The Bike and MORE: You don't need no stinkin' trainer

This is one of my classic rides I try to do a couple of times a year. I had found this route in a Scott Adams mountain bike book. When he wrote it the first big climb was on a dirt road. This ride is a dirt road ride, but very different then the Busthead Dirtyburg Ride. These are well used dirt roads where the the latter ride has more gravel and more twisty.
I had some of the usual characters with Ryan, and Bruce from Bike Lane, and new to ride with Steve who will be riding with Bike Doctor this year. I had a late night on Friday so I was doing this ride with like 3.5 hours of sleep. I got up early and put on the WTB interwolves the best dirt road tire made in my opinion. I got to the ride start and the boys were waiting for me. We were all dressed up in our winter duds, I have feet issues so I was sporting the Lake Boots, with a chemical warmer inside. We started the ride and I knew right away that it was going to be one of those rides. Steve from Bike Doctor is a CAT 3 roadie who used to race mt. bikes so he knows how to handle himself. We do the first climb and Brucey seems a little
spunky and Steve was plain strong. Once we got on the ridge a biker catches us which is kinda weird since we were going a pretty good clip. It ends up that the Evolution team was doing a ride. So we chatted with them for a couple of miles and then parted ways as we went towards the dirt, and they stayed to the road.
The dirt was a combination of sections of dirt, snow, ice, and peanut butter mud. I found out right away that Steve was really strong and was going to be "testing" us the whole day. I found I was ok with him on the steeper climbs, but over-all he was just a little too fast for me. You would start riding with him(not too close cause everyone was throwing up mud)and then you would realize he was going a little too fast. We did a new dead that I added from another ride, which adds a nice down hill that you then have to go back up. Well in going down the hill I was in front and I am going a pretty good clip, when I got my first oh crap moment of 08'. I was turning and a car comes around a blind corner. I was on my side but the road was a little tight. I realize this and start turning tighter so I don't side swipe the car, well lucky me I stat hitting those warbles or humps that are on dirt roads. So I had the turn OK but with this bumps my front tire is coming of the ground making it hard to really even turn. So I didn't hit the car and it wasn't really even that close, but it could of been a different story. The snow was good to ride on, you actually had good traction on it, but when you got to the Icy spots it was a little touch and go. Steve, and Bruce almost ate it. Ryan was riding his own pace and not getting caught up with our Shenanigans. We did a quick pit at the store(where Ryan didn't eat!) So later in the ride Ryan was feeling a little unenergetic. In some ways I was feeling pretty good for Old Waterford road and did some mock sprints, putting the DCMTB hammer down. Now admittedly the other guys didn't know that I was going for the imaginary sprint points so know one contested me. We got some great pics of us being "hardcore" so what up with being inside on a trainer!