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Quote:

Originally Posted by megalowmatt (Post 17477801)

My family used to own that land up there. Haven't been up forever and I didn't know mountain biking was available there.

Also, where is that trail in your previous post?

You'll probably recognize this...from last week

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/m...pshecilhih.jpg

Nice pic!! Love to see the green out there and other trails.

from last weekend's 12 hours of temecula race @ Lake Vail. Did solo sport. Finsihed up 9th with 58 miles and 7k ft vert before legs were locking up really bad. Had 3 good laps and 3 laps fighting cramps. Til next time!!

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7336/...73687d24_c.jpg

I found the, 'Flow' today :P

Spring is in the air...but it felt more like summer in the desert.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=440701

Thunderstorms were moving in yesterday, and it looked like my after-work ride was going to be rained out. I held out hope, kept my eye on the window somewhat nearby my cubical, and refreshed the hourly weather forecast several times through the day. 60% chance of rain at noon slipped to 2pm, then 4pm, then 9pm. Clouds were moving to the northeast, away from us.

I called my brother-in-law and we agreed to meet at a trail on the west side of town, closer to him. He had some homework to do for his MBA evening program, but could spare 90 min to go ride. I like his priorities. :D

I got loaded up and noticed the wind had shifted. It was now coming out of the north. The temperature was dropping and purple clouds loomed. Could we get in a ride just before a drenching rain? I hoped so.

Driving west on the highway, I encountered a few sprinkles, but no real rain. Until suddenly, with a white cloud overhead no less, it started raining pretty hard. It only rained about 2 minutes. Great! ..Except, then some pea-sized hail came down. I kept driving to the trailhead, thinking maybe it was localized. A few years ago we had a hailstorm that dropped baseball-sized hail on a 1/2 mile area, quarter-sized about another mile out, and nothing at all farther away. It was a faint hope, but I was already in the car with a bike on the roof, so what the hell.

Arriving at the trailhead, I saw that they got the same brief but heavy rain I just drove through. Touched the trail and yep - it was sticky mud. Hard underneath, as it had been quite dry for a week, but the top 1/4" was soupy. I called my BIL and he said he was still at home 5 miles away and it was raining hard and hailing.

I started going back to the east and called my wife. She said we got pea-sized hail for about 1-2 minutes, and no rain at all. Hmm! There's another trail about 7 miles east of our house, could it be rideable? I drove 20 minutes and when I pulled in, I saw a small puddle of water by the entrance road. Not a single car here. Hmm, that's not a good sign. But I got out of my car and walked to the trailhead, and felt the earth like I'd done a half hour before on the other side of town.

Dry hardpack with slightly damp dust on top, like from dew in the morning. No mud. I could see a little hail here and there, but 95% had already melted. It was 47 degrees now, and 20-30 mph wind from the north. I threw on my camelbak over my rain jacket, donned my helmet and gloves, and dropped in.

It was 10 miles of heavenly "hero dirt." Unbelievable traction, no mud, and rolling fast. :eek: I would've rode longer, but I didn't bring lights, and the drive across town cost me valuable daylight. Still, I really appreciated what time I had. The trail is a pretty basic XC loop 5 miles long, but I had the most fun I've had so far this young riding season. I just took one pic, but you can see the clouds and the lack of mud on my bike. :thumb:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=441318

Good on you getting out. Sometimes it pays to take that gamble :).

We had full-on rain yesterday. Met the other guys at the bike shop for the Wed. night group ride and they were talking about just convening at the watering hole for a beer instead. I still kinda wanted to ride though, so conned most of them into a short trail ride over the hill to at least semi-'earn' a beer elsewhere. Well, we set out, arrived at our destination and by then everyone was warmed up, loose and kinda pumped to keep going; so we did. We all had lights and the rain stayed a pleasant drizzle and . . . well . . . 3 hours later we came in, pooped, muddy and drenched but all agreeing it was one of the best rides of the past couple years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dminor (Post 17664001)

Good on you getting out. Sometimes it pays to take that gamble :).

You too! Your ride sounds like a lot of fun. We can't really ride in the rain here - the soil is mostly clay and it ruts really bad, then the ruts stay there after it dries.

