Penta Bypass at the McDowell Mtns

I've been meaning to do this ride for a while and perhaps this weekend was not the best choice but I got it done. It was a solo effort, mostly because not many people on their right mind would try this when the temperatures are expected to hit 110 ferenheit with a fair amount of humidity.
Below is a map of the ride. I started a little later than expected, so I was rolling shortly after 6 am. My first goal was to climb to the top of Microwave Towers which is one of the highest points in the valley. You can see this road climb from far away, however its grade becomes more evident as you get to the bottom of the climb. According the Garmin data one of the sections pitches up to 38%, I had to climb out of the saddle and get my chest as close as possible to the handlebars to maintain both wheels on the ground. The view a the top is amazing, too bad I didn't bring a camera. Not that I had any energy left to do it either. The 19 minute effort from the wash at the bottom to the fence in front of the towers was the hardest climb I have ever done. Even the ride down was difficult. I had to put my chest on the saddle to avoid going over the bars and keep braking traction on the rear wheel.
Once at the bottom, I knew I had four more passes to go. The next one was Windgate Pass. After a quick drop to the west side, I connected with Tom's Thumb and started the third climb. My knee was bothering me a bit but I was able to clear all the switchbacks going up to the Thumb. The downhill to the East Side entrance was really loose but I came down without problems.
The next climb was Bell. I was starting to run low on water which meant the load was lighter however I was concerned about how long it would take me to get to the Lost Dog trailhead to refill. I made it to the trailhead and refilled my camelbak and two bottles then I soaked my gloves, shoes, beanie and arm coolers to make the Sunrise climb a little more comfortable. By the ime I made it to the top, everything was dry. From there I could see the end but I still a while to go. The climb to the top of the Sonoran Trail is not considered one of the passes, however that late into the ride it felt like one. Once there the rest of the ride was fairly easy back to the car. I could have made the ride a little longer by completing the rest of the Long Loop, however it was past 1 PM and I was really low on water so I cut through the maintenance road to the end of the long loop. As I excited the long loop I saw the pump track and decided to give it a try. Not a good idea when you've been out for over 6 hours however I managed to do three loops without pedaling or crashing.
Made to a very hot car, took a shower then drove to Señor Taco for a well deserved post ride burrito.


Not sure if I can do the Towers climb again but I would be interested to do this whole ride again.

Riding the AZ Trail

A few days ago a fellow rider told me about a trail he had ridden near Superior, AZ and he said it was a pretty good trail.
After riding some fun and challenging trails around South Mountain, I was ready for a change of scenery.
I kinda had plan to go out on Saturday, however I didn't commit to it until late Friday night. Not knowing how long I was going to be out there I froze a couple of bottle of Accelerade Mountain Berry as well as placed my half full hydration pack bladder in the freezer. I froze a bottle of yummy Chocolate Endurox to have after the ride then went to bed.
The alarm went off way too soon at 4:15. I thought about sleeping in, but I know that if had a late start I would suffer out there with temps about 105 expected for the day.
I brewed some coffee, fixed myself a sandwich of flaxseed waffles and peanut butter and jelly gathered all my stuff (didn't forget the shoes today) and headed out the door before the sun was up.
My destination was Picket Post trail just past the Gonzalez pass way east on Hwy 60 just before you get to Superior.
The trailhead is less than a mile from the 60 on a gravel road. Once at the trail head, I made sure my GEAX AKA tires were pumped and ready to go.
As it turns out this is one of the closest ways to get on the mighty Arizona trail from anywhere in the valley.
Not knowing what to expect I say a nice trail heading south and got on it. The first part was a little rocky, typical valley riding however as a gradually started to climb the trail changed to smooth, flowy singletrack no more than 12 inches wide. I was having so much fun I hadn't even notice how long I had been riding. Right at 1 hours time of riding I crossed a jeep road. There was nobody out there, in fact I had my Ipod on and randomly Pink Floyd came up and where I heard "Is anybody OUT THERE?" I got kinda spooked and skip to the next song. The tunes kept on playing and I kept riding further south. Shortly after the trail changed from the mature singletrack often disturbed by a few rocks or a wash to a fresh cut, wide trail. It looked like this portion had been built or rerouted in the last few months. I saw a deer cross the trail but I kept going just enjoying been out in the middle of nowhere. Often a suicide lizard would jump on the trail and sprint in front of me before veering off onto the side of the trail seconds before my front wheel would have run it over. Eventually I ran into a cattle gate. Opened, closed and kept going steadely up then down to a wash where I found a sing stating that the AZ Trail was being worked on and there was a reroute. I kept going on the new trail for a few more minutes before getting to a second caddle gate. Did the same thing as before, finished my first bottle of Accelerade and kept going, however minutes after the trail dead ended. It was probably a good thing otherwise I probably would have still been out there.
I had been riding for a little under 12 miles in about 1 hour and 40 minutes. I ate a little before doing a 180 and started reaping the benefits of climbing for that long. Nice, long and fun downhills brought me back to the reroute sign. I decided to follow the reroute for about 1.5 miles all along a dry wash. Not finding the spot where the trail left the wash I decided to head back and call it a day.
The return trip from that point was not all downhill so I had to keep some in the tank. I bombed down the trail and attack every little climb until I made it back to the car with a huge grin on my face.
If I had to point a negative side of the trail, it would be the fact that because it sees little traffic sometimes the bushes on the side extend onto the trail, this wouldn't be a problem except that the most common bush in this area has big, sharp thorns. As result of this, the lower part of my legs look like I was grabbed by the legs by a lion. Thankfully I am not a leg model, otherwise I would be out of work for a few weeks.
Anyway, all in all, this may become my favorite trail. The Garmin said I was out there for 3:30 hours, traveled about 27 miles and climbed just under 4000 feet. Next time, I would like to explore the northbound section and I may actually bring a pair of prunes so if by chance Venus is looking to introduce a "manly" razor, I can apply for the job.
Until next time, keep the rubber side down!
Jeff

