Today Rich gave in to my pathetic pleas, and we finally came back to Broad Mountain to ride the famous “loop.” This loop was probably my second mountain bike excursion ever, back in the days when 12 miles was a long ride, my bike weighed about 100 pounds, and I had to struggle to keep up with the “boys.” Rich, of course, was the one who introduced me to riding this loop, and we’ve ridden it together every time since. But at some point this summer, I realized how much I wanted to ride it again. Somehow we let several years pass since the last time.

Granted, this is not as scenic (at least not for the majority of the ride) as, say, the carriage roads in Acadia or the Gunks, it’s not technical, and we always experience weather extremes here—if it’s not cold and raining, it’s hot as hell. But each time has been precious and challenging to me, and I like it.