Despedida Dirt

Well Gary's heading back to Idaho (who da ho?) on Wednesday, so yesterday was his last chance to get a dirt ride in. So it's off to La Mesa with King and the gang. We rode in a big group with a bunch of first-timers but it was a real fun ride. Our ranger/trail guide clued us in to this new route they were buiding that effectively creates a loop to Tower 1. It used to be an in-and-out ride, so we were all giddy with anticipation. This new trail skirts the perimeter of the park, and it consists of nice singletrack and forest trails. Plus a smattering of rocks and a short but vicious climb that I stalled on. Gary made it up with no problem (as did the other geared riders)...but that was my only dab of the day. All in all a nice ride and a perfect sending off for Gary!


singletrack soundtrack:
Sleeping In - The Radio Dept.

We also had a camera crew from GamePlan covering the ride. Looks like I'll get my 5 minutes of fame, unless they edit me out hehe

Unfortunately, they were also on hand to document Jovan's flat tire fix, as seen below.

a few more shots from last weekend's ride

Looks like the main pack went ahead. Jovan waited for Francis, Gary and myself. Thanks man!



Gary making it look effortless (he already lost his right cleat by then!)



Here I am trying to catch up with the main group. Gary's closing in on my rear wheel. Pedal, dammit!



The group waiting for us slowpokes to show up. Sorry guys we took a wrong turn! As you can see, JM is taking off already. He made it home before his Seven turned into a pumpkin and he turned into a mouse himself.


Michelle. Matt's one lucky guy to have a better half that rides! She'll be on an SS soon!


Matt, probably the first singlespeeder in the Philippines


Vic- always smiling!


King, now back to his riding best.


Rommel and Edmund. Positive vibes all around.


JM, moving too fast for the camera


Jovan - the father of the Philippine Cycling Network.

photos courtesy of Jed Santos of EcoRescue.

the ReboluSSyon's EvoluSSyon

Around the same time, last year, I went for a bike ride with Gary - an expatriate Pinoy who is now based in Idaho. Gary spend a good amount of time riding the NORBA circuit, and has amassed a huge amount of experience and knowledge about riding, and bikes in general. He's an accomplished racer, mechanic and now a framebuilder. To think his full-time occupation is as a software designer! He's now since retired (from both racing and from his day job), and visits his folks in the Philippines every year. Oh ya, we raced together last year, for shits n' giggles.

This year, though, he brought along his singlespeed bike, and we managed to organize a singlespeed ride of sorts at the La Mesa watershed. Here's the crew, from left to right:


Jovan(trying to unsuccessfully blend into the background), he rides a Cannondale hardtail.
Michelle(better half of Matt), on a Giant NRS.
Matt(unofficial father of Pinoy SSing), who rides an EBB's Dean Titanium hardtail.
Francis(bearer of positive vibes and siopaos), on a Giant NRS.
Edmund(All Terra head honcho), on a Salsa Juan Solo.
King(everybody knows him!), on a converted Gary Fisher carbon fiber hardtail.
Myself(nothing to see here, move along now). Oh wait, I'm wearing the 2nd edition P1SSer jersey!(ok, now move along).
JM(Super Strong SS rider, placed in one of the short-track races this year), on a sweet EBB'd steel Seven Sola that's blinged out.
Gary("just visiting"), on an Ionic Titanium hardtail that's setup as a dinglespeed - two different sets of gear ratios- one for commuting, another for dirt. Trick setup. He's got the 1st edition P1SSer jersey.
Not in photo:
Noel(fellow SS 29er), he rides an On-One Inbred 29er.
Vic(the downhill bomber), on a Jamis XLT.
Rommell(endurance athlete), on a Cannondale Rush.

Now that makes seven singlespeeders in one ride. That must be a Philippine record. If only Rommel brought his SS Klein, and Vic converted his own Klein, and Jay was in town instead of paying Mr. Lee a visit at Flying Ball...we'd have ten! Matt said he's got a project SS bike for his better half - so yes, we are a growing movement!


Matt and me comparing sizes. Wheel sizes that is.


Almost at the top of the heinous climb. Sorry, couldn't stop to admire the view! But I believe you can see the city from up here...

singletrack soundtrack (for the climbs):
Twist and Crawl - The English Beat

singletrack soundtrack (for the twisties and the descents):
Too Much Pressure - The Selecter

guess that Ska comp is still ringing in my years from last weekend ;)


Edmund giving his Juan Solo a workout. Or was it the other way around?


Noel, always smiling! He's a strong rider. To think he hasn't upgraded to clipless pedals yet!


It's da King. He has unofficial "ranger" status in these parts.


Matt- he's the one that started it all.


