Sweat was pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain....

Yeah, the title is a ripoff of this great tune by the butthole surfers


Crazy
Yeah, crazy. Went out to Durham forest yesterday, was to meet Mark @ 6pm.  Unexpectedly in the parking lot ran into Louis Wong, Kung Fu Sam, Peter & Richard...I mentioned to Mark that it would be an easier ride tonight...ha!  I was wrong.  Louis says he wants to pre-ride/race the Thursday night series race course. 
Fun!  The plan is to pre-ride the 5k course, then race it 3 laps.  We do the pre-ride (it is freakin hot). Then we start...race at your own pace. 
My plan..make it fun for Louis.  Louis is quite a bit faster than me (especially on the climbs) I decide to give it everything I have, no pacing, and hold him off for as long as I can :)  Maybe do only 2 laps. The ride starts, and I surprise him pulling up along side him..he says you can pass me...and I open it up...flying downhills, going for broke...and I have dropped him...heart rate at 170.  I finish the long climb to complete lap 1 and he is nowhere to be seen. So I give it some more. Into the first climb on Lap 2, I am starting to overheat...heart racing, a few shivers.
Glancing over my left shoulder I can see Louis on a switch back , still a fair ways back but gaining on me.  I blow up riding through the pines..and he passes me.  I stick with him out onto the double track, and through the next section of single track..doing some friendly taunting..."I didn't realize you were so slow through the single track" "are you taking a break" (meanwhile I am on the verge of blowing up again).  Stay on his wheel through the next section of double track, then drop the freakin hammer before we get to the single track, and pass him...gain some time through the single track, then hit more double track..starting the climb up to the start/finish he is about 100meters behind me. Trying to stay ahead...no go...he catches and passes me about 50 meters from the finish.  I blow up, sweat is pouring from my head like an avalance coming down the moutain. Shivers.  Off the bike and walk the final 30 meters to the top of the hill.  For some reason I decide to get back on the bike..suck back a gel and some drink and feel better...fly down the hills, climb...bump a few trees..but I can see Louis through the switchbacks (superfly ally) maybe 200m ahead.  Pour it on...thinking I can catch this guy before he hits the final climb. End of race...I didn't catch him, he finished about  a minute and a half ahead of me.  Excellent ride...2 litres of water gone in about 50 min. Legs pumped.
This was not the ride I expected, it was a real blast.  I was on a high for several hours after.
Ride details
A couple other notes...I also did a lower intensity 17k solo ride in Durham on Monday.
On Sunday, like a couple a$$holes, Martin & I decided to do a 110k ride up to Simcoe in 32c+ heat (cooler on the way up, hotter on the way back)...highlight of the day was stopping off in a graveyard close to Goodwood inorder to cool off for a few minutes, and finding a functioning hand pump...icecold water to cool us down and wash off the sweat. Priceless.
Four days of riding and I am spent.