Chad took my suggestion and moved the Techy Taco ride to Tucson Mountain Park, with the featured trail being the most difficult one: Hidden Canyon. We made our way there via Rock Wren and Hooligan.
Surgical break. In the end Ty couldn’t get the inch long cholla barb out of his hand, but it didn’t stop him from continuing the ride.
My good friend Master Flint designed Hidden Canyon to be so hard that I wouldn’t want to ride it. He failed in that regard, because when something is too hard, that just makes me want to learn to ride it even more.
He left all the rocks in the tread, creating some impressive lines of super chunk, and forced the switchbacks to be so tight that no one could possibly get a bicycle around them.
That was before he knew Chad Brown, switchback attacker extraordinaire.
Errr…. usually.
There we go.
Almost. I can get around the first turn, by hopping, but the second in the “S” curve es muy dificil.
Jonathan makes his way up the narrow, precipitous trail. Chad and I turned around at the bottom of Hidden, so we could challenge everything in the other direction. When we ran into Jonathan we told him we were flipping it…. “Whaaaaa??????? Alright!” He’s always up for more.
Me: “This next one is impossible.”
[Chad proceeds to ride the switchback clean, tires clinging to the outside nanometer of trail]
Me: “You, my good sir, have just achieved mountain bike god status.”
I still can’t believe he made it. Previously, Louis and I had tried and retried it and neither of us even got close. Like the 4 minute mile, once someone cracks it a mental switch gets flipped. I got it on my second (re)try, and there was much rejoicing.
Then Chad started attacking the turns, in the dark! He pulled out a couple more that I’ve never seen ridden without hopping.
A surprise at the exit of this switchback!
What a perfect evening. This time of year — when it is not cold at night and not hot during the day — does not last long. We were eating carne asada at “Mi Ranchito”, outside, hours after sunset and I wasn’t even the slightest bit cold on the ride back home.
It’s epic ride weather, and I am getting a little restless for something big.
This was mostly a skills clinic, but also a ride for me. Coming from home I ended up with 28 miles.
So, how is the trail holding up? Does it need maintenance?
Trail is in very good shape, Mark. Hikers are cutting 2 of the corners in a fall line fashion, but otherwise I’d say it’s a roaring success. It looks almost exactly the same as it did when fresh and broken in a little. Well done.
Sweet. Must ride this.
I love trails designed for hikers:)