This morning: slept in, brewed some coffee, made/ate some french toast with bacon, and enjoyed the a.m. sun on my balcony. 'Round 9 I figured all the Arch riders would be clear of La Costa so I headed out on my mtb on pave, MUTs and use trails through 'the village', and on to Copper Creek, up Whiptail and....

Sweet THE FLAG is back!



With a note attached...



I like the,"It's all downhill from here." Someone has a sense of humor. Hopefully, no one needed the encouragement so early on.

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey

^^^ The first time I did the Arch Ride two years ago, I remember getting to that point and thinking "what the hell have I gotten myself into?" That was my first time riding at La Costa, and trying to keep pace with a bunch of amped-up and stronger-than-me riders made the first climb a real punch in the nose.

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A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

I rode it in 2011 as well. ^^^That's funny-I guess the signage might have helped someone this morning then. Yeah, it's hard to ignore the competitive urge, even knowing full well the risk of blowing up later.

_________________
It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey

I settled into my own pace for the rest of the ride and, in a sense, it was all downhill after that.

_________________
A bicycle is a splendid thing.
~Ernest Hemingway

NIce. Be dump, ching!

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey