Even though we just completed a two-day, three-stage race, Heather and I headed out to do Cartwright, Bogus to Pioneer, Cartwright. Yes, we love to suffer! But the weather was just perfect and we both beat our times (and wattage) from the last time we rode Bogus.

We did sleep in a little bit and didn’t head out until 8 AM. It was a bit cool heading out on Hill, but perfect by the time we climbed Seaman’s Gulch. My legs were hating the first few pedal strokes up that hill but it got better as we went along.

We really enjoy the nice, new pavement on Cartwright Road. What a difference nice asphalt and bike lanes make! The “wall” is definitely a lot less steep than it used to be, but it still hurt in my 39×25! On the motorcycle hill I “only” hit 51.7 MPH this time; the wind wasn’t conducive to a high-speed run today.

We both treated Bogus as one, long interval. Heather stayed with me for a while, then dropped off on the switchbacks. I felt pretty good and very comfortable on the bike but my legs started to fade as I approached the trees. I eased up through the flat section, then kicked it up again through the parking lot and the last section to the Pioneer condos. I just barely finished all my fluid by then, so I went straight to the spigot and refilled my bottles.

Heather wasn’t too far behind and when she went to refill her bottles, I cruised around the parking lot and took some pictures. It was amazingly clear and the foothills were still green, so I had to capture the moment before it turns to brown.

Then we headed down and it was actually a bit chilly in the trees. There also seemed to be more sand on the roads than last time. Or maybe it was more sand in the wrong places. I ended up sliding a little a couple times taking the turns a bit to fast for the loose surface. But after the hairpin, the road was pretty clear and we were able to bomb down it at full speed.

We saw a lot of riders coming up when we were descending. Even a few people who also did the Treasure Valley Stage Race. I think everyone had the same idea: Can’t pass up a beautiful day like this to do Bogus!

After giving it my all on Pioneer, I was hoping we could just ride Hill Road home but would have none of it! She wanted to take Cartwright again, in preparation for all the climbing she’ll have at Mt Hood. The motorcycle park hill was tough, but the backside of Seaman’s wasn’t too bad. We did some light tempo back to Eagle then spun easily through the neighborhoods on our way home. Another 4-hour ride with 9,000 feet of climbing…sweet!