Changing things up a bit -- normally this loop is clockwise from the Boyds train station. Today we started from the Black Hill boat ramp parking lot and rode it in the other direction. Turns out that after you get up that first giant road climb on Clarksburg Road, the trend is downhill. Yeah, some pretty good climbs along the way, but from 2.5 to 9.3 it's generally getting lower and lower. Nice basica ride without a lot of miles and without being super strenuous. One wag suggested this is how we get into "off-season shape". Mmm hmm.... Not sure we can count the ride the day before yesterday, but definitely yesterday's ride counts and so the legs on the last climb at 9.3 were complaining about being tired. But that's good. You don't get better (or maintain) fitness without that.