Happy Dias

Well, I managed to squeeze in one last blast before I feck off to NYC for a bit. And what a blast it was. It's been a while since I've ridden with Rosson and his buds. Almost long enough to forget just how strong and fast they are - but not quite. I knew the ride (wherever we went) would be brutal. So much so I almost thought about bailing. But I also knew it would be a huge challenge and extremely good fun. I wasn't disappointed (on both accounts.)

Meeting in Mill Valley the six of us hit the Railroad Grade trail up to the East Peak of Mt Tam. 2500 ft of elevation at (my) race pace was one hell of a warm up. I managed to keep out of the granny and the fellas in my sights. But I struggled on my Nomad against their superlite hardtails - and their legs forged from years of cat 1 racing. But the descents were well worth the comfort zone tugging climbs. Hitting first Coldsprings, a banked, sweeping trail with epic views of Muir Beach and the Pacific, Dias and ending with the Miwok trail. I've ridden these trails before, with Scott, Aaron and Spangles. I'd forgotten how much fun Miwok is, but to be honest I could barely enjoy it as much as I'd like. All the sugary Guup supplies I had couldn't take my focus away from my cramping legs. A great ride though. Definitely one to put hairs on your chest. Hopefully it will go some ways to offsetting the period of riding inactivity that is coming up. Next stop, NYC. Hopefully there'll be one or two posts as I aim to check out some east coast action.....

Big Rock

Given where I work, it was about time I took a trip down Lucas Valley road to check out the scenery. Waking up to another deluge of english weather ruled out all our usual haunts. We didn't fancy a mud bath. A plan to hit Tam the next day was already in the works, so an alternative, weather friendly locale was needed. And so it was that me and Spangles decided to hit Big Rock. Probably one of the easiest to spot trailheads in Marin :o)

There are several trails and fireroads around Big Rock, but we decided to take the usual out and back route. Passing the rock itself, climbing 2000 feet to the tv towers (and a spectacular view) before doing the whole thing backwards at a much faster click. By the time we hit the top, the heavens opened and our plan to explore the previously inviting fireroads was nixed in favour of a spirited descent back to the warmth of the waiting Scooby'. The trail itself holds up amazingly well in the wet. The few rutted and boggy sections are broken up with some beautifully sweeping rocky singletrack. Once you're done with the cow gates and switchbacks, the trail opens up to an uninterrupted view of epic trail snaking back to Lucas Valley road. Here, you can really drop the hammers and let suspension deal with the unanticipated trail details obscured by dollops of rain sitting on foggy glasses. Awesome fun. Definitely somewhere to hit when a quick shred session is needed.

View through the goggles or post-ride beer?? You decide :o)

"Just Fishing for Berms Dude!"

A quote so memorable it had to be the blog title :o) We've had a lot of English weather here recently. In fact, it's been a bit of English (ie rain and drizzle) mixed in with some pretty serious gale force winds and bullet like hail. Still, we've managed to dodge into the eye of such storms and catch some dirt (or at least mud) during the calmer moments. Another cracking 'rancho night ride and today, a blast up and down Mt Tam. The looming clouds threatened to drown our enthusiasm and an early shower left me sitting in what felt like a soggy nappy for the rest of the ride. But that, and two snapped derailleur cables, couldn't conspire to stop our grins from hurtling down some fine Marin trails. I head to NYC very soon. My time in the Nomad is limited before the break. Back at Aaron's he showed us his new friend, a Santa Cruz DJ Jackal. Such a fun piece of kit.....And there IS that jump park half an hour from the hotel in Manhattan..... ;o)

Lost Boys

Ok, so we're grown arse men, not boys... and we were never really "lost", we just spent a lot of the ride exploring and picking our way through unfamiliar trails. But we were in Santa Cruz and that's where one of my favorite movies of all time was set. Hence the unashamed use of the title :o)

After an absence of, pushing, 3 months, Spangles dusted off his S-Works Stumpy and hit the dirt with me and Chris. We decided to head for sunnier climbs (and descents) and hit Santa Cruz. The plan was to follow the same route I'd done on the skills clinic with Shaun before Christmas. Arriving at Twin Gates, we saddled up, me in all my nice new kit, and started with the mailboxes trail.

Mailboxes is so much fun. The recent rain left much of it quite muddy. Meaning some sections were more technically challenging than expected. But the fast, sweeping banked turns and bonus jumps and drops were all there for our entertainment. Mailboxes starts out calm enough, albiet fast, but soon descends into some awesome rocky, rooty downhill goodness. Get your breath back and it's an extremely challenging rock garden before the climb out back to the road. From here, we passed through the uni' campus and hit the Star Wars trail before finding our way back to Twin Gates.

Jase hit mechanical issues so retired. Me and Chris, not quite spent, hit Mailboxes again. The Nomad is completely at home here, and not just by name. Having warmed up on the first run I really felt good flow and a need for increased speed. Hitting the steep stuff again, I felt things get sketchy under the bike's rubber, but the sensation of flying down such amazing terrain was too good to bail out of, so I kept my head up, picked a line and gunned it. Woo Hoo! This is what proper mountain biking feels like!

Jase and Chris are getting well into their trials type urban shennanigans. The results out on the trail today were plain to see. On the way back we stopped off at a Specialized shop to sort Spangles' bike issues. They had a nice 26" chromoly steel P1 dirt jump bike. Perfect for urban mountain biking.... I'll be in NYC very soon. Lots of concrete. I wonder if they have a Specialized store near the hotel? ;o)

Half Inched

Aah look. There I am at the Lake Sonoma series. Wearing a shirt earned with blood, sweat and grinding gears at last year's Lemurian. My very first pair of MTB shorts, battered through countless incidents of my arse hitting dirt, lovingly stitched back together by my own fair, fumbling hands. Shoes, purchased the day of our first xmas ride. And a camel sack, so precious I saw fit to protect it from the elements with a bespoke cover. All this good stuff digitally recorded on my little blue and white Garmin friend (and Nick's camera..) And lost the very same day to some thieving feckers who thought a bag full of sweaty, muddy clothing was worth smashing a Scooby's window for. Feck all for them, the cost of new glass for me, and the loss of some well loved kit. :o(

Lake Sonoma Series I

This past Friday I was all set to go and see our new movie, Rango with my fellow ILM'ers and then toast our success with a few drinks too many down the pub. The weather forecast for the weekend was dire so I could afford the hangover and maybe do a quick spin around Tamarancho later the following afternoon. Well, that plan went out the window as soon as I saw a cheeky post on Facetube by the fellas at Bike Monkey. The Lake Sonoma Series race 1 (of 4) was to be held the very next day! The chance to strap on a bib and hit new dirt, all in the name of competitive fun was too strong of a draw. So my Friday eve saw me hunched over the Nomad scrubbing off Tuesday night's mud whilst my kit sat spinning in the laundrette.

The Sonoma Series takes place over 3 laps (for the Sport cat) with each lap being 5 miles. Arriving early Saturday am, I met up with Aaron who was there with his high school crew. The first race of the season was upon us! I certainly hadn't trained for it, but felt 15 miles would be totally fine given all the riding I've squeezed in recently. Mainly, I just wanted to have a fun ride around pastures new and enjoy the ambience these events generate. The Bike Monkey fellas always put on a good spread and this race was no exception. At around 10:00am, warmed up and gu'd up, we we're off!

Climbing the initial fireroad ascent, we quickly veered left into Lake Sonoma's signature singletrack. Sweeping, twisty-turny and banked - it's possible to really drop the hammers and fly around this place. Once the throng thinned out a bit, I started to get into the riding and found some good flow. The weather was perfect, but the previous week's rain had left sections of the trail muddy. By lap 2 we were getting bogged down in ruts and hike-a-biking up some of the climbs. Our knobbly tyres no match for the thick goop. Still, it didn't hamper the fun too much. The technical sections were a lot of fun. Recent trips to Tamarancho helped out a lot here. But the main grin was the singletrack.... so flowey and lovely. I can't wait to hit the other races in the series and shred some here when it's dry and dusty.

Doing the same circuit 3 times was a great experience. You learn where you can ease off and drop some Gu, and then when to turn it back up even if the heart is going like the clappers. I kept a decent, and for the most part, race pace. By the end I started to feel the flutterings of cramp in my quads. I probably could've pushed a bit harder, but not much. Overall I came 4th in my category. I'm really chuffed with that. It shows good progress from last year's racing and potential for a good season. But mostly, I'm just pleased with my riding. Always room for improvement, but I had a consistent pace and found some good flow. That'll do me for now :o)

I was going to post the race circuit GPS data, but alas... my poor Garmin friend (along with all my muddy, sweaty bike crap) was stolen from my car.... So I'll be styling all new kit at the next ride, looking like a proper noob.

Tuesday Night Ride

Look at that face! That's the green glowing grin of a man riding by torchlight for the first time. We've been scheduling it for weeks to no avail. But finally the weather was decent enough to allow a cheeky evening session at Tamarancho. A light sleet, plunging temperatures and a snapped chain weren't enough to stop me, Chris and (new riding bud) Zach from enjoying some nocturnal shredding. It's always hugely satisfying to ride the Nomad on a school night, and last night was no exception. Awesome fun!

February Fun

The past couple of weeks has seen rain kaibosh our night rides, and dual slalom racing plans. But that's not stopped us from getting some cracking rides in. Last weekend we hit China' and then took a little trip up Mt Tam to see the snow. This weekend : first session of the year at Tamarancho and a shred at Skeggs. Tamarancho has been groomed since I last rode there. A new drop feature plus some trail work has added spice to an already outstanding place to ride. The usual technical challenges and frustrations (mainly on the climb) were soothed by some sweet sweet singletrack descending. Such a great place to ride and develop those technical kung fu skills.

A missed turn at Skeggs meant me and Chris did the Blueblossom trails twice. No bad thing given how much fun it is. I've started employing advice from Dave about stance, especially on cornering. Using a more aggressive body position and really leaning the bike over to rail the turns. I found it really coming together at Skeggs. Judging by how many people we dropped and overtook, I obviously gained some speed somewhere. Fun times and immensely satisfying to feel my riding progress. All to be put on ice soon though as I'll be in NYC for 8 weeks on a shoot..... The poor Nomad will be mothballed during one of the year's best race months. Ah well. I'll just have to keep getting her muddy as often as possible in the meantime. :o)

Look!... Look at this...

… This is "The Cyclisk." It's a massive tower constructed out of old bike bits and mounted on a concrete plinth in Santa Rosa in the name of urban art. Cracking. Having had another leg surgery to rid me of rusty leg pipes I decided to take it easy this weekend. But the call of the dirt was too strong. The thought of another missed weekend in the Nomad's company was too distressing. So, as a compromise, I suggested to Rich he blow the dust off his Gary Fisher 29er and we head over to Helen Putnam park for some mellow shredding.

HP is a fantastic place, and perfect for a low level session. The whole place is made up of little loops of sweeping, twisty singletrack with some relaxed climbing. A few steeper sections throw in a suprise every now and again, but for the most part it's just fun and fast with little chance of spillage or over-exertion. Having said that, a hastily scoffed panini and lengthy periods between rides got the better of Rich on one of the climbs and a little "trail omelette" was offered up to cook in the glorious Sonoma sunshine :oS

After checking out the Cyclisk, I took a little trip to Howard Park (next to Annadel state park.) Seemed like a waste not to, given I was in the 'hood an' all. A few loops around the lovely Howard Park singetracks, plus a dirt jump session with some local kids, and I was all done. Sun, dirt and a bit of culture. Good times ;o)

Bish Bash Bosh

I've been out of commission for a couple of weeks. Had a couple of rogue leg pipes frazzled by the good doctor. So this weekend's shred session had been eagerly anticipated. Our last ride at China' saw the Nomad in bad shape : belligerent back brake and creaky suspension pivots to name a few ails. Some love was needed. So, whilst out of action myself, I took her into Big Swingin' Cycles and had a full tune up completed. I also added some subtle, but significant upgrades. The Nomad has strong all-mountain credentials, but anyone who's taken one up a steep techy climb know's it's leanings are more towards the fun end of gravity. So I decided to nudge it further towards it's downhill leanings and have the big ring swapped out for a dirty great bashguard with chain guide! The middle ring now has a few extra teeth and the rear derailleur is short caged. Beautiful. The whole drivetrain is much tighter, snappier and tucked out of harms way.

