mike
iMTB Hooligan
It's a Paradox V3 (alloy).
The Sierra Nevada welcomed me back today with the glorious kick in the nuts I've longed for.
No driving, just hop over the highway, suss a route around some private property to reach the dirt road, and have at the 12-mi/3400' climb to the destination, top of trail x. The scenery was idyllic, the uphill challenging enough to have me pushing my geared bike up several pitches. The cool morning and absence of humans added the ingredients to make it very memorable.
Two e-fence breachings were a nice introductory touch.
Tons of roads and spurs through the area made navigation a frequent task. Some of the grades I was pedaling up were just ridiculous. The steeper ones I didn't try, just pushed a short ways.
Finally got to trail x. It's an off-menu plunge which I had ridden the bottom section of awhile ago. The upper part was snowed in, so I was not sure exactly what to expect.
The trail immediately dropped down steep bermy turns with random features/ridarounds. On dry DG there was no creeping through any of it. It was nearly as steep and every bit as difficult as Yeager Mesa (my benchmark trail for technical steeps). I tripodded a couple of turns and blew one into the dirt to no consequence. I caught a shoe in a tight rock drop and had to bite down hard to stay on my bike and the trail. Made the end feeling a bit lucky.
I give this trail honest double black. 2500' of drop in three miles. Come up to Tahoe if you want a tour. There's a shorter way to get up there than my route. A local told me it's not published, so I'm calling it "trail x."
The one part where I was not gripped.
I reached the river and loped along the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway, finally pulling back up to the foothills to close the loop to my route up. Add a fast ride down the forest road and it's pretty much done.
I'll be back to that area to check out some alternates. XC buffet with a spicy dish, served up Sierra Nevada style – full value.
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