Sunday, February 22, 2009

Bar-H Ranch Pre-Ride

M-o-M had me wanting more rock and hill skills. My lack of confidence did me in. The only way to get better on gravely hills is to ride gravelly hills! Since there is no where to do that in Houston, and with an upcoming race a trip upto Bar-H Ranch in St. Jo, Texas was the weekend plan.



This really is a pretty place...



...with great single track. Above is one of my favorite spots. This is a nice downhill with a little kick halfway to catch a bit of air before hooking a sharp left... fun!



I like riding through the creek bed, too.



Tire research. Lets see... I can see CrossMarks, SmallBlock 8s, Karmas... I prefer SB8's here. The race loop has a bit of everything. Sand, hard pack, gravel, loose rock, slick rocks, you name it.



"The Oaks" is a neat spot too. I bet this section would be really creepy at night!



This is up on the ridge overlooking the valley. It's a long climb up there, but worth it for some nice rocky riding. I didn't take a single picture of the rocky part! Too busy concentrating on riding it, I suppose?



This was the initial run for the Jetboil. It rawks! Some hot coffee made for a nice afternoon treat! Good to get out of the chily 40-mph winds for a while, too.

Got some more riding in on Sunday. Much warmer and sans wind. I just wish I had more time. The riding time definately helped! Sunday I floated a lot of stuff I struggled with on Saturday. Still need more time, but the improvement is comforting.

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