MtnBikeRiders.com

 Powered by Max Banner Ads 

The Luge is finally back open after the fires from 2007. Whiting Ranch, which Joe rode in July the weekend of its Grand Opening, is across the street from the Luge and was also closed for months after the fire as well. I wasn’t able to get out for the initial reopening Luge ride, but a few of us did ride there a couple of weekends later.

The Luge is a great ride if a little short at just under 8 miles. It has a couple of grueling climbs but nothing too long and it ends with a fast singletrack descent from the flagpole.

Donnie, Mark, Tim “Scissors” & me. The Luge starts right behind us and descends along the faint singletrack down the mountain.

Donnie, Mark, Tim & I did something we normally don’t do and shuttled to the beginning of Santiago Truck Trail. This shortened our ride even more by allowing us to skip out on some road riding on Modjeska. Not normally a shuttler, I have definitely found the benefits to this type of riding! By the way, just an fyi, we found out afterwards that parking along the street before the dirt entrance is a big no, no. Some cops were giving out bright orange warnings, not tickets.

The Santiago Truck Trail part of the Luge ride is usually a bit on the boring side. It’s basically a fireroad climb to the flagpole which is the beginning of the “Luge” part of the Luge trail. But this time the STT was different. The trail was the same but the surrounding scenery was burnt making for very interesting views. The best part, though, was seeing how new growth was beginning to push its way through the burnt plants.

The weirdest thing was shooting down the Luge. The luge is fast, singletrack shaped in a sort of small “u” shape… hence the “Luge” name. It was weird riding down the Luge because on my previous trip here, the Redline Mono 9 handlebar got caught on a branch and I went OTB. This time though, the fires made sure that there were no branches to reach out and touch my bar. There were very few bushes at all which although a great relief to me, did take away from the Luge a bit.

The ride up STT didn’t have much vegetation to look at to begin with, but the fires didn’t help with the view either. I’m not complaining though as it’s definitely good to have the Luge back

Since we were strapped for time, the Luge was all we could schedule in for this morning ride. Next time though, with both Whiting Ranch & the Luge open, I’m definitely voting for a 2-fer.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Well here in Orange County it has been a rough week. Fires ablaze all around us and the air quality has been nothing short of awful. The skies have been filled with smoke and ash all week. My prayers have been with the families that have been threatened and with the firefighters that have been working non stop to protect us all.

Actual pic from one of the California fires….

There’s been no bike riding this week, we’re just lucky to escape any smoke inhalation driving from home to work or home to school. It will still be awhile before the air quality is decent around us even with getting some of these fires under control.

Some of you in other parts of the country have different issues. Maybe it’s the rain? I have friends in Colorado that have already seen their first snow fall! Must be tough to bike in that? So what do you do to keep in biking shape in these circumstances?

We can’t really complain here in California. For the most part these winter months aren’t nearly what the east coast has to put up with. But even so we have our circumstances that keep us off our bikes.

It’s really nice to have some alternatives if acts of nature (or arsonists) are keeping you off your bike. And so might I suggest: Indoor spinning. I am not sure why more guys aren’t doing this?! Ok, so it’s not as fun as riding the trails, I hear that and feel that! But I’ve worked too hard all spring/summer to get where I am at on my bike. No way am I letting the weather ruin all that for me! And neither should you!

You can get an amazing work out on a spin bike. I have read you can burn anywhere from 600-1000 calories an hour on a spin bike depending on how much energy you put into it. If I don’t have a puddle of sweat on the floor after my spin session then I haven’t worked out hard enough. Gross, I know. ;D

Spin is also a great way to improve your biking skills. Maybe you are lacking cardiovascular strength? Are your lungs burning, gasping for air while you’re on the trails? Or maybe like me your legs are just BURINING on your climbs up the hills? Or maybe you poop out way too soon, lacking endurance? Indoor spinning can make a huge difference with all these issues!

I started off at the local gym, two times a week, and within two weeks I saw a huge improvement in my riding. The gym is great if you have an awesome instructor. It’s very motivating and pushes you to work harder. My gym has a mixture of good and not so good instructors. If you come across a lousy one don’t give up! I prefer an instructor that is going to kick my butt in the class though. If I am about to puke at the end of class then you have my stamp of approval! Haha!

Ok..they aren’t mountain biking, but I bet those bikers near the top of the hill take spin classes!

If you’re fortunate enough I definitely recommend having a quality spin bike in your home. They are pricey though. Another alternative is a trainer. We have one made by Kinetic. These are great also and most often have DVD’s to assist you in your training. All of these are great for these cold winter months. You’ll be back in spring better and stronger than ever if you add this to your winter routine!!! And it will pull you out of the blah’s!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites