Camp Aguinaldo Trail Ride 12 June 2015

Independence Day ride!
Moving house has brought me closer to Camp Aguinaldo so I decided to pedal all the way there (4km from door to camp gate). I originally asked a friend to come with me but he found out on the morning of the ride that he had a flat and didn't have a spare tube.
Log in at the camp was now at the front gate (instead of near the entrance to the trail), where you sign in a logbook, leave an ID and the guard gives you a camp tag. They ran out of tags so the guard just had me sign in. No more entrance fee!
They've lengthened the trail a bit, adding more twisty, switchback sections to maximize the area. I estimate it added at least another kilometer to the total distance. I did two laps, the 2nd lap for taking photos of notable trail features.

Jurassic Bike

Jeep Cemetery

Heli-biking anyone? (the former parking lot)

Can you say Saccharum spontaneum?

Signs galore...

How do think this section got its name? (could very much use a berm)

By expanding the trails and actually doing a major cleanup (no more used diaper land mines!), the Camp is going in the right direction.
I had a whole lot of fun, especially since I haven't gone trail riding in ages. That said, my pummeled hands/arms/shoulders had me wishing again for a full susser (or a 2016 Stache).

Happy trails!

UP MTB Trail 11May2014

UP finally has a real bike trail!

I went after a friend discovered it the day before.

It's pretty short -- 660 m long according to Endomondo:

click photo for Endomondo workout page

(note: my crap smartphone couldn't get a GPS lock fast enough to record my entire workout so I just decided to record one lap to show the track's length)

The track is right beside the College of Human Kinetics gym. Strangely, it's in what I presume to be what used to be the archery range. If not, then I guess the archery class' practicum likely now includes moving targets in the form of bikers ;-p

Paronama overview

That's Magsaysay Ave. in the background

UP CHK gym behind the trees on the right

Tight singletrack along the perimeter (Commonwealth Ave. on the right; sorry for the out-of-focus pic)

The entire track is fairly flat for the most part, with some very tight singletrack. There's also a small drop off near the middle of the track. I clipped a pedal pretty badly on a stump at an uphill, off-camber portion of the trail (a section that can prove challenging for newbies) . It threw my bike sideways so forcefully that my rear wheel was knocked out of alignment in the dropouts. At first I thought I'd tacoed my wheel, but after some faffing, realized the right side dropout was just misaligned. Apparently my QR wasn't tight enough.

I wasn't able to snap a photo of the exit point that claimed a few victims that day (and apparently my friend the day before ;-) ). It's a STEEP incline (almost a drop off) that had some riders making unexpected dismounts when they tried to negotiate it. If you're a newbie, I would suggest hiking your bike down the slope, or exiting at the entrance. Just be sure the coast is clear before you do so.

An old[er] couple was there trying the trail. The guy was one of the exit's "vicitims." After collecting himself, he commented that the trail is "for long travel" (full suspension I suppose). I just ignored the remark and am now kicking myself for not pointing out to him that I was on a rigid bike!

I reckon the trail was built for the MTB PE subject (these kids nowadays sure are blessed).

The track/trail is very short, but it's a good first attempt at utilizing the space within UP Diliman. I hope it gets expanded to other areas.

It definitely beats doing laps around the University Oval any day.

Heroes Trail Ride 23 and 30 December 2013

I found out about this trail just very recently and was itching to try it out. I later found out that it's been open for over a year now, and was even closed down for a while when some riders went off-trail and rode over the graves nearby (the trail is in the Libingan ng mga Bayani cemetery). It's located on the west side of Bayani Road, going towards C5, in Taguig City.
It's a bit of a ways off from home (about 20 km) so getting there isn't as practical or earth-friendly as I would like as I would need to drive. That said, I took the opportunity over the holiday break to try out the trail.
Most people were already on Christmas vacation by the 23rd, so traffic was virtually non-existent. I got to the trail in about 25 minutes. Three other riders were already there.
I actually brought a digital camera to document my ride, but alas it conked out and I didn't want to bother taking my phone out of my on-bike case just to take photos. I also just wanted to ride. On my second ride on the 30th (my last ride of 2013), I brought a video cam and managed to get a few clips (which I'll post separately). All the photos here were taken on 30 December 2013, using my phone. I made sure to do one to two laps of easy riding to allow me to take photos of the trail.
The trail itself is quite nice. It's approximately 1.75 km long and laid out over a big area, affording big stretches of straights and wide swoopy loops.

Click for Endomondo workout

The singletrack was mostly hardpack with rocky and rooty sections. My impression from Youtube videos posted of rides on this trail was that it was fairly flat and so should be good for newbies. The reality is, however, that there are also a few climbs and fast descents that could prove a little intimidating for greenhorns. Sharp turns and switchbacks actually had berms! The designer(s) of the Camp Aguinaldo MTB trail could learn a thing or two from the guys who did this one. I particularly enjoyed one sharp uphill switchback which runs along Bayani Road. One fast downhill straightaway had a series of triples, which if approached correctly could easily launch you into space. Scary fun!
Overall, it's a very well laid out trail, providing challenging training grounds for beginners while giving more advanced riders a good workout.
I would say the Heroes Trail is currently my favorite trail center so far, if only it wasn't so far from my house.
On to the photos...

Ruth's requisite shot

Berm, baby, berm!

A bridge over smooth singletrack

No trolls here

Bayani Road

It's near the airport

Peek-a-boo

Overhead vegetation

Why it's called "Heroes" Trail

Camp Aguinaldo MTB Trail Ride 07 and 27 December 2013

Two weeks of vacation have gone by and I'm writing this just now--when work has resumed for the new year (happy New Year!). I guess I had more "important" things to do over the holiday break than to sit in front of the computer. Since I'm now back in front of the laptop full time, what better opportunity to catch up on my blogging ;-)

This was my first time back on the trail in well over six months. I had a back injury in July 2013 which took me off the bike for a while--even longer off the trails.
I was surprised to find out that they moved the entrance to the trail from Arturo Enrile Avenue to A. Luna, near the Soldiers Mall.
The trail has been lengthened by about 300 m or so, to include part of the area south of the AFP Reserve Command building.

New Camp Aguinaldo MTB Trail (click for Endomondo workout)

The trail was so new that the soil wasn't packed down yet resulting in a fairly bumpy ride. I was a bit concerned with all the garbage on the trail (including broken glass and hollow blocks, pieces of plastic and other trash) that were either used as back fill or were dug up when the new sections were graded. The nice thing though, was that the old sections were smoother, with the previously tight switchbacks now wider and easier to get around.
I could only manage two laps as I had to get back home immediately that day (the 7th), so I didn't get the chance to take photos of the trail. Fortunately, my ride on the 27th was more leisurely so I was able to snap a few:                

New entrance

Milestone!

A new container van "tunnel"

This section was brown and dry just 20 days before

War relics

More relics

Even more relics

Photo op for Ruth

Can you imagine coming in hot on this switchback?

See that???

Here's a closer look. Tetanus warning!

Concrete blocks of death near the exit of the transition (old parking lot in the background)

More blocks

Must've been from somebody's house

"Rock" garden anyone?

Yikes

Ruth insisted on another shot

The section that had me wishing for a full sus 29er. Seriously.

Some of the local wildlife

Not in my vocabulary...

Yes, I'm resurrecting this series which I started in my Multiply blog. And this will be my first real blog post since Multiply screwed us all.
Anyhoo, just to drive home a concept that seems totally lost on Filipinos:

With the prevalence of call centers in the country, one would expect Filipinos to be quite familiar with the concept of "queuing." But my everyday experience tells me otherwise.

Filipinos don't know how to line up.

An almost right hook

I almost got sideswiped on my bike commute to work this morning.

While crossing Pasig Blvd, an L300 van with plate number SKM174 (yes, in red; a government vehicle) almost did a right hook on me. It had the letters "PCIST" painted on the side. I looked it up and apparently it stands for "Pasig City Institue of Science and Technology."

Grade A-hole.

DESDE mi HOGgAR (MTB video)

My favorite of the Sandman videos. The Hoggar Ti is what I would get if my name was Bruce Wayne

The soundtrack is "All Creatures" by Josh Garrels, his version of the hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King." I liked it so much I bought a copy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

May sunny days sweep up your clouds away, this Christmas and throughout the New Year.

Blessed Christmas and Joyous New Year greetings from

El, Cindy, Matt & Zach Magalit

"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world."
- John 1:4-5, 9 NIV