I Rode My Bike Today...

Some days are good days, and some days are great days... :thumbsup:

Our moving time was around 6:30 from top to bottom. I don't want to go that fast. It's a long way down... :Roflmao

The first half of Upper Merrill... We were about 5000 feet in when we started the downhill.
https://gopro.com/v/wE1ZXVZ0Kq6KO

Second Half of Upper Merrill...
https://gopro.com/v/gvam660vVopXX


Middle Merrill and Sunset also seemed to go by in a blur… And Pat’s run down the Horse Trail was next level. :eek:
 
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Another Laguna mtns loop yesterday. Pleasant temps, scenic vistas, choose-your-own adventures, what's not to like?
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Back in Tucson checking in on the house build. Was able to sneak in a quick ride this morning before meeting the daughters for breakfast and heading home. I rode Tortolita Preserve since it is close to the hotel we’re staying in. Started in the dark but the sun starting coming up 20 minutes or so into the ride. I didn’t see one other user on the trail today.
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McDowell Sonoran Preserve this AM. Climbed up to Tom's Thumb trail on Desert Park trail. Another level of rock climbing in places and DP trail is rated blue.

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Thumb trail is black and well deservedly (scarily) so. Used it as a connector to Windgate Pass, also nasty black.

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The vistas from up on the mtn side were beautiful.

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Windgate Pass was a lovely climb to connect to Gateway Loop.

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Desert flowers.

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And out of the rocks a block from home base.

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That's it folks. Road trip ends tomorrow with the long drive west. Thoroughly enjoyable, exciting new places and trails, good times with family and friends along the way, complete with a closure of the I-10 west yesterday in NM before Lordsburg and a 40 mile detour through the desert in no man's land for adventure.
 
pperrelle said:
Back in Tucson checking in on the house build. Was able to sneak in a quick ride this morning before meeting the daughters for breakfast and heading home. I rode Tortolita Preserve since it is close to the hotel we’re staying in. Started in the dark but the sun starting coming up 20 minutes or so into the ride. I didn’t see one other user on the trail today.
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I need to head down and ride Tucson. I’ve heard great things.
 
Faust29 said:
Some days are good days, and some days are great days... :thumbsup:

Our moving time was around 6:30 from top to bottom. I don't want to go that fast. It's a long way down... :Roflmao

The first half of Upper Merrill... We were about 5000 feet in when we started the downhill.
https://gopro.com/v/wE1ZXVZ0Kq6KO

Second Half of Upper Merrill...
https://gopro.com/v/gvam660vVopXX


Middle Merrill and Sunset also seemed to go by in a blur… And Pat’s run down the Horse Trail was next level. :eek:
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The stacked rock support wall at 2:57 in the first video is cool!.
 
pperrelle said:
Back in Tucson checking in on the house build. Was able to sneak in a quick ride this morning before meeting the daughters for breakfast and heading home. I rode Tortolita Preserve since it is close to the hotel we’re staying in. Started in the dark but the sun starting coming up 20 minutes or so into the ride. I didn’t see one other user on the trail today.
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What part of Tucson are you building at?
 
The usual lunchtime Luge loop, I hadn't been making progress on my goal and was starting to wonder if cracking the 3:00 minute mark was going to happen anytime soon. I think mainly due to the track deteriorating again from the lack of rain, its very loose in places and there are some braking bumps appearing at keys parts where you really want to be able to carry your speed.
But now I'm stoked to tick the less than 3 minute mark.
Next plans... I currently run Maxxis dual compounds, I'm due some new tyres so got some 3c lots of letters supposedly coming (so far they've spent over a week in transit from the last dist. ctr to my house, a whole 20 miles away), I'm hoping a bit stickier rubber will help me continue the downward trend. Not sure what to try for next, less than 2:55? Finding the time is getting harder and taking longer!
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Lost Kiwi said:
The usual lunchtime Luge loop, I hadn't been making progress on my goal and was starting to wonder if cracking the 3:00 minute mark was going to happen anytime soon. I think mainly due to the track deteriorating again from the lack of rain, its very loose in places and there are some braking bumps appearing at keys parts where you really want to be able to carry your speed.
But now I'm stoked to tick the less than 3 minute mark.
Next plans... I currently run Maxxis dual compounds, I'm due some new tyres so got some 3c lots of letters supposedly coming (so far they've spent over a week in transit from the last dist. ctr to my house, a whole 20 miles away), I'm hoping a bit stickier rubber will help me continue the downward trend. Not sure what to try for next, less than 2:55? Finding the time is getting harder and taking longer!
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Will you please slow down?! :mad::D:Roflmao
 
I rode... Blue Bug was the goal. The rest is training.

Only the 3rd time past the blue VW, but this is the first time I didn't sail past the entrance and have to back track. :laugh: If I rode the trail more, it would make its way quickly onto my favorites list. :thumbsup: It's a San Gabes treasure- skinny, exposed, rocky, twisty, lots of little features, and a jump park at the bottom.

Oh... And turning onto the Whiting Woods climb with 4000 foot legs was a monumentally bad idea. :laugh: Shoe lace express was engaged in several spots. I was actually hoping to run out of water, so I had an excuse to coast back down. :oops: But, the water held out until I hit the top of the climb, and was halfway across the Verdugo Motorway. Luckily, I found a liquor store in Glendale and chugged an orange Fanta and topped off the bottle. :laugh:

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Rode sycamore in Riverside today. Good dirt and temps nice. Ran into a 72 y.o. guy riding a real mtb bike HT. Complimented him on not having a motor and he said "not yet". He was in great shape, has done lots of road riding in the past and trying to get on the dirt more.
18/ 1860'
 
redwoods said:
OK, when you taking me?
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It looks like the climb to the trailhead is only about 3.7/1900, but I recommend bagging Mount Lukens before heading down... 5.6/2900. Full disclosure- I came down the fire road from the peak yesterday, and it seemed like 1.8 miles of sharp baby heads. I cleaned it going up on the single speed 2 years ago, but it must have been in better shape than it is now. That last section would be a low speed grind. I'm hoping the bottom part is in better shape...

We could also do some reconnaissance for another trail that's on the list... :whistling:
 
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Faust29 said:
It looks like the climb to the trailhead is only about 3.7/1900, but I recommend bagging Mount Lukens before heading down... 5.6/2900. Full disclosure- I came down the fire road from the peak yesterday, and it seemed like 1.8 miles of sharp baby heads. I cleaned it going up on the single speed 2 years ago, but it must have been in better shape than it is now. That last section would be a low speed grind.

We could also do some reconnaissance for another trail that's on the list... :whistling:
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That "another trail" is likely to be the brake burner of all time. :eek:
 
So of course I had to ride TNA. But since I promised that I would not ride trails where I broke bones, I rode TNA but walked the last section. When walking you realize TNA is not so bad. Heck how did I fall and crack bones? oh well, the call of the rock gardens are calling to me..... must not listen...
continued on and rode the gentler stuff... there was a crew working to block the non legal trails.. lots of branches to deter... especially Repo man.. piled high with wood.. all its entrances..
went all the way down to end of emerald canyon just for the fun of it ... a large group of guys on bikes loaded up with camping gear was wondering why the fence was there blocking access to the ocean.. they decided to hike it up the steep slope.. .looked dangerous... I had told them the only way out was the way they came. Some security guy came by and told them that's too dangerous and opened the gate for them... good guy... those guys would have suffered otherwise...
great day out at El Mo!
 
I’m visiting my daughter in Southern Illinois (think 30 miles East of St Louis) in a roundabout route from Bentonville to Durango. This area is cornfield city but there are paved trails for days. I rode them on my last visit and once was enough.
I needed to get on some dirt before heading to Durango on Friday and the closest stuff on TF was about 10 miles of trails on the campus of Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. I don’t know what I was expecting but it was 100X better than that. Nothing but super twisty, TIGHT, singletrack that snaked it’s way thru a growth of trees so dense it looked like Hawaii or Belize. I only smacked my hand 4 times squeezing through the trees and while there were 20 chances to smack my head, I only hit my head once but it was a crazy hard hit because I somehow never saw the 5” thick branch.

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We were supposed to have a special guest in the Gabes today, but he had to cancel... :thumbsdown: I wasn't sure I'd have the motivation to ride solo today after the last couple days, but @SnakeCharmer talked me into a Sunset-Horsey loop. :thumbsup:

We met at the start of the Lower Sam Merrill climb and headed up the mountain. My legs were on auto-pilot the entire time, and I just followed Snake Man's rear tire. :laugh: A break at the ruins, with a little exploring, and then over to Sunset. I fell off the back here and there going across the old railroad route.

I lead going down, but it wasn't easy... The pace was probably a good 2 minutes slower than with @redwoods the other day, and the legs were numb by the bottom. :Roflmao Still a riot as always.

13/2350- Weekly climbing goal met by Wednesday. o_O

Edit: I must have been more out of it than I thought. Moving time was only 8 seconds off my PR. I guess Snake Man and I were moving... :laugh:
 
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