Second New Year Ride

Well, Saturday was a bit warmer than Friday and I really did not know how my legs would feel with two days of consecutive riding, especially after 131 km. Today would be a mountain bike ride with a considerable amount of climbing. We would climb Chizi Shan （七子山）. This mountain is a pretty difficult climb with many switchbacks and some steep areas.

The temperature would be 2 C to 7 C. I would still wear a base layer, long sleeve jersey, a light windproof jacket, glove liners, gloves, and shoe covers. I chose this lighter jacket because it can go sleeveless as the body heats up during climbing.

Today I had invited Bill to join us. It would be his first mountain bike ride in Suzhou. We would meet at the Trek shop in SIP and then ride out to the mountain. In total there would be 10 riders. It would supposedly be a short ride with no lunch. As allows, it would be a 16 km ride out to the mountain and then we would start riding up the slopes.

My legs actually felt good and it was a joy to be climbing. It had been a while since my last ride at Chizi Shan. All the climbing made me feel on top of the world. No worries, just pure effort, joy, and satisfaction.

Bill climbs up the mountain followed by a local who decided to wear summer gear. The ride would be a 18 km ride with many ups and downs. There would be extremely difficult slopes which would have us walking our bikes up.

Above Zhang attempts to climb one of the steepest parts of the mountain. Out of the 10 riders that day, he was the strongest rider. Today was his third consecutive day of riding. He rode two days on the road and this day up the mountain.

We stopped for a brief rest and took a group picture. In total, there were three foreigners including Freddy, the strongest in the group.

One of the most beautiful things about being up in the mountain, is the view of the city. Each slope gives one a different view of the city. Below is a view of the houses in the valley from one of the slopes. It was a day enjoying the beautiful scenery.

We would do a down hill section to descend the mountain. We would be riding through a Chinese cemetery. I could not ride the whole section, but I felt pretty good because I had managed to ride most of the downhill. Home is really pancake flat, so this type of riding I am still learning. I think I am getting better each time I try.