Big Pine Single Track

I've heard rumors here and there of some nice trails down Big Pine way, so I rode from our house down the usual canals and power line roads in search of said trails.

Google Earth (what an awesome tool!) revealed what appeared to be two routes down from the large meadow below the Warren Bench. 

The ever pleasant meadow.

I rode the southernmost trail which was nothing short of terrific albeit pretty short.  A fence keeps out cattle and motor vehicles, so these are primarily hiking trails. Folks seemed to have put some real effort into buffing them out too.

Once to the bottom I found a little road/trail connector to the next trail north which rose up and over a little ridge. Here's the view north "from whence I came."

I got quite a little thrill over the "treasure hunt" aspect of the ride. The warm temps and lack of wind were pretty nice too.

Death Valley

Got a hankering to spend some time in Death Valley, as did my buddy Jim and GF Elysia, so we packed up the Scamp and hit it over the Martin Luthar King holiday. The main goal was to get in some mellow road miles, soak in some sun, and unwind a little.

Saturday we headed south from Badwater towards Jubilee Pass. The start was a little brisk, but the bright sun accompanied by a wonderful calm, warmed us up pretty quickly.

Here Mary and Elysia ride with the 11,000 feet of mountains behind them! 

The stark scenery is other worldly.

The good roads and lack of traffic were pretty sweet too.

 
Sunday Jim and I headed up the Dante's view road a good ways for some more spectacular riding.

 

We camped at Texas Springs which was nice and quiet too.

Fixin' dinner.

and some great time hanging by the pool.

On the way home Monday we headed up to Darwin Falls.

 A true desert oasis!

Just what the doctor ordered!

A little ski tour during a little winter (so far).

A few weeks ago I got the itch to try a little tour, so I went to one of the few places with enough snow.

Topped out on a small knob with decent views.

Back to bony Mammoth Mountain.

and the even more dry Minarets

took the new sticks out. well, kinda new. had em last season, but never got around to skiing them!

actually found a few nice turns here and there.

very few.

it was nice to get out though!

More Cross!

Whew! I just completed three weekends of Saturday/Sunday racing before taking this past weekend off. Now it's time to rest, recover, and regroup for the final race of the year, District Championships near Monterey on 12/29.

The first weekend was back in downtown L.A. starting with a twilight race on Saturday. Mary got some nice shots of me.

Didn't have a lot of opportunity to enjoy the sunset!

And an afternoon race on Sunday.

I felt more focused and peppy Sunday, managing a solid 8th out of 13 in the 45+ A group (top tier category over 45 years of age).

We hung out and watched the pros race & shred. Here Adam Craig leads Tim Johnson and the rest of the field.

One of my favorite riders, Jamie Driscoll,  put in a huge solo attack about half way through the race. A small group lead by Tim Johnson and Danny Summerhill eventually clawed their way back and Driscoll's teammate, Ben Berden, quietly sat on their wheels.

Here's the group of five descending the fly over with Driscoll hammerin' on the front.

With two laps to go, Driscoll seemed to fall off the pace, but somehow then summoned the power for one last attack, forcing Johnson and Summerhill to respond. Coming into the finishing stretch Driscoll lead it out while Berden came around to just nip him on the line - a well deserved & smart 1-2 finish for them.

I was so stoked I had to geek it up and congratulate them afterwards.

Nice!


The following weekend I headed to Bakersfield. I love this race and wish more folks would come out to race there. The courses are fun and tough, the organization is terrific, and the whole vibe is great.

I decided to race the open B category (second tier category, all ages) since in the past the 45+ A group was only three or four riders. On Saturday the plan worked out great as I raced against ten guys, felt really good, nailed the slightly muddy course, and nabbed an excellent second place.

I lifted these pics from the SoCal Cross website. Here I am battling for the lead near the beginning of the race.

For Sunday the course was reversed and the promoter & overall good guy, Sam Ames, added two nasty run ups, which destroyed me!

The combination of the previous day's effort and the steep hills turned Sunday into a test of will to compete for me. I was happy I could dig deep and "give it" despite feeling so poorly ending up an acceptable fourth place.