To try out the new setup me and Chris took a trip down to Skeggs Point. Always guaranteed to deliver a good day's riding, Skeggs was on top form. Conditions : perfect. The ground tackier than cake mix and dappled in glorious sunshine. We decided on a new route. We'd heard whisperings that the Blue Blossom trail is "the best trail at Skeggs." So we decided to forego our usual Fir to Resolution route and sample trails new. Our curiosity was rewarded with some epic, sweeping trails. Almost immediately, as you hit Sierra Morena towards Bear Gulch, you're on a roller coaster ride of sweeping dirt, jumps and the occasional rutted, rocky or steep section. All of this flies by in a blur of speed and grin - only stopping briefly to make sure we were on track for Blue Blossom.

Blue Blossom was more of the same. Over too soon, it seemed, we were soon back on the fairground ride as we hit Crossover trail and then Crosscut trail. At one point, I was actually drooling as we tore through the woods. Probably due to my new braces, but it seemed appropriate as a sign of sheer joy! After the fun of the new, it was time to hit familiar trails. Taking Salamander to South Leaf. By now we were well warmed up and hitting jumps with tail flicks, all the while riding as fast as we dare. My usual tricks/mistakes kept surfacing, but I was soon to correct with new found technique. Weighting the outside foot to gain traction in corners (instead of braking to scrub speed,) looking far down the trail and relaxing as much as possible we're all coming together nicely. A great confidence ride in fact, as I really felt the benefits of riding properly.

So that was that. Such a fun ride. But the climb out nearly killed us. I've never pushed my bike up Skegg's hills as much as I did today. Luckily Chris was in similar shape so neither us felt too shamed. We have a date with the hills of San Francsco on Tuesday. We've been hitting them to build up climbing strength. It's amazing how climbing 80 odd concrete blocks is feasible, but a few miles of steep dirt gets you out of the saddle and on your feet in minutes. Still, it won't stop us hitting Skeggs anytime soon. Especially as we've found the funfair route ;o)

Reel Motion Sports Pacifica 2010 Video

Michael, at Reel Motion Sports put together some fantastic videos from the Pacifica clinic we did last year. He was even good enough to give each of us our own moment in the spotlight. Here's mine :



And here's the awesome group video :

CLICK HERE

WaterDog

When I first moved to San Francisco I resided in the town of Belmont. Sleepy, suburban and not much in the way of excitement to be had. Little did I know, having since moved to the big city, that Belmont is home to one of the best MTB playgrounds in the bay area! We'd heard about Waterdog park from a couple of random people out on the trails. A little googling revealed it to be an area of parkland with some custom built trails. Looked like fun. So me and Chris went to check it out this past weekend.

Popular with beginners, Waterdog does have it's fair share of weekend warriors, so you need to keep your wits about you for slow moving traffic. But the trails have a lot to offer. Sweet, sweet single track, some nice, rutted steep sections and some fantastic man made features - including the Finch trail which is made up of a dozen tight switchbacks. All this adds up to a great ride. Because it is relatively small, and the climbs aren't too shocking, it's easy to spend the whole day there sessioning the many different routes. That was our plan, but our attention was diverted by something else…

Across the road from Waterdog, at the end of Carlmont Drive there's - what can only be described as - a mini Livewire (@ N*) trail! Made up of gapped jumps and tight burms, the locals have done a fine job of creating a fantastic jump park. The place was getting a solid thrashing from a bunch of youngsters, all kitted out with ff helmets and burly rigs. This place isn't for the squeamish, but there's plenty of less gnarly stuff to session for those of us less experienced with getting air.

We sessioned a section which had a couple of nice jumps and ended with a sweeping burm. A load of fun and a great place to hone skills before hitting Northstar or Whistler. Watching the other, more extreme guys offers some solid inspiration too (not to mention great photo opportunities.) So we'll be returning (with appropriate gladiator cozies) very soon. Well, just as soon as my ribs have healed. Yep, I bashed them again. With all the challenging, tricky terrain on offer, I decided to cartwheel my bike over - what can at best be described as - a medium sized branch instead. Pathetic. The Nomad saw fit to duly punish by nailing me square in the man boob with it's saddle. 32+ pounds, right in the ribs. Still, it's only a minor inconvenience. Breathing and moving hurts, and I can't sleep properly, but I'm still thinking about what next week's ride will entail….. ;o)

Beware of Tiny Tiny Bears

No sooner had I landed back in NorCal and it was time to taste Californian dirt again. Just a cheeky cobweb blaster around Annadel with Aaron and (Bike Monkey magazine's) Nick Gaetano. My nine thousand calorie-a-day Christmas diet soon took effect however. Stitch kicking in almost immediately as my chocolate lined arteries struggled to pump blood to my diaphragm. Still, we had a great ride. The familiar trails (and some new ones shown, courtesy of Nick) were muddy, but beautiful, bathed in winter's golden light.

Third Annual Chrimble Ride

Having done it three times in a row, the Christmas holiday midlands ride is now a legit tradition. The people and places have changed each time, but the game plan is always the same: meet up at Bob's folk's place and indulge in some local trails, pubs and curry houses. Throw in a cheeky fry up and you have all the ingredients for a fantastic trip. Notable by their absence, Jimmer, Mikey and Sexy Stu couldn't hit the trails with us this time. But Bob, Lou and Phil were there and we were joined by Kerry and Jess. The racing credentials amongst this lot are impressive to say the least. Phil, Kerry and Bob we're all top racers back in the day and Jess is currently making a name for herself on the gravity circuit. The trails around Shropshire are their stomping ground so a great ride is guaranteed. That's why I look forward to it so much each year.

Day 1 and we hit the Long Mynd trail. A National Trust owned area of outstanding beauty in Shropshire. The views were probably stunning, but we couldn't see them. As we climbed the fireroads we were shrouded in a deep mist. Every now and again, we'd spot a few riders, hikers and other wildlife, but for the most part the trails were eerily quiet. Bob had sorted me out with an ex-demo Count Solo Rose hardtail. A beautiful piece of kit that has since been purchased and added to the stable. The Rose has similar geometry to my Orange, but is aluminum so is much lighter. Climbing like a mountain goat and being super nimble on the descents meant I had a perma-grin plastered on my face the whole time. It even coped fine with the steep stuff, although I might sort it out with some burly tires for next year. Having gotten used to the Nomad's tank treads, skinny XC tires meant a few sketchy moments were had.

