i’m gettin fired up to do a nice longish trail ride on the Yuba trails in a week or so. may bring skis and/or some climbing gear. spring conditions are up on us- it’s multisport season!
Archive for the 'Riding' Category
28
Mar
North Yuba Trail buzz
just a quick pic from riding Sunday with Nooner on the Hall Ranch - Fiddle Ck Ridge- N Yuba Trails. all in all, about 17 miles with just a bit of highway between trailheads. the rest was out of the saddle standing climbing in direct sun with bugs trying their best to enter my lungs, carrying, flying downhill, surprise! switchbacks, and gnarly up down up down exposure of the NYT.
did i mention it was warm? most trails were littered with loose rock and other F.O.D., exposed, and much of it very tight single track. the ride had a palatable feeling of adventure!
most notable, the trails were absolutely empty. didn’t even see the easter bunny!
did i mention it was warm?
can’t wait to do it again either, maybe an out and back the Saturday of the Banff Film Festival viewings at the Yuba Theater. any takers? drive out Friday night, maybe catch those movies too. roll home Sunday? what say, anyone for a whatthefuck out and back ride from Rocky Rest C.G., up the N. Yuba Trail to Hall’s Ranch and down Fiddle Ck Ridge, then sort of backtracking by going to the north end of the Hall Ranch Trail, climbing that back to Fiddle Ck Ridge and descending the way we’d come? I’d say 8ish hours, lots of fun.
Yesterday Nooner, Bustigator, The Restless Ape, Aron, Juni and I found a new trail out in Sparks thanks to a tip from my buddy Martin. It was RAD!
It starts off a dirt road behind the new softball fields near Red Cock Gold Course. Follow the pink BLM access signs for now. It starts with a cool singletrack, then climbs about 900 feet over really short distance. It’s a lung buster for sure but most of the switchbacks are really well built and fully ridable.
We ran into one of the builders @ the top. Thanks man!!!
The trail loops around from the top there by the chicken sign. Suggest going right for the loop. There is some seriously technical stuff on the back side. Steep, loose, tight, rocky and super fun! About 10 miles all together.
There was some fall-line trail on the back side and some in-sloped sections with no drainage, but it looks like these guys are out there working fairly frequently and are on top of it. Great trail. Lots of potential. I’d like to see it go all the way south to I-80…
Also: check out all the new trail work being done over on Peavine!!!
-M
28
Oct
Bicycle Tricks
We are inundated with smoke and riding anywhere near here is not recommended due to paticulates in the air. So, instead of riding my bike I’m thinking about bike riding and looking at some stuff from earlier in the year. So, here are a couple of short videos for your viewing pleasure.
This first one is from my Bachelor Party Weekend in Southern Utah. This was a fun little section on the Little Creek Mesa trails.
After I returned from my honeymooon I joined a friend in Big Bear to do some lift-assisted riding and we tried to find all the stunts we could. I’m not sure they are on the trail maps, but they sure were fun. The first is a nice log ride. It took me two tries to ride the log, but my dismount was lacking. Oops.
The final one is a little log jump that was set up at the start of another trail. It was pretty fun. I like getting air between my tires and the ground.
I hope everyone else is getting out and riding their bikes.
Cheers,
~R
03
Oct
Notes for October
First, prepare your gnarly scrawney asses for cyclocross. Even JR has committed to racing, and fixed no less! First off this month is Thursday, and presumably every following Thursday for the Outlaw series in Truckee and environs. Second is the Sagebrush series race on the 20th @ Hidden Valley. Our beloved Grisly Bike Geek is the triggerman for the series and says that if we get three fixtards racing he’ll get us the best prizes. As it should be. I say bring it. I’ve got nothing to loose!
Second, got this note from my buddy Jason re: the Keyesville Classic which Gris JR and Myself went to last year…
Team Bacon Strip,
I am Jason Smith and the new Keyesville Classic Race director. I was last
years assistant director and have the race from this year forward for
awhile.We are becoming a part of the national calendar this year. For those that
race for point standings this will help.We will have:
Downhill
Short Track
Cross-countryA non-uscf sanctioned stage race where all riders participating will have to
race the same class with the same bike. We are adding the one bike thing
this year. We really wanted to do it last year but since we had no real
time to execute it was pushed of to this year.I saw on the blog you have that you fellows were disappointed with not
having the 8 hour race. Sorry. If we could logistically figure out how to
do everything in one two day period of time we would. We would love to add
it to the events if it were feasible.I would like to invite your team to the race and enjoy another event with us
this coming year. It is only 162 days away. Come hang out, drink beer from
the brewery, eat spaghetti, and camp out…oh yeah, and race.Thank you for all you support in the past.
Third, and blasts from the past seem to come in twos these days (My dad and I took Jason(from above) climbing for the first time a few years ago. I think I was 14…): My buddy Dustin from High School called the other day to talk about a new website he’s building to be a guide/wiki for adventurism in Kern County. The last guide book was published about 13 years ago. Before that, we had a laminated photocopy of the Stonemasher’s Guide to Kern River Climbing… Good work Dustin!
-M
01
Oct
29er party!
Saturday the 29th was ~37th-ish annual Vulture Day (observed) and we did our best to make the migration to Bend, OR to participate. A few hours into the 6 hour drive we plowed head-on into our first snow storm driving experience of the season - sweet!
