Sunday, January 30, 2011

Bike Testing

A friend from Outside Magazine asked if I wanted to try out some of the 2011 big bikes out at the 50-year. It had been since Interbike 2007 since I sat on a rig that was more expensive than my 5k Subaru and the weather was perfect. How could I pass it up?

We mostly rode short, 1-hour loops on the Upper-50, watching and trying to mimic Louis' lines. The camera did not come out as much as it should have, nevertheless, I did manage to take a few notable pictures to summarize the day.

















Ripsey

If you are not familiar with the Ripsey Segment of the Arizona Trail, check out the Antelope Peak Challenge 115 mile course (that happened yesterday).

Sometimes it's just easier to let the pixels do the talking.















You can see why this section was voted "Best Ridgeline in Arizona" by me.
























Max said it best as he was doing the 115-mile ride yesterday.."Even the open pit mine (see above picture, background) looks amazing."






Switchback masters needed during this segment. Steep and unforgiving, this is where you learn how to ride a switchback.



The day ended with a recon on some short (albeit sweet) section of the Arizona Trail. In case you ever wondered where your money is going each time you donate to the Arizona Trail Association, look no farther.

Snow!

Ty and I took advantage of the recent snowfall to ride up to the snowline on Ram (lower and upper) and Alamo (upper and lower).




















Even the Tortolitas got some snow (in the background).








Look closely to really appreciate the amount of rocks on this trail.

Christmas

It's been awhile since I have updated the blog. Upon realizing the hand was not broken mid-December, I quickly jumped back on the bike to start doing some local rides and spending time with the family as Christmas neared.



Kendall's sister visited Tucson with a mountain bike. Having just purchased a mountain bike, she was eager to check out some of the beginner trails in Tucson. The urban bike path was the first place we visited.





While celebrating Christmas, Max and I also had some time to do a Baby Jesus ride from the house.



We even had some fun exploring new lines.

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This trail needs some trail love soon. I am hoping to ride up there this weekend (assuming I can ditch this cold) to clip some of the cat claw.

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