I came upon an intersection the other day, high on a ridge above Blue Creek. I came up Spring Creek and paused to rest before riding down Blue Creek and while doing so I looked down the road to my left... I know that hill (it was a very steep pitch of dirt and gravel). I've ridden it before. Or, attempted to ride it, I had to walk up a significant portion of it. I want to ride THAT again, I thought.

So I got directions from the savvy Brandon Weil about how to get to the bottom of Tracy Road, and yes, such was the name of that devilish hill. I made the excursion during my four hour break between classes and dance rehearsal. It rained sporadically throughout the ride- out to Dixie, up Biscuit Ridge Road and then leaving the pavement behind and venturing up Tracy Road. As soon as I hit Tracy my pulse jumped, my body temp increased and my breathing grew more desperate. I remembered Tracy as impossible to ride up, even in the very small triple ring in front, and I didn't have those easy gears on my bike anymore.

At one point I said to myself, "just up to that couch, just make it that far," then, "why is there a couch on the side of the road?" I don't know, but just passed the couch, the pitch steepened. I realized that top of the rise was the four way intersection I had stood at days before and vowed to make it. The hardest part was keeping my balance. I take that back, the hardest part was the excruciating burning in my legs, I kept telling myself that it couldn't get any worse and that all I had to do was keep pedaling. And suddenly, I was there, smiling despite my pulse of 200 bpm and sobbing legs.