After a pork pie and jelly baby stop at the peak, it was time for a spirited single track descent back to Craven Arms - hitting some of the same trails we did on the very first Chrimble ride. One of my new year's resolutions is to crack the manual. It looks cool, for one but seeing Bob employ it so often in his regular riding made me realise how useful it is. He seemed to glide over and through stuff, and even bunny hops have so much more grace and accuracy when set up with a manual. Mastering this neat move is definitely on my list of MTB goals for the year.

Day 2 and me, Bob and Lou hit Eastridge Wood. An area of purpose built MTB trails with varying levels of gnarl (including two downhill black routes.) What was meant to be a quick blast around the dirt ended up being a full day of riding. Aching legs from the previous day's adventures were soon forgotten as we threaded Eastridge's super fine single track. Rooty and slippery with mud, we had to show some restraint in places. But we still managed some of the black routes, including some of the runs Bob used to race back in his hay day.

So, that's it for another year. Mud cleaned off, and nice new bike lubed and mothballed until my next trip home. This time next week I'll be back in NorCal hitting the local trails with the fellas there. But knowing I have a sweet ride back here, great trails to shred with fantastic riding buddies makes me (as I did last year) look forward to next year's Chrimble Ride already :o)

Bike Skills 3.0 - Clinic Weekender

That's it. Another year's shredding in California under my belt. Filled with up's and down's (figuratively and literally) and many adventures shared with great riding buddies. All good. Awesome, in fact. Physically, I'm reminded of the recent weekend's adventures. My legs are black and blue..... more so than usual. Why? Because I spent the whole weekend elevating my skill levels with some fantastic tutors at a couple of clinics.

Firstly, Saturday am and me and Chris made our way to Pacifica to meet up with Celia and her team for a Mountain Biking Marin organised downhill clinic. The session was to be a small, focused affair designed to arm us with the mettle necessary to tackle the bay areas only legit black diamond runs. Pacifica is not for the fainthearted. Rugged and unforgiving, warming up consists of riding/hiking up the steep, rocky terrain until you hit the trail heads. From there it's straight into downhill mayhem. We caught a glimpse of what was to come as we ascended and it looked terrifying.

Hauling burly bikes upwards, clad in full gladiator get up was one hell of a workout. But looking at the large drops and harsh rocks, we knew we'd be glad of the padding later. Instructor's Celia, Dave and Mike gave us tips on line choice to help our preparation and calm our nerves. The air was crackling with anticipation as we grouped at the top of our first descent; The Crack. My heart was pounding. Equal parts fear and excitement. Trails like this scare the hell out of me, but they're EXACTLY the sort of trails I've wanted to conquer and feel good about riding since attempting Northstar's double blacks. Here and now, was my chance!

The plan was to break the Crack down into sections and session each of it's trickier features. First up was a large drop near the start of the trail. Dave demo'd a nice, controlled line using technical skills to negotiate the drop and making it look easy enough to inspire our confidence. Talking about body position he stressed the importance of getting the elbows and knees out to act as secondary suspension for the bike. This little nugget served me well the whole day as it really puts you in a more commanding but relaxed position when hitting the gnarly stuff. Me and Chris we're first up. My focus tunneled as I bounced down the trail. Just about remembering to move my weight back slightly as I hit the drop, I didn't quite move enough. Luckily the 6 inches of my front fork absorbed my error and stopped me from flying over the bars. The recoil sent me flat on my back though. Cartwheeling overhead, the Nomad landed - saddle first - in the one place I'd neglected to strap on padding. First blood (or at least bruise) drawn and it was time to lose the anticipation anxiety and focus on technique. I'd hit the trail too fast and blundered through. My next run was more controlled. My body position improved and more consciously aware of my technique I cleared the drop no problem. By the fourth run I'd cracked it (pun intended.)

By now we were all getting psyched for the next section; a technical drop followed by an immediate steep S curved section - or, blast through a straighter line and hit another big drop. Kung Fu warmed up a treat, we were hitting the first drop no worries. The S curve was undoing everyone though. Requiring a fearless approach and precision threading, the technical challenge had us trying the straighter line instead. A steep, rocky descent, then a big drop onto more rocks. Doable, but definitely requiring skill and nerve in equal measure. My first shot and I made the drop ok but screwed the landing. I wasn't worried though. In fact I felt elated. Approaching the gnarl, something happened inside my brain. A mental switch had been thrown. Alive with firing synapses I didn't feel worry or fear, I felt great! Excited and overjoyed to be riding such challenging terrain and confident enough in my line and body position to feel relaxed and ready. This was exactly the feeling I was hungry for! Replacing fear with something far nicer - fun! Some of the guys were keen to hit Pacifica's jumps so they split off with Dave and Mike to session. I wanted to capitalise on my embryonic downhill confidence so stayed with Celia and Meredith to continue sessioning the Crack. Hitting the drop again, I nailed it. Time to move on.

Riding the rest of the Crack felt great. New found confidence had me pumping the track where before I'd be dragging my brakes or cautiously picking my way through. Great set up for the next trail: The Mile. Maybe not quite as gnarly as the Crack, the Mile has some long, steep technical sections that require full commitment to line choice. I'd normally be tempted to hike a bike sections like this, but the Crack had awakened a desire and confidence that I was keen to build on. We sessioned a particularly steep, tricky section that had a few line choices. Celia was keen to have us make our own choices and see our own route through. Being able to see the line and imagine taking it gives the mental advantage needed to tackle tricky terrain. If you only see boulders and danger, you'll spill. But seeing a clean line makes the whole thing doable. Convince your brain of that and you're halfway there. The rest is up to good riding technique and plush suspension.

Completing the rest of the Mile took us to the jump park where the other guys were hitting the ramps. Re-grouped we rode the Boyscout trail back to the cars. Muddy and rutted, Boyscout was not ideal for riding, but it gave a taste of what to expect in the Spring. Hopefully Celia and co will organise a jumping clinic there early next year. Then we'll be fully prepped for our planned Whistler trip in the Autumn.

