Thanksgiving Bike-fest

Thanksgiving tradition runs deep in my family. Not in the black friday shopping, or learning about the first feast where Americans decided to stay indefinitely. Instead, I can sum up my Thanksgiving traditions in three words: Family, food, biking. Biking has been relatively new, since my re-introduction to the sport occurred two+ years ago. Each year, I go home to the Valley to bike with my brother. I will remember Thanksgiving 2008 as the weekend where I took to the mountains for the second time ever. The ride left me feeling exhausted, dizzy, defeated, nauseous, but ultimately inspired. Three Thanksgiving later, nothing has really changed. Three straight days of biking and the familiar feeling has returned. Riding with brother always pushes my physical limits. This week has been ~40 miles and ~4,000 feet of climbing.

Thursday, 11/25/2010
Steve Tames Chumash (sort of)
Distance: 5.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 1100ft

The last Chumash posting involved a superman-esque OTB, torn gloves, and a shattered confidence about my downhilling ability. This time, I avoided injury and made it through with minimal walking. I still have a while to go before I can skillfully climb and descend this trail.

Orbea 29er ready to roll


Painful uphill


Ensuing reward


Virgenes Jump Park
After riding Chumash and some lunch, brother and I dropped by Las Virgenes for a quick loop. With time running out, we decided to play around the jump park. I'm very new to jumping, so it took a while to even ride a double. It would have been nice to see some newbie-friendly tabletops.

Prepping for the "jump"


Okay, no jump. But some fast over-the-top riding!


Barely made the smallest double jump in the park


Friday, 11/26/2010
Las Virgenes-Chesebro Loops
Distance: 19.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,400ft

With the whole day ahead of us, we embarked on a long-ish ride through the Santa Monica mountains. A lot of climbing, very rocky downhills, and one decent jump shot.

Middle connector kicks my ass


Yes, continuing to kick my ass


Happy the climbing is done (for now)


Got in a little jump on the Chesebro side


Saturday, 11/27/2010
Los Robles East-West
Distance: 13.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 2800ft

In our first trip out to Thousand Oaks, Los Robles provided some tough climbs, spectacular views, and flowy singletrack downhills. This ride will definitely make the rotation. I loaded a geoladders route that covered the West in-and-out, and the East loop. The westward climb up Space Mountain is painful, but we were rewarded with a beautiful view and an exciting downhill to the street. Not one to return on the roads, we headed back up the hill to descend Space Mountain. Two hours into it and three days of riding on my legs, I was ready to give up. I couldn't quit on the geoladders route, so we continued eastward through Sherwood Forest (Los Padres). Tough, but doable, uphills. Fun and fast downhills. I was happy to finish this ride, utterly out of energy, strength, and water.

I hate climbing switchbacks... because I can't do 'em!


More failed switchback climbing


I actually made this one, so the camera decided I shouldn't exist


So that was my Thanksgiving, at least from a biking perspective. Not to get too sentimental or mushy, but here is a list detailing what I am thankful for:
1. God and his continued blessing on me, my family, and my friends.
2. A girlfriend who loves me in fatness and fitness, patiently deals with my quirky behavior, and supports me in my life adventures.
3. A family that's always welcoming, always comfortable, and always there.
4. A career that allows me to work from home and doesn't require me to travel very much.
5. 29er HTs, carbon fiber, 15QR, and 160mm 26ers.