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CamSur Rainforest Enduro

With the cloud covered peak of Mt. Isarog serving as an awesome background
a rider takes off in a cloud of dust

I once referred to myself as the Jon Snow of Enduro. It’s not that I look anything like Kit Harrington in Game of Thrones; it’s because like Lord Eddard Stark’s bastard spawn I know nothing about Enduro.

But that’s in the past now. Last April 11, I finally got a taste of this relatively new mountain bike racing format that seems to be sweeping the worldwide MTB community lately. From Jon Snow, now I feel like this sport’s Tyrion Lanister–someone who is not exactly towering over the competition.

So what was it like? Enduro has generated so much hype that it’s sometimes impossible to disentangle an honest assessment from hyperbole. But this much I can say: Enduro is grueling. It is sometimes scary. It’s loads of fun! And it forced me to tap into a skill set I only vaguely knew I had. And now I just might need another dose. Read more [+]

Biking from Timberland to Wawa Dam

March 30, 2015 Outside Slacker 16 comments

There’s river crossings galore on this trail

There is a tale told in whispers about a mythical elixir that can only be found beyond the far mountains of Montalban. Those who have partaken of this substance swear that it imbued them with strength, stamina, well-being and a new powerful sense of purpose. But to get a taste of this arcane sustenance, you have to climb and descend towering mountains and make perilous river crossings in the legendary land of Bernardo Carpio. This magical mixture, made from some of the best fruits and ingredients, is sometimes referred to as Shimanong’s Halo Halo.

Anyway, this was a ride that should have happened a long time ago. I bike to Timberland almost every week. But despite Maarat’s proximity to Montalban, I had never taken the Casili road to Wawa Dam.

I had a vague idea of the route, thanks to Google Maps. But I wasn’t willing to go it solo because I knew that the place wasn’t exactly spitting distance from civilization and assistance, in case someone needed to bring my shattered bones back home. There are some destinations that you can go solo, and there are some where a buddy is a must. This ride belongs to the second category.

Thankfully last week, I was finally able to convince Montalban biker and die-hard Kapuso Jeff to lead the way. Read more [+]

1st All Female Enduro

March 26, 2015 Outside Slacker 3 comments

Photo courtesy of Tomas Tirona of AttackMTB

Who is the greatest MMA fighter right now? Sorry, it ain’t some cokehead with long limbs. It’s none other than Ronda Rousey. Love her or hate her, she is the best right now in a field which used to be reserved for doped-up men. One can only hope that Rousey’s achievements in MMA will soon be repeated in another sport that I love–mountain biking.

The recently held All Female Enduro in Antipolo is a pedal stroke in the right direction. All too often, the first thing that pops into men’s heads when the words “girl” and “bike” come together is some model in revealing clothes holding a “girly” bike in a provocative pose. I guess it was the same thing years before when “girl” and “MMA” landed in the same sentence–the first thing we thought of was Arianny or Britney. But Ronda Rousey has pretty much changed all that already.

I doubt that there will be a Redbull Rampage female edition anytime soon. But who knows? We’re already having all-female Enduros today, maybe in a couple of years there will be female freeriders who can give Cam Zink a run for his money. Here’s a big kudos to all girl mountain bikers who took part in the 1st All Female Enduro, to the sponsors, and The Enduro Network for organizing the event.

I wasn’t there to cover the event myself, so for the full report on the race, click here.

Gear Review: Spyder Dart Helmet

March 22, 2015 Outside Slacker 9 comments

The Dart Helmet: makes even a Sith Lord think about switching head gear

The Spyder Dart is one good looking helmet. When I posted its photo on Facebook, it immediately got dozens of likes. Bikers asked what model it was, asked if it was already available, and asked where they could buy it. If they could order it on the website, many of them would have probably done so. I have always been a fan of Spyder helmets, but they seem to have outdone themselves with this one.

The Dart is the latest in Spyder’s line of all-mountain lids that are becoming very popular these days. As more and more riders eschew familiar trails and easy rides for more challenging rough and tumble adventures, helmets are also evolving to deal with the increased risks entailed by these adventures.

Switching to Steel

March 13, 2015 Outside Slacker 42 comments

Steel is real. This is the battle cry of a lot of bikers who feel that bike manufacturers have been making bike frames that are way too complicated and expensive. Seems like it wasn’t too long ago when steel was the bike maker’s metal of choice. Nowadays though, steel bikes have become as rare as a competent and uncorrupted Pinoy politician, which is kinda sad because steel is such an excellent material for building bikes.

I had been looking to switch to a steel frame since late last year. While I love my aluminum Venzo, I just felt that I already needed something sturdier. The Venzo was a great lightweight alloy frame that helped me nab respectable finishes in duathlons and XC races. But it just didn’t seem like a well-suited weapon for fast descents on rock gardens and technical trails, which I found myself riding more and more often. I was longing for that strange alchemy of toughness and suppleness that could only come from that bastard spawn of carbon and iron more popularly known as (you guessed it) steel! Read more [+]

Duathlon: More Fun in Batangas

February 16, 2015 Outside Slacker Comments off

The duathlon is my favorite kind of race. I like biking, and I like running, and there’s nothing quite like combining the two in one event. So when I got an invitation to try out the Batangas Earth and Water Festival duathlon, I immediately said: Oooh… Hell… Yeah!

Besides, how could anyone say no to a race which promised to take participants down to Taal Lake? So, even though, I had absolutely no practice, and could never do any track read, I signed up for the 5k-20k-3k race. I knew I would suck, but I didn’t care. It’s not everyday that you get to race in a special place like Taal Lake. It also helped that the guys who invited me to the race also threw in a free stay at the excellent Lima Park Hotel.