On Sunday I headed down to the Nomad's spiritual home for a skills clinic with Adventure Out. As it happened I was the only person doing the course, so I had a one on one session with instructor Shaun. We started with a quick blast around some of De Laveaga Park's trails. Fun and fast, it was a good chance to warm up and for Shaun to asses my skill level. He spotted cornering was my weak area so we decided to work on that whilst riding one of Santa Cruz's signature trails; The Mailboxes. Though slightly boggy from the recent rains, Mailboxes was a hell of a ride. Santa Cruz trails tend to be beefier and more hardcore compared to the Bay area. This was no exception. Steep descents, Rough Go-esque boulder gardens and northshore style features built by the locals added up to a fun, challenging ride. Glad to be warmed up by the previous day's downhilling, I hit the trail with new confidence. I baulked at some of slippier sections. The thought of sitting on a 10 hour flight to blighty the following day with broken bits was enough to instill a little caution. But the focus was to be on cornering and flow, so we sessioned some of trail's sweeping sections until I was confidently hitting them with good technique and zero braking. Shaun also spent time teaching a tail flick technique. I've seen it done before - Chris does it all the time and it looks tres cool. But putting into practice it's practical application - that of quickly setting up line position - felt great. Shaun also spent the whole session giving great tit bits of info. Both for tweaking body position, ride technique and bike set up and maintenance. Riding fantastic trails with a top notch rider/instructor was an awesome experience. Soaking up as much info as I could, I now need to get out and put the weekend's combined learning into practice for myself. Cement the new found skills and confidence and build on it ready for next year's planned adventures and races. It's gonna be epic!

Fuddy Munsters

Cracking ride around China Camp this past weekend. One of those purely-for-the-fun-of-it jaunts that ends up registering as one of the best rides of the year.... or at least the past few months. Though spared a downpour whilst actually riding, the trails were thick with mud from the previous week's rain. The start of the Norcal winter riding season ; a few hours riding, a few more hours cleaning up afterwards. But China Camp holds it's own in such conditions and rewarded our venture into wintery weather with an awesome ride.

Climbing the front side, me, Spangles, Aubrey and Chris hit the Nike platform. From there, the usual rip down the backside - Hitler and so on. We finished the ride with China's fantastic front side singletrack. I'd forgotten how much fun mud riding is. Even more so on the Nomad which slips and slides but always digs in and gives you confidence to plough through. My technique is improving too. Using tips from Celia I felt totally in control on the steep (and wet) rutted descents. My cornering and flow was also on form. The whole place started to feel like a dirty big pump track. I even kept Chris and Aaron in my sights for the descent back to the cars. Great fun. And a ride to be repeated a few more times until Spring hits and the mud turns back to familiar California dust.

Turkey Jerkey

As a signed-up vegetarian I can't quite appreciate the whole thanksgiving turkey eating fest these 'mericans enjoy each year. UNLESS it involves a collective jaunt up a mountain - on bikes! So this year me, Spangles, Rosson, Aaron and Lee met up with a few hundred other like-minded folks on a cold and frosty Thursday am in Fairfax. The plan was to ride up and around Mt Tam taking in sections of the Pine Mountain loop and finishing with a spirited descent down the infamous Repack trail. Thus committing to history the 35th Annual Appetite Seminar, or Turkey Ride as some call it.

Wrapped in thermals and full of coffee, we left the Java hut around 8:00am. The whole thing is definitely not a race. More a regular ride with buddies, where you stop every now and again to chat, eat Cliff bars and take in the view/cough up a lung. Except there's about 3 or 4 hundred other people all doing the same thing, on the same trail. Excellent! Starting up the Bollinas Fairfax road we eventually hit the Pine Mountain loop trailhead. The climb was cold and hard. Lee and Aaron set a good pace from the off. Me and Spangles, being slightly older, creaked up the hill until we hit sunlight and the blood started to thaw. From there, I can't recall exactly what trails we did. Some I remember from riding Pine Mountain before. Others were new. But along the way we saw riders and rigs of all shapes and sizes. Retro bikes, clearly more used to commuting, sharing dirt with state of the art carbon beasts. Everyone joined in the common pleasure of hitting the trails with great company in the crisp NorCal air.

After 20 miles (or thereabouts) of peanut buttery mud and rocky climbs, we hit the legendary Repack trail for a fun, roller coaster descent back to Fairfax. I won't go into the history of the trail here. Click on the name for a link to googlepediard and learn all about it. Anyway. With hydraulic brakes and dual suspension - not to mention helmets being de rigueur - Repack is basically a steep fireroad by modern trail standards. But its a lot of fun. Twisty turns, tight corners and big ruts mean you really do have to keep your wits about you. Especially when sharing it with a few dozen other locals. By the time we hit the bottom of Repak our disks were smoking and our faces grinning. Those old hippies from back in the day earning a little more respect from those of us with fancier toys to play with.

The long weekend was rounded off by a ride up and down Mt Tam with Aaron and Scott. Luckily we rode mainly fireroad trails. My brain, pickled in alchopops from the night before, couldn't do technical without inevitable spillage. But we rode some stunning trails that I haven't done before. Fast, sweeping, lots of jumps. And the inevitable stunning views that never fail to impress whenever you take the mellow climb up Tam. The weekend's riding was a great way to end November and definitely the start of a new annual tradition on my biking calendar!

Annadel 11/10

Sunday the 14th November and we were blessed with a gloriously sunny day. The rains, which had blighted riding over the past few weeks, had left the trails tacky and dust free. Perfect riding conditions. So me, Spangles and Chris loaded up Jason's Scooby with bike goodies and headed north to Annadel. We met Rich and Jamie there and hit the dirt for a day's shredding.

We did our usual route of climbing Canyon and Marsh. We then decided to take Lawndale, climbing out along Schultz back to South Burma. For some reason we managed to get a little lost and missed South Burma. But we ended up riding some of Ridge trail instead which was fine. Its been a while since we'd ridden Ridge and I'd forgotten how much fun it is. Heading back down Canyon, after a solid four hours (and 26 miles+) in the saddle, we left totally satisfied and completely knackered. Perfect. A real back to basics ride. No training for a specific event. No worrying about technique or critique. Just me, good friends and a gorgeous, sunny Norcal day on the trails. That's not to say it was a relaxed ride. Spangles, like a mountain goat, kept a blistering pace on the climbs. And both he and Chris rip the descents. And you know what? I kept up - for the most part anyways. Focusing more on the fun and the moment and the joy's of riding meant I actually rode better than I have in a while. My cornering and descending was more fluid and I hammered the rocky stuff. It felt great. Just what I've been needing! Oh, and on one of the many climbs, we made a pact to do the Leadville 100 in 2012.......... Watch this space!

