Descent Into Valle Crucis

Today was a fun ride. Lots of little descents in and around griffith park (been doing lots of my base through there...i should get sick of it any day now) made the ride a fun one. Which brought to mind the greatest descent I know: Highway 194 from Banner Elk into Valle Crucis...and so, we have the above video. I rode out of town one day, taped my digital camera to the bars, and hit record... Spring, 2004. Banner Elk, North Carolina. Note the unobstructed lushness of the place. The only thing that isn't vibrant green in color is the road or occasional farm animal. Addicting. The descent is in two parts. The first section is the shorter one, with rougher pavement, and lots of G-forces. This is followed by a mile long flat section which takes you to the second part. More Gs, better pavement, and when you're *feeling it* -the most fun you can ever have on a bicycle. I remember breaking spokes once solely from the lateral and braking force through one of the turns (My mechanical ineptitude likely contributed, however) near the beginning of the 2nd section. It's that awesome. The whole road is about 7miles, I think. Pardon my singing/commentary. And I'd like to take time to pay homage to the great Luke Winger: Former roommate, tip-top juggler, and THE fastest man down that mountain, every time -especially in inclement weather. Salvodelli Status. Smoked me every time, without even trying.