Blackstar Canyon

December 31, 2005

The weatherman said it was going to rain and he didn't disappoint. A few brave souls made it to the top and beyond but most of us turned around at mile six.

OC Rider New Year's Eve Bash

December 31, 2005 to January 1, 2006

Some of the OC Riders gathered at Craig and Monica's home to see in the new year and celebrate Andrea and Sylvia's birthday!

Goodbye 2005 and hello 2006!

Pinyon Flats

December 10, 2005

It sucked! Well not too badly. Read my ride report here.

See it on Google Earth here.

December 26, 2005

Scott and Sagit put this fantastic day-after-Christmas ride together that had us starting at Aliso Woods by the Cholla entrance then riding down 5 Oaks, up Cholla, down Stairsteps, up Willows to T&A and down to waiting cars. Lots of action along the way.  Click on Sigit on the right to see an animated GIF of his flight.

November 12, 2005

We often forget how great this 12.5 mile ride is. It has everything there is to love about Mountain Biking and is a vigorous workout. The weather and trail conditions for this particular ride were the best in recent memory.

Cyclocross, Baby!

December 3, 2005

Trey and Craig entered their first professional bicycle race and chose a Cyclocross State Championship event held at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine California. Why Cyclocross? Because it combines road and mountain biking skills in one venue. Trey rode a hardtail mountain bike and Craig rode a traditional "Cross" bike which is basically a road bike with knobbies. It was a blast. And the results? As Trey would say afterwards; "This was a good reality check."

Solvang Prelude Metric Century

October 5, 2005

100 kilometers through the beautiful wine country of the Santa Ynez Valley, starting and finishing in Solvang. We rode and ate like pros!

The Clownhillers Are At It Again.

October 5, 2005

Scott, Sagit, Brad and Joe hone their Down Hill skills at 5 Oaks, Stairsteps and T&A on Saturday. Click on the picture to download a 4.5MB movie file that Scott put together.

Old Camp

October 22, 2005

The Fall Season is definitely upon us as we left Cook's Corner on Saturday morning in a mist and heavy low cloud cover. It wasn't until past the Second Lookout that we finally climbed above the clouds and were treated to a brilliant sunshine. Riding conditions were excellent after a rainfall a few days prior.

Bob Greene's Limestone Canyon

October 29, 2005

Bob moved into a new Condo and to celebrate he hosted a Docent lead ride through Limestone Canyon followed by a BBQ at his new place. Ed provided the Docent services and a good time was had by all for the 22 mile loop that included a little bit of Whiting Ranch.

Whiting Ranch

October 6, 2005

These are the last few weeks where we can still get an evening ride in before the end of Daylight Savings Time. This ride we were treated to warm Santa Ana weather conditions which were more reminiscent of a July ride rather than an October evening. It was quite nice and the park was almost crowded with mountain bikers taking advantage of the conditions. Soon it'll be lights only and 40 degrees on the Santiago Truck Trail for us. Dang.

Bootleg Canyon, NV

October 15-16, 2005

One word: AMAZING! Thank you to Sagit and Scott for organizing this epic weekend adventure. For those of us new to the Downhill scene, this little trip to Boulder City, NV was a real eye-opening experience. Sagit and Scott took the time to shepard us newbies down some of the scariest, most gnarly single track that most of us have ever seen...except maybe for the new guy Nick, pictured on the left. Bastard! And thanks to Trey for the excellent pix.

Laguna Wilderness' T & A from Aliso Woods

October 2, 2005

Of all the times to not have a camera along! This ride incorporated Stair Steps, from Aliso Woods, down to Laguna Wilderness Park, up to the top of T & A, down T & A, a hike back up Stair Steps and back to the car. 10 miles total and lots of very technical downhill singletrack. Thanks to Sagit and Scott for this ride. These two guys showed Brad and I how much we still need to learn to get to that next level of mountain bike handling skills.

Click on the image to download the Google Earth .kmz file, it's only 5KB in size. Google Earth is a 10MB program file, is free and can be found here.

24 Hours of Adrenalin

September 24 - 25, 2005

Once again OC Rider competed in the 24 Hrs of Adrenalin at Hurkey Creek Park in Idyllwild California. We entered the 6 - 10 Person Corporate Team with nine riders, finishing 15th out of 37 team entries. Not to shabby!

Click here to see the complete rider and lap breakdown. Click here to see the official 24 Hour of Adrenalin web site results.

Whiting Ranch

September 15, 2005

As another summer riding season draws to an end we take a moment to reflect on...how much damn fun we have on these silly rides.

Maple Springs

September 17, 2005

An absolutely beautiful morning as we headed up to the Main Divide on Maple Springs Road.

Click here to see Dave Crampton's images from this ride.

Aliso Woods

September 5, 2005

A perfect way to spend Memorial Day morning. And Trey took a ton of great pictures on this ride. Thanks Trey!

Amtrak Century

September 10, 2005

Good friends, perfect weather and two first time Centurions. We had to ride 103 miles for a beer but it was worth it.

