Mountain Biking Marin News

Santa Cruz Bikes Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:08:00 +0000

My love affair with Santa Cruz bikes started in Downieville about 10 years ago when I left my beloved hardtail bike parked at the local bike store Yuba Expeditions and went on my first full suspension ride on a Santa Cruz bike. The minute I sat on that saddle I felt one with that so called Blur bike. She made the trails smoother and so much easier to ride. It felt like cheating rather than real riding.

After that trip, I tested all the full suspension bikes out on the market. I wanted to select the best bike that would allow me to continue "cheating" on the trails. I went through something very similar to what my single friends go through when they date on-line. I had so many dates with so many bikes. None of them did the trick. I kept longing for that Santa Cruz Blur I left behind in Downieville.

Until finally I tested a Santa Cruz again, and fell in love just like I did months earlier in Downieville. And since then, the only full suspension bikes I ride are Santa Cruz. Their frame design is so perfect, pretty much what I need to do when I ride is to close my eyes and let the bike do her job. And Santa Cruz customer service is also first class.

Last year, I upgraded my Blur XC to a Blur LT Carbon. Look at her, she is so cute!

And I upgraded my Nomad to a V10 Carbon. Talk about being sexy and about cheating big time!!!! I can hit anything on this bike.

Both of them together look even better!

And I also noticed that I gravitate to riding with other Santa Cruz lovers. Here is a picture of the bikes that you can find on a typical ride organized by me. What a bunch of handsome moutnain bikes.

I Wanna Be That Guy

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:41:00 +0000

By guest bloggers Jon Taylor and Graham Raymond from www.365DayTriathlon.com.

We've all seen it. Extreme athletes who push themselves to be able to go to lengths that nobody else can. Look at the snowboarders who jump out of helicopters, or the motocross dude whose normal race contains heart stopping jumps. It's like being a dare devil has become a competitive sport. Then there is mountain biking. Just you and the single track trail, the challenge: stay on your bike.

All of these sports have a really tough learning curve. If you fall from fifty feet in the air, you could get a learning curve imprint on your forehead. But mountain biking can be different. It's gradual. It's a thrill at every level. You can bomb down a hill at 60MPH or you can have just as much fun on the same hill taking it easy. Then there is the race circuit! The bottom line is… how can you not have fun on a mountain bike?

The pros:

On a trail or rough road a mountain biker can travel faster, farther, and consequently see more than someone that spends the same amount of time walking/hiking.
Quite often, I can travel faster than a 4 wheel drive vehicle, I get jarred around less, make less noise, have less impact on the environment and ecosystem.
It is human powered!!
I can ride bikes with my family which encourages a healthy lifestyle.
I can load it up and hit the road for a "destination vacation" (I don't miss any training days).
There is nothing like mashing on the pedals on some monster uphill climb just so you can turn around and bomb down that same hill lacing the best line and knowing your going to stack it up in a corner the same time you realized you actually gained speed in that corner instead of scrubbing.
You will learn what the heck I just said.

The Cons:

You will get a boo-boo.

Who Am I Gonna Be?
Like everything in life, I ask myself that question. Most people, when faced with that decision choose to be the same guy they were yesterday, hey they can go big on X-Box anyway right? No reason to actually DO anything. But some people, the ones that everyone else admires, get up and decide that they are going to be mountain bikers.
_________________________________
Guest blogger Jon Taylor co-authored this with Graham Raymond. Jon is the star of TheDougAndJonShow.com and novice mountain biker training for a triathlon. Graham is a seasoned endurance mountain bike racer, marathon runner, tri-athlete, and professional river guide. Jon is on a quest to race in his first triathlon. The triathlon is the XTERRA, so it is all off road, lake swimming, mountain biking, and trail running. To make it interesting and really force them to be introspective, their team is blogging about it the whole way at www.365DayTriathlon.com.

Mountain bike races and events at Winter Park Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:18:00 +0000

Registration open for mountain bike RACES AND EVENTS at WINTER PARK RESORT

Epic Singletrack Series at Winter Park begins opening day at Winter Park, June 12
Trestle Gravity Series begins July 24
Crankworx Colorado, July 29 – Aug 1

Winter Park, COLO., June 4, 2010 - Winter Park’s Competition Center announces open on-line registration for the two mountain bike race series, Epic Singletrack Series at Winter Park and Trestle Gravity Series. Riders can test their legs on hill climbs and cross-country courses during seven race dates of Epic Singletrack Series at Winter Park, starting with opening day at Winter Park, June 12. Downhill riders can test their competitive skills in the Trestle Gravity Series beginning July 24. Just announced, Crakworx Colorado registration is also open. Either race or main downhill event of the summer, mountain bikers can experience the thrill of competition at Winter Park.

Mountain Biking Marin at Sea Otter Classic 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Congratulations Brian!

Brian Popplewell, Mountain Biking Marin's Lead Guide/Instructor competed at Sea Otter this year. Christina Toms sent us a post race report.

The DH course was slightly different this year and much more suited to Brian's Big Hit (that’s HIS BIKE, gutter-brains), so our airborne one had an excellent race, finishing 20th out of 35 in his Cat 2 DH class and, most importantly, beating Brill. Bad-ass looking racing shot of our hero attached. -Christina Toms

Through Mountain Biking Marin, Brian offers bike skill clinics and guided tours.