Bike Skills 2.0 - Celia Graterol Clinic

In continuation of my back to basics bike skills discipline, I started to look around at clinics. Google pointed me to Celia Graterol's website (link HERE) After reading one glowing testimonial after another I decided to sign up. I wanted to join those beaming people who's MTB lives had been improved at the hands of this Marin legend. So, after an introductory chat over the phone we arranged to meet at China Camp for some drills and practice. This was to be a precursor to a more downhill intensive session at Pacifica.

We started the session by climbing up to the Nike missile pad to session the drops there. Celia went over the physics of downhill riding and how these can be used to keep the bike in control on steep sections. Keeping control means there's no panic so you can ride with confidence. I've sessioned these drops before, but have always rolled to the edge, put faith in the bike and the big, flat open area at the base of each drop and held on. Good for the grin factor but not proper downhill technique. So we focused on keeping the bike under control ; getting the weight over the back wheel and feathering the brakes to control speed. In particular using the front brake's power to modulate speed whilst anchoring the rear with body position to prevent spillage over the bars. Sounds simple, but on a steep descent its a tough discipline. But keep your faith in the physics of it and you should be ok. So that's what we worked on. Progressively hitting each drop and applying the same, controlled, technique. It did feel good to ride the drops feeling like I was actually riding them, not just rolling down them and using the flat bottom to save me. We then went over some drills - manuals, drops, bunny hops etc. All good stuff and the type of skills I don't practice enough. So it was good to work on the fundamentals for a bit.

The rest of the session was spent exploring China Camp's dark side. The regular trails are often described as been quite tame compared to others in the area. However, hit the backside of China Camp and the terrain is an entirely different beast. With names like "Hitler", you get an idea of what to expect. I've ridden some of them before, with mixed success. Having Celia coach me through was fantastic and allowed me to clean sections I would have previously walked. Where necessary we'd stop and session a section until I either got it, or got a better understanding of what I need to practice.

We finished the ride by hitting the 7/11 trail. Those that know it will know why it is named so. The entrance to the trail is awesome. Celia told me to pick up speed and just follow her. Riding down Heart Attack Hill (or the Dyno as others call it) Celia veered to the right, up a near vertical bank! A grin hit my face as I followed, up and over, to the trail head. The 7/11 trail is truly awesome. A hidden gem. Twisty turny single track and steep sections with drops and roots. I put everything into practice as I followed Celia down the trail and started to feel the flow in my riding which has been lacking over the past few weeks.

Having recently done the Bikeskills downhill clinic at Northstar, I knew the leaps and bounds possible from spending time with the pro's. But having focused, one on one attention makes a big difference. Celia quickly assessed my ability and we rode appropriate trails. Taking me to the edge of my comfort zone to make progress, but never out of my league. So the whole experience was extremely satisfying and rewarding. I learned a lot. I'm already looking forward to the Pacifica session. In fact I bought a new full face helmet and body armor in anticipation!

Bike Skills 1.0

I started this year a fairly casual MTB rider. I did it as a way of keeping fit and hanging out with mates. Now I keep fit so I can ride harder and, whilst its still the best time you can spend with your buddies, I want to be a much better rider. I want to be competitive. Not in a bad way. But I want to race with enough skill and fitness to finish somewhere other than near-bottom. I've been watching instructional DVDs and devouring MTB books trying to soak up techniques and tips. When I go out and ride, my brain is working through a laundry list of instructions, processing all the new info I've pumped into it. The result? I've started to suck. Big time. My last ride at Skeggs was a turning point (or breaking point.) I was analysing every nuance of my riding. Trying to stay on the trail, perfect technique and keep up with Chris and Aaron.... Over thinking everything had a hugely negative effect. My cornering was terrible, I was hitting technical sections too slowly and second guessing every move. I had no flow and my confidence collapsed. Not good.

So, I've decided to go back to basics. Reading books and watching videos is all well and good but I have to feel it. It needs to be in my muscle memory to work. You can't do that unless you're on the bike. So, I've decided to do some clinics and practice sessions to up my game a bit. Skills 1.0 was this weekend. I went to Helen Putnam Park in Petaluma. I haven't been before but looking at the map it seemed perfect. Lots of twisty turns to session over and over. I arrived on a very wet, rainy afternoon and rode around until I found a suitable trail section to session. The weather meant I had the whole place to myself. It also made the single track a little more slippery so finding good technique was essential.

The first corner I sessioned was a nice, wide left. I set up the camera so I could watch my technique and make adjustments. The first few runs I did whatever came natural. Breaking on the apex, not leaning the bike. All the bad stuff. With each run I started to introduce a new element : Weight the outside foot, point the inside knee through the turn, push left to go left etc... I could feel the benefit of each, but the most natural technique was to simply look through the corner. Look well ahead, and keep focused on the exit. Looking back over the footage, I could see that everything else was more or less falling into place by itself. My body position seemed good, I was leaning the bike and weighting the outside. The bike had good traction and was railing nicely. Looking at the video below you can see how taking the outside line is also faster. As long as I stay relaxed and focused on the exit, the bike will rail on its own.



The next corner was a tight right. Just before the apex there was a tree. Predictably, my first attempt had me focus on the tree and hitting the brakes to keep on track. Forcing my brain to relax and instead focus on the exit, I quickly improved. The video below shows how, again, taking the outside line is much smoother. Not as quick in this case, but the body and bike position is much better. I could have carried more speed with a few more runs.



Ofcourse, I needed to fall a few times to help feel when things aren't right. This video shows what happens when you turn the bar to try and steer. I didn't consciously do it, but I must've been trying to take the inside line to avoid the tree. Over compensating. Also, this video shows poor body position. My inside knee is pointing inwards so my setup is screwed.



So. Not exactly a RAD shredding session. But an important one. It was good to take time out and just relax into the technique a bit. Also using the camera is a great aid. I now know where my weaknesses lie and what to work on. I tend to weight too far forward, turn the bars into the corner and point my inside knee the wrong way. But if I just relax and look through the corner, things come together. I don't need to run through lists of commands to corner better. I can just focus on tweaking my technique and trust what I learned.

