I've been biking for almost a year and dreamt of pedaling in these famous trails. Ironically, the nature reserve is just our neighbor; and, the entrance is just about 4 kilometers from our place. But, this was the first time I entered the reserve and tried its trails. I've been a solo rider and solo riding is not allowed in these trails. The minimum requirement is five bikers.
Incidentally, there's a PMTB group led by Whoops that's scheduled to trail this morning. And, I joined them. It's a pleasure meeting and riding with the PMTB icons. And, I realized I have to eat tons of rice to be able to at least equal their strenghts.
So far, this was the most difficult ride I've ever had.
- This was my initiation ride to these trails and totally unaware of what to expect;
- I couldn't cope up with the pace of my more experienced companions. I need more hard training to do so;
- The land's still wet (it rained hard two days ago);
- My soles got wet and mud stuck under them. These caused my shoes to slip from the pedals. And, when this happened, I momentarily lost control of my bike;
- While crossing over one of the logged bridges from a downhill, I lost control and my right handle bar hit the railing. Fortunately, I and my bike were still standing upon impact but my b__ slighty hit the top tube. There's no damage to me and my bike. The chain was just disengaged. Later, I found out that my sunglass fell off. I also noticed my headlight's clamp broke;
- I sweat profusely from head to toe; and, I was totally drenched with my own sweat. It's wasn't a "no sweat" ride indeed. My companions thought I dipped in a body of water. I consumed my 2.5 liters of water, and another liter of water and 2 bottles of Gatorade I bought inside the trails;
- I had difficulty pedaling on most of the ascents; so, I just walked and pushed my bike;
- Both my forearms got cramped at one point;
- I strategically bailed out in the middle of the ride. The group's supposed to go to Tower 1.
La Mesa Nature Reserve is the best bike trails I've ever been. It's the last forest in the metropolis. A P200.00 is being charged per rider. A ranger or two would accompany and guide the group (minimum of 5 bikers). And, in case of emergency or not so emergency, the reserve provides the necessary assistance and help. Thus, the fee is worth it.
My special thanks to Denz226 of PMTB for sharing some of his shots above.
