A handful of riders in the Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos area have been promoting and participating in a grass-roots endurance mountain bike series . The TdLA II was the third ride of the series, and although the TdLA was the shortest in the series in total distance, it proved to be very difficult. Out of respect for the immensity of this ride, I put a suspension fork on my singlespeed. Steep, loose, and rocky steps are all terms bandied about when describing LA trails, and these trails took their toll on the riders that attempted to conquer Los Alamos. Four riders (myself, Glen from Santa Fe, Ken and Jess from LA) with noteworthy palmares attempted to ride the complete course. Following the first loop (14 miles, 2500 vertical feet), we were joined by Bruce from ABQ and Dave from Golden, to begin the climb up Lower Quemazon to Pipeline to the Pajarito Ski Mountain to the top of Pajarito Ski Mountain (a net gain of 3000+ feet, a total gain of almost 5000 feet in climbing). However, once we reached the summit, we realized that the route was too ambitious so we decided to DNF. Dave and I were contemplating continuing the ride, at least enough to descend Guaje Ridge and Cabra back into town, but, by the time we descended the sick ST back to the mountain base, I had lost one of the pads on my rear brake (uh oh) and dark clouds were amassing along the ridge. Common sense prevailed, and we descended the Nail trail back into town, although common sense is definitely being kind in describing my decision to descend a fast and technical trail with only a front brake (as Dave said, I was too greedy). While riding back into town, we watched with relief as Guaje Ridge was repeatedly illuminated by lightning, and within ten minutes of arrival back at home, the clouds opened and dropped much needed rain on Los Alamos, as we safely enjoyed a few post-ride beverages..Porters of course…
The days totals were ~34 miles, 6500 vertical feet in 6.5 hours. Although we didn;t complete the course, it was an excellent day…
Some pictures can be found here
Upcoming events.. During the height of my suffering on Pajarito, doubts crept into my head causing me to question my decision to enter the Firecracker 50 (July 4) and the Crested Butte 100 (July 15) on my singlespeed. But calmer heads prevailed, and the Gunnar it will be. The climbing in Los Alamos is probably more difficult than either of these courses, so hopefully, I’ll be okay.
Recent Comments