More Sea Otter News - Brill gets 1st Place!

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:29:00 +0000

Mountain Biking Marin's Instructor and Videographer (Reel Motion Sports) Michael Brill raced both the Downhill and Dual Slalom at Sea Otter this year. This year Michael placed 7th in Category 2 for his age group. This was his first year racing the exciting Dual Slalom event where you race side by side with the competition. Michael placed 1st! This year is already starting strong for him with that podium finish and also being named an Ambassador Rider for Zeal Optics.

Congratulations Michael!

Christina Toms at Sea Otter

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:29:00 +0000

Christina Toms, one of Mountain Biking Marin's awesome and fun instructors competed at Sea Otter this year. Here is her entertaining race report.

Brilliantly, after finishing in the bottom half of my Cat 3 XC race last year, I decided that this year I would race against the big girls in Cat 2. I’m THIS MANY, you know?!? I rode a ton, did spin class 2x a week, and only drank one Corona Lite the night before my race – I was ready, right? BWAHAHAHAHA. Not only did I jump up a category, I jumped up an age class and was now racing against 30-39-year-olds – you know, the kind who wake up every morning at 6 AM and ride their road bike for 2 hours before heading to work in their sensible yet stylish 4-door sedan that they keep in the garage with their carbon hardtail 29er. The kind who travel from Vermont, Colorado, and Arizona to race at Sea Otter. Hint: they don’t come all the way out here if they think they’re not going to win! After waking up early to be at the start by 8:30 AM (a time at which I'm usually in the shower, only 30 min removed from bed), I rode what I thought for me was a respectable race. I crashed during the first loose, sandy singletrack (my shoulder hurts), and tipped over into a mud hole about 1 mile from the finish, but otherwise didn't do anything dramatically stupid and I even climbed a bunch of fire road in my middle ring! I did 19 miles in 2:30 which was about half an hour under what I thought I'd do (I really don’t have high expectations of myself), but I still came in LAST PLACE in my class. By four minutes. The winner (from Vermont, natch) was 40 min ahead of me. Yeah. So. I’m doing DH next year! Other highlights: meeting Darcy Turrene, riding her bike (!!!), and winning a sick new Osprey hydration pack from the MTBR.com raffle.

Mountain Biking Marin is offering a Women's Only Cross Country Bike Skill Clinic on May 29th.

Bikes & Beans' Bike Shop New Location

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:04:00 +0000

Bikes & Beans, formerly located by the Seven Eleven near China Camp, has moved to a brand new and bigger location while still close to China Camp thus being very convenient to stop by before or after riding China Camp. In particular if you like coffee, bike talk with knowledgeable people, and good deals on bikes and parts.

Bike & Beans new location is:
292 North San Pedro Road
San Rafael, CA 94903-2857
415-507-1992.

Check them out!

I like stopping by to get my coffee fix since I am not drinking beer these days. The stores offers a cozy place to hang and yummy coffee and I keep hearing great reviews about the Commencal and Jamis bikes Justin (the owner) sells in his this store.

I also like the selection of cool hip bike clothing... I have gotten a pair of cool shorts that made me feel like a hot shot :-)

And the best of all, I like it that Justin kept decorating the shop with local artist work (some of his own work!). This mural is next to the bike mechanic shop area!

Check out my previous blog about Bikes & beans to get a better sense of what this bike shops brings to Marin county.

Upcoming Tour Treats Mountain Bike Enthusiasts to an Unforgettable Vacation in the Bay Area

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:08:00 +0000

Summary: For the ultimate bike adventure, ride the trails where the sport was founded and join Mountain Biking Marin on a guided tour of the area from May 27-31. This vacation includes airport pickup, transportation, deluxe accommodations, daily breakfast, daily light gourmet lunch for the rides and more in addition to the best daily bike rides around scenic Marin County and beyond.

(Marin County, CA) February 8, 2010 – Mountain bike enthusiasts around the country are invited to hit the trails in and around the birthplace of the sport for a four-day cross-country mountain bike tour of Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mountain Biking Marin has organized an unforgettable tour taking place from May 27-31, combining daily bike rides with the exploration of popular local tourist attractions.

Founder and CEO of Mountain Biking Marin, Celia Graterol, warns this event is not intended for beginners. She states, "To enjoy this tour, riders should have an intermediate to advanced technical level and the ability to handle a moderate to strenuous climbing level."

Graterol and her team of fun experienced guides will expertly lead riders through the Redwood forests, lakes, rock gardens and rolling hills of trails through Marin County, Mt. Tamalpais, the Marin Headlands and West Marin. Bikers will enjoy panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco Bay and the mountains of Marin.

After a tough day on the trails (lots of singletracks!!!), enjoy the optional excursions including world-class wine tasting in the Napa Valley and exploring the world famous streets of San Francisco.

This is an all-inclusive mountain biking adventure that includes airport pickup, deluxe accommodations, transportation, breakfast and lunch daily (dinner not provided) and the professional guiding services of 2006 Downhill US National Champion, Celia Graterol.

For this ultimate bike adventure, much care went into the choosing of the hotel. Guest are sure to enjoy their stay at the new remodeled Larkspur Hotel Mill Valley with a core focus on health, sustainability and getting people outside to connect with nature. Each morning of the tour, they’ll be serving healthy, sustainable breakfasts such as whole grains, healthy proteins and good carbs.

