I was a cyclist on the road my whole adult life. In fact, it was the love of the same race wheels that caused my change of career from the music world by Bike Shop Owner. During my 20-some (but who counts) years of driving, I have done for centuries, centuries, two more days, long rides flat, hilly walks, whatever you think the race is not structured. I can count on two hands how many times I ride a mountain bike more than a short factDistance. My entire time the area was about to double, and then some.
I reconnect with an old friend recently, someone I had many long journeys and difficult journey shared. She also loves mountain biking and told many stories about his experience on Catalina Island, where you can leave three or four times a year, sits on a mountain deep inside the island. For those of you not familiar with Iceland Catalina is 24 miles off the coast of SouthCalifornia, one of the largest of a chain of barrier islands known as the Channel Islands. Catalina is the only Channel Islands, with a permanent population. The entire island was once owned by William Wrigley of chewing gum fame and fortune. He founded the city of Avalon and has made a world class destination for Southern California. A famous casinos, nor the great architectural highlight of Catalina, host of the popular big bands of the '30s and '40s. Today, most ofIsland, with the exception of Avalon, the little village of Twin ports and airport, a nature reserve.
You can ride a bicycle on the island, but you must have a mountain bike because the roads are often poorly maintained dirt, and you must also purchase an annual pass. My friend invited me to take a boat to Catalina on Sunday, and said he would give me a bike ride on the island. He said it was very hilly, but I thought I could do it. This presented me with a dilemma: Ibeen a lot of driving and road was in good shape, but I was worried about my ability and endurance mountain bike which would be needed. Shawn Charlton, the service manager of my company is a difficult and highly skilled mountain bikers. He suggested I take a 29er hard tail for the trip. This is a motorcycle, but none of the front suspension at the rear. Since we were mostly on fire roads, I would not need further monitoring would be a shock, and I want to win and lose efficiencysome weight on a bike without rear suspension mechanism. Mountain bikes with 29 "wheels are a relatively new breed. The larger wheel will allow you to go faster and easier to roll small obstacles. 'S better maneuverability with a standard 26" mountain bike wheel, but since it would state, especially in the fire roads and technical single track I would not miss the smaller wheels.
For my adventure, I chose a Specialized Stumpjumper Hardtail Comp 29er. The Stumpjumper is the high-endSpecialized hardtail mountain bike of the three models, the Rockhopper and the Hard Rock. The Comp is the entry-level Stumpjumper 29er in the series. It has a Rock Shox Reba with 90 mm travel (29ers have fewer trips over the same 26 "models from the front of the 29 sitting pretty high.) SRAM A Round 10 x 3-disc speed and disc brake Avid Elixir hydraulic SL the package. Fortunately for me, it climbs, the bike very well by the ultra-lightAluminum frame and large wheels. I say fortunately, because nothing is flat on Catalina Island! Or is it uphill or steep downhill.
This was one of the best races I've ever done, and the large amount of hard climbing and the scenery incredibly beautiful. Of course I was familiar with beautiful scenery, as in my business is very scenic community of Palos Verdes and I made more than my share of driver. We started climbingfrom the city of Avalon, where the ferry was lying on the beach tourism and create the world's smallest. This first climb was about 1,500 feet above sea level in 2 miles! I was able to block the shock front of the flight with the launch of a dial-up, what I effectively a little 'more steep climbs. Down after a few kilometers of paved road, we went for a bumpy dirt road and hit our first big descent. I opened the front shocks and let rip. The bike handles allbumps and dirt easily and I could just fly down the hill. We passed an old abandoned hunting lodge, he saw a rare Catalina Island Fox and stopped to see a bald eagle sanctuary, where you saved the species from extinction after the pollution of DDT was almost wiped out.
We then encounter another steep climb, and on top we took our first look at open Pacific Ocean on the windward side of the island. Another steep descent brought us down to the water, and weLittle Harbor, a mostly uninhabited bay, where boats can tie through. Then came another steep climb extended, and we saw at the top of the Isthmus, a flat surface so that the two halves of 'mountainous island bridges between them and also the windward and leeward of Catalina with a wide strip of land unless miles. We had seen some of the island's herd of buffalo (bison) from a distance, but it was a huge chewed on the grass on the isthmus. I could getwithin about 15 feet and take some photos.
We passed through the small village situated on the isthmus and the Twin Ports rode about a half hour watching some of the coves in the northern half of the island rarely visited. Meanwhile, we were pretty hungry, so we turned around and has food in the Twin ports. A burger never tasted so good! After lunch we started back the way we arrived, which meant, unfortunately, another big climb back up the mountain,then a steep descent back to the marina. So far we had climbed almost 6,000 feet and legs began to feel none. Fortunately, the Stumpjumper performed beautifully with the big wheels churning over everything in its path and the hydraulic brakes gives me great control and safety lightning running. If I, but the hardest part was over, I had a rude shock.
At the harbor, we turned to another dirt road that would lead us all the way on the left sideCatalina Airport, located in one of the highest points of the island. After dying a few miles, taking my passenger and I to a high peaks in the distance. He pointed out what looked like a plate from the top down seat and said it was the airport runway. I saw this place for what seemed like hours, as I pointed to the sky on the Stump Jumper and crawled slowly on the spot. If, as we were almost at the top, the road suddenly seemedright and down with us to the airport. We drove through El Rancho Escondido, a group founded by the Wrigley Ranch, where the world champion bred Arabian horses. We spent the ranch went up again, and ended up wrapping around the other side of the mountain near the airport before she finally fell in the airport. This was one of the hardest climbs I've ever done.
Little Harbor to the airport, was 7 miles and 2,000 meters above sea levelConquering ruts, dirt. I had a couple of times on the road to stop breathing, but I could walk to do without, like the large 29 "wheels gives me no mechanical advantage. We stopped in at the airport snack shop and got a drink cold and a biscuit to strengthen us for the largest part of the track. We left the airport around 4:00, which gave us only an hour of Avalon before the sun went down. The way back to the 'airport was thankfully, asphalt, sogood enough to go back in time. I had thought that the return trip would be all downhill, but unfortunately for my tired legs, we stayed on a rolling plateau, with ups and downs until the final half-mile descent to scream at the Avalon. We hit the city just 3 minutes before 5:00 am and from 05:15 it was dark. All in all, I had pulled my body and Stumpjumper 51 miles and more than 8,000 meters above sea level. As promised, a fantastic day and one of the most difficult journeys of my life. I could never dowithout it, the Stumpjumper 29er, and what a way to test a bike!
