What a ride with an awesome group! The plan was to go ride with Luke, James, Tom and Luke’s buddy Chris and have Luke show us the finer parts of the infamous SART (Santa Ana River) trail. I know I have wanted to ride this trail for the past year or more and finally was going to head out and do it. We met up early at the Loch Leven lot, and surprise, Brent Prenzlow, Celo Pacific teammate and buddy shows up to ride with us too.

We headed up the climb to the restaurant/store and it was a pretty mellow nicely groomed trail to the top. We started at about 3,700 elev. and got to the restaurant in about an hour with atleast 1,500′ elev. gain. Was feeling good, but just trying to hang on to this really fast group filled with pro mtbers and easily could be pro mtbers. Awesome weather, couldnt have asked for a nicer day up there.

the crew an hour in at the restaurants

There was a good amount of downed trees, stream crossings, loose DG, overgrowth, and plenty of exposure! But boy the singletrack did not dissapoint. Being up in the mountains and riding and exploring new adventures is something I have been missing out on the past couple months, this was awesome! Here is the crew hiking around a big downed pine.

Big river crossing here. Brent and James took this route and I followed across, making it safely (the second time coming back from the out and back I wasn’t so lucky. These guys are cyclocross experts and danced across this log with their 29ers like they were auditioning for dancing with the stars!

They were waiting for me! Stopped for a bite and drink on the trail here, overlooking the backside of big bear mountain. Always looked at this range while snowboarding up at big bear and now riding some amazing singletrack. It was definitely a harsh reminder if you did not focus on the trail. Skinny singletrack and gnarly rocky exposed mountainsides just off it made it risky and fun. Something different and really cool and scary at the same time. Risk is always rewarding in the end, I just remind myself to take little doses at a time.

A cool shot of my front wheel with San Gorgonio mountain in the backdrop. This mountain is higher than big bear, and if it has legal mtb trails I am going to put that on my next to do list!

A shot of James and Tom. Rare that I got ahead of them to actually get a shot (notice no shots of Brent or Chris) but obviously I was barely ahead because I almost didnt get the camera out in time and cut off Tom’s head a bit.

The crew leader Luke, thanks for showing us around out there.

Neat little waterfall on the fireroad climb back up to the restaurants.

After we hit the 4hr mark Tom and James headed back to the cars and I headed out with Luke, Chris, and Brent for a different slightly longer and more technical route back to wrap up the day. Exposure was definitely on the menu for this section, and easily the gnarliest trail I have ever ridden. Was overgrown mostly with alot of big drops and stuff, with some really fun singletrack whipping through meadows and trees in the middle, that kept me smiling.

Here is one example of some exposure/drops around the singletrack.

The best way to finish a good day of riding. This was the carrot in my head the whole time, a nice cool and refreshing beer when I get home. After scarfing down some good food here and fluid on the way home, well earned!

This was a really great ride, and for a 5+ hour ride, at elevation, with 6k’+ of climbing I have never felt this good and ready to go afterwards. Of course I am fatigued a bit, but there was no bonk during the ride, felt great throughout and was just enjoying it. It always helps to have great guys to ride with that push you and that is a huge point in how I have gained so much fitness in the past half year or so. I always have races to track my improvement and that is definitely a good way to do it, but good long rides and feeling it is something I consider as well. Today was a day when I really noticed the difference in how I felt and was riding from training rides a while back. It felt good, and I am thankful for being able to put in the time, ride with friends, and continue to make these types of improvements in the future! I look forward to many more rides out there and other new places with this crew and others, it IS truly, what its all about!