Best 200 bucks a biker could ever pay for; up to 40km ¹ 20 in our case since a lot of routes were closed due to the rainy season of non-linear trail. I only wished Cris was there to “enjoy” (and by “enjoy,” I mean go through the hellish uphills as well) it with me.

I say “non-linear” because it was Tricia’s third time, yet all the times she went, they seemed to pass a different route.

To give you an idea of how tiring that day was, I Woke up 5:30am, got ready (lost track of time getting my equipment ready) and met up with the group at about 7:30 in the McDonalds beside Shell Commonwealth. We probably got to La Mesa at 9-9:30. Finished it about 2:30pm. The plan was to be done by lunch. ² Which again, proves that when going on bike trips, better to just block off the whole day Ate at Dencios around 3-4-ish. I got home probably 5-6 and took a “nap.” Nap turned out to be an all out recharge when I woke up and saw the clock at past 12 midnight!

Random Thoughts

Seems like this was the La Mesa “trail” that everyone was talking about… that other one Cris and I went to paled in comparison. So when you want to bike in La Mesa, I’m telling you now, don’t even bother with the EcoPark trail; go for the Nature Reserve.

The place was huge; there were other groups there, but we never saw them during the trail ride itself (well probably once in that “official rest hut,” then we proceeded to go on different directions). The trail varies, so it’s really difficult to say what level of difficulty you’re up against. There are nice, easy picturesque areas to ride, as well as long uphill inclines (I hated those parts). There are long safe downhills, as well as shorter, but downright scary ones ³ especially when you go at it at full speed. I’d say this wasn’t for newbies mostly because you’d be going uphill. ⁴ This trip easily trumps the “uphill hell” I went through during my first trip to San Mateo But then again, the downhills were awesome, just really short because of course you aren’t really slowing down; maybe if you went the other direction, it would be the same experience. But overall, it is doable, assuming you and your group has the patience; it will just take really long to finish I guess.

I am where I’m supposed to be

Going down the semi-techincal singletrack areas made clear to me why I like biking better than the thought of running (or other physical activities). Aside from the practical sense, ⁵ i.e. “getting to travel faster from point A to B” I just feel more accomplishment when trying to control something that isn’t a part of me, know what I mean?

I mean swimming, running, etc. those are all difficult depending on what you plan to do. Marathons are no joke, but ultimately I guess it’s still “just me”… and walking, running, or swimming I can do without having to think (it’s just a matter of endurance). “Tackling” stuff entails either pacing yourself to run, jog, or walk (or rest if you’re really tired) and the most “technical” thing you can really do as far as your body goes is to have the proper form” to avoid injury.

With biking however, there is the equivalent of those things as well of course (bike, push etc.), but there are added layers of techincality: because you’re not only dealing with your body, you’re now riding something external that has to work in harmony with your body.

Going uphill, it’s more efficient (muscle-wise) to do it sitting down, BUT if the incline’s high enough, you tend to wheelie. ⁶ Your front tires start lifting off; which happened A LOT So standing up would plant the front wheel better, but it could be more tiring if the inclines are long. ⁷ Locking your fork helps a great deal here Also, there’s the other danger of skidding the rear when you do it standing up on a really steep incline; Your weight is now in front, but your pedaling obviously is transmitted to your rear; where there’s less traction.

On a downhill, how fast can you afford to go? And assuming you’re going fast (which obviously all the guys want), the front brake is the most powerful brake, hence should be the brake you use when in critical speeds ⁸ When you start slowing down, your weight ALWAYS shifts to the front due to inertia, so the faster you go, the less effective the rear brakes become. but there’s also the danger of flipping over if you don’t modulate them correctly – and it takes a lot of mental willpower to not over-break when you’re getting scared. ⁹ In fact during one part, I actually felt my rear wheel lift off a bit during braking, I loosened up on it even if my knee-jerk reaction made me want to clamp down harder If in a sustained downhill where you need to constantly break, there’s the danger of your brakes/rims getting too hot (very dangerous for v-brakes), so best to alternate them., etc., etc.

These things are constantly negotiated depending on the type of path you take. And I appreciate the mental exercise involved in doing it. I love the fact that not only do I have to develop the strength and endurance to tackle the uphills, but also having to balance and control a machine manually in a trail which could literally kill you if you don’t respect it.

To end here are some videos:

There were actually many places that were good for pictures, but it was difficult to pull out the camera all the time because it would destroy your “momentum” (which you needed to tackle those damn uphills) and of course going downhill, why would anyone deprive themselves of a good full-speed-ahead rush just so they could to take pictures!?

The best media for these sort of things is video… and a helmet cam is the only way to go IMHO. Next time hopefully 🙂