Friday morning I was able to get the kids up early enough to get out and go for a spin. We hit the bike path at 5:45 am. Although it was on the sidewalk and not the trail to my surprise we ended up going 20 miles, their longest ride to date. I was quite impressed, with them being 7 and 10 years old.
Saturday morning five of us packed up and headed to Prescott to ride Spruce Mountain. This was my first time on this trail. The first 3.5 files are a steep climb with rocks, tree roots and erosion bars. I managed to do quite a bit of walking along with the rest of the group. The last 5 miles are a fast and fun downhill romp with an occassional fallen tree across the trail. Although the temps were pleasant, the humidity was quite higher than what we are used to so it tended to be a bit tropical. For no further than we went it was quite a tough ride, I look forward to going back with the full suspension bike. It will be even more fun next time knowing what to expect.
This morning I met a friend and headed over to Thunderbird Park from his house which is about half a mile away. This was the site were I took the infamous trouncing from the guy in toe clips. Today on the hardtail I was able to clean just about all of it. Much better. We put in a good spin and I was back home before 8:00 am. This is a good trail for working on some technical skills.
The kid's 20 mile ride
Ready to start up Spruce Mountain
The ride begins
The first gnarly erosion bar section (first of many)
Threading through a rocky climb
At the crossroads
Looking up one of the tamer sections of the climb
Progressing along
Another rocky climb
Bike parking
Approaching the switchbacks
Looking up a series of switchbacks
Roots, rocks and erosion bars
Some walking through this section
And some riding
The view ahead
A well deserved break near the top
A hiker with a nice smile
Flat repair on the way down. We had to walk down the hill off the trail to find a place flat enough to work on the bike.
My friend didn't want to wear his soggy riding shorts and forgot to bring a spare pair of pants so he donned his boxers and enjoyed the breeze. He got some interesting looks in the crowded restaurant after the ride.
Sunday morning on the summit of one of the mountains in Thunderbird Park
Looking back across the park where the street cuts through the saddle
Saturday morning five of us packed up and headed to Prescott to ride Spruce Mountain. This was my first time on this trail. The first 3.5 files are a steep climb with rocks, tree roots and erosion bars. I managed to do quite a bit of walking along with the rest of the group. The last 5 miles are a fast and fun downhill romp with an occassional fallen tree across the trail. Although the temps were pleasant, the humidity was quite higher than what we are used to so it tended to be a bit tropical. For no further than we went it was quite a tough ride, I look forward to going back with the full suspension bike. It will be even more fun next time knowing what to expect.
This morning I met a friend and headed over to Thunderbird Park from his house which is about half a mile away. This was the site were I took the infamous trouncing from the guy in toe clips. Today on the hardtail I was able to clean just about all of it. Much better. We put in a good spin and I was back home before 8:00 am. This is a good trail for working on some technical skills.
The kid's 20 mile ride
Ready to start up Spruce Mountain
The ride begins
The first gnarly erosion bar section (first of many)
Threading through a rocky climb
At the crossroads
Looking up one of the tamer sections of the climb
Progressing along
Another rocky climb
Bike parking
Approaching the switchbacks
Looking up a series of switchbacks
Roots, rocks and erosion bars
Some walking through this section
And some riding
The view ahead
A well deserved break near the top
A hiker with a nice smile
Flat repair on the way down. We had to walk down the hill off the trail to find a place flat enough to work on the bike.
My friend didn't want to wear his soggy riding shorts and forgot to bring a spare pair of pants so he donned his boxers and enjoyed the breeze. He got some interesting looks in the crowded restaurant after the ride.
Sunday morning on the summit of one of the mountains in Thunderbird Park
Looking back across the park where the street cuts through the saddle
