Finally some Mountain Biking that is not Racing

Marke was coming back from the UK after a trip home and had a few days stopover in LA. Of course being a true mountain biker he travelled with his bike meaning that we had a couple of days riding up our sleeves. We meet Matt (an old Uni friend of Marke’s) at Kernville. A lovely wee mountain town in the Southern Sierra Mountains about 3hrs north of LA. Matt drove down from the Bay Area.

The first day was great just hitting up a few local trails in the middle of nowhere. The views were lovely and the tracks heaps of fun. One trail was called ‘Just Outstanding’ and it was simply that. Flowy, bermed and tones of fun. The vista overlooking Lake Isabella reminded me of the Central Lakes Region in the South Island back home. One section in the pics below shows a tunnel if Manzanita bushes you had to rude through.

The next day was our main goal and highlight of our time in Kernville. It’s a trail called the ‘Cannell Plunge’ and it was extraordinary. First up we had to shuttle to the top of the ride. No small drive. It was a 1hr shuttle up to 9200ft (2800m). Yep this ride started at this height. In total there was 2000ft (600m) of climbing over its 26 mile (42km) length, however all this climbing was done at over 8000ft (2400m). I was pretty use to it from my racing however Marke coming from Sea Level in NZ and lots of time off the bike struggled. He got stronger and stronger as time went on which was great, especially considering he had just flown 12hrs from London and still had lingering injuries. A job well done.

The trail was truly lovely and we took our time admiring the views not to mention the great downhills. One rocked quite literally. It was a Rock Garden Decent lasting about 200m of vertical drop. The Enduro loved it and so did I though a few close moments made me realize how remote we were. Especially being all decked out in XC Garbe and no armor (oh and Vic as the pics show no lycra on show here for once…) Still we nailed the downs. Marke and his Anthem had a slower yet much more accurate descent while Matt and his Yeti 575 had some interesting issues. Namely the flex in the rear wheel and seat stays meaning when corners were railed the tire would buzz against the rear carbon chain stays. Yikes.

So after 3hrs of riding and mucking about we reached ‘The Plunge’. Yep we were still at 7200ft after 3hrs and had a downhill all the way to 2400ft. That’s a 4800ft (1500m) Single-track decent after a day of great riding already. I don’t know what to say but having my first 2 crashes in many months meant I was loving it and pushing the limits. We hit over 35 miles per hour on single-track. It was of the best downhills I have ever done and probably the longest. It was flowy, rocky, steep, techy… It had something for everyone, including blind corners for me to crash off. Hehe

Cannell Plunge at EveryTrail

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So after a big drive back to pick up the car we left at the top and some fun Mountain Driving trying to keep up with Matt’s WRX in the Camry Tank we then headed across the hills to the 395 and down to my place. It was a great drive until we hit the ugliness of the LA sprawl at Adelanto and Hesperia. Why people live out here in the desert in cookie cutter homes is beyond me. I know they are cheap but you might as well live on the moon. This country is so contrasting. From some the nicest scenery I have ever seen to the ugliness of the desert sprawl all on a short few hour drive.

Anyway the next day we did the Full Santa Anna River Trail including Morton’s Peak. This is my backyard and I am glad the guys loved it. It was 50km of single-track and was a tougher day than the plunge. In all it was a 65km day and we experienced great views, perfect temps (well it was in the 90s at home though, so a little warm), wicked single-track, a few tough climbs and got really beaten up by all the over grown plants. Geez some of them are spiky like Spaniard back home. Real mean especially when it gets stuck in your hand and you need to pull it out. The Gourmet Pizza Shoppe went down real well that evening as did watching Seasons.

Santa Anna Trail - The Hellride Route

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The next evening I had to drop Marke off at LAX, he called me 15 mins later telling me his plane was delayed so I picked both Marke and Paula up and we headed down to Santa Monica for the night. It was a lovely evening and going to ‘Bubba Gump’s Shrimp House’ of Forrest Gump fame was a cool experience. Man all I can say is that these trips give me the bug. All I want is to fill the car with bikes and mates and go everywhere biking. Bend, Oregon, Moab, Southern Utah, Tahoe, Downieville, Sedona, Golden, Fruita, Breckinridge, Durango, Park City and of course back to BC to a little a little spot by the name of Whistler.