Devil Mountain Expeditions

Get your mind out of the gutter, along with everyone else’s …

Holy sh1t! From Cyclingnews: “Impey remained on the ground for 20 minutes before getting back on his bike to cross the finish line. He was taken to the hospital in Alanya where the doctors reported a fracture of the third disc of his lumbar vertebra, a micro-fracture of his neck, facial trauma, a few broken teeth and a deep cut in his lips.”

Apparently they haven’t even opened an investigation into this yet. Truly despicable tactics. Unreal.

Any interest in the ThinkCooper ride in Santa Cruz next weekend? I went to this last year and it was a blast. I’ll probably be staying down there that night and maybe bringing a mountain bike for the next day if my calf is feeling up to it. Last year did a lap at Demo on the day after … great weekend.

Rode Calaveras today solo …. 35 miles or so. The wall on the way back up from Fremont was hard for me to pedal up. I’m weak and a bit discouraged about my chances of racing Downieville at this point. We’ll see … still almost 3 months out. I’m sure I’m not going to do well … the question is can I do it at all this year. In general, I’m stoked to be back on the bike … better to ride than not, always.

Yup, I actually got on the mountain bike for a short spin today … nice afternoon at Skeggs … a little chilly though–maybe 45 degrees. Poor image quality is courtesy of the iPhone.

Calf is a little gimpy and I definitely couldn’t push it on the DH … was riding at maybe 65% of my ability. Hopefully I won’t have pain tomorrow–it’s hard to tell if it’s just sore in general or if I tweaked it today. Bottom line is that it is nearly impossible for me not to push it on DH trails. I see things to huck off and it takes every ounce of willpower I have to resist doing so. Could be worse–at least I’m riding!

The first Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship epic ride of the year is coming up. Justin and I did the “A” ride epic last spring and it was epic, alright. It was brutal and honestly Hall’s Ranch was not worth it. This year I plan to do the “B” ride—North Yuba is an awesome trail. The party on Saturday night is definitely raging … also will be great to help complete North Yuba trail on Sunday which will connect Indian Valley to Downieville via 100% Downieville singletrack. Sunrise and Butcher will almost invariably still be closed but North Yuba, while it isn’t Butcher, is a great trail all the same. Great way to kick off the season at Downieville! From the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship site:

Spring Epic #12
Start: May 16 2009 – 8:00am
End: May 17 2009 – 8:59am
Location: North Yuba

Ah yes, it’s mountain biking season in the Sierra again. So, come on up and celebrate spring and the grand opening of a brand new section of the North Yuba River Trail. That’s right, our Trail Crew and hard working volunteers are pushing hard, trying to punch through a 7 mile section connecting the river towns of Downieville and Goodyears Bar. This section is truly a testament to our dedication and commitment to the Downieville Trail System, as it has taken us nearly 13 years to complete.

Yup, I actually pedaled a bit today. 20 miles solo … typical ride on the flats in the valley late this afternoon … beautiful day other than the 15-20mph headwind on the way back. Stoked! Downieville may be out of reach, we’ll see, but at least this is something to build on.

Downieville is starting to hit the big time it seems … more exposure every year:

While 2/3 of DME was enjoying the trails of the NVDC, a couple of us hit the Diablo dirt.  Started at Scott’s house near Mt. Diablo Scenic and headed up Sycamore Creek trail towards Oyster Pt.

Down Oyster Pt, over to the Meth House, and then back up the Finley fireroad.  Morgan Territory is in the background.  This would take us to Curry Pt. 

After Curry Pt, we climbed up to the top of The Stairs, rode that single track down to Dan Cooke and back to Scott’s house. 

 

Round trip was just under 21 miles.  Weather was perfect.  Trails were great.  Got some good scouting done for the inaugural DM Classic.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/episode/view.do?episodePk.pkValue=7942613