La Mesa
Yesterday I was invited to ride in the La Mesa EcoPark - a 2,700-hectare forest reserve/watershed that not only is a nice green spot in our congested city, but is a source of almost all of the Metro Manila's clean water. They're gradually opening up access to the trails there, and the area has become a nice venue for races. Thing is, there is a move to develop part of the park into a housing complex. Not good. That would mean the end of this pristine and really beautiful area.
Anyway, we were a big group - mix of newbies and vets, and after a briefing by the Bantay Kalikasan reps, we set off on the trails with a guide leading the way. I'd ridden there before, and the guide was gracious enough to let me lead some of the pack (the more seasoned riders) through the 17kms. It was a blast going down the double-track trails. I even caught some air on two lil jumps - and Spanky surprised me with its surefootedness and stability. One particularly hairy section was before a water crossing, where I took a more aggressive line(to set me up for the climb out of the water), and ended up rolling through a patch of rocks. Spankers just took it all in stride - am sure if I was on a 26er I'd be bouncing around!
Once in a while we'd stop and regroup - and one hilarious instance was when we were resting in a bamboo shed. Dominic had already broken a bench when he sat on it (rickety, weatherbeaten thing), and so him and the rest of the guys (10 of em or so) sat down on another bamboo bench. Minutes later there was a loud KERAAASSHHHH!!! and all of the guys were on their butts on the ground. It was too funny! Luckily another rider was able to snap a few photos of the debacle. We all had a good laugh. I must get a copy of that pic hehe.
We headed back to the campsite/parking lot and I was entertaining thoughts of going on another lap - I just wanted to get my P200 entrance fee worth hehe. No takers so I abandoned the idea of soloing it - it is doable though as the terrain is of the easy, rolling variety. Great for people who are new to the sport.
So no extra lap for me and 17km short, but hey, I made new friends and we all had a blast!
Anyway, we were a big group - mix of newbies and vets, and after a briefing by the Bantay Kalikasan reps, we set off on the trails with a guide leading the way. I'd ridden there before, and the guide was gracious enough to let me lead some of the pack (the more seasoned riders) through the 17kms. It was a blast going down the double-track trails. I even caught some air on two lil jumps - and Spanky surprised me with its surefootedness and stability. One particularly hairy section was before a water crossing, where I took a more aggressive line(to set me up for the climb out of the water), and ended up rolling through a patch of rocks. Spankers just took it all in stride - am sure if I was on a 26er I'd be bouncing around!
Once in a while we'd stop and regroup - and one hilarious instance was when we were resting in a bamboo shed. Dominic had already broken a bench when he sat on it (rickety, weatherbeaten thing), and so him and the rest of the guys (10 of em or so) sat down on another bamboo bench. Minutes later there was a loud KERAAASSHHHH!!! and all of the guys were on their butts on the ground. It was too funny! Luckily another rider was able to snap a few photos of the debacle. We all had a good laugh. I must get a copy of that pic hehe.
We headed back to the campsite/parking lot and I was entertaining thoughts of going on another lap - I just wanted to get my P200 entrance fee worth hehe. No takers so I abandoned the idea of soloing it - it is doable though as the terrain is of the easy, rolling variety. Great for people who are new to the sport.
So no extra lap for me and 17km short, but hey, I made new friends and we all had a blast!
Labels: la mesa
posted by 32by18 at 9:09 PM
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