"We knew this was the right hotel to choose because they even provide bike parking," remarks Graterol.

This mountain biking adventure is limited to only 15 participants so anyone interested is strongly encouraged to register early. Early Bird Prices are in effect until April 15 with the cost of this inclusive mountain biking vacation at $1,150 per person ($1,350 if adding a bike rental). After April 15 the price will be $1,300 ($1,500 if bike is needed).

For more information, visit MountainBikingMarin.com

About Mountain Biking Marin
Owned and operated by 2006 Downhill US National Champion, Celia Graterol, Mountain Biking Marin offers fun, guided tours and clinics on the best mountain bike trails in the San Francisco Bay area. Celia’s experience and training give her the skills needed to lead and teach all levels of bike tours and clinics (cross country, freeride and downhill racing).

Contact: Celia Graterol
celiag@mountainbikingmarin.com
www.mountainbikingmarin.com
P 415-717-2263
###

Mountain Biking in the Headlands, Marin County

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:27:00 +0000

I love to mountain bike in the Marin Headlands, especially during the fall season because it is usually sunny and warm. Also, in my opinion, the Headlands offer the most visually impressive views in the whole County. I went on an awesome ride in the headlands with Alan last week.

News: I have a new column on the MoreMarin blog which has a section in SFGate. You can read more about my Marin headlands ride here.

Special Mountain Bike Cross Country & Downhill Skill Clinic Event

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Mountain Biking Marin Presents:
Special Cross Country (XC) & Downhill (DH) Skill Clinic Event
Saturday October 17th & Sunday October 18th
Event Powered by Mike's Bikes
Visit www.mountainbikingmarin.com more information!

Women's Downhill/Freeride Clinic - Fernie, Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:32:00 +0000

Attention downhill, freeride and cross country women riders!!!!

There is an awesome week-long clinic at Fernie, Canada organized by Sacred Rides taught by women for women coming up the first week of August. This is a call to all intermediate and advance women riders that would like to improve their downhill/freeride skills including technical descend, dirt jumping, launching techniques, and elevated trails riding among other skills like teeter totters!!!! And your cross country skills will also improve! Downhill riding makes you a faster cross country rider!!!!

Shanti and Celia already signed up.

Friday July 31, 09 to Friday August 7, 2009. Click here for more information.

Let's get the Bay Area contingency together and have girl fun while improving our biking skills.
When you register be sure to tell them Celia referred you.

Bikes & Beans: more than a bike shop, more than a coffee shop

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Are you looking for a cool place to hang out and meet other riders, drink coffee while talking about the ride you just did or are planning to do, talk about riding in general, purchase bikes and bike products? I suggest that you visit Bikes & Beans.

I think Justin’s words capture perfectly the spirit of Bikes & Beans: “It is not about what [bike] you ride, is about the experience of where you ride. It doesn’t matter how expensive or cheap your bike is, because what really matters is the experience of the ride.”

Founder and owner, Justin, born and raised in Marin County, a real Marinite! has been in the bike business for over 15 years. Besides a business owner he is a savvy and skillful bike mechanic. Justin raced cross country for two years in the Pro category and currently coaches the Terralinda High School XC Bike Team. As well, Justin is a very creative artist. You can check out some of his art pieces at the store in between bike stands and counters.

On April 2008, Justin opened up Bikes & Beans located on North San Pedro Road near China Camp State Park. Bikes & Beans is not just about buying bike stuff; it is also about spreading the culture of riding and sharing the experience before, during and after the ride.

Bikes & Beans, a life saver, a convenient place for a quick fix. Just 5 minutes away from China Camp State Park, Bikes & Beans is a perfect place to get those last minute things you forgot at home just before your ride: a spare tube to fix your flat, a water bottle, your helmet or gloves.

A great place to get bike staples, including nutrition bars, energy shots, helmets, bike shoes, pedals, tubes, tires, water bottles, cool clothing (cool Sombrio shorts, T-shirts, jerseys), body armors and gloves (661, Specialized), maps, backpacks, bike CD videos, bike books.

Bikes & Beans carries Commencal, Black Market, Surly and Salsa bikes. It supports local bike companies like WTB, Cliffbar, Mountain Biking Marin, and others. The coffee beans are from De La Paz Coffee, a local organic free trade company.

Services. Bikes & Beans offers full bike service including general bike overhauling, brake bleeds, fork and shocks rebuilding, wheel building, etc. You can also place customized bikes and bike parts orders and get your stuff with a guaranteed 2-day turn around.

Park, Rent & Bike. Bikes & Beans is an easy and convenient place to rent bikes. Because of its proximity to China Camp State Park, you can just park, rent & bike, you don’t even need to have a bike rack on your car. Bikes & Beans rents Trek and Marin hardtail, full suspension, and single speed bikes with flat or SPD compatible clip in pedals.

Green building. 90% of the materials used to build and decorate the store are recycled architectural materials. This picture shows a recycled log now used to hold handlebars:

The store has an industrial funky style enriched by art paintings and sculptures of local artists, including Justin’s own work! The first picture at the top you can admire a wall spray paint of Mt. Tam done by local artist John. And here are a couple of Justin's art pieces:

Bikes & Beans

292 N. San Pedro Road

San Rafael, CA 94903

415-507-1992

Thanksgiving Ride 2008 - The Spirit of Giving in Action!

