rand-om
1. i'm going to take a half-day and pedal my ass over to Morgan Hill to pedal some more with the woman.
luxury.
2. i've grown to despise crystal reports.
3. Big Basin ~ haven't begun to be able to digest enough of this ride to scribble about it.
Stellar and Krakulak took me out on one of the more memorable jaunts in a long, long time. We started in the sCruz, downtown style, nutting it fair immediate-like up and down some nasty-ass paved inclines.
We dove and mashed through 18% for the first half an hour until i thought my knees were going to explode. "yeah ... this route is like the worst warmup ever"
thanks AK ... hadn't noticed.
After a bit more pavement - we finally scooted into this teeny-weeny opening of a trail off some road in ... maybe Felton? Hell, i don't know where.
Jeff, our smokey guide, twisted us through trails i never even dreamed would be there. There were 45 chances to practice cross hops, and i reveled in each one. Lawdy, it sho'nuff was amazing out there. After a couple hours, we were back on pavement for a spell ... hunting for some entry into Basin. We found it and, after a friendly chat with the a park ranger decked out like a LA SWAT enforcer, we went dirty up into the hills again.
I'll just say it - we were flying. These fukkers were pretty much riding threshold for hours (taking a few breathers whenever i would force myself to the front). There was a gradual climb that took us up to a ridge that was about as perfect of training as i could ask for. High revs, practicing a relaxed, all-powered pedalstroke.
I was in heaven.
Then we hit something called "west ridge".
oh shit.
5 or 6 of these behemoth kickers needed to be scaled as we moved across the spine of the world. it was amazing. to the west was a spot-perfect panorama of the Pacific. to the east rolled the evergreen, verdant, peaceful forests of the santa cruz mountains.
the sky was dappled with grey-blue clouds, but the rains had held off all day and a slightly humid feel to the earth surrounded us, drenching us in our own sweaty froths, happy.
up and up we went until finally we hit a vista that i just leave to the gods to discuss amongst themselves.
then we descended.
fukkal, i love pointing a cross bike down a hill sometimes. I've never been on so much singletrack in one ride before.
yeah, it pretty much sucks here in the sCRuz.
22 comments:
The "Carbonera" warm up sucks! Going that hard right off the bat destroys me; usual take 40 mins. for me to warm up!
spectacular vistas Oooolaf, I used to run up there for marathon training, it was brutal, we went slow enough to enjoy the scenerey, one of my favorite runs, can't imagine traversing on the xbike.
lilly!
you better be there for tomorrow's training ride.
no messican mama excuses this week.
- -
and 'carbonera' is still kickin' my ass.
when do we get to go again?
"smokey guide"... is that code or does this guy actually smolder?
Isn't that special?
That's a gorgeous park. I once went on a backpacking trip there & scoffed at the signs for a strenuous trail. After scaling a waterfall with my pack on I had to bail on the trip a day early.
Good stuff.
I'll be there for the whole 3 day stage event.
I'm in messican mama detox as we speak...
I did something I thought I would never do, I threw out cake, pie, messican cheese and named the goat.
I froze the chilies tho. Those can come in handy later.
Try the Specialized noon ride while you are at it.
Go back home via R. Redwood Retreat and L. Mt. Madonna Rd.
Redwood retreat is a bit mushy and littered with redwood branches right now...
He's taking the easy way home..
Sounds like North escape or Lodge.
Thats one of mine and Jens secret routes.. Love that shit
I found another super secret grind of a route into a secluded valley of redwoods and the freshest blacked paved road you have ever ridden on. Of course it dead ends but it is a sweet and painful carless climb.
or maybe you were on the old Gazos.
AK grew up in them thar hills too. Us hillbillies know our ways around up there.
ooh.. back to road biking. We should do the tour of the hell climbs.
-china creek.
-north escape
-lodge reverse
-alba
-Jamison
or dirt style:
-little basin to eagle rock
-bear creek
-down gazos
-up chalk mountain
-super sketchy lumbers (painful)
Oh there are so many miles to be ridden.. thats just touching the tip of the ice berg.. i better quit my job so I can start riding them again.
jeff. .would that be the smokey jeff bronak?
Hes been known to ride them trails a lot.
glad you did that ride so i could enjoy it painlessly
nice image... any more like that.
It sounds like life is just soooooo hard for you.
I would normally be jealous, but I spent 6 hours today riding along the coast down in SlowCal. Not the same as single track, but man, the Pac Ocean and I? We're like *this*.
Panda ~ strenuous ... you said it there. but so worth it. i kept gawking like the pasty yokel, "it's so purty!"
Lilly ~ you said 'messican cheese.'
i'm gonna ride you like a goat this weekend.
Anony ~ couldn't get off work in time. woulda made hammerfest if'a could. Madonna pops my cherry bad, though.
VB ~ you gave me a ride.
Brenty ~ let's go, baby! you need to throw some sweet climbing gears on that cx and we'll hit a day's worth.
hillbilly.
xBun ~ i thought you always got headaches reading my scribbles?
anony2 ~ come out and see it in person. killer.
marian ~ helmet tan lines are so hot in december.
No, I meant the other image.
Did East Mt. Madonna Rd. Yes, loads of small redwood branches but nothing to get off the bike on. Road was much dryer than expected (no mud on bike) and much better traction vs. summertime dirt powder.
mmmm west ridge = fun. gots to git down to sc for some more-o-that, but phuk the cx bike, time to get back on piggy.
oink oink
if you're into that sort of thing, i'll look u up b4 the next trip south.
naw,
i'm fine as long as i wear my sunglasses
a special day indeed! and olaf can ride them kitty litter ruts like nothin i've ever seen! btw that's not even my best course. anytime brotha man.. ak knows how to get me
hale yeah
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