Back to La Mesa
Last Saturday, King, Vic, Mach and I headed to the La Mesa Watershed for some exploratory riding. After a delay at the gate (they're pretty strict with regards to access), we pushed off at around 230pm.
The first third of the ride was on the familiar trails that we had ridden before. We had maps and a GPS (courtesy of Vic), as well as an accompanying forest ranger (who can hammer uphill!), so we proceeded to head to Tower 1. The forest doubletrack was a joy to ride, with some waterbars with which to catch some air (at least when going downhill)...these waterbars are a challenge when crawling uphill though. More than once I felt like Spanky and I were going to stall out. The first sustained climb seemed to go on forever. I had to resort to Jedi Mind Tricks - convincing myself it will flatten itself out after the next turn - and soon enough we were at Tower 1.
The top of Tower 1 gives a magnificent view of the North and Northeastern parts of the metropolis. We can see the familiar hills of Maarat as well as the Ortigas Center skyline from our crow's nest. After catching our breath, we rode on to Tower 3 - point to point, "about 2km", according to the map.
The route to Tower 3 passes through some rolling terrain and the now-common waterbars. I had to restrain myself from getting airborne as these lil humps are quite abrupt, and the landings can be treacherous. Some sections of the trail were covered with soft, loamy soil, which felt like molasses when you'd pass through - eating your momentum whether you're going downhill or up. It was and in and out/to and from Tower 3, as the rangers had closed the gate that links this trail to the rest of the system. Admittedly, I walked for a short bit in once section, and paused to catch my breath at another climb - just tried to pace myself after the lung-busting climb earlier.
Our way back to the parking lot took us through the course that was used in the Cecon 24H challenge - which King participated in. Nice bermed switchbacks and a flowing descent to end our ride at 5:30pm. A good day, and well worth the entrance fee.
To quote Vic's posting in the All Terra Yahoogroup:
"Some stats: 18k ride, 1500 ft of total vertical over gradually rolling terrain (max 20% grade). Tower 1 is the highest point at 720ft..."
La Mesa has a lot of riding potential - we can't wait to head back and explore more!
The first third of the ride was on the familiar trails that we had ridden before. We had maps and a GPS (courtesy of Vic), as well as an accompanying forest ranger (who can hammer uphill!), so we proceeded to head to Tower 1. The forest doubletrack was a joy to ride, with some waterbars with which to catch some air (at least when going downhill)...these waterbars are a challenge when crawling uphill though. More than once I felt like Spanky and I were going to stall out. The first sustained climb seemed to go on forever. I had to resort to Jedi Mind Tricks - convincing myself it will flatten itself out after the next turn - and soon enough we were at Tower 1.
The top of Tower 1 gives a magnificent view of the North and Northeastern parts of the metropolis. We can see the familiar hills of Maarat as well as the Ortigas Center skyline from our crow's nest. After catching our breath, we rode on to Tower 3 - point to point, "about 2km", according to the map.
The route to Tower 3 passes through some rolling terrain and the now-common waterbars. I had to restrain myself from getting airborne as these lil humps are quite abrupt, and the landings can be treacherous. Some sections of the trail were covered with soft, loamy soil, which felt like molasses when you'd pass through - eating your momentum whether you're going downhill or up. It was and in and out/to and from Tower 3, as the rangers had closed the gate that links this trail to the rest of the system. Admittedly, I walked for a short bit in once section, and paused to catch my breath at another climb - just tried to pace myself after the lung-busting climb earlier.
Our way back to the parking lot took us through the course that was used in the Cecon 24H challenge - which King participated in. Nice bermed switchbacks and a flowing descent to end our ride at 5:30pm. A good day, and well worth the entrance fee.
To quote Vic's posting in the All Terra Yahoogroup:
"Some stats: 18k ride, 1500 ft of total vertical over gradually rolling terrain (max 20% grade). Tower 1 is the highest point at 720ft..."
La Mesa has a lot of riding potential - we can't wait to head back and explore more!
Labels: 29er, la mesa, mountain bike, single speed, surly
posted by 32by18 at 6:39 PM
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