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:22:00 +0000

This ride called the Appetite Seminar, Turkey or Thanksgiving Ride is a tradition that started in 1975 (click here for some history and click here for last year's ride story/pictures).

There are several popular social gatherings spots along the route of this ride, and I decided to document what happens on three of them:

1) At the start, by the Java Hut parking lot in Fairfax, Marin County. And the spirit of giving starts right here with Java Hut offering free coffee, bagels and cream cheese to the riders.

2) The second popular gathering spot is Horse Shoe Junction, where the spirit of giving is also in action!At Horse Shoe Junction, Josh (a great mechanic from Fairfax Cyclery) and Dave, offer pancakes, hot chocolate, and hot coffee to any rider wanting to taste their goodies. They start carrying their cooking equipment and ingredients days before using their bike trailer.
and the pancakes are quite yummy!!!! Kristy really liked them!
3) And this the third popular stop spot I would like to talk about, at the top of the hardest climb of this loop, by Green Hill where Danny, Jim, Shrek and others were giving out GUs and Tamarancho applications. Based on Danny's estimate, about 900 riders went by this year.

Here is Danny giving out GUs
Jim giving out GUs Shrek giving out GUs
And here are more celebrities I found along the route...
Tom who decided to bail due to the climbing and went home without partying.
Mike, who probably should have bailed too since he was sick like a dog... but he did the whole loop!

Julia was also out on her single speed
Marty sticking his tongue at the camera and missing Nancy
Mary Lynn visiting from Tahoe, I miss her!
Nick probably done with the worst climb

Randy and Barbara looking good after the climb

even my neighbor Nick was there with a friend!

Gravy all happy after eating pancakes at Horse Shoe Junction
Jeff also quite happy since the climb is over!
Kristy and John who I decided to join to start heading back to Fairfax
Charlie with a friend said hello to the camera
And this is me all covered up in many winter layers, the only way I can survive for more than 5 minutes in the cold.

And when I though I was done with pictures I found Ricardo at the Java Hut parking lot putting his' and his girlfriend's bikes on his motorcycle rack! A home made bike rack with old Wilderness Trail Bikes Ti hardtail frames.
The End! Until Next Year!

My Second Weekend Riding in Laguna Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:58:00 +0000

Some weeks ago, I got in touch with my Southern Californian friend, Geof, to let him know I was going to a wedding (my friends Tracy and Eric) and a lovely and yummy pre-Thanksgiving Dinner with Sally's family. In between events, I wanted to do some downhill and technical cross country riding. And last weekend I had two perfect days doing so!.

On Saturday, we did the "downhill thing". From left to ride: Celia, Daniel, Rob, Bill, Geof and Brian. These are the name of the riders and you will have to believe me since it is a little hard to recognize anybody with those sexy full head helmets!

As I said before, we did the "downhill thing", meaning the car shuttling coordination thing with all of our vehicles. Look at these hot bikes on the hot truck:We were shuttling to descend on the Telonics (awesome DH trail, click here if you want to see pictures and descriptions). But back to the "downhill thing", it takes some brains to efficiently implement it, it could be challenging to design the car shutles order so you get as many downhill runs as possible with the least amount of driving. And Geof was seriously thinking all the time how the next shuttle was going to be!

Here are some action pictures I took on the Telonics.

This is Geof

This is Brian

And this is Rob On Sunday, we did a technical cross country ride that included steep fire road climbing and sweet downhill technical singletracks: T&A, Old Emerald, Rattle Snake, Nothing Better to Do (heritage trail), Marie Calender's (heritage trail), and Lizzards (heritage trail).

Here are the cross country riders: Brian, Natalie, Dave K., Rob, Geof and Daniel (from left to right).
Here is Geof showing some class going down on T&A
Here we are in one of the rest stops

I am glad I didn't crash on one of these cactus!

It would have been painful!!!!!

And here is a picture of the Telonics and the Laguna Beach Canyon (You can click on the picture for a bigger format):

And this is me with my dorky biker look after the ride....

To read about my first time riding around Laguna Beach Canyon, click here, read about and see pictures about a DH trail called Telonics.

North Bay December Rides

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:21:00 +0000

Come and join Dana on these two fun only-girls rides:

December 7th: Beginner, Helen Putnam Park, Petaluma. Meet at Sonoma Bicycle Company 11:00 am
December 14th: Intermediate/Advance, Annadel State Park, Santa Rosa. Meet at Santa Rosa Cyclery 11:00 am

For more information, email Dana Beckstoffer at danabeck007@comcast.net

These rides are sponsored by:

Sonoma Bicycle Co. : 265 Petaluma Blvd., Petaluma, Ca. 94953 (707-776-0606)
Santa Rosa Cyclery: 4325 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa, Ca 95405 (707-537-2254)

Thanks to Magura, Gravity Dropper, Manitou, Shimano, Tom Fallon, Brian Popplewell, Richard, Martin, Tom Mac, Brian Herrman and Josh Orland

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:23:00 +0000

If you are one of those "do-it-yourself-bike-mechanic-wanna-be" like me with many questions on how to fix, clean, replace or service bike parts, I encourage you to ask for help. I frequently call or email bike companies and visit bike stores with questions on what to do and how, and almost always I find incredible support. Here are some examples:

Magura: for many years I have used Marta Magura brakes on my three mountain bikes as you can appreciate in the picture below. These brakes are super light and great for feathering for super smooth riding. Jeff, Jude and Matt (all of them work at Magura) have taught me their tricks to calibrate, bleed, replace master cylinders and calipers through emails, phone calls and in person at the races.
The coolest thing of Magura is that they take their products very seriously so when I have an issue with my brakes they always help me to take care of it or guarantee the part. Below is a picture of the recently replaced master cylinders on one of my three mountain bikes.