Helen Putnam Park is somewhere I'll be hitting on a regular basis over the next month or so. It's great for practicing skills and has some lovely twisty turny sections. In the meantime I have a couple of classes coming up. Next weekend its a session at China Camp with Celia Graterol (see her website HERE.) After that I have a skills course in Santa Cruz. I'm looking forward to the accelerated learning that comes from having a tutor. But I'm also looking forward to a few more practice sessions at Helen Putnam with the camera. Watch this space for (hopefully) lots of progress!

Tahoe Weekender

Our planned end of September Tahoe weekend had been anticipated for a few weeks. A day of downhill madness at Northstar followed by a XC look at the Hole in the Ground trail. As lady luck would have it, Northstar was playing host to BikeSkills that weekend who, in turn, were offering various clinics. One in particular was almost too good to believe : Downhill Techniques with Steve Peat, Cedric Gracia and Gregg Minnaar! A full day's training and tutoring from world class MTB royalty! The class was an advanced clinic, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. I might be out of my element, but at least I'd be able to explain my broken bones by telling people I'd done it riding alongside Steve Peat ;o)

We arrived at Northstar, padded up and grabbed our steeds. Rosson, Spangles and In Soo were off to hit the trails for the day while I rode, nervous but excited, over to the Bike Skills tent. Our hero's were running late so I took to Livewire to get a feel for the bike and warm up. I'd swapped the standard flats on my rental Glory for a set of nice, new Crank Brothers Mallet pedals. With a big, flat bed and spindle they seemed a good mix of security and downhill practicality. They did a fine job and definitely helped with my confidence on the jumps.

Back at the camp and those of us taking the course got chatting while we waited. The clinic was to be lead by Karl Rogne. A really nice guy and excellent, patient teacher. Karl guaged our ability level as he chatted to us. For an advanced clinic, I was pleased to see a few others were more intermediate or cross country biased. Once Steve, Greg and Cedric arrived we hit the trails for our first lesson.

Lesson 1 : Cornering. After introductions and ride position basics, we sessioned a section of slightly burmed trail to work on cornering technique. I was all ears as this is an area that I really want to improve. We took it in turns to hit the corners, trying each time to incorporate the guy's advice. Keep your weight in the pedals, not the bar. Keep your centre of gravity over the bottom bracket by dropping the outside foot and weighting it. This keeps the bike pushed into the dirt. Also, lean the bike, don't try to lean the body into the turn. I've always tried to lean into turns, like you do on the road, but Greg explained you don't have the same traction or speed as you do on the road so it's much safer and easier to lean the bike and let it rail.

After a few runs at the corners it was time to head back to base via the Karpiel trail. Karpiel, which starts as a single black and ends as a double, is a lot of fun. Burms, jumps and big, rocky sections. I struggled to keep up on the rough stuff but Steve Peat had good technique advice. We learned about unweighting the bike ; When approaching rough rocky sections, pump the suspension and let the bike recoil and lift. Use this elevation to skim over the rocks, chose flat areas, or rocks, to pump again and unweight. Not really a bunny hop, but more a way of gliding over rocks rather than hitting them with blunt force - which is what I was doing. This is a great technique and one I kept employing. It makes rock gardens much safer and, crucially, faster! You almost don't believe it will work, but then you brace yourself for rough, and you sail over it with no dramas! This clinic was awesome!

Lesson 2 was jumping. We found a quite trail and sessioned two of the jumps. Again, our instructors demo'd and then gave feedback as we took turns hitting the jump. "The lip is your friend" repeated Cedric over and over. I asked Cedric about technique. I've always had problems trying to dictate the bike's path on a jump, but the opposite is really what I should be doing. Let the bike take a natural arc. By itself it won't screw up, so let it do it's thing. The important thing is to let the bike come up to you as you crest the jump, and push the bars down gently as you hit the downside. This advice, and my clipped in shoes, made the jumps much more fun and less intimidating.

We then took the morning's lessons and put them into practice on Livewire. Bikeskills had a camera crew on hand and, fortunately, I managed some sweet jumps whenever the lens was pointed my way. I was clearing table tops with way more confidence than before, but was still struggling with the bermed corners. Whenever I'd try to push it and not brake, I'd understeer. My front wheel would dig in and I'd fight to keep upright. So I couldn't help but brake on the corners - not good form. A laundry list of instructions were rattling around my head : drop the outside foot, lean the bike in, keep the arms light, weight in the pedals... A couple of times I nailed it and really REALLY felt the difference. The bike felt like it was on rails and a little moment of eureka was had.... but I couldn't quite get the muscle memory to hard wire it. My default would kick in and I'd be back to bad technique. On the last run, I took one of the steep left corners and, determined to rail and not brake, wiped out. My front wheel disappeared from under me and I overshot the corner - head first - into a boulder garden. Taking a dizzying whack to the head, I was thankful for my sturdy helmet saving me from the unthinkable.

After lunch we hit Livewire again to work on our jumping and cornering technique. I was completely dusted (as Steve put it) covered in trail dirt from my fall. By the end of the day most of us looked the same. Battle weary but grinning. I asked Karl about the cornering and how my wheel was understeering. He pinpointed the problem - I was turning the bike into the corners, not steering it. A big difference. "Push, wait and let the bike turn.." I'd been turning the bars rather than letting the bike lean over and steer itself. I still struggled with the technique, but tried to focus on pushing with my inside hand rather than my outside... This seemed like a good way of making sure I steered rather than turned. I still have a way to go, but I feel armed with the theory now. I just need to put the graft in until I successfully commit it to muscle memory.

The last lesson of the day was line choice through challenging terrain. We picked a section of the Sticks and Stones trail - a double black diamond. Steve, Greg and Cedric all demonstrated their line choice and made the steep, rocky descent look effortless. Most of the group had a crack at this section and did a great job of getting down it. I had a go, but baulked. I crested the top and all I saw were huge, bone crushing rocks. My brain wasn't processing line choice or pumping backsides for extra speed, it was wondering if my Kaiser would cover the inevitable spillage. So I walked it. It would've been a great end to the day had I cleaned it, but some things can't be taught in a day, and confidence on double blacks is something I'll have to work at and earn - for now.

