To Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill

Mountain biking up the hills of North Berkeley?  Why not I thought.  It was a nice day and I had ready access to a bike.  And having just watched Lance win the final time trial of the Tour de France on OLN, I felt inspired to get my arse off the couch.  So Wagamama Boy and I tossed our bikes into my Subaru and headed for the hills.  The Wildcat Canyon Trail, a mile north of campus, starts at the base of Tilden Park and ascends up the hill to the summit at Inspiration Point.  At the trailhead, Jonathan assured me the climb was fairly gradual with few switchbacks, a category 4 ("easy") or 5 ("senior citizen friendly") rating at best.  Cat 4 or 5 eh.  Oh, okay, not a problem then.  So we headed off, him in a top-of-the-line, shock-absorbing Specialized rock-hopper and me in a jangling, creaking no-name brand mountain bike with a faulty gear shifter.  After the first hundred yards up the sloping trail, I realized we were in for a long, painful ride.  The muscles in my thighs, calves, lower back, and abdomen all began straining, accompanied by an intense burning sensation.  And what I earlier had thought was a fairly soft, comfortable seat began to feel more like an anvil repeatedly hammering away at my backside on the rocky, uneven surface of the trail.  A third of the way up, my heart rate was close to reaching cornary arrest levels, the sweat was streaming down my neck, and my arms were convulsing like a pair of vibrating rubber bands.  And I was cursing like a sailor.  Thankfully there were no underage hikers within ear shot.  But I kept peddling.  And peddling.  And peddling some more.  Admittedly, I had to rest and walk up two of the steeper inclines, but in time, we eventually made it up to the summit.  Mission accomplished.  The view at the top was picturesque, the winds pleasant, the oxygen plentiful.  Yes, oxygen is a beautiful thing.  The ride back down the hill was both exhilarating and terrifying.  Definitely a "white-knuckle" experience.  My rump took an even more intense beating.  As did my arms which effectively operated as shock absorbers for the rattling bike.  But it ended soon enough.  And all-in-all, it was a good first ride, I must say.  Can't wait for the next go around.