Thanksgiving Day mountain bike rides are a tradition in a lot of places now, but they all started with this one, the Appetite Seminar in Fairfax, which just took place for the 33rd time.
You can expect close to a thousand riders to take on the tough 20-mile loop with 3500 feet of climbing. I decided to get an early start, so I left Fairfax with Gary Fisher and his girlfriend Sheila around 7:30. They both hammered me to the top of Pine Mountain. We stopped at the traditional location called Smoker's Knoll, where we were joined by Jacquie Phelan, with the ever present banjo. This is a "locals only" spot, and I knew everyone there.
Is Jacquie morphing into Michael Jackson?
Gary Fisher celebrates with a brew on top of Smoker's Knoll.
From Pine Mountain you take an ear-popping, brake smoking 1000 foot descent that is one of the best in Marin County, but then you are condemned to a tough climb out of the canyon. Here riders bunch up at the top of Pine Mountain before hitting the awesome descent.
I don't understand why so much high-tech equipment falls apart. I saw a bunch of flat tires and bike repairs going during the descent of Pine Mountain. On this corner there were three guys fixing bikes.
Saw a jersey like the one I had on, and it was Joe Breeze, so we stopped for a photo session. Here are the posers. Gary and girlfriend, me and Joe Breeze.
Every ride needs a guy like this. Josh the mechanic from the bike shop trailered in a full bar with coffee making equipment for hot toddies. Here's Gary lining up for a shot of courage before we continue on to Repack, about a mile away.
You can expect close to a thousand riders to take on the tough 20-mile loop with 3500 feet of climbing. I decided to get an early start, so I left Fairfax with Gary Fisher and his girlfriend Sheila around 7:30. They both hammered me to the top of Pine Mountain. We stopped at the traditional location called Smoker's Knoll, where we were joined by Jacquie Phelan, with the ever present banjo. This is a "locals only" spot, and I knew everyone there.
Is Jacquie morphing into Michael Jackson?
Gary Fisher celebrates with a brew on top of Smoker's Knoll.
From Pine Mountain you take an ear-popping, brake smoking 1000 foot descent that is one of the best in Marin County, but then you are condemned to a tough climb out of the canyon. Here riders bunch up at the top of Pine Mountain before hitting the awesome descent.
I don't understand why so much high-tech equipment falls apart. I saw a bunch of flat tires and bike repairs going during the descent of Pine Mountain. On this corner there were three guys fixing bikes.
Saw a jersey like the one I had on, and it was Joe Breeze, so we stopped for a photo session. Here are the posers. Gary and girlfriend, me and Joe Breeze.
Every ride needs a guy like this. Josh the mechanic from the bike shop trailered in a full bar with coffee making equipment for hot toddies. Here's Gary lining up for a shot of courage before we continue on to Repack, about a mile away.
