Praise the Lord!.....it has finally stopped raining. The rain was a wonderful thing for the Philippine economy (agricultural output is up several percent) but it was pretty bad for a newly arrived Mountain Biker….my wheels have hardly touched dirt.
This weekend I had a chance to ride a proper trail, my eyes are no longer clouded with the thought of forever riding on the dark bitumen, I have seen the light! I have ridden…..The Ridge!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Taal_volcano.jpg
About a year ago I fell victim to the disease that hits all bikers at some point. It’s a serious illness that is not discussed openly for fear of ridicule. Even though millions of dollars are squandered on this affliction, nothing is being done to address it. Well its time to speak up and be heard, its time to get it out in the open, to stand up and not be afraid!
The illness I speak of is Bike-Porn-Itis and it’s less serious roadie cousin Up-Grade-Itis.
I was so badly inflicted that I allowed myself to be seduced by another bike. Yes I admit it. Even though I had another faithful steed waiting at home the temptation was too much. The lure of fresh black paint, 8 ½ inches of travel and the smell of newly applied chain lube just proved too much for me.
It’s true…I purchased a bike that I didn’t need…A Santa Cruz VP Free.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0009Z2JCS?v=glance
So this bike had pride of place in my bike shed, but she was too big and heavy to ride on Kiara and with less than 50km under her wheels the suspension never once being bottomed out…..
This weekend however, all of that changed! This weekend I went to Tagaytay and rode trails that this bike was made for…..
Tagaytay is home to Taal Volcano. Which is famous for being a lake within an island within a lake within a mountain….or something. For more info look it up here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taal_Volcano
Geographical interest aside Tagaytay is about an hour away from my house (if you leave at 6 in the morning) and is home to some brilliant downhill trails. One of which is The Ridge. Which is 10km long and looks like this…….
Picture courtesy of Darius and his GPS
Yes this profile is scary, and so was the trail. Here is my new French friend, Arnaud in the process of hurting himself.............
And again......
Its not all crazy stuff though, there are some amazing views and even a few flat bits.
The best bit though….the absolute bestest bit, is that once you are at the bottom you don’t even need to ride back up.
All you do is flag down a jeepney and shove your bikes in the back.
Then for 7 quid the nice jeepney driver man drives you back to the top of the hill where you can do it all again…and again…and again….yes Sid…..and again!
I was as happy as a………
7 comments:
You Lack a motor, which sort of sucks but you also lack fear which is great!
Go Hard!
Nice to see that life is now complete for you in the Flip Flops............I always knew you'd come around eventually. Manila Part II rocks!
Squeal!! Oink! The Taal Ridge look absolutely brilliant mate! I have to ride there at least once, maybe twice...many times!
(holding my breath for 2007:)
That was me squealing an anonymous comment up there. Great pictures btw!
Got a question for you. I just started biking (road biking). How long is would it cycle from Santarosa 2 Tagaytay using the main road? Is it tough? Is it safe?
Hope you can answer my questions. (cibfn@yahoo.com). Thank you in advance.
Awesome storey and pics! We want more! Thanks for sharing!
Dear Anonymous man asking about road riding. Stop being a poof and buy a real bike....only when you have left blood on a real mountain, can you be considered a real man.....!
Seriously buddy, I have no idea....ask some of my friends on: http://pinoymtbiker.proboards7.com/index.cgi They might know the answer to your question.
Post a Comment