A few weeks ago I heard about a Cyclocross ride that followed a local river drainage. The Boy Scouts had gone up and improved the trail recently and my friend Jeff from the Fifth Season said the ride would be great for my cross bike. He gave me the directions and landmarks to find my way, then all I had to do was find some time. Well today I found the time!
I have not missed a day off the mountain bike for the last 2 weeks. Most of my rides have been super easy and fun. I did do the local short track and got throttled. Those are flippin hard! My lungs were bleeding and I had an Asthma attack.
Heading into the high country tomorrow.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
After yesterday’s morning meeting in the endless industrial park that is Hayward, California, I decided to take the afternoon off and hit the trails for some much-needed time in the woods. Too many spreadsheets, too many sales pitches, too much of my own voice. Time for some silence and sweat.
Just a couple quick picks from a ride in the Tennessee Valley Road area in the Marin Headlands:
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View down to Muir Beach.
View to southwest.
Breather after the climb up the Coastal Trail to Coyote Ridge.
Nice little mtb ride in China Camp State Park today. It’s about a 45 minute drive up 101 from where I live in San Fran… several miles past the Marin Headlands, just northeast of San Rafael:
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Thirteen miles of very easy singletrack, a little too easy actually (finally feeling better after a week of thinking I was getting sick, and really wanted to sweat it all out), but it was a phenomenal day with relatively little traffic on the trails so I have no complaints.
On Saturday Ryan, Seth and I headed out for a ride up Starvation Mountain off Highway 20 in the Methow. For those not familiar with the area it is home to some of the most amazing cross-country riding and the valley is a thing to behold on its own.
We were camping on our property near Winthrop and Saturday morning we loaded up in the Red TDI and headed up to the trail just outside of Twisp. Ryan was driving and keeping us entertained. As has been mentioned before Ryan keeps himself fit (that is an understatement). So Seth and I were a bit nervous as to what might be in store for us….
Today was my first time on the old mtb since moving to the Bay Area from Durango. Packing to move, moving, unpacking… blah, blah, blah… it added up to about two weeks out of the saddle.
I headed across the big red bridge to the Marin Headlands (where it all began with legends like Gary Fisher) and rode some loops in the Tennessee Valley area. It was fairly spectacular, despite feeling a little leg-weak. Twenty-five degree temperature swings, all-encompassing fog unexpectedly split open by blue-bird sun and sky, waves crashing in inlets hundreds of feet below me… I felt a long way from Southwestern Colorado.
Last week LYP made a donation to Jason and Heather Hooten’s efforts with the CT Jamboree, an 80 mile high country MTB ride to benefit people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Well, the Hootens report back that the ride was a big success. Over $45K raised!! Wow! The weather cooperated, all the coordination ran like clockwork, and some of the most unbelievable singletrack in the world was enjoyed by more than 70 brave riders. Way to go, everyone… Congratulations!
This is just a quick photo/video mashup from animoto that I created as I finally got my pictures off my blackberry. These are all from a “new” hiking trail above the Northshore of Lake Whatcom and a quick Mt. Bike ride up Chuckanut Ridge (sorry no Galbraith photos this time). It is short, enjoy:
