RR: Santa Luz Loop

This morning I got up early and rode the Santa Luz Loop. Its practically in my backyard, and I didn't have a lot of free time, so it was the obvious choice. It was also on my 2008 ride list, and I wanted to cross at least one trail off before any more time passed.

I had partially ridden this loop twice before from different directions, but never done it the way the maps recommend. The first time I did it was with Sean in November 2007, where we started from Black Mountain Park and went clockwise. On that ride we missed the continuation of a trail about halfway through, and did a bunch of paved riding in the middle. It wasn't that great. The second time I rode it, I went by myself and left from home. That time I rode the loop counterclockwise, also rode some paved sections in the middle, and added in a quick trip down Black Mountain. The RR for that time is here.

For today's ride, I made the 3 minute drive up to Black Mountain park to start there. I had done some research, and found out where the connector trail is in the middle that I had missed both of my previous times. The day was cool but dry, with high clouds and small patches of sunshine. I was anxious to see if my recent stationary bike training had made any difference, since I had done an hour on the SB each night for the week preceding this ride.

The best part of this ride is the downhill singletrack at the very beginning. It's short but fun, with a couple of sweeping sections. The problem with this ride is that the fun part is in the beginning. The rest is either fairly brutal (for me) or kind of blah.

I finished the singletrack quickly, and made it through the Santa Luz development in no time. From there I made the short ride through the residential area, and hooked up with the trail as it merged with a dirt utility road. That section has two steep climbs, the second of which really slaughtered me. So much for my week of "training."

After about 10 minutes of HAB, I made it past the utility road and over to the next fun section of this ride, the western portion of the Santa Fe Valley. I had discovered this section on my last ride through here, and it is fairly scenic. I'd like to someday continue to explore it to the west, where there is a pretty massive canyon that you can see from the trailhead at San Dieguito road. The west Santa Fe Valley section has some up and down spots, and is mostly doubletrack. Nothing to write home about, but more scenic and entertaining than the utility road.

From there I hooked up with the section of the trail that I ride as part of my neighborhood ride. For the first time I had ever seen, it was a muddy boggy mess, which sucked. My tires were completely covered with thick mud, which had to have added a couple lbs of rolling weight. I made it through that short section and steeled myself for the climb back to Black Mountain Park. I took a different route up the hill than Sean and I took in November. My new route was more direct, and not quite as steep, but still brutal, especially at the end of the ride. Still, I made it in under two hours, and had a small feeling of accomplishment.

Also of note on this ride is that it was the first time I used headphones to listen to music while riding. I enjoyed it, though it didn't really help motivate me or make the time go faster, which surprised me. I wouldn't listen to music on a group ride, but would probably bring the mp3 player on my next solo ride, just to break up some of the monotony of the less scenic and technical trails like this one.

I'm not sure that my week of nightime stationary bike riding had much effect on today's ride. The hills still annihilated me, and I didn't feel like I was in better shape. But I intend to keep training, and hopefully I'll see some identifiable results in my next few MTB rides.

Now for the stats:

Total Distance: 10.19 miles
Total Time: 1:51:36
Ascent: 1432 feet
Average Speed: 5.5 mph
Top Speed: 26.1 mph
Bike: Specialized FSR XC Pro
Map:

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