|   * THE BIG NON-FREERIDE * | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 9:27 AM | | I know I'm repeating myself here, but I can't help it. The Santa Cruz Mountains continues to be a magic place to me. All the time spent and all the sacred cycling experiences it has provided have caused me to connect emotionally with this part of California. When I at some point leave, it will feel like leaving a close friend behind. The incredible diversity in vegetation, the views and the dramatically rugged terrain with its steep hill slopes and deep creek canyons are part of the rational explanation then there are a bunch other factors that I can't define.
Sunday it was time to get to know my friend better. It was Zignzag and fourarm who inspired me to think out of the box and design a combined road / dirt ride. So I did. I looked at maps and drafted something that looked doable, but would be pushing the limits. The goal was to connect several of the big redwood parks, Portola, Pescadero, Butano, Big Basin and Nisene Marks/Soquel Demonstration forest in one ride and connect them with a minimum of pavement riding. To passionites joined, 2 x Paul, aka Paul J and fourarm for the early morning start in Los Gatos.
"Overindulgence", "gluttony", "in over your head" many expressions come to mind when I think back at my designed route. It was a monster ride and for pushing our limits, it served its purpose well. I never thought I'd see fourarm hurting - those who have ridden with him understand what I'm talking about. But who wouldn't after 100 miles and 10,500 ft of climbing on an Intense Uzzi DH?
Paul J, who has trained much less this season, and isn't exactly built for climbing (look at those arms in the pictures that's a lot of dead muscle weight to be hauling up them hills) went down in the basement of his energy reserves and managed to get himself and Fast Eddy's hardtail to Santa Cruz, too. If you'd seen him up Jamison Creek Road, you'd understand what an achievement it was for him to continue for another 1.5 hours.
So we didn't complete the designed ride. Paul J had his wife come pick him up in Santa Cruz. fourarm shuttled to the top of the hill and downhilled to the finish line in Los Gatos. Myself, I wisely skipped the Nisene Marks part of the ride turned left at Albuq. Soquel and rode up San Jose Soquel Road. Near the top, I started to hurt as well. My legs were still strong and smooth, but my butt, back and shoulders were aching. And I was sick of drinking water. Next time I'll pack sports drink powder, for sure. When you start running low on sodium, drinking turns into some force feeding process. I am amazed that my legs hung in there at the very end of the Los Gatos Creek trail, there's a short uphill. I got out of the saddle and sprinted up it, the legs still felt fresh and responded immediately. But - when I got to the car, I felt done riding for the day very much so.
After all, it was 121 miles, 12,700 ft of climbing in 12 hours and 39 minutes. 9:50 of that time spent in the saddle. The planned route is probably closer to 150 miles and 14,000ft. If you plan to give it a shot, I can offer some good advice.
Click at the route map to open a larger, interactive version with yellow bullets along the route, which we traveled counter-clockwise. Clicking a bullet will open a picture from that location. Mousing over a bullet displays time to get there and a caption for the image.
Blue pavement sections ridden
Brown dirt sections ridden
Pink planned pavement sections not ridden
Yellow planned dirt sections not ridden
CLICK ME
If your main question at this point is WHY, then let me try to explain:
It's about setting goals and strive to reach them - at the same time identify one's personal limits. As much as it was about exploring less traveled parts of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it was also a venture into personal domains that one is normally sheltered from in a modern world.
There are so many more things to write about this ride, but I won't bore you with more details unless you ask. Just click the map, close that silly Geocities pop-up and join us - pain free.
BV
"Pain is life--the sharper, the more evidence of life."
-- Charles Lamb |
| i see a lot of blue on that map | narlus
Jul 2, 2002 9:39 AM | | I take it the guy w/ the uzzi DH only has one bike?
or is he just stupid and/or masochistic? |
| More than one bike and definetely not stupid. | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 9:45 AM | | The bike is built up very XC-ish and the suspension locks out. His Intense XC bikes doesn't, I believe.
I'll let Paul fill in with more details.
