[Dr.Faustus]

I'd like to thank Timo/Matt for leading the biggest mountainbike ride I've ever done. I received the email last week promoting "Santa Fe Bonkfest" and I thought, hmm... sounds like fun.

Apparently, I'm just not right in the head, read the the ride description below for proof.

>I am going to ride my big santa fe route this weekend. We will start downtown, ride over to dale ball center, then over to chamisa, up winsor, down rio en medio, up pacheco canyon, down windsor, the back up chamisa, over to sidewinder, and down to little tesuque creek to end up on bishops lodge road.
Big miles, big altitude, and we have to move fast. Bring food and lots of water or a water filter.

I rolled out of my house a little late and met up with the group of three downtown. Matt, Gary, Walt and I rolled out of busy downtown S.Fe (start of Spanish Market weekend) and rode up Alameda and upper Canyon to the Dale Ball trails.

To cut a LONG ride story short I'll give a few highlights:
* Absolutely gorgeous weather! It was actually cool for most of the ride, and despite ominous clouds for much of the morning we never got rained on.
* Lots more deadfall on the trails since the last time we rode them. Bring a saw next time.
* Missy Giove is quite friendly and chatty, she loves NM riding, and she's a lot smaller than I expected.
* Clean and well-lubed chains are quite important. Gary's day was cut short by a self-destructing chain.
* Walt is a tech riding stud! He cleaned some truly insane switchbacks and rock moves on Rio en Medio that I would never have believed could be ridden.
* Yip (small, high-strung, football-sized) dogs are a crime against nature.
* The community center in Chupadero had some sweet, clean water at just the right point on this ride.
* It's not an epic until someone breaks a derailleur. Big props to Matt for riding his fully rig in single-speed mode for many more miles, refusing to cut short the day!
* No matter how you slice it 10:30+ / 8,000 total climbing / est. 45 miles is a big day.
* Second St. Brewery has just the right fuel to fill up an empty tank at the end of the day.

(P.S. no photos - we just rode, and rode, and rode, etc.)

Muchisimas Gracias!
Dr.Faustus

 

[Timo]

Thanks for coming along....

Great ride Tim. Excellent company. I think had we been able to move faster in the early stages we might have been able to take pacheco canyon road up to windsor instead of borrego cut-through. Don't know if it would have changed much, though. Ending on sidewinder/little tesuque just sort of topped off the day.

But....it was Walt who had the chain issues and Gary who did the freaky descents. Also, Gary left 2nd street at 7:30...he had been there since a little after 5. Oh well, we missed him by a few minutes.

Good news - sort of - on the X.O. Fat Tire found me a replacement and will send in the old one for possible warranty. Fingers are crossed.

On issues relating to Foes equipped crowd.....Think about this: We had 1st tracks on R.E.M.....and we certaily know those peeps weren't heading down Winsor...and we also saw them coming up Pacheco via detroit diesel. See where I am going with this? I think there might be some hidden epics back there some where.

Finally, I doing the Double Boundary next weekend (hopefully) Should be Elliot Barker Tr. to Osha Peak, dirt road down to Jaracita Tr., then over to Quintana Pass, pick up South Boundary all the way to Mondragon Tr., down to Shady Brook, then up to Capulin, over to Devisedero Tr. Let me know if you are in for this one...... Should be a good one ;-)

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Whoops!

But....it was Walt who had the chain issues and Gary who did the freaky descents. Also, Gary left 2nd street at 7:30...he had been there since a little after 5. Oh well, we missed him by a few minutes.

I knew I was going to get their names backwards! Sorry about that guys. Like I said, I'm pretty bad with names.

I'll let you know re: next weekend. My plans are still up in the air.

Hasta,
Dr.(what was your name again?)F.

 

[glenzx]

Yeah!

That's a ride, all right! I wouldn't be surprised if you did more than 8K feet of climbing either..... Matt, where'd you see more trees? On REM? or elsewhere..... trying to plot some more wife/dog/trail work hikes this week. Sounds great guys.... and what? no one has a cyclo-computer? sheesh.... I must be the only dork around.... HR monitor AND a bar-mount data device....

 

[AndyN]

When Matt says big ride he means it

Sounds like a killer ride guys.
Which trail has the techy stuff on it?

 

[Timo]

Update

Glen: Upper winsor has some fallen trees between pacheco canyon road and the x-c ski area. Also lower REM had a few large diameter ones that I left in june. I would say the winsor ones are the real concern.

As for the computer thing....Gary and Walt were the geeks but they bailed.....however, Gary let us borrow his altimeter. Funniest thing happened, though. When Tim and I finally hit civilization, we hit the crest on Bishops Lodge Road (before you descend into downtown) and the altimeter stopped at 7,992-ft!!! It stayed there for a while, so I said f*@k it, and pedaled up the ditch to get the last 8-ft. Call it improvisation

Andy: Lower REM, between Aspen Ranch and Chupadero. It starts out soft single track then turns into this twisted switchback killer descent.... People would pay good money to see you and Gary race down it..... I still cannot believe the stuff that he cleared....

Something Tim forgot to mention also: There is a sideways water fall, or you could also call it a water jet, or natural slide. Brianc skills and camera were definately needed on this one.

I hope to ride this again sometime soon.

 

[AndyN]

Thanks Matt

Maybe I'll be up to it next time.
Got a tow rope?

 

[Dr.Faustus]

Where oh where did those downhillers go?

On issues relating to Foes equipped crowd.....Think about this: We had 1st tracks on R.E.M.....and we certaily know those peeps weren't heading down Winsor...and we also saw them coming up Pacheco via detroit diesel. See where I am going with this? I think there might be some hidden epics back there some where.

Yeah, I had been mulling that too. I'll look over my maps again and see if any unfamiliar dashed lines are hiding among the trails I know. Glen, know anything about this?

Dr.(curious)F.

 

[Timo]

Found it!

Yeah, I had been mulling that too. I'll look over my maps again and see if any unfamiliar dashed lines are hiding among the trails I know. Glen, know anything about this?

Dr.(curious)F.

Well at least the end of it. A little ways down Pacheco Canyon Road from where Winsor crosses the road, there is a switchback turn in the road and a trail magically appears out of the woods. Some some tracks, but since it was raining it was hard to tell if they were downhill tires. I'm think it still starts off of the x-c ski trails.

P.S. We absolutely have to do the bigger loop I told you about at Atomic. Same route except you go further north and around the lower part of REM....and still end up in Chupadero. Let me know when you are ready...

 

[Timo]

dust, dust, dust...

dusting this off for GITA thread reference...

 

[Wzl]

Maybe I'll be up to it next time.
Got a tow rope?

Yeah no kidding. You guys are doing some big freakin rides considering it is only May. What happens come September? You guys just ride from Friday after work until Sunday night straight through

 

[sportsman]

Yeah no kidding. You guys are doing some big freakin rides considering it is only May. What happens come September? You guys just ride from Friday after work until Sunday night straight through

ya gotta check the dates big guy. This was a ride from last July.. now, if you do want a few miles, we have a ride happening tomorrow, giving timo the tour of los alamos, a weeks worth of rides in one day..

the proposed route is...

Nail Trail/Pajarito Canyon
Reverse Traverse
Water Canyon descent
S-site to Dickless
Quemazon (out and back)
Perimeter from western area to the cemetary
Three Bears/Cabra
Rendija
depending on how we feel O&B to Garcia Canyon
Shoeshine
possibly bayo canyon
Walnut Canyon
Technical Bridges.

now, I admit, this is a bit pie-in-the-sky, but I'll bet that we do most of it..weather permitting..

scott