Click here to see Dave Crampton's images from this ride.

Mammoth Mountain!

July 31, August 1 - 2, 2005

Akos Boldizsar, Craig Erion, Greg Beauton and Louie Liwanag hit the road to Mammoth Mountain for three days of unbelievable mountain biking and memories. What a trip!

Click on the pictures to follow the link.

Another Thursday Evening Ride. Whiting to the Luge, a 15 Mile Loop.

June 30, 2005

Lately just doing a lap of Whiting has not been enough and two laps is kind of boring so we've taken to riding up Whiting over to the Santiago Truck Trail (STT). Then it's a shot down the Luge and a return Whiting via Ridgeline. After that it's recovery time at Wahoo's. Wahoo!

Old Camp, Again...

July 2, 2005

The flies were biting and the weather was getting hot but we decided to get another Old Camp Loop in before the summer sun really beats down on us. And before Cook's Corner looses all of its character and starts to look like a 7-Eleven.

Remember, Recovery Beverages are a Must...

June 23, 2005

And two days into Summer the riding conditions are absolutely perfect. The washouts from the winter storms have developed a track through them finally so there's not much navigating through the river rocks anymore. The days are long and the weather has been ideal. The only downside seems to be that Wahoo's has raised the price of a pitcher! We rode through Whiting Ranch over to the Luge and back.

Holy Cow! And Who Said That Maple Springs Wasn't Technical...

June 25, 2005

Sagit catches some air and Scott spies a baby rattler along the trial. OC Riders have a run up Maple Springs to Four Corners and then over to Motorway for a wild ride down to the cars.

Another 24 Hour Race Under Our Belts

April 30 - May 1 , 2005

Our first Spring 24 Hour race at Hurkey Creek. The weather was fantastic and the 10 mile circuit was in great condition considering the record rain fall this season. Everyone raved about the downhill section which was like a bobsled run. We ran as close as 30 seconds behind the third place team until a series of unrelated mechanicals knocked us back about a half hour. It didn't matter though, we were there to have fun and that we did.

Old Camp!

June 18, 2005

Two days before the official start of Summer we hit it to Old Camp. The conditions were exceptional. This is a great conditioning ride with an equally great payback on the ride down. Plus the beer and breakfast at Cook's is perfect!

Spring is in the air at Aliso Woods

April 2, 2005

After the second wettest rain season in the history of Southern California, the sun shines on the OC Riders at Aliso Woods.

The River Runs Deep at Hurkey Creek

April 16, 2005

Bob V., Scott, Bob W., Andrea, Trey and Craig headed up to Hurkey Creek two weeks before the 24 Hour to do a lap in advance. It was humbling.

Harding Truck Trail to the Peak of the Saddleback Mountains

January 29, 2005

It's cold at the top! I saw 39 degrees as we headed down from the towers. Some in the group went on to descend the San Juan Trail and beyond as part of Vision Quest training. God bless 'em.

Here's a bit of data...

From my trip computer.

Santiago Truck Trail and the Luge at Sunset

January 18, 2005

For some of us this was a two lapper which allowed Trey to capture these beautiful photos.

The Luge at Night

December 14, 2004

A picture is worth a thousand words. Photo by Trey.

Fremont Canyon Loop

December 11, 2004

We left in a rare morning fog that blanked all of Orange County. It was chilly and damp but that was to change as soon as we got above 1600 feet. The ride is 24 miles total from the Albertson's parking lot but 14.5 miles from gate to gate. Breakfast at Tustin Brewery following the workout was never better.

Trey took some great pictures that day too. Check 'em out here...

Cook's Nightride

December 2, 2004

It was dark and cold and windy and we had a pretty big turnout. So why is everyone smiling? Click on the picture to find out.

Wahoo's > Whiting > Luge > Wahoo's

December 4, 2004

Akos called this loop which put a new twist on an old ride. I never realized that there was a tunnel under Portola from the Wahoo's/Starbucks parking lot. Wahoo's is a perfect way to end a good ride.

Cook's to the Second Lookout

November 27, 2004

Pinion Flats

November 27, 2004

The 2004 Turkey-Day Ride

November 25, 2004

This is absolutely the best way to spend Thanksgiving Morning (the look on Akos' face tells it all.) This year the ride was held at Aliso Woods instead of the usual Motorway to the Main Divide due to snow and ugly conditions at the top.

OC Rider wants to thank Team Basso for their huge effort and hospitality at Aliso Wood's Top of the World. The coffee,  sweets and friendship was fantastic!

The Fremont Canyon Loop

November 20, 2004

This Docent led 16 mile ride through the gated-off backcountry of Orange County is absolutely one of the best rides I have ever done. The geology, flora and fauna is breathtaking. The 3500 feet of elevation gain takes your breath away too! A special thanks to our Docents; John, Joe and Tony!!!

The Luge Night Ride...and Terry Bass' Birthday!

November 18,2004

Harding to the Main Divide

November 13,2004

The Luge Night Ride

November 11, 2004

The first time World Downhill Champion Dave Cully rides with us...