Yeager Mesa, Wed 3/21

u guys gotta do a review after your ride.. thinking you will hit los pinos? rode/walked los pinos a long time ago (next to start of Trabuco downhill??) and said to myself, if I think I need pads, then I should not be on this trail... remembered beautiful views ..
 
@mike doesn't have internet access right now so here is a little write-up and pics/vid. Excellent ride today with @mike and @sir crashalot , though I wasn't quite ready for all that climbing... lots of breaks going up, and generally we weren't in too big of a hurry, so it was a long day out there. Weather was perfect, cool and a breeze most of the time. Dirt was prime. No flats or mechanicals, a couple get-offs that didn't damage any bikes so all good. The stats aren't that impressive if you're into that stuff, 11 miles, 3200 feet. None of those are easy miles or feet...

There's been plenty of write-ups on Yeager before, but damn that is some fun, steep, techy stuff mixed with some fast flowy trail here and there. The fast ending on lower Trabuco is just a grin inducing blaze fest with some rocky stuff thrown in to keep you on your toes. In fact I still have that grin going :) There is one section on Yeager that is just over my head and I have never tried to ride. Doubt I ever will. I've seen you tube vids of people riding it but when I get to it in person, just aint no way.... super steep, ruts, roots, drops, tight corners after steep drops.... @mike got down it further today than I've seen him do before, I think that Smash suits him and Yeager well.:thumbsup:

Pic at Los Pinos Peak with Santiago Peak in the background:
20180321_140229[1].jpg


Mike and Gary at LP Peak
20180321_140303[1].jpg


Ringing the bell at Yeager Mesa:
 
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u guys gotta do a review after your ride.. thinking you will hit los pinos? rode/walked los pinos a long time ago (next to start of Trabuco downhill??) and said to myself, if I think I need pads, then I should not be on this trail... remembered beautiful views ..
@konakc yeah for the Yeager ride you take the Los Pinos trail up to Los Pinos Peak. Turn right just before the peak onto Bell Ridge trail (not signed). It goes down an up a few times until a brutal hike a bike, and near the top you see a trail off to the right going into the woods, again unsigned. That's Yeager Mesa trail. Basically follow that down and back to Trabuco trail at the bottom by the creek.

It's a beautiful ride, deep canyons, views from Elsinore all the way round to the ocean. But well above average on my difficulty scale.
 
@mike doesn't have internet access right now so here is a little write-up and pics/vid. Excellent ride today with @mike and @sir crashalot , though I wasn't quite ready for all that climbing... lots of breaks going up, and generally we weren't in too big of a hurry, so it was a long day out there. Weather was perfect, cool and a breeze most of the time. Dirt was prime. No flats or mechanicals, a couple get-offs that didn't damage any bikes so all good. The stats aren't that impressive if you're into that stuff, 11 miles, 3200 feet. None of those are easy miles or feet...

There's been plenty of write-ups on Yeager before, but damn that is some fun, steep, techy stuff mixed with some fast flowy trail here and there. The fast ending on lower Trabuco is just a grin inducing blaze fest with some rocky stuff thrown in to keep you on your toes. In fact I still have that grin going :) There is one section on Yeager that is just over my head and I have never tried to ride. Doubt I ever will. I've seen you tube vids of people riding it but when I get to it in person, just aint no way.... super steep, ruts, roots, drops, tight corners after steep drops.... @mike got down it further today than I've seen him do before, I think that Smash suits him and Yeager well.:thumbsup:

Pic at Los Pinos Peak with Santiago Peak in the background:
View attachment 37563

Mike and Gary at LP Peak
View attachment 37564

Ringing the bell at Yeager Mesa:

Nice write up......sorry I missed it. Now I feel bad for having to bail at the last minute..... @mike did have access to my post. Unfortunately work called. Next time.
 
@mike doesn't have internet access right now so here is a little write-up and pics/vid. Excellent ride today with @mike and @sir crashalot , though I wasn't quite ready for all that climbing... lots of breaks going up, and generally we weren't in too big of a hurry, so it was a long day out there. Weather was perfect, cool and a breeze most of the time. Dirt was prime. No flats or mechanicals, a couple get-offs that didn't damage any bikes so all good. The stats aren't that impressive if you're into that stuff, 11 miles, 3200 feet. None of those are easy miles or feet...

There's been plenty of write-ups on Yeager before, but damn that is some fun, steep, techy stuff mixed with some fast flowy trail here and there. The fast ending on lower Trabuco is just a grin inducing blaze fest with some rocky stuff thrown in to keep you on your toes. In fact I still have that grin going :) There is one section on Yeager that is just over my head and I have never tried to ride. Doubt I ever will. I've seen you tube vids of people riding it but when I get to it in person, just aint no way.... super steep, ruts, roots, drops, tight corners after steep drops.... @mike got down it further today than I've seen him do before, I think that Smash suits him and Yeager well.:thumbsup:

Pic at Los Pinos Peak with Santiago Peak in the background:
View attachment 37563

Mike and Gary at LP Peak
View attachment 37564

Ringing the bell at Yeager Mesa:

Awesome ride, was great to hit the backcountry with these two, during killer weather and conditions. Awesome that Dave stuck out the whole loop. "He's Back!"
Dave, thanks for not mentioning the, ahem, dementia at the start of the drive past the gate...
 
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Awesome ride, was great to hit the backcountry with these two, during killer weather and conditions. Awesome that Dave stuck out the whole loop. "He's Back!"
Dave, thanks for not mentioning the, ahem, dementia at the start of the drive past the gate...
Oh yeah that dementia thing, kicked in for me near the Christmas tree I think... :)

Forgot to mention too, the parts of both Los Pinos and Bell Ridge that we were on had been brushed backed very well. Thank you to whomever did this. Yeager didn't really appear to be brushed but not a big deal since it's mostly in the shade and nothing brushy is terribly encroaching IMO. A tree or two down that you have to crouch under (or go around in one place). And a couple that have been purposely left in place (with handlebar marks in witness to the narrowness).

I (half joking) said to the guys if you did this ride once per week you would quickly be in very good climbing shape, and be pretty proficient on steep tech downhills (or be injured and off the bike). Yeah right...
 
Thanks for sharing the info and pics, Dave & Gary!

Ho man, so good to hit it with my buds, everybody had a good run and conditions were as good as it gets. You could shave speed everywhere; ruts were soft enough to keep control. I was super bummed for you guys that missed it...just doesn’t get more fun.

Awesome to see knuckles in great form...totally handling the biz with me on his tail and Crashnot somewhere else dealing with it. One of those indelible moments :thumbsup: I did cop some hesitation blues in the rock garden, but was happy to be close to getting it. The Smash and the riding I did in CO gave me a boost, it was obvious up and down.

Hope to hit the dirt again soon in CA. Thanks D&G for a good time. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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