I just had one problem: was it going to be a trail duathlon or a road duathlon?

Apparently it was the latter. And as I looked at the rows of slick road bikes and road-optimized mountain bikes being slung on the rack at the transition area, I could only hope that these intimidating, ripped, hardcore-looking guys would bonk at some point in the race. I hoped that maybe they got dumped by their girlfriends the night before, drank several longnecks of Emperador afterwards, and were eventually going to break down crying and screeching like Piolo Pascual in some cheesy melodrama. It was the only chance I had of not sucking so bad. Read more [+]

CamSur Enduro Lite 2015

February 9, 2015 Outside Slacker Comments off

Disclaimer: I know zilch about enduro apart from the fact that it seems to be the most talked-about mountain bike racing format right now. I was invited by friends from Naga to try out the Cam Sur Enduro Lite last month, but work commitments got in the way. This was kinda sad because I really wanted to try Mt. Isarog’s trails. I was planning to bike on Isarog last December, but the weather was schizophrenic that month–rainy and dreary when it was supposed to be all sunshiny.

When I got the invite to do the CamSur Enduro Lite, I immediately checked if I could take some time off to finally sample some Cam Sur dirt. But… no can do. Fortunately, some adventurer from Travel Up agreed to cover it for me, while doing some canyoning/waterfall rapelling on the side. So this is the race I missed. Thank you very much Ms. Travel Up.

Enduro Lite on Mt. Isarog

Guest post by Travel Up

101 riders from all over the Bicol Region participated in the 1st Mt. Isarog Enduro Lite Challenge, held last January 25, 2015 at the mountain trails of Mt. Isarog covering parts of Naga City and Municipality of Calabanga.

With an elevation of 1,966 meters above sea level, Mt. Isarog is an ideal destination for mountain climbing and biking. The 19-km challenge route tested riders’ technical bike handling skills as well as their endurance with timed downhills and untimed uphills. Final race times were determined over a series of 3 special stages, with the top prize being awarded to the rider with the fastest combined time. Read more [+]

Nuvali: Another Mecca for Mountain Bikers

January 20, 2015 Outside Slacker 6 comments

Getting some air on the Nuvali 4X track during the Dirt Weekend 2015

Nuvali is a vast real estate development in Sta. Rosa Laguna has been attracting bikers from all over Metro Manila and Southern Luzon. I’d been hearing lots of good things about this place for quite some time now–chiefly about its amazing trails and scenery.

I’d always wanted to check out Nuvali and sample its dirt, but I often got discouraged from going there. Why? Because it meant loading up the bike on the car, and braving the infamous gridlocks of Southern Metro Manila. Yeah, I’ve said it before: nothing ruins my day quite like getting stuck in traffic.

But last December, I finally got to bike in Nuvali.The almighty mountain biking gods accepted my sacrifices of virgin titanium spokes and graciously granted me my most fervent wish! Or almost. Actually, my wife got invited by Seda Hotel for a free overnight stay through her travel blog. Since we were going to be resting, relaxing and luxuriating in an excellent hotel for FREE (!!!), the dreaded traffic going to Sta. Rosa seemed less dreadful. Read more [+]

Epic Cordillera Mountain Bike Traverse

January 12, 2015 Outside Slacker 13 comments

“Epic” and “hardcore” are words that are casually thrown around nowadays. While the proper use of these adjectives can be a hot topic of debate, I personally don’t think a 4 or 5 hour ride through flat pavement could count as epic. Neither should a morning romp down The Blue Zone be considered as hardcore.

But there are bike trips that leave little room for debating “epic” and “hardcore.” A four day bike traverse of the Cordillera is one of them. We’re talking here about distance, technical difficulty, remoteness from “civilization,” danger, and overall gonzo factor.

I would have loved to go on this cross country, all-mountain, four day bikepacking ass kicking trip through the Cordillera with these guys, who also rode with me in Bobok-Bisal. But work and the unstoppable forces of nature conspired against me. But it was not just that: I also didn’t know if I was strong enough for such an adventure. These guys apparently were, and this is their story as recounted by Bong “Madjohn” Madriaga.

Sagada to Tirad Pass

by Bong Madriaga

While long rides, century rides, and races, are common and can happen on any given day or weekend, it’s not easy to go on adventure rides, because of work, family and priorities. I go maybe once or twice a year when “stars align” and I’m able to get the required “visa” from my commander in chief .
For this year’s grand adventure ride I went to the legendary Tirad Pass. Read more [+]

Mountain Bike Trails Around Metro Manila

December 15, 2014 Outside Slacker 21 comments

Lots of people seem to have bought new bikes lately and are eager to give this thing called mountain biking a try. Good for you, people! This is probably one of the best decisions you’ve made in your life. Fitness, fresh air, countless adventures, and the love and respect of all humankind await you.

So you got the gear. Now what? Ride it of course. If you’re new to biking, you should probably first practice on paved roads to give your leg muscles some experience and oomph. I’d recommend logging in 20-40 kms for each major ride. Try to push it farther when you feel like your legs can still take it. And take it as far away as your sense of adventure will take you.

But after getting pavement miles, it’s time to try some real trails. Unknown to many, bikers in Metro Manila are actually fortunate to have a lot of trails and destinations that were designed and built for mountain biking. And there are still other destinations that are friendly to mountain bikers. Here are some of them.
Read more [+]

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