It was a fun-packed weekend in Santa Barbara when Jamey Mossengren of Minnesota and David Weichenberger of Austria rolled into town. Given their reputations, I knew we had to show them only our toughest trails. We started with Tunnel trail on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day. Phil, Julian, and Jess were also there. From the foggy bottom, you wouldn’t think that heat would be a worry, but we were wrong… once again. By the time we dropped in it was in the mid 80s, a worrisome sign. But the whole group performed excellently. If you haven’t heard, Tunnel trail is known as a local Mecca among downhillers because of the 5 miles of relentless, sharp, babyhead rocks it provides. For unicyclists, it’s a burner. The first time I ever tried it, I think I rolled about 30-40%. On their first time, Jamey and David rolled about 99%. (Yes, I have to give them a little sh*t for bypassing our 4 ft. drop at the end, on account of being tired. Otherwise, I know they would have owned it.) I don’t care how good a rider you are, rolling 99% of this trail on your first time is something to be proud of. We ended the ride with a sweet mile of downhill asphalt gliding.
That night, Jess had one of his usual impromptu parties, where Jamey and David proved that they could still rides stairs, land uni spins, and ride on their hands after a couple of green 40s. Jess woo’d the crowd with his giraffe skills.
Sunday was one of our favorites, Saddle Rock… one of the scariest muni rides I’ve ever seen. It couldn’t be more than 2 miles, but it’s got big daddyhead rocks on angles steep enough to make a tough guy’s knees tremble. Jamey rolled a section I’d never seen anyone roll there before (well maybe except KH, who spoils everything). His years of experience really paid off here. And David started busting out uni spins while in motion down the rocks. I think one of his greatest skills is his fast-twitch technique. In fact, on the rare occasion that he’d pull a upd, he’d remount so fast, you’d almost never know he dismounted. I guess practicing those foot plants comes in handy. As for the rest of us, Hans gave a tire-popping performance. Chris Clarke managed to rip it up even though he hasn’t ridden in ages, and I myself pulled off a new steep line I’d never before had the guts to attempt. So it pays to ride in good company.
So it was a great weekend. More pictures are coming soon, but here’s something from Jamey to satisfy your cravings. (Can anyone tell me how to display pix in the body without having to click a link first??)
The one you’re thinking of us Coldsprings trail. Take the number of rocks on Coldsprings, multiply them by 2 or 3, and then sharpen them with a file - oh and remove all tree coverage - and that’s Tunnel! So, John you’d just love it. Poison oak is less than Coldsprings - but ask us in 2 days if there was too much oak on this trail!