The next weekend saw me back down in L.A. at Griffith Park. Sorry, no pics. Like Bakersfield, the course was hilly, although without the big run ups. Saturday I felt good. I got an excellent start battled well, gaining on the twisty climbs and losing on the twisty descents, placing a pleasing 6th out of 10 in the 45+A category just a few seconds off the five deep podium.

I hung out afterward with some new pals and watched the elite men's race. Good fun there as Ned Overend (58 years old, six time Mountain Bike National Champion) joined the fray with Brent Prenzlow (no spring chicken at 45 years) and Gareth Feldstein battling to the last lap with Feldstein taking it in a sprint over Prenzlow after Overend slid out in one of the last corners. Was cheering for the old dudes for sure!

Sunday was another tough one though. With temps pushing 80 degrees and the fatigue of Saturday's effort in my body, I again had to rally just to keep it rolling. A failed shifter mid race didn't help the morale either. I gotta admit I had a hard time keeping my head and heart into it, but I still managed 10th out of 13.

Good times all in all.

Can't wait for District Championships. Hoping for a little mud and some strong legs!

Stay tuned.

Thanks for checking in and Merry Christmas. 

Owens Valley Cyclocross #6

Sunday marked OVCX #6, back out at the Airport/Wye Road timber harvest zone.

The day brought fresh snow in the mountains, crisp air in the valleys, and a super fun course. What more could you want? Well, aside from moisture, it had everything you'd want!

My strategy was to start fast, crush the sand, and let the chips fall where they may. 

Here I am setting up for the log run over. The brand new Aerohead skin suit helped me be extra fast!

Nick rode his grandpa's Stumpjumper mountain bike. Unfortunately he broke the seatpost remounting during warm up and ended up riding essentially the whole thing standing up!

Near the beginning Bill led Simon in the chase.

BxCx wasn't far behind them. Here he is at the top of the mini wall.

Kegan rolled along in one of the prettier non devastated spots.

Simon lurked behind the whole race!

Simon placed the barriers right on the exit of the hairpin which Bill tackled in a unique reverse spin move. I can't say I ever figured out the best strategy here.

By mid race my lead had grown and I settled into a real nice groove.

Meanwhile Bill faded and Chris joined Simon in the battle for second. Which Simon won.

Hurting good!

Bristle, our dog, offered post race therapy.

I felt super today! Loved the sand. Loved the course. Loved winning.
Gonna take this good form to L.A. and get some results!

Thanks to Mary for the pics.
Thanks to all for coming out for OVCX!!!

Sacramento Lange Twins Winery Cyclocross

Mary and I ventured over the Sierra for another round of the Sacramento Cyclocross series. This race was held at the Lange Twins Winery south of Sacramento. We were once again blessed/cursed with warm temperatures and dry, dusty conditions.

I got a good start, moving up from the back row to mid pack and held my position pretty well for a couple of laps. I lost a few positions mid race though as I perhaps rode too conservatively knowing the race was a full hour. I finished strong among the third and fourth place single speed racers who started a minute behind. Ended up 12th out of 14 in the 45+ A, but felt like result was better than the numbers might suggest. No falls, crashes, or mechanicals, and a solid effort except perhaps for the mid race lapse. 

It's definitely feeling like the form is on the uptick!

Climbing the huge ramp at the winery where the grape trucks drive up and empty their load into a big hopper at the start of the wine making process.

The backside of the course offered long, bumpy, motor sections near a nice oak forest.

Getting aggressive towards the end of the race.

The course was fun although not real technical. The crowd was loud and supportive which was really cool too. Cross = Good Times!

OVCX #5

Last Sunday saw our annual visit to the Benton Crossing/Green Church Road conducted under warm, calm, and dry conditions. We had a great turnout and a great time!

Thanks to Karen for the pics. I lifted em off FB.

For some reason I was pretty wound up at the start and shot off the line like a bullet. 

Forcing Simon to eat my dust for a lap or two!

Eventually Simon got a decent gap, but then I could see "the locomotive" Andreas steaming behind me. With two to go he caught and passed me and while I was able to keep him close, I just could not get back up to him. I felt good though and was happy with the race.

The scenery here is unlike any other cross course in the world! I know. That's a big statement - but it's true!

Topped it off with good friends and good beer at the end.