We arrived at Jessica’s place before midnight and kept her and Wade up a few more hours talking and chilling before pitching the tent on the driveway. In the morning, I was up with the sun under a heavy frost and to find ice in the dog water - brrr! A very excellent breakfast of bacon containing quiche (I don’t remember its actual name) was had at Bend’s Sparrow Cafe, along with some super high octane java. Wade is stoked on the good people that run that place, fostering community and artist endeavors in a decommissioned industrial complex that was originally the towns foundry. You can’t imagine how good the chocolate birthday cake he got from them was! Here he’s prying Whitney for her secret recipe.
The afternoon was spent riding the trails in local woods - twisty, a bit technical leading to great views from nearby buttes. Amanda, Oso, Chris S, Wade, and I span away the day having a great time. Cool trails out there, and not a soul besides us on them! How’s that for a birthday ride? All the while, Jessica was making an excellent effort at preparing her home and kitchen for the sushi birthday feast. Thanks for having us all over, Jessica!
soon thereafter, friends of Wade & Jessica converged on her place to partake in keg#2 of Wade’s whiskey flavored porter homebrew, build and mow down on some sushi, laugh, long board, fire watch, smash a pinata, and revel for their friend’s birthday. What a great group of pals you guys have up there. it was a pleasure to meet everyone and get our party on!
nice hand roll! what flaver a powar bait dja use?
can you see the bacon in that there sushi?
Wade had the last go at the vulture pinata - which, ah, contained some provocative stuffing…
Grizz put on a sweet looking cyclocross race on Saturday, taking advantage of the “Village” at Northstar ski area. Racers were nuking through the cobblestone streets, running up a wet wood chip covered hillside, across the ski runs, and blazing downhill through a gravel filled roadbed. I didn’t see any sweet crashes, but a lot of really motivated riders. Rain up to the event, and off and on during the races kept things real crossy. Those guys and gals were havin’ fun, you could just see it in their faces.
It looked fun enough to give it a go, at least during in the upcoming Outlaw X races. More on that, soon, i’m sure…
We did have our priorities straight though. After the cyclocross race finished, Shredder, Caylin, Oso, and I split for trails near Martis Peak. The rains left everything tackie and completely devoid of other trail users. I didn’t even cross another track till the end of the ride, much less hear a dirt bike.
The low cloud ceiling, crazy light on developing fall colors, and clean, crisp air made for a magical day. All the work that they have done on the trails sure made for a killer ride. I don’t remember half the banked turns and kickers that we hit when I rode out there last year.
3.5 hours of shredding, maybe 15 miles, at least a dozen log & board rides and a casual pace overall was sweet!!!
so sweet, in fact, that it’s on the short list.
and then, Sunday, all Hell broke loose when we roll into what will forever be known (in specific, small circles of Renoans), as the Tour de Cul de Sac that TBS crashed… Actually, I don’t quite remember much after racing the tandem bike with Caylin in our underwear. Stanimal found my bike tools at the nearby Blind Onion later that evening. I felt like a had a mild brain injury this morning. I’m very sure someone will have some pics and words for us - afterall, the beer shower and sardines, and cutting the mandatory wine chug bottle with Coca Cola (calimocho!) - but that’s another story… just some pics for now
Heckler
Hammer down!
Pedalphile and the Circus bear (does that make er a “carnie?”)
the final heat
Capt’n Creep-0 shreds the pilons and they get their race face on…
but then again, with monikers like Pedalphile, Capt’n Creep-0, and Crankwhore, we sort of fit in. Thanks for letting us come up there and have some fun!
10
Sep
Rider down…
I’ll be on the road and riding in the Vapor Trail 125 this weekend, but if you’re looking for something fun to do you might consider the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Intro to Sierra Crown epic event in the Lakes Basin area. The couple of events of theirs that I have done were a blast - well organized, well fed, well drunk (drank?) with chillin’ live music and raffles and auctions afterwards (that’s where I picked up Hester Prynne!). It’s like the funnest parts of gnarly races (comradiere, new trails, camping, revelry) but without the competition. Best part is it’s free - if you happen to be a SBTS member. If not, consider it a $50 investment in the trails and the good people that make them, tune them up, and hoe down after a day of fun with trail bikes. Besides, once you’re re-upped on dues, you can go to all the next year’s activities for free. I like the parts about biking new trails, meeting good people, and partying down after it all.
See you in the Mountains,
Japhy rider
26
Aug
REAL Man-Pris…
Originally uploaded by i am indisposed.
When life throws you lemons you make lemonade. Or, in this case, a bold, if ill-conceived, fashion statement!
I suppose this isn’t that extreme. But still. My ass got hott!!! Thank god I was wearing a cycling shirt when I forgot my lycra/polyester @ home Saturday when Taldor and TheReslesssApe and I hit the Tahoe Rim Trail from Spooner/Kingsbury. Thanks for the fine Patagucci Socks Taldor! Between the green shirt and the orange pack I matched the Stately Pleasure Bike quite well!
Weather was fine, a little hazy in the Tahoe Basin. No biggie. A few runners, a few hikers and a very few bikers. That section from the bench to Kingsbury is the best. Definitely worth the ride in the rough stuff.
-M
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