We took the rest of Sticks and Stones back to camp. Karl followed me and gave tips on my riding position. I always keep my knees really bent to keep my centre of gravity low. But Karl showed me how awkward I looked compared to a straighter legged, more commanding stance. Great advice and much needed as we descended the rest of Sticks and Stones.

Back at base and I had to rush to catch the final gondola home. Missing a picture op' with the guys - damn. But the memories from that session are far more valuable than digital snaps. Solid pieces of concrete advice from the sport's best exponents. Riding a trail, with Steve Peat right behind giving critique, really is quite a surreal experience. But I intend taking all the info that was absorbed that day and applying it as best I can to the trail.

Day 2 and we hit Hole in the Ground. A beautiful, scenic loop on some of the best trails I've ever seen. Superbly well maintained and carpeted in places for longevity, this is a dirt lovers dream. The terrain is mainly rocky, with some steep technical drops and rock gardens. The climbs aren't severe, but the altitude is a killer. The first few miles of climbs were brutal. It felt like I was riding with a girdle. The thin air mixed with heavy trail dust left our lungs burning. But the trail is totally worth it. In Soo dropped behind while the 2 Jason's motored on ahead. I did ok, but for some reason my heart wasn't in it. My mojo has been lacking for the past few weeks. I need to get my Downieville self back somehow. Long hours at work and not enough quality time in the saddle have taken their toll physically and mentally. So I really didn't ride my best, which was a shame given these were some of the finest trails in Northern Cali'. Ah well. The whole weekend taught me there's a lot still to learn. Or at least, a lot to practice. But I'm in the best place in the world to do it. I need to shake myself out of this funk and enjoy the trails. Make some progress and feel good about my riding again. Thanks to Steve and the guys, I at least have the knowledge to take my riding forward. Once the movie I'm working on finishes, I'll have the time too. I can't wait!

Monkey Business

What will likely be the last race of the season for me, was the first race at Annadel for almost 25 years. Another Bike Monkey organised event, the race started at Spring Lake and took a winding, 25 mile route through Annadel's signature, epic trails. The locals turned out in force to make the most of racing some of the finest dirt in the area. Me and Spangles met up with Chris, a new riding buddy who I shared a few tortuous miles with at SoNoMas. Rosson was also there with the rest of the Zeitgeist crew. Riding singlespeed, Jase did another fine job coming 7th in his cat. Race report from him on the Zeitgeist page to follow. We all set off at 9:00am sharp. A couple hundred riders kicking up golden illuminated dust was an awesome sight. I wanted to pause to take pictures, but there was racing to be done...

Unbeknown to us, last week's pre-ride was pretty much on the money. We'd managed to ride most of the trails picked for the race. Starting up Canyon we worked our way to Lawndale. Based on my last couple of rides I was extremely worried about my performance. I really wasn't in good shape at SoNoMas and suffered badly. Last weekend's ride was tough and a clear sign I need some downtime. Since then, I've been working long hours, not resting enough and eating chips with everything. Not ideal race prep. But as we started the steady climb into Annadel State Park, I felt pretty good. My heart rate (always a good indicator as to how a ride will pan out) was in the low 170's where last week I'd been pegged in the 180's. Lawndale was it's usual wide-grin fun. Fast, flowing and, for the most part, shaded, it was a great test of my new Julbo Dirt photochromic glasses. They performed excellently. In fact I barely knew I had them on most of the time.

At the first rest stop I met Chris. We rode together for a few miles until we hit South Burma. Feeling fairly strong, but sleep deprived, I appreciated the pick up in pace to get me through the tough, technical climbs. I don't think I've ever ridden South Burma as fast as I did on the race. Double fisting both grips for extra support I pointed the Nomad south and held on. Such a fun trail, both me and the bike were in our element! Once we'd done South Burma it was onto the final stretch to Rough Go. By this stage I started to wane and lose focus. A couple of rough rock spills and Gu shots later and I was back on track. Ready to hit the crazy boulder garden for one last shred.

I came in (according to Garmin) a whisker over 3 hours. Spangles did another fine job coming in around 2:40. Chris was a little after, and ahead of me. Could I have done it quicker if I'd not been so wrung out from work? Possibly.... But only by a hair, if that. My climbing pace was a little off, but I honestly don't think I've ridden Annadel as fast as I did on race day. My cornering speed was better, I hit the rough stuff with confidence and pumped the track for as much flow as I could get. Still room for lots of improvement. But as a finish to this season's epic racing fun, I'm totally satisfied with my efforts. For now, its back to the usual routine of riding for fun, not preparation. But there's always the cyclocross season coming up.... Rosson assures me I'll like it. And there's nothing quite like the buzz of meeting up with a field full of like-minded people and strapping a race bib to the bars... ;o)

Garmin route and info HERE

Anticipating Annadel

Next week it's the Bike Monkey organised Annadel 2010 race. 25 miles around our home turf. Details of the course are sketchy. We know there's a descent down Rough Go to the finish, but the rest will be revealed on the day. To prepare, me and Spangles took a trip up Santa Rosa way to hit the trails and get prepped for next week's fun.

We took the familiar climb up Canyon and then Marsh. I reckon this will form part of the race as it leads to the main trail heads... My guess is it'll be the first real climb. We then hit Lawndale. Unlikely to be on the race course as it dead ends, but its too much fun to miss. We looped back to the top of Marsh and then hit South Burma. I have a feeling we'll do both South and North Burma as part of a figure of 8 route.... We'll see. But I hope they have South Burma on there. Such great variety and some excellent rock garden goodies to test the mettle (and suspension.)

We finished the ride down Rough Go. Bike Monkey has pre-warned people about this finish and it's easy to see why as soon as you hit it. Technical doesn't quite do it justice. The singletrack is not steep - it'd be lethal if it were. But it's littered with so many boulders and rocks you have to make the route up on the fly. And fly you must. One small loss of momentum over those big rocks and you'll ruin your whole day. Great fun though. Threading through this weird, alien looking landscape, daring to keep looking ahead and ride faster, relying on latent skill to deal with the immediate terrain. This will certainly be a tough end to the race.... Not a trail I want to attempt riddled with cramp and carb crashes. Hopefully my prepping this week will offset that handicap. Watch this space for a race report!