Weekend Rides

Friday's afternoon ride was great. For those of you not priveladged enough to either know or have electrical work done by Don, he is a hell of a nice guy and a huge fan of this team. He always asks how ya'll are doing, and reads the blog religiously.


























He buys the sponsor's goods to support the team, and has been my training partner for the past few years.









We rode from his home behind Burbank High School up to Stough Canyon Nature Center, then up the fire roads to the very highest peak..the radio towers that feed KROQ, the Po-Lice, and other media outlets. It tops out around 3,400 feet, which is not a huge climb but in only about six miles, it still can hurt on a hot evening. We rolled up to the top just before sundown, and had run into Backbone Expert XC racer Fuzzy with his brother and some buddies.









They were coming down, we were headed up. Fuzz had his old GT Zaskar working again, and was climbing like an Armenian Sherpa. I was rolling my STELLAR new Manitou R7 Super fork with the handlebar-mounted lockout, and was surprised by how well the fork felt. I have yet to own a bad fork from Manitou, and the service has always been great.

















Sunday was a perfect day. I awoke early to visit Beauford, then came back and went to climb from Pasadena up the hitoric old Mt. Lowe narrow-gauge rail line. This place has spectacular history, look it up so I don't have to act like your high-school history teacher and tell you abut it!


















haha.. We started the ascent at about 1700 feet, and climbed to the Merrel Tunnel, then splintered off to bomb Upper and Lower Merrel trails, Sunset, and one other gnarly little trail.























The guys suffered about three hundred flats, but even with that, I still felt lucky to suck the wheels of Jay and Darter up to the excrutiating summit.






We had Heidi and Darter, King James, Jay Schippers, and a buddy of Heidi and Darter's who lives there at the base of the climb. The first couple of miles are on pavement, with something like a 34% grade. Brutal, especially with temps breaking 100 degrees in some spots.





Once we hit the old train track-road, though, speeds picked up. We spent about an hour and a half ascending this, me being the only one on a hardtail. The rest of the group rode 5" and larger trail bikes...Darter's Titus Super-Moto, Jay's Turner 5 spot, Heidi's custom built DH bike, James' BMC Superstroke, and an Intense 6.6. How these people did that climb on those bikes, at that speed, I will never know.





It was great to ride such a huge climb, since my rides have suffered greatly lately. It was even better to get to ride with a few of my favorite poeple. I am very lucky to be surrounded by peeps who support me in whatever the hell crazy crap I think up, wishing only for me to be ultimately happy. Everyone should be this fortunate.
On a side note...Vegas Bob, Roger and Vanessa all went to a party in "IngleWOOD" last night...haven't heard from them...they me be dead. Freakin' Crackers. :)

C