Gravity Dropper: I ventured myself into servicing the gravity droppers I have in two of my mountain bikes. I changed the housing and cable and cleaned all the parts. In the process I ruined the screws that hold the cap of the lever and the seat post cap where the magnets are located. I called them and not only they sent me new screws but they gave me several tips and encouraged me to go ahead and service them myself. Now they both work like when they were brand new!

Manitou: I decided to purchase a Manitou Swinger-SFS X6 Coil Shock to install it one of my bikes (I had an air rear shock but I like coil suspension so now 2 of my mountain bikes have front and rear coil suspension). But the bolts I ordered with the rear shock didn't fit the frame. I emailed and called Shanan at Manitou who told me which bolts I needed and sent them to me! My bike now is ready to go!

Shimano: one of my Shimano SPD pedals lost one of the screws holding the pedal spring. I called Shimano and somebody (I forgot his name!) really nice and patient not only sent me several extra screws but took the time to tell me over the phone how to put the screw in the pedal without forcing it. I then sent him an email thanking him so much for his explanation and he sent me 3 pairs of Shimano socks!!! And my pedal is working just fine!

I want to thank my friend Tom Fallon for encouraging me to research how to work on my bikes, for showing me how to do it and for pushing me to do it myself. Also thanks to him I ride probably the only Santa Cruz Blur XC with front and rear coil suspension. Tom fabricated special parts for the frame to fit an longer eye-to-eye rear shock so he could fit a coil one and with a Titanium spring so the bike is still quite light, great for technical cross country riding and some dirt jumping too, check it out below:

Also thanks to Brian Poppewell, Richard and Martin at Mike's Bikes for their continuos support, and for inviting me to one of their bike mechanic training which gave me the opportunity to observe an expert from Fox shocks servicing several fork models. And guess what... one of the forks being serviced at the training was mine! :-)

And last but not least, thanks to Josh Orlando, Brian Herrman, and Tom Mac at Fairfax Cyclery for helping me finding out the right bolts I needed for my new Manitou rear shock, and also for encouraging me to finish servicing my fork and celebrating me for doing it!

Searching the Telonics, Laguna Beach, California

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:23:00 +0000

Everything started with a mountain bike magazine short article I read describing a downhill trail called Telonics as one of the favorite trails of Hans Rey, one of the best trail and DH riders of all times, and the RADs, a local DH riding group.

I then decided to get in touch with my friend rider Geoff from Orange County and ask him if he would take me to the Telonics the next time I visit my partner's family. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to do it because he was going to be riding at Mammoth. But he assured me he was going to find someone to take me down on that trail and other DH trails of the area.

After a couple of days, Dave emailed me to set the date and time for the Telonics ride. I was so excited! Finally I was going to check that trail out! So I packed my Nomad, helmet, knee and elbow pads in our family car, the minivan. I was bummed I couldn't take my truck to this trip, but I had to compromise since I was travelling with my three teenagers and my partner. Remember? This was a family trip not just a bike trip.

Anyway, the day of the ride Sally drove me in the minivan to meet Dave at the bottom of the Aliso and Wood Canyons State Park. We put Dave's bike in the minivan and drove to the top of a local DH trail called Five Oaks. It was the perfect trail to get used to the terrain: loose sand, nice sticky slick rock, cactus and packed dirt.

In this picture you can appreciate the trail conditions of the area:

And we found creeks with trees offering nice cool shades:
The trail has some technical sections like this one where Dave is riding with perfect balance and body positioning:
After playing on some other DH trails, we then headed toward Telonics. On the way there, I learned from some downhillers we found on the trails that Hans Rey broke his leg racing Telonics at a local competition.

Near the top, the views of the ocean, Laguna beach and the mountains were just gorgeous! I am glad these mountains were recently made into parks so no development will take over them and its fun trails.

We continue on our ride toward Telonics, near the top along the ridge I took this picture below where you can see the bottom of Telonics (trail at the left of Laguna Canyon Rd) and another DH trail called T/A (trail at the right of Laguna Canyon Rd. behind the fire road you use to climb to the top).
And here we are at the very top of Telonics, called "Top of the World" which is how you feel when you are done with the DH trail and have cleaned the whole thing!Telonics is a fast DH trail with steep rocky, loose sand and slick rock sections. It also has jumps and drops that you can hit with different speed levels. To fly just go fast and to jump and get some air which is what I did this time just keep a steady pace/speed and pull up your front wheel. All the sections were rollable with the exception of a couple of drops. It is a good idea to scoop the trail and check it out before going on it at a high speed. Well... at least for riders like me that like to keep their bones in place. :-) Toward the bottom of the trail, there are great steep swichtbacks with really well designed chambers that allow you to corner fast without loosing control.

