Author Archive
Templeton Trail, Sedona, AZ
by Mitchell Sprinsky on Nov.11, 2005, under Arizona
11/9/05 – Templeton Trail, Sedona, AZ
Morning arrives and I bid farewell to Phoenix (for now) and head north to Sedona. I check in, suit up, and I’m on the bike up to the Bell Rock Pathway and past Bell Rock.
Templeton Trail, Sedona, AZ
by Mitchell Sprinsky on Nov.11, 2005, under Uncategorized
I started late, so the plan is to go out Templeton Trail to Cathedral Rock and back. The Bell Rock Pathway is quite wide and flat, so I pick up some speed only to slow down for the multitude of hikers on it.
Finally, I reach the entrance to templeton and the singletrack goodness.
Of course, there’s also the crappy Sedona views.
Templeton is a fun trail and a must do (so I am told). Not technical, but it is fast rolling mostly downhill on the way to Cathedral Rock.
At cathedral rock there is a small slickrock playground. I must of spent thirty minutes here rolling drops and practicing how to kill myself on bigger things. I could have stayed here forever if it wasn’t getting late.
I only saw about five riders on the trail. I shot some nice video too. Then it was time to roll back uphill.
A National Classic
by Mitchell Sprinsky on Nov.08, 2005, under Uncategorized
It’s getting warm without cloud cover as we head up the fire road to National Trail.
I am getting excited about riding a trail I hear so much about. Trying my luck at some technical challenges on what I thought was a downhill. I stop and watch some bikers bomb down Mormon Trail (I think).
We reach the trailhead and I am looking up. Up?!? Huh, what’s up with that?
Now I remember who I’m riding with. Gary aka "The Sadist Hill Climber". OK. I head up and hit some of the technical sections, but Gary is doing a better job lifting the front end of his bike. I do better going down because I just don’t have the strength to get the front wheel up high enough. None-the-less, I am trying at least. Here’s a look back after some sweaty climbing,
Then I come around a steep switch back with a step up. Ok, I’m going to try it. I get the front up but the back gets hung up and my foot goes down to hold my fall. It goes right into the middle of a "man eating" cactus. I look down and start pulling the needles from my ankle. Within seconds it’s hurting like hell and my ankle is swelling up. WTF? I take one for the team, suck up the pain, and trod on.
Reaching the first ridge, I’m feeling good. I’ve walked a few spots and ridden some things I never thought I would even try. I am a little more daring today than usual.
Gary stops to assess what lies ahead.
Then he makes a nice technical step up.
If only I could have ridden it going in this direction.
More fun technical crap (that I walked up).
Then some climbing that I actually make.
The second ridge of National levels out a bit with some exposure, but very fast.
We then need to get down to the Desert Classic trail. It seems Telegraph is the way down. Down is an understatement. Straight down 800′ in less than a mile with 1′ – 2′ high steps that would surely lead to my death. I don’t have pictures because I was too busy using my bike to keep me from plumeting down. Gary tells me that people ride this. I want to see that (no dual crown or body armor allowed).
The Desert Classic trail is similar to McDowell Mountain. Not much altitude gain or loss and mostly buff singletrack.
With about two miles to go, the heat is starting to get me and my water is running out. I suck down an Energice which gives me just enough of a punch to finish the ride.
Great fun, but I would love to try National going downhill.
McDowell Mountain
by Mitchell Sprinsky on Nov.07, 2005, under Uncategorized
OIn the way back to the hotel I think how lucky I was not to have a flat with all the Cholla on the trail and using regular tubes. The next morning, the front tire is flat. The tube has one tiny hole, but I find five cactus needles in the tire. I put a new slime tube in. We’ll see how it works.
Morning Ride to the Witching Hour
by Mitchell Sprinsky on Oct.30, 2005, under Uncategorized
over this area. Some good and some bad. There also seems to
be an increasing amount of illegal dumping going on. This is sad
because it will cause the pinelands commission to start cracking
down. That means the dreaded "no mechanized vehicles". What
thy fail to understand is that by working with the MTB community, we’d
be glad to clean it up and watch over it (not that we don’t try
now).
whoop-dee-doos, and then pop up on a ridge over looking one of NJ’s
most well known features, a DEP superfund site (IOW: Toxic Waste
Dump).
stopping before you hit the 55 mph route 73, so we opt for the
switchback route instead.
Night begins to fall and the stars are out in force. The
halloween ride is scheduled for Wharton State Forest (part of the
1,000,000 acre pinelands) on brand new trails just built by the local
clubs with the help of REI and the State Forest. We assemble at
the Atsion rec area and get ready to ride. Some of us are in
costume and even Brittany Spears shows up.
{mosimage}
new fresh trail. It’s nice and cold tonight, so the breath just
lingers in there air creating more of a spooky effect.
stopped by what appears to be fllen branches in the trail. We
move them, head up another 20 feet and more branches. After
another 20 feet there are even more with trees freshly cut to fall
across the trail. Someone doesn’t want us here. The
devil? Tree huggers? Why would they cut down trees?
Hunters? Probably. For the next two miles it becomes a
trail maintenance day picking up what some asshole did. We don’t
let it stop us. In fact it brings out the devil in all of
us! Just check out the eyes.
someday when we catch them, we’ll have some fines to collect that will
help pay for more trails.
tonight (legend says that if you see it, you won’t live to tell about
it), I did see his shadow dash out across our path on one of the darker
sections. It happened very fast and it was not the shape of a
deer and too small to be a raccoon. We also got to see a
fantastic shooting star that lasted almost five seconds, and countless
number of deer.
