So at
the very end of 2012 I got a text from a buddy of mine asking if I wanted to
hit up the San Juan trail with he and a few of his buddies. I’ve had to say no to this guy way more times
than I was comfortable with and was super excited that this time I got to say
yes. I was on vacation, the wife was off
to take care of the kids and so I was in the garage that night prepping the old
Santa Cruz Heckler. For those of you not
in the know San Juan, when shuttled, is primarily a downhill trail. So I figured the Heckler would be perfect and
I hadn’t been on it for nearly a year.
So I cleaned her up, put some lube on the chain and inflated the
tires. She was gleaming and eager to get
going.
We were
meeting early and the morning dawned brisk, crisp, and clear. It was going to be an epic day. We met up at my buddies house, got the bikes
switched from one car to another and all the gear squared away and off we
went. The starting point for the San
Juan trail when shuttled is right outside of Blue Jay campground (yes Tyson the
campground with all the flies…it’s an inside thing and another post). We parked, unloaded the bikes, and promptly
started to mentally compare bikes. Watching Mountain Bikers….or any bicyclists
can be hilarious. First, we eye the
competition and start to calculate how much the other guys bike might have
cost. Is that a SRAM or a Shimano parts
group? Is it a 29er? Then when we’ve got
our facts straight and we’re feeling comfortable with our choice of bike the
conversations starts.
“So how
do you like that (insert bike brand/model here)”
“What
do you think of those (insert brake brand/model here)”
And for
this ride the topic of conversation most often brought up….adjustable seat
posts!! I was at the back of the group
when we started off so I could gauge my skill level with the others without
holding anyone back. I was riding along marveling
at the idea that I was actually riding with other human beings when the topic
kept coming up here and there as we climbed and then dove down another
decline. I was having a blast but
chuckling as everyone was fiddling with their hydraulic seat posts. I’m old school, I keep mine at one level
(unless it slowly drops like it did in Moab) and I ride with it there. It’s old school but it’s also much cheaper
than those fancy hydraulic posts.
I
pulled up the rear for the first couple of miles and made idle chat with a guy
who was a paramedic at a pretty nice hospital in Utah. He was a childhood friend of my buddy and his
son was riding with us on a hardtail and doing pretty good at it to all things
considered. The trail was pretty rock
strewn and I kept waiting for a pinch flat but my slightly worn Nevegals held
up just fine. We regrouped and my buddy
called me to come up front and ride with him.
I got up there, let the group rest and then we took off.
The
next hour or two is a total blur. We
would fly down some sections where I was really pushing my skill level. There were some ninety degree turns where I
was grabbing all the brake I could just to make it. A HUGE thanks goes to my
bro-in-law who did an excellent job bleeding my brakes nearly a year ago. It was a blast of a ride. We would fly down a section and then wait for
the group to gather. Then it was off
again. The upper section was fast, twisty, and narrow. Those are all the ingredients for some great
times on two wheels.
When we
finally got to Champagne Rock (I’m pretty sure that was the name of it) we took
a break, took some pictures and enjoyed the view of Orange County and the
Pacific Ocean. We snacked, chatted and
then remounted to begin the long decent to the other parking lot. This section was fun. It was a little loose and had all kinds of
switchbacks, ruts, and rocks. It was
honestly some of the best riding I’ve done since Moab/Fruita back in 2011. We were flying along, grabbing brakes, riding
out of the corners and then letting gravity take over. The Heckler handled it like a champ. I was doing fine and feeling light on the
bike, right up until I grabbed to much brake, washed out the front tire right
into a rut and over the bars I went!! It
hurt. A lot. I haven’t crashed like that in probably ten
years and felt all 39 of my years at that moment. I laid there on the trail staring up at the
blue sky my right shoulder really hurting, my knees and lower legs scrapped up
and bleeding. Once I figured nothing was
seriously broken I got up and checked out the bike.
It was
fine, thank goodness!
I
climbed aboard, a little shaky and with a right shoulder that was
throbbing. Nothing I could do about it
at that point so off I went although much slower than before. This last section of the trail required a lot
of body English and a lot of braking. My
shoulder would scream at me if I turned just the right way so with the advice
of my father ringing in my ears….I didn’t turn that way very often.
Finally
we got down to the cars that would shuttle us back up to our starting point and
the cars we left behind. I was sore and
in a little pain. The paramedic took a
look at it and was concerned enough that I decided to hit up the Urgent Care
when I got back to town. As we loaded
the bikes we joked and laughed and reminisced about different parts of the
trail and other escapades we’d been on in the past.
The
x-rays from the Urgent Care came back negative, nothing was broken or
pulled. A radiologist called me a few
days later and told me the ligaments had been strained and that was it. I took it easy for the last few days of
vacation and tried not to use the shoulder/arm very much. It’s gotten better but not 100% yet. There is still a twinge here and there but it
just reminds me of what an awesome ride it was.
It’s
really cool how this sport can bring people together. At the start of the ride the only guy I knew
was my buddy and by the end of the ride I felt like I’d made some great friends. All of these guys have been hanging out
together since they were kids and I want to thank all of them for never making
me feel like an outsider. It was an
awesome day for a most excellent ride with some pretty cool dudes. Nothing much in this world beats that
combination!!