This is me riding down one of the steep sections. I promise this section is steeper than what it looks in the picture!
Here is a picture I took from the top where Dave is pointing at the trail to show how steep it is:
This is another steep section on slick rock like Moab, Utah. I took this great picture od Dave riding it without sliding because it was quite sticky rock!
When you see this picture at the end of Telonics you do feel in the top of the world! Dave was really happy because he rode and cleared many sections on that trail he used to walk.
After celebrating while eating some snacks we climbed, went down and climbed back again a DH trail called Steps with some really fun rocky sections forming steps. Some steps you can launch them and get exhilarating air.
And here is me going down on Steps with my dorky concentration face
After Steps we went back to the other mountain and hit a super fun trail called Rock It, really fast trail down through rock gardens.

When we were done, we pedaled our bikes to the local Mexican restaurant for tacos and beer. Dave's friend Jason joined us for beer and to talk about the ride. Too bad Jason couldn't join us earlier for the awesome ride but I was happy to meet another local rider. Bob couldn't join us because that day he was celebrating his anniversary. I learned that Jason, Geoff, Dave and Bob won a 24-hour race competing with 33 other men teams. These guys are really in shape and ride fast. I am glad I was able to hook up with Geoff, Dave and Bob a couple of years ago.

This time instead of Sally picking me up, I got picked up by our brother-in-law Jess who probably was bored listening to so much biking talk. But Jess is very nice and polite so he listened to all of our stories, drove Dave back to his car that was getting new tires. Thank you Jess! And also thank you Dave for an awesome ride. I will be back!

Mountain Biking Marin Featured in Newsletter

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:12:00 +0000

Mountain Biking Marin was featured in OffAssist's online business newsletter this week!

Read the spotlight article here: OffAssist August 2008 Newsletter

Thanks Candy and the OffAssist team!

Reminder: Hot Mama's Mountain Bike Skill Clinic is on August 17th.
Click here for more information: www.mountainbikingmarin.com

Mountain Bike Events This Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:08:00 +0000

Two Cool Mountain Bike Events Happening This Weekend!

1) Mill Valley Ellsworth Demo Bike:
When: This Saturday (July 26), from 8am to 1pm
Where: West Blithedale road at Railroad Grade trail-head
What To Bring: Helmet Shoes & Pedals
Participating Ellsworth Dealer: Bike-Rx located at Tam Junction, Mill Valley, www.bike-rx.com
Bikes that you can ride: Truth, Epiphany, Moment, Witness, Evolve

2) San Francisco premiere of The Way Bobby Sees It
Buy your tickets NOW to see The Way Bobby Sees It at the Victoria Theater in the Mission this Saturday night.
http://bicyclefilmfestival.com/2008_site/sf/

The Way Bobby Sees It is a gripping documentary about Bobby McMullen, a competitive mountain biker on a mission to race the most demanding downhill course in the country. Adding to the difficulty: Bobby is blind.
With the help of a guide and a rigorous training schedule, Bobby is determined to race his bike down a course riddled with obstacles and flanked by steep, life-threatening cliffs. But, the racecourse isn't the only challenge in Bobby's life. Between thrills, spills and jaw dropping helmet camera footage, we see how Bobby uses humor, determination, and unshakeable optimism to battle adversity - both on and off the bike.
"A powerful documentary." --Decline Magazine
"The documentary takes the viewer on a heart-stopping ride and an inspiring journey." --Ubiketv.com
"The Way Bobby Sees It grabs the viewer somewhere inside and makes them feel. Feel nervous, feel scared, feel mortal, feel inspired, feel sympathetic, feel empathic. Care. That doesn't happen all that often." --Mike Ferrentino former Editor of BIKE Magazine
Go to www.PoisonOakProductions.com to watch the trailer.

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Don't forget to tell your friends about the Hot Mamas Mountain Bike Skill Clinic on August 17th

Overdue Farewell to Amy

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:29:00 +0000

I just got 2 emails from Amy saying she wishes she could be here to ride with us next Sunday. Actually, everytime I send invitations to local rides or riding blog reports from Marin and the Bay Area, I get emails from Amy now living in Colorado. Yes, my dear friend Amy always sends everyone big hugs and says she misses us and our rides. We miss her too... I was looking at the pictures from past rides and realized we did so many rides with Amy! I am so glad Amy asked me for chain lube some years ago when I was finishing a ride at China Camp with Joe. We actually went for a second ride just to ride with Amy. It was my opportunity to get another hot mama email for my email list!

Here is Amy at her farewell party

And here is Celia and Amy after one of so many rides in China Camp heading toward beers at Marin Brew Co.

Here is Amy and Steve drinking beer after a ride:

And yes, I promise besides the beer drinking we used to ride too. Here are Dolores and Amy somewhere in the mountains:

This picture is from last year's Turkey ride. We were quite a big group when we started:

The same day, from left to ride, this was the reduced group by the end of the Turkey ride: Mario, Celia, Amy, Dave, Lori and Alan.

I hope Amy comes and visit us soon. I miss not having anyone to pick on during the rides. I haven't been able to find a replacement for Amy, and I won't, because she will be always the only Amy.