So back to the singletrack after a few months of only gravel riding!
Bright day, only a bit too much north wind, which made some parts a bit stressful.
The climb was a a mixture of fire roads and singletrack, which ended in the Puig del Cargol (The Snail Hill, 340 m high - 1,120 ft give or take). Nothing too difficult.
http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3wg3slni.jpg

The descent was a really fun, rocky singletrack. Not too technical, but no cakewalk either. This area burnt down last spring, but now bush is growing again, and a few oaks are sprouting new leaves.
http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/...psrf7hc6kn.jpg
http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/...psrbggswwu.jpg

The return home was on a MUP, crowded and windy, so it was rather anti-climatic, but then again, I enjoyed the ride.
So what did I notice when getting back on a mtb after riding gravel?
1) Getting used to a bigger crankset helps, I noticed I was spinning a few gears above usual without much effort.
2) Using cantilever brakes has really taught me how to break properly. Before, I just yanked the brakes and hoped to stop soon. Now, even if it took me a bit to get used to the feeling of hydraulic disk brakes, I felt a lot more in control. (NOTE: I've found out I prefer the better modulation and feeling of cantis for gravel, but nothing beats disk to give you a safe, close stop on a difficult track).

GPS Track

After kayaking yesterday I rode across Mulga Island and along side the Murray River and back along the Old Mail Route, approx 30km. Not where I planed to ride but to boggy to drive anywhere Lindsay Island, Kayaking was awesome.

It was the first ride on the Carbonal Titan. Fork is still set at 100mm, should be 120mm.
http://i.imgur.com/Ytn3i6x.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/EtVZ2Ku.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nIjc1nH.jpg

From a few nights ago.
http://i.imgur.com/hAVCrJd.jpg

Last night.
http://i.imgur.com/QM1Q40C.jpg

Trail pic's from Fox Creek today. Don't think I could go back to hardtail after riding FS.

http://i.imgur.com/fOZxKT1.png

http://i.imgur.com/2SjIJlP.png

http://i.imgur.com/cA12OSP.png

There was track maintenance in progress.
http://i.imgur.com/rh2RgMb.png

Nice and loamy.
http://i.imgur.com/34TqnEV.png

Anyone for dinner ?
http://i.imgur.com/LiNTa2C.png

http://i.imgur.com/THjIGzP.png

No actual ride pictures yet but one post-ride shot - - Says Cat 2 but it's really the 50+ Open (a combined Cat 1/2 class). I believe I was the only 60+ in our field of 16; I'm very happy with 7th on the day.

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...75305843_o.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by dminor (Post 17758528)

Nice result, congrats! :thumb:

^^Thanks! Photogs are starting to get their NW Cup shots uploaded now. Credit to Phil Beckman / PBCreativePhoto.com for this one:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...EIU=w1280-h853

Raundy Albisurez credit:

http://ruandyalbisurez.zenfolio.com/...50101179-5.jpg

Finally hit the dirt today...I can feel so confident about my road riding and then I go out on the trails and realize just how slow I really am.
http://speshuled.smugmug.com/Bikes/B...814002_n-L.jpg

Did 2 solid days mtbing at the Aust. Off Road Championships in soft sand, great workout riding taking photos.
Some photos here > http://www.bikeforums.net/foo/709379...l#post17834586

http://i.imgur.com/TVoGkvd.png

I took my very first "mountain" ride today on my recently purchased used mountain bike. I put mountain in quotes because although I rode up and down an actual mountain I did not attempt any trails and stayed on the gravel pathways. My bike has slicks on it for now but I wanted to check out what the petit mont royal had to offer for my future rides with knobbies. :)

The view from my balcony (point A), notice the cross (point B)...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=458083

Took me about an hour to climb to the top. Approx. 200 metre ascent. Now I'm not religious but that cross has been taunting me ever since I moved to Montreal 3 years ago. I finally made it there.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=458088

The descent was fun and fast!! 20 minutes!! I tried to upload other pics but they kept failing. I'll try and take more next time.

Nice photos.

I got out to Hall Ranch today and had a sweet endo onto some rocks. Only a couple bumps so the ride continued and fun was had. The green is really odd.

Back to some trails I ain't seen since last fall during my weekend....
http://img162.imagevenue.com/loc230/..._122_230lo.jpg

http://img20.imagevenue.com/loc452/t..._122_452lo.jpg

...then back to Keystone the following day, aaahhh.
http://img245.imagevenue.com/loc500/..._122_500lo.jpg

First ride out on the new frame last weekend. Took a few tours at STAB.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...ps5ja6osnm.jpg

Mission 1 was to scout out some riding areas for my son to take a few mtb trips this summer.

Mission 2 was to get a few nice rides in. Both accomplished I am happy to say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dminor (Post 17761789)

Awesome pics. I had to triple check that you said you were 60+. Really cool!

in a similar vein;

22 miles on the ECR today before most people were at work. had some #coffeeoutside , great morning.

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/hp...87389075_n.jpg

pretty sure mtb's are the best thing ever.