Gary - he's a mountain goat! Halfway thru the ride he had a wardrobe malfunction, and lost a cleat bolt underneath his right shoe. He had to pedal one-legged for a bit. On a singlespeed. Uphill. I'm not worthy.


Matt, myself and Michelle grinding and grinning our way up another climb.


JM's Seven and Gary's Ionic. Taking five at Tower 5.

Our route took us to Tower 1, and JM set a blistering pace (we later found out he had to be home for lunch hehehe). The head ranger said that they are developing a link from Tower 1 to Tower 5, which unfortunately was still unfinished at that time. So we doubled back from Tower 1, and took a breather at Tower 5. We continued on back towards the parking lot, but Gary, Francis and myself got separated from the group, when I took a wrong turn (sorry!). Luckily we regained our bearings and met up with Jovan (who waited for us) and pressed onwards after I quaffed a Powergel packet. We decided to take an indirect route back to the parking lot, via the Violago gate, which was mostly rolling doubletrack punctuated by a few climbs. My thighs were giving me warning signs on an imminent cramp meltdown, so I decided to take it easy and let the rest of the guys go ahead, whilst I stretched and checked my mobile phone (had important matters to deal with). After receiving the good news via sms, my legs felt fine and I pushed the pace to catch up with them. A quick breather and phone call and we were off towards the parking lot. I wanted to get back to the car by noon as I had to make a follow up call and on the slight incline near the finish line my legs were getting really stiff. I was down to the last few sips of my hydration pack and I decided to just grimace and bear it. Upon reaching the parking lot, I hopped off the bike, and my legs were stiff as boards! I was waddling like a penguin. Had trouble sitting myself down so I did it in lil increments. Man, I felt like a geriatric hehe. After a good stretch, I was able to walk normally. A quick phone call and my day was made :)

On the way home, Gary and I stopped for some vegetarian burritos. That hit the spot.

All in all, a perfect day as far as riding was concerned. Rode with a fun bunch and hung out a bit afterwards. I felt beat though, but in a good, masochistic way.

What a difference a year makes!

Thanks to Gary and JM for the pics!

Powered by Valrhona/The Two Towers

Last night was admittedly, quite decadent. Nothing like a nice evening spent with the Lady Nitro, sharing two Valrhona flourless cupcakes (plus a peppermint/choco one) and a nice pot of Earl Grey tea. I LOVE IT. Of course, I'll be atoning for my indulgence by riding...

Yes I can have my cupcake and eat it too.

singletrack soundtrack: Avenging Angels - Space

Don't ask why, but that's what the jukebox in my head started playing while riding. Today's ride was back in La Mesa, with Polly, Jay, King, Jovan, 2 Carlo's and 2 Vics. All in all, 9 riders. We felt like Ringwraiths. Guess you can call me the self-styled Witch King. Fitting that, since we were riding to the Two Towers - that is, La Mesa ranger towers 3 and 1, respectively.

After logging 16km to and from the towers, we headed down to the campsite by the water. Total mileage was around 22km I guess, but let me tell you, the first 16km were intense. At least I climbed the hills non-stop.

Post-ride meals were had at Tia Maria's Cantina along Katipunan - Mexican food is perfect after a hard day's ride. I had myself a grilled chicken burrito.

Jay, where are the pics?! Here are the pics!


Polly, Vic M, myself, King, Vic P, Ranger DenDen, Jovan, Carlo K, and Carlo M. Not in photo (he snapped it) is Jay.


That's one tricked-out Turner tricycle!



On a clear day you can see forever. Polly and Jay seeing the sights from atop Tower 1.


We rode down to the shore, where Spanky decided to hang around for a bit.

Going up...

the ride's singletrack soundtrack:

All Mixed Up - The Red House Painters



So this is how I look when my heartrate is on the redline, going up a hill. This shot (taken by Jed Santos) was taken during last weekend's ride at La Mesa - and I was part of a 10-rider gaggle led by King. There were several other groups of riders too, and it was a great day to ride and enjoy the lush scenery - as well as contribute to the preservation of the area by paying the entrance fee.

This was the last big hill before heading back to the parking lot. Vic and I broke off from the group and did some exploring :)

Did feel the effects of my efforts later in the day, though. But it was well worth it. Cleaned all the climbs, and Spanky with the Maxxis Ignitors worked like a charm - well, mostly. Back at the parking lot I decided to check all the bolts on the bike (lesson learned!) and as I torqued down on my crankbolts, one of them snapped. It was a Salsa one to boot. Should've known better. Never run alloy chainring bolts on a singlespeed. Luckily All Terra had some stainless steel bolts and spacers for sale. I duly grabbed a set of 10, and replaced all 4 alloy bolts on my crank. Problem solved, with spares to boot.

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!

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!