Sunday April 27th Hot Mamas & Hot Papas Ride

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:02:00 +0000

Last Sunday April 27th, 12 of us gathered on time along San Pedro Rd near the guard booth. From left to right: Julio, Alan, Tom, Dolores, Beth, Cowboy, Dan, Chad, Liz, Leigh and Gary. Celia was taking the picture. (You can click on the pictures to enlarge the images). Justin, Michael and Eric joined us later on during the ride... so I guess we ended up being 15!!!!

Chad and Leigh went for a ride with Beth and Liz who wanted to take it a little easier. It was Beth's first time riding with us. Liz already had joined us a couple of times before. We hope they continue to show up on these rides. The rest of us went on directly to the top of the camp at the Nike site.

Below are Dolores and Dan on their climb toward the top of the camp.
And here is Alan followed by Gary.
It was a hot day, so we all gathered under the Nike antena platform for some nice fresh shady rest stop that probably lasted longer than the whole ride.

Here is one of the late comers, Michael, already enjoying the shady rest stop.
Here is Justin, another late comer with Julio and Dan in the background being the geeks they are. We had 4 tech geeks in the ride...

Julio and Dan with their Garmin GPS devices are the boy geeks.
And keep reading for the 2 girls geeks. In the meantime, here is a picture of the 3rd and last late comer, Eric the Fuzzy.
Okay, okay, let's go! Some were saying while others were still enjoying the shady rest stop.
Until the plan to drink beers at Marin Brew came along. Then we all were descending the fastest way to the cars!
And here we are , already at one of the Brew Co tables! And you can start guessing who are the other 2 geeks of the group? This time females....
Yeah, Dolores and Sally showing off their i-Phones! They did not talk nor interact with the people seating with them at the table. They were doing their own private i-Phone talk showing and comparing features of their electronic devices. Rude! Geeks!
We saw Joanmary and Joe with some riders they made at the trails. They were doing their own ride at China Camp. I took their emails and names but lost the little piece of paper where I wrote that info. Darn it! They may never find out I featured them on my blog.
Here is Joe showing his wounde arm to Sally. He crashed on his bike somewhere in China Camp.
On our way to the cars, after everybody was gone, Alan and Celia were cracking up and laughing at nothing and everything! That is what happens after session of non-politically correct jokes, in other words, the good ones!
And here is a final picture of Dolores, Tom, Sally and Celia before heading back home, very happy after a fun ride, good beer, great dinner and lots of laughing.

Sunday March 30, China Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:56:00 +0000

After a morning Hot Mama ride (click here for pictures and stories about the last Hot Mama ride) this group gathered around China Camp. From left to right the hotties were: Dan, Steve, Mike, Mario, Joe, Dana, Dolores, Julio, Tom and Eugene. (Celia was taking the picture).

Mario, Joe, Dolores and Tom were skipping the afternoon ride and were heading to Marin Brew Co. for beers and lunch. They rode with us in the morning. Dolores was part of the Hot Mama ride in the morning while some of the boys were doing their own ride waiting for the 2:00 pm ride.

Dan, Mike, Steve, Julio and later on Justin (he was running a bit late and caught up with the boys later on) went for their own fast ride. Dana, Eugene and Celia went for a more relaxed climb and met Julio at the top of China Camp.
We took Eugene through some difficult trails and he was able to ride many of the technical sections. We also saw Jason who was trying to put 20 miles around China Camp. He rode with us for a bit until he had a spill on one of the downhill sections and broke a spoke. But I was able to take a picture of him and Dana before he left.
The rest of the boys joined us at the bottom of one of the downhills (the one where Jason crashed) to then finish up the ride through a fun trail. It was Eugene's first time on that trail, and he enjoyed the challenge! Eugene actually rode the section where Jason crashed! ... okay okay I am giving Jason a hard time :-)

Stay tuned for the next ride on Sunday April 13th at 2:00 pm at China Camp. For more information visit Mike's Bikes website.

Sunday Coed Rides Resume in Spring 08

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:54:00 +0000

Last Sunday March 16th, Chad and Dan were leading the coed Sunday ride sponsored by Mike's Bikes and Mountain Biking Marin. Chad didn't take any pictures so we will have to believe him about who came to the ride:

Justin, Cameron (Justin's friend), Steve (Dana's friend), Cowboy (the fuzzy shorts guy), Kristy (using her brand new full suspension Stuntjumper) and Mike (Chad's friend).

They all had fun I guess and had a great time I hope! I will join next time!

Here is the schedule for the future coed rides, hope to see you there!

Sundays: March 30th; April 13th; April 27th; May 11th, May 25th
Ride levels: beginner and intermediate/advance
Meeting Place: San Pedro Rd by the guard booth
Meeting time: 2:00 pm
Rolling time: 2:30 pm

Sunday Feb 10th Big Group in China Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 03:08:00 +0000

Two Sundays ago was one of those warm sunny days we rarely get during these winter days. So everybody was out that day on their bikes to enjoy the weather and celebrate my birthday. Different people started gathering around 1:30 pm, some heard of the ride through my emails, some others through other friends, and some others through the Mike's Bikes website.

