Ahh, the competition I suppose, doing whatever they could to slow me down? That must be an exaggeration, since I can't remember ever having five beers on New Years Eve?

Perhaps I wasn't the only slacker that ride. As SoCalCycling.com notes of the ride: "Typically less than half the riders [100 plus] who start actually make it all the way to the top. But just being sober enough to make it to the start of the ride is an accomplishment in itself."

Bummer no one was taking photos on these rides back then, or...

maybe now, for that matter. A local mainstay, the New Years Day ascent of the 5700 foot summit has been has been going on for fifty-something years, but try finding a photo. Well, CiclaValley did it in 2017, and so I shall thank him for taking pics from one year anyway.