CDO Resurrection

Last month’s Samaniego death ride (see: Five reasons why Tucson sucks…) yielded a promising piece of information: the top of CDO has been worked/logged/groomed.

I’ve had that tiny glimpse of blissfully groomed trail in my mind ever since. It haunted me, and there was only one way to exorcise it.

Ride it.

The …. [Continue reading]

November 27th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | Leave a comment

Hidden

Another [W]ednesday [N]ight [R]ide, with no one in the parking lot. All the better as the solo night missions are the best way to lose yourself.

Tonight’s mission: be the first (??) to attempt a night ride of the Hidden Canyon ‘hiking’ trail. Hadn’t planned it, hadn’t thought about it, but when I …. [Continue reading]

November 22nd, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | 3 comments

Phoenix Endurance Experience

I love getting up early for rides. I’m not really sure why, but when you get up well before normal, you know you’re doing something wholly abnormal. I left Tucson at 3:45a, arriving at Yuri’s place with just enough time to assemble the bike and suit up.

5 miles dark pavement led to …. [Continue reading]

November 20th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | One comment

Dark Matter

Families sit to dinner as I sneak through neighborhoods, gliding up hills and effortlessly down washes.

I write a lot about stripping away. In the dark, alone, there’s everywhere to hide, and nowhere to hide. You are your thoughts.

Glowing eyes sneak even quieter around me, seen and unseen. Usually coyote, but …. [Continue reading]

November 14th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | One comment

KY Camp

Too much computer time last week, so Monday we dropped everything and rolled down to the Santa Ritas to check out the route for the upcoming Kentucky Camp Epic Race on Dec 8th. The race needed a new start/finish and camping area (the place noted on the current GPX does not really work), and I …. [Continue reading]

November 13th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | Leave a comment

APC

Back to the typical kind of challenge addressed in this diary – this AM, my brain was awash with ideas for what shall henceforth be known as the “Antelope Peak Challenge.” In broad strokes:

Ride from Oracle to Antelope Peak on the AZT, then head back on Willow Springs (dirt) Road, doing a …. [Continue reading]

November 9th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | Leave a comment

Vert

I successfully converted, merged and profiled the 2,174 mile Appalachian Trail this week. It’s quite the data set at some 320,000 GPS points. I killed TopoFusion and my computer several times in the process of hastily writing code to wrestle with it.

The challenge? The GPS data, once cleaned up, came to some 2,109 …. [Continue reading]

November 9th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | One comment

Stategery in Prescott

This weekend was the 1st Prescott Monster Cross, put on by the illustrious ionmuse.

I’ve long been looking for an excuse to explore Prescott, and it was long overdue, if the above picture is any indication.

This was what I call a “choose your own adventure” race. You get minutes subtracted from your …. [Continue reading]

November 5th, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | 2 comments

peak sammie

Louis is a veteran of Catalina riding. He’s been a part of more than a few brave, but dubious plans. I remember tales of the day he and Hank dove off the side of Samaniego Ridge, near the peak, and rode most of the way back to the 50 Year Trail. Louis is …. [Continue reading]

November 1st, 2007 | Category: Mountain Biking | One comment