BV |
| Just stupid... | fourarm
Jul 2, 2002 5:04 PM | | But not for the reason you think. I was stupid for suggesting this
ride to someone like BV in the first place and then the real brain
melt came when I actually showed up ;)
To answer the question about the bike, yes I could have brought a 23lb hardtail with semislick tires. But then I would have flatted a couple of times and not enjoyed the last dirt descent. After that many miles your motor skills are a bit slower and something with 6" of travel really helps out. They don't call it a "DH" for nothing.
My theory is the longer the ride the more you need the travel. Anyone can pound around a hardtail for 2 hours...but 8 hours of ride time is going to hurt. The extra 6lbs is worth it. |
| can see your point (kind of) | narlus
Jul 2, 2002 7:53 PM | | obviously i don't know what the descents are like, but a friend of mine did the vermont 50 last year on his bullit and did fine. i did a few years ago on (what was then probably a freeride bike) my 4" z1/fs bike, and was appreciative of the extra cush.
most of that ride was doubletrack and singletrack, w. very little road (and it did have a bunch of elevation gain; 7300 feet). but i can see where you're coming from.
however, i bet BV wasn't on his id, eh? |
| "Sorry, this site is temporarily unavailable!" | CraigH
Jul 2, 2002 9:39 AM | | "Sorry, this site is temporarily unavailable!
The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data transfer."
Will check back later. |
| Awesome | Paul B
Jul 2, 2002 9:41 AM | | BV, that looks like an awesome course. As a wannabe endurance junkie myself, your route looks like it'd be a blast -- and a real stretch. I've never ridden in Santa Cruz, but I've got friends there for whom I may be housesitting soon. I'm gonna copy your map and maybe give your course a swing myself.
Great job. Hope you recovered well!
p. |
| now what am I supposed to do, work? | d2az
Jul 2, 2002 9:42 AM | | this is upsetting:
The web site you are trying to access has exceeded its allocated data transfer. Visit our help area for more information.
Access to this site will be restored within an hour. Please try again later.
oh well. Maybe I'll have to work for a while. I can't wait to see more of the pics. Sounds like you guys have a blast out there. It's a completely different world here inside the beltway in MD.
ride on. keep posting.
Dave |
| What's "FREERIDING"? | celly
Jul 2, 2002 9:50 AM | | celly (beating the horse carcass with vigor) |
| help mtbr - see link to go-ride.com to see FR bikes! (nm) | Steve-O
Jul 2, 2002 10:05 AM | | nm |
| Marse hurts | JimC.
Jul 2, 2002 10:02 AM | | wow, that's a *ride* and then some. Way beyond my humble abilities, but nice pics, er, epics, BV. Jim |
| Yahoo! You broke Yahoo! | K'Endo
Jul 2, 2002 10:02 AM | | Access to this site will be restored within an hour. Please try again later.
http://www.geocities.com/bikinviking/RedwoodEpic.html
Kn. |
| Yep, it's true. | Zonic Man
Jul 2, 2002 10:18 AM | | Yep.
You are a sicko.
Damn. I'd love to see what an "epic" consists of. :) |
| BV, I can try to mirror the site for you... | K-Zero
Jul 2, 2002 10:23 AM | | E-mail me if you're interested
K-Zero@nospam.iname.com |
| Thanks - let me try to post it here first. The problem is... | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 10:33 AM | | ...I can't get the images out, either - and they are on my home computer. I have however found them in the IE cache, and I am trying to do it as a regular post. If it doesn't work, I'll e-mail you everything.
BV |
| Awww dammit. My bike wanted to do Demo Forest. | Fast Eddy
Jul 2, 2002 11:02 AM | | You guys would've made it if you didn't go up the hard way in Butano. Mistake, or planned?
