Lurleen

Tommy had been wanting to go to Lake Lurleen for another ride all week. So we planned it for Sunday. This mornign right before I left the house Tommy called and said it was supposed to rain, so I checked the weather and there was a 30% chance. I wanted to go and I also told a few other people I would go so I headed on up to the McDonalds to see if anyone showed. After waiting till 10 after 9 (the meeting time) I called Tommy and told him I was going to go.

I headed on down and got to the park about 10. It was a little chillier than I thought it was going to be so I threw on my long sleve jersey and rode around the parking lot to warm up a little (And see if I could find someone to ride with). The park was pretty slow with only a guy and his girlfriend heading out (him jogging and her on a bike) so I headed off in a counterclockwise direction. I had not ridden this direction before, so I thought it might be fun.

It was a little chilly getting to the trailhead but once there I was finally getting warmed up. The trail was a bit moist, but it is also a sandy trail and the sand was not sticking to my tires, so I decided to head on. This direction starts out with some climbing and I was not here to set any records today. I just cruised through enjoying the trail. I really like riding trails I am not very familliar with as I pay more attention to the surroundings. The woods were quiet and I had just cleaned and lubed my bike so everything was very relaxing. I had remembered mostly slight climbs going the other direction so I was hoping there would be some nice long downhills this way. However, one thing I had not realized is how many short steep climbs there were. This killed my momentum and I am starting to learn this trail does not flow as well as Oak Mtn.

After I got a few miles in I found one of the downhills, but the trail being damp (roots were pretty slick) and me not knowing it very well robbed me of a lot of speed. I also had to keep slowing for tighter turns than I would have liked on the downhills. I saw some potential jumps where the trail bumps up, but I never seemed to have enough speed to make use of them. I did want to mention that whoever maintains this trail has done an excellent job of keeping the trail clean of leaves and debris. I only noticed a few sections near the middle of the loop that were not groomed.

When I got to the junction of the two trails, I took the shorter path and then circled back on the longer one. This is the direction I knew and I actually really like this part of the trail. I could move through it pretty well and there are some small obstacles that can be jumped throught here.When I got back to the first intersection, I thought about taking the long way back (the way I just came to continue on the trail, but I was afraid I would get caught in the rain, so I doubled over the short section again and continued on my way.

This next part was what I was looking for. Longer slightly downhill runs where I could just scoot throught the trees. This continued mostly till I came to the bottom of the dam. I was dreading the ride up as I did remember it being quite steep. The mesh they had on the ground gave excellent traction and I was able to easily climb right up it.

I have no idea why, but I enjoy riding next to the water, just riding the remainder of the trail while being to look across the lake was great. I got back to the parking lot and rode a lap out over the bridge and back to bump my mileage up a couple tenths to 15. I consideded having a beer, but what fun is that if I am by myself. I was pretty hungry and decided to stop at Milo's.

As I got back to Tuscaloosa, it started sprinkling a bit and I decided to just head home to eat. I decided to swing my bike by Cahaba Cycles to let them look at the brake lever that has been working my nerves (because I believe it gets dirt in it). I have taken it apart and cleaned it twice, which seems to fix it temporarily, but after about a month it will start sticking again. I am hoping it is a warranty issue as I noticed the levers are different on both sides. (I think this was an issue on older models). Anyway, I stopped to eat at McAlisters as I always do after a ride to get a sweet tea and some non-fried food. before dropping the bike off.

They decided to keep the bike, which really bothered me as I had not cleaned it off after the ride. I tried to get them to let me take it home and clean it first, but they wouldn't do it. If anyone working there reads this: I am sorry.

Tommy and Moran want to go to Racoon Mountain next weekend, but it is BUMP workday so I am not sure what I am going to do yet. I may just go up for one day if the weather is going to be nice. I am looking forward to actually jumping off some of the things I was too scared to do last time.