Family Victory

It's been a while since the last win, however this one is even better because it's the result of a family effort.
Norma, koko and I headed up the hill on Friday to Flagstaff for the inagural Barn Burner.
The event consisted of 4 laps to a 26 mile course made up of 100% forest roads. The venue was set at a private ranch near Kendrick Mountain. Here is what the venue looked like minutes before the start. The start was LeMans style aka...running to your bike. We had rain shower for most of the morning and cool temperatures. I wasn't too excited about the conditions but slowly kitted up and put on a few layers. The run went well. I guess it helps to take Koko for short evening runs.

I was in the top 10 group on foot then jumped on the bike for a slippery ride out of the venue. The mud was sticky and soon the bike had gained several pounds.

I made my way to the front of the group on the greasy start and soon found myself on Kimo's wheel. Here we are going around Tom with Kendrick Mtn on the background.

I stayed on Kimo's wheel for the first couple of miles while two guys riding for Carmichael Systems joined our group. We each took turns at the front to keep the pace high. Soon we were all by ourselves. The forest roads got drier and faster, however there was one little low spot that was slippery. I was leading the pack through it when suddendly my rear wheel got on a groove and made me got sideways. The few seconds that it took me to right my bike was all those guys needed to gap me. From that point on I rode by myself. I would see them up front from time to time but no one behind me. Here I am rounding the last corner heading back to the barn to complete my laps in 4th overall. You can see how muddy my bike was. Front derraileour was out of order.

Norma did the second lap. By the time she went, the course had dried out pretty good. She had a good lap and said there was only one steep pitch that forced her off the bike. She finished her laps with a smile on her face. I took over from there and completed the next two laps. My legs felt pretty good after the break but at this point we were all about enjoying the ride. I kept the pace moderate on the flats and gradual climbs and just put myself into a little bit of pain on the climbs. On my last lap I grabbed a jacket just in case of rain, which I later had to remove as the sun finally came out. As I was removing the jacket a rider went by me. The first rider to pass me during the whole race, so I got on his wheel and he pulled me for the next several miles. As we approached the first climb he seemed to slow down, so I went around him. I saw him again a few seconds back after the downhill then I put some time on him on the final climb. I caught Tom's partner Kim at the bottom of that climb and unaware of it took over the lead of the coed duo race. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon while Koko played with Diego, Max and Flor.

Our camera died shortly after I took this picture, so no podium pictures. Art and Wendy finished 5th after Wendy had some tire air pressure issues on the first lap. This was Art's last event before he goes Canadian style for a few days at the BC Bike Race.

As for me, MBAA is done. I got 5th in the series after a lackluster performance at the final a couple of weeks ago. I'll probably do a few more road races now that I got my upgrade to the 3s. I should have a fancy looking sticker with a number 3 in the mail soon, so I can place it on my racing license. AMC got cancelled so I'll have to change plans for August. I may end up heading up to Minnesota to spend time with the family, attend a friends wedding and do a couple of races.

We'll see how things pan out.

Until next time....