Awesome ride. I would have like to go, but all three of you guys kill me on the regular rides. I'm up for a subset of this ride though. Starting at the 35-9 juntion, counter clockwise to Big Basin and back up, or starting at Steven's Creek Reservoir and doing it clockwise. Way more dirt %. |
| I tried to look for the trailhead, but Paul J was... | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 11:25 AM | | ...pulling the paceline at 21mph and when you're on someone's wheel, it's impossible to keep scanning the side of the road. When we came to the park entrance, we understood the mistake, but fourarm didn't want to backtrack. We looked at his map and it didn't look that bad. I had your words in my mind, but I was hoping for a subtle difference in what you and I call a "bad climb", but you were right. It was bad. Finally, it was Jamison Creek Road up to Empire Grade to catch Wilder that crashed the party.
Your version sounds like a good project - shorter, higher dirt % and only about 5,000 ft of climbing.
BV |
| re: * THE BIG NON-FREERIDE * | Dude
Jul 2, 2002 11:19 AM | | BV,
Please more detail... I know of these area's and would like to hear more about your ride....
Thanks
-Dude |
| Ummm..... wow?!?! | wg
Jul 2, 2002 12:37 PM | | That was a serious ride. Had to do a double take on the picture of the computer milage. Would of loved to join but looking at the route now, I don't think I could of made it without coughing up a lung.
That's an impressive route to do in one day. |
| Great ride..... | sheebo
Jul 2, 2002 1:30 PM | | Well done BV. Knowing this area fairly well myself, I can honestly say completing this ride is beyond me. Unless two days counts. Ever thought of climbing out of Stevens Creek via Table Mtn/Long Ridge and then Skyline I believe? Great singletrack climb before you hit Charcoal Rd. Ugh. Also, how was the Pescadero Creek section? On Sunday morning my wife and I were at the trailhead on the top of Bay St/ Empire Grade rd and I figured you guys were close by. Boy the weather was awesome. Enoyed the story and pics. Cheers. |
| Table Mtn / Long Ridge is my back yard. I tought about it... | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 2:01 PM | | ...but it just adds more steep climbing to an already streneous ride.
Pescadero Creek was just a dirt freeway ride.
The weather was awsome - from your perspective. I'd like to have it on the cooler side. It's not often that you fix a flat in Wilder Ranch at 5pm in the afternoon and choose to hike-a-bike to the nearest shady spot to get out of the sun.
BV |
| Table Mtn / Long Ridge is my back yard. I tought about it... | sheebo
Jul 3, 2002 7:53 AM | | I can see your point about the weather. We were only out in the morning till about noon while the fog was still clinging west side Santa Cruz. I also live on the east side of Mt Diablo and usually ride in fairly high temps so this felt somewhat cool. Are any of the trails along Pescadero open to riding? Used to hike that area long ago and still remember how dense the forest was. How many takers(wacko's?) for your Skeggs ride? Have fun. |
| Suggestion | mr_spin
Jul 2, 2002 3:01 PM | | You went up Jamison Creek? That's easily the toughest climb in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Pure pain. Save your legs and do Alba or Felton Empire instead.
If you insist on Jamison, one alteration I would make is from Empire Grade, take Pine Flat Road, to Bonny Doon Road, to Smith Grade. There is some wicked downhill in here, especially on Smith Grade. Smith will take you back to Empire Grade, but it also borders on Wilder. You can get on the Woodcutter's trail from Smith, although Woodcutter is a hell of a lot more fun to go down than up! |
| Thanks, Did not know that there was a trailhead on Smith, but... | Biking Viking
Jul 2, 2002 3:09 PM | | ...we weren't in the mood for more climbing at that time anyway.
I have never been up Alba. I know, it's a shame, but this website does not agree that Alba is easier.
The stats are pretty clear, too:
Jamison Creek: 1,470 feet in 3.1 miles
Alba: 2,050 feet in 3.8 miles.
One day I'll go there on my roadbike and climb Alba in 39/25 - with fresh legs.
BV |
| Wow... | JCintheBA
Jul 3, 2002 2:39 AM | | ...I'm such a puss.
I was planning a ride from my house in downtown Mtn View up Page Mill to Monte Bello then down the canyon trail climb up to Skyline then down 9 and home. That's about 25% of your ride and it would kick my a$$ unless... I put CX tires on my old Colnago...Hmmmmmm...
Wondering if he could make it up charcoal trail with a 39X27,
JC |
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