This morning Mango (Eric) drove up from San Diego and joined Josh and I for a run down Suicide Connector trail in Simi Valley, So Cal. Blazing temps fried us alive but the expedition provided exciting moments. Despite riding this trail a dozen or so times over the last year, only in the last month have we started cleaning the whole enchilada, as well as attacking some grave DH dirt jumper lines (drops) on the flanks. The crux is at the very top. You no sooner jump onto your rig and you’re dropping into a mambo steep, thin, shale chute that goes for about 100 yards and is too vertical to ever run out. Exciting. And don’t fall!
This is one of the better technical trails in So Cal. Unfortunately, park service personal tractored over the lower third for reasons unknown to man and beast. Though the tractor could never get up the last technical section (The Big Bowl), and even though the bottom thrid was always fairly easy, it was a blast and we’re bummed about the tractoring. But the top two thirds still rock. Josh will post pics presently.
Such an excellent trip! It was over 85 degrees with a HOT wind blowing at the summit, and I went through 3 liters of water well before the ride was complete.
Everyone busted out serious muni moves. It was incredible to see such an advanced trail ridden so well, and so completely. The smoothing of the bottom section was a real downer, but we revisited sections at the top several times, riding multiple lines over the same terrain and made it all worth the hike.
Midway, a downhill biker in full gear watched Eric blast over a technical jump and almost fell off his rig. I launched myself off the edge of the trail and into the bushes more than a few times, and JL schooled us all with some huge leaps and control on the steepest loose shale sections.
There is a video of the ride somewhere in San Diego right now, and hopefully we’ll eventually get to see it. Thanks to the other John, the photographer who followed along in the blazing heat!
Man i had fun! thanks for taking me (us), guys! Jon and I are going to attack that footage as soon as we get a free computer to edit on. We wanted to hit it last night when we got home but Mike and Ralph were making a long lost american idol eppisode where ralph auditions.
Thanks for posting the pics! Can we ride again soon in a couple weeks or so?
Right now the goal is to try and clean all the trails we’ve been riding these last few years, and the one that so far has the most unridden sections is here in the Santa Monica Mountains (known locally as The Ditch)–so aside from the training rides in SB, The Ditch is the next obvious target. Last time (perhaps 6 months ago) I didn’t have the sac to try a few of the ski-jump steep dirt drain pipes, but Josh did, and I still have disturbing memories of him shooting down one chute, strictly on his ass, like a human toboggan. I suspect we all might be up for it now. Only one way to find out. Perhaps we can persuade the Santa Cruz crew down for a mass assault.
Im always up for sliding down hills on my ass! What do you think SC crew? Having a group ass slide would be the tits! Hows about the weekend after next (feb 18 or 19)?
Great stuff, guys. Riding with you in Santa Barbara at the muni weekend made me look at my local trails differently, and your posts keep me re-evaluating what I am doing and what I am passing up. It makes my rides more fun.
Nice photos, and that last one is a great UPD, Josh.
Dang. I’m glad I didn’t know the great Mango was coming up or I might have ditched my saturday psych conference to join you - and if I had done that, I’d be a very bad grad student. Thanks for keeping my priorities straight guys. But now I’ll have to go bigger next time. No funny business.
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