Author Archives: xdscott

About xdscott

MA, CA, ID, NH, OH, NV

Lumpy Gravy – A Ride in the Pine Nuts

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16

Saturday, my buddy Scott (the one working on the Bike Carson logo) and I met at the Pine Nuts for a ride. It was sunny and clear with a decent breeze; perfect riding weather. We headed out from the main parking area where they stage the races and followed the road for about a mile before splitting off for some single track. In no time, we hit snowy sections and mud. Lots of it. Recent motorcycle traffic meant it was muddy and rutted. The undulating terrain was such that even non-north facing areas had snow and mud and just when it seemed we were on a good section, we’d turn a corner and be staring at snowfields and mud. It was very distraughtening.

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A mile or two of this and no improvement in the conditions, we took the next jeep road which was dry and rode up that for awhile on a slight climb. After a lot of slogging and stop and plops thru snow, this was nice and it cleared the tires. We followed the road uphill for a mile or two and tried to figure out where some drier single track might be. Where the road split we found an impromptu landfill and stopped to consider the route options.

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Unfortunately, the rear bumper on this old Ford was missing/was buried in trash, otherwise I might have found a Keep Nevada Rural bumper sticker. You could however catch up on the Febrary ’05 issue of Mountain Bike Action if you missed it.

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Scott knows the trails out here quite well and thought if we continued on either fork of the road, up into the canyon, we’d likely run into more snow and mud, even on the road. So we turned around and backtracked until we reached Pine Nut road, hung a right and about a half mile up, crossed to the other side and picked up a narrow double track that segued into a good long, dry section of single track with great flow. This was a fun section, fast and packed with tight turns, rollers, whoop-de-doos, short climbs and some fast downhills.

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We followed this all the way back to Pine Nut road, directly across from the parking area. By now, the bikes were mostly mud-free and put away when a heavy thirst set it. This was slaked by a brace of Dale’s Pale Ale and a Frank Zappa’s Lumpy Gravy ale from the Lagunitas Brewing Co.

beer1

First Post & Death Ride News

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I’m a bit at a loss here for my first post. First off, I’ve never posted on a blog with the exception of the occasional comment. Second, I haven’t been in the saddle nearly enough lately to really have much to say in the way of riding other than, I wish I was riding more, though I tend to say that even when I am riding a lot. A few short road rides and some quick trips to the grocery store has been the bulk of the cycle time as of late. Not a riveting tale to tell.

What I can report is that it appears that after 19 years of co-production of the Death Ride, the Alta Alpina Cycling Club (AACC) and the Alpine Chamber of Commerce tag team is no more. Apparently the AACC was unable to renew or re-negotiate the contract to co-produce the ride in 2008, thus ending a 19-year partnership. It’s hard to say how this will affect the Death Ride this year. Anyone who has participated in it in the past knows that it is a very well organized and supported ride. Personally, it’s probably the best ride I’ve participated in in that regard and arguably the most fun. According to the email that was sent to AACC members, Alta Alpina has been largely responsible for ensuring a safe and enjoyable ride for participants: ensuring that the right food, water, and equipment gets to where it’s needed, ensuring the presence of experienced course marshals, SAG, tech support, appropriate signage, and a lot more.

This year the Chamber has indicated that they have the skills and experience necessary without involving the club.” Only the event itself will answer that question, but hopefully all goes well and nothing suffers as a consequence of the “new” management.I myself will not be participating in the Death Ride this year as the Downieville Classic takes place on the same weekend and I’m taking a crack at that. But I’ll miss it for sure. Anyone who is taking part this year, and especially those that have in the past, might want to weigh in afterwards on their impressions of this year’s event. I’ll tell you one thing, if they don’t have those tiny cans of V8 at the rest stops, I’d be a little hacked off.

http://www.deathride.com/