Here are some pictures of the bike caravan climbing to the top of China Camp. Here is me first, not because I was the fastest rider but because it was my b-day! followed by Mike, Allie, Danilo and others I can't recognize because I was going so fast!Dan is the first one in this picture below, followed by Justin, Jim and Cowboy.And here below is Fuzzy, Steve and Eddie warming up on the climb.
At the top of China Camp by the Nike site, we were a group of 23 riders. You can see 21 of them in the picture below since Dana and Steve were a bit late that day. From left to right in the back row you can see: Allie, Steve, Rex, Jim, Fuzzy, Cowboy, Justin, Julio, Kristy, Jason, Alan, Brian, Mike, Joe, Hannah, Dan and Eddie. From left to right seating in the front row: Danilo, Celia, Dan and Chad. What a group of handsome people! You can click on the picture for a bigger image to admire our beauty.
While we were waiting for Dana and Steve (a new Steve), some of us were rolling down the round platform doing the steep shoots. Some have been riding them for a while and some others took the challenge and did it for the first time that day. Stay tuned for the story on how Dana and Celia were able to defeat the fear and roll those shoots. I finally got the pictures so the next blog will be about that and hopefully I will inspire others to take the adrenaline challenge and do it!

After that big gathering the group splitted, and the coolest people stay with me of course to do my route. As part of the fun we had Celia's b-day Slow Race where Fuzzy demonstrated his falling skills after being defeated, and Chad demonstrated his incredible balancing skills leaving the rest of us with not a chance to win. You can enjoy the my b-day Slow Race in the video below:

Back in the cars when the ride was over, we went to Marin Brew some for beers and some for dinner, but all of them to celebrate my b-day! My friends Mike, Steve, Joe, Eddie, Cowboy, Kristy, Chad, Alan, Julio, Dana, Steve (the new Steve), Jim (another aquarius who invited me to days earlier to celebrate his b-day with a fun Calistoga ride) and Dan covered for my beer and also for Sally's beer. Yeah.. Sally almost always manages to crash our after ride beer celebrations and I love it! Thank you everyone!

Remembering the good old DRY days: New Year's Day Jan 1 in Calistoga - Oat Hill Mine Trail w/ Tara, Eric, Dana & Celia

noreply@blogger.com (Celia Graterol) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 00:14:00 +0000

With so much rain and mud on the trails I have been practicing power yoga, walking Poncho my dog with Sally and sitting in the computer to look at riding pictures when it used to be dry and nice.

Yesterday Sunday, I got lots of responses from biker friends thanking me for inviting them to ride. They all were wishing me to have a great ride but nobody wanted to ride in the crappy wet and cold weather. So besides going to power yoga again and hanging up with Sally and Poncho, I decided to write this blog story using some of my pictures and also stealing some of Tara's pictures instead of going out for a ride.

This ride has been my ONLY DRY RIDE I have done this year 2008! It was on Tuesday January 1st. Tara, Eric (Tara's boyfriend), Dana and me (Celia) drove to Calistoga to do an out and back loop ride on Oat Hill Mine trail. It was the first time I was going to use DH flat pedals I borrow from Dana. Yeah, flat pedals... so we had to wear skater dudes and dudettes shoes because these shoes have wide and flat surface that grabs better on the DH flat pedals pins. Look at the shoes so sexy and cute.
Dana and almost all my DH friends have been telling me I should get used to ride in flat pedals because is safer, in particular on technical riding and because they will teach me to have the right technique/form when doing dirt jumping.

So far I have hit several technical XC and DH trails on my flat pedals. And I have survived. But I have to say I rather do trail riding on my clip ins. I feel more grounded and balanced. When I hit the jumps (if this rain ever stops!) I will use the flat pedals again to see if I can jump better. My goal this year is to jump doubles and increase the size of drops I can do.

Another goal was going to be to ride the DH shoots from the Nike site top platform, but I did that already, yeah! stay tuned for another blog story where I will share with you how I beat the fear, actually the terror of going down those steep shoots.

Here is Dana showing some style with matching bright yellow/green skater shoe laces and pedals. What a fashion queen! Here is Tara showing some style too!

And here is Eric downloading our sexy Free Ride bikes!
But back to the ride, I was very nervious because I didn't know how I was going to do riding with flat pedals for the first time on that trail which is quite technical, in particular the top half if you are planning on going down fast. So I came with all my protection gear! Gosh am I a hot mama, or what!!!
This ride in Calistoga offers really gorgeous views you can appreciate when you are climbing Oat Hill Mine trail. The combination of the views and technical sections makes the climbing really entertaining. And then flowing down this trail is just exhilarating.
I like the top half of the trail because is rocky and technical. It is really fun to both climb it and descend it. Here is Dana clearing a technical section when she used to have both arms healthy, before the burning with hot water accident
By the way, her arm got so bad, here is a picture from last week!
But back to the ride in Calistoga, here is Eric fixing a flat he got in the top half of the trail:
And here is me showing off my skater dude shoes:
Toward the end of the ride near the bottom of the trail there are a couple of small ramps where you can get some air, here is Tara showing some dirt jumping style:
And here are the three of us being photographed by Eric at the end of the ride.
For more pictures you can click here (These are more pictures from Tara):
http://picasaweb.google.com/tara.ride/NewYearDayRideOatHillMineTrailCalistoga

We went to the local pizza place for pizza of course and beers. What a fun DRY!!!! day we had!