So yeah, that was hilly...

The original plan was for a small group to head off to Tryon for a nice little Sunday spin in the mountains.  About a week or so before, the plan changed, and we met up with some guys from Summit, and headed to Caesar's Head instead.  Oh joy...
0500 came EARLY Saturday.  Some brekkie, the normal morning constitutional, and I was out the door to pick up Bristol @ 0645.
Everyone arrived at exactly the same time (when the fuck does THAT happen?), got their collective poop in a group, and the 12 of us were riding before 0900. 
A roll out of Marietta, thru Pumpkintown (yes, it's actually the name of the town), and the fun began.

In all of my riding, I'd never ridden up the front (SC) side of Caesar's Head. Backside? Sure...a few times, but the front...never.  Not that I've actively avoided it, I've just never had the opportunity.
I say opportunity like climbing for the better part of 40', up a climb that averages 6%, is a gift.  My plan was a smart one for a guy who's 180 pounds. Find a gear that felt good (39/24 or 28), sit it at a manageable HR (@85%), and pedal to the ranger station. 
Thankfully, the plan worked out.
3000' of climbing in the first 50km...the makings of a fun morning.

Once over, and a short trip thru the valley...

...the ups and downs started to come fast and furious. A bunch of medium sized ups, and 70kmh+ descents followed, and the next thing I knew, we were back on the road to Marietta.  Said road was possibly the longest 10km stretch EVER. 

All told, it was 115km, and over 7000' of up.  Big fun was had by all. 

Fortunately, the stiffness that set into my aging body was worked out by packing The Boss' vehicle for her beach trip.  That's right...packed the car for a trip I'm not on. 

Sunday morning came early, mainly because I'm not a smart man. Instead of going to bed early-ish, I stayed up and watched LeMans until well into the wee hours.
Even so, we met @ 0900, and rolled for three hours around the flats.  Not a lot of speed was to be had, and soreness didn't come to the top until the last 20 minutes of the ride.  
Another 80km in the book, which put me over 6000km for the year so far.  I'll take it.
And it was pretty freaking nice Sunday morning.

Back to quiet, family-free Service Course for a nice lunch, a nap, and a much needed scrub down of the bike.

No Mancation this year. My mornings will be spent working on the house, then a daily nap, and some riding. Not bad overall...