Tis the end of the season and time to be jolly

I've been looking forward to the LGWMBR (large group winter mountain bike ride) since sometime in August. I've mourned the loss of cross season for about 2.5 minutes,(notice no report on Reston which, while fun and I finished, deserves no second look). Indeed, the season went out with a whimper)and have turned my attention to 29" of single track fun.

In the summer, it's often difficult to drum up too much interest in the Dirty Girl ride because of so many competing activities--road rides, races, vacations, etc. Yesterday, we had 12 people show up at Falls Bridge to join us on the frozen Wiss trails, including first-timers Colin Bonnington, Pam Walland Caitlin Thompson.We would have had 14 people on the ride, but one regular who shall remain nameless apparently participated in too much cheer the previous night and the other, poor Chris, showed up a little late and missed the start. He thought we'd gone to Belmont and chased us up there and then back to the Wiss. We missed both of you!

We started out going up the hideous climb from Ridge to the Other Other. I led the group in front of a SEPTA bus which could have put an immediate end to the ride. After getting strung out riding the trail backwards, the group reconvened at Rittenhouse Town and I fired Douglas from position of "Ride Director," a job that he has assumed kind of like George Costanza when he moves into the office and refuses to leave. Douglass later redeemed himself by saving me from crashing into a giant tree and buying us all hot chocolate.
You, sir, are heretofore welcome on all rides!

After the Other Other we rode out the Pipeline, crossed over to the Fantasy Trail and continued on to the new IMBA trail. On the other side of Wise's Mill there's a bridge over the little creek crossing which some runners built. Rumor has it they were going to build it in such a way as to thwart cyclists' attempts to cross. Why can't we all just get along?

After doing part of this trail (we cut out before the meadows), we stopped at the Inn for Hot Chocolate.Steve Liddell bid us adieu at this point.The attrition rate was high as we noodled back toward Manayunk: Steve, Jilly, Diana...people peeling off in the woods to head back to hearth and home. M flatted (go tubeless M!) for the second ride in a row, right at the place where I taco'd my front wheel last summer trying to prevent Gus from passing me on a downhill. Hubris.
Next ride, we are definitely taking over Tommy Gunn's post-ride and stuffing ourselves full of ribs and other non-race season grub. And Colin--there's a 7 Eleven and Dunkin Donuts up the hill...imagine the junk food orgy that could be had?

Cross season is awesome but takes over for 3 solid months, leaving little room for general bicycling silliness. Of course, now it's time to start training for the Spring Classic...Pass the sardines.

Thanks to Damien for all the photos which I appropriated from his FaceCrack page.