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Mountain Bike Trails Around Metro Manila

December 15, 2014 21 comments

Biking in Metro Manila

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.
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Stoked for the Weekend

March 30, 2014 Comments off
Earth Hour Ride

Bikers take over the streets to promote clean energy

I was able able to climb Antenna Hill without much issue, but each segment of Thunder Trail left me drained and panting like a fish out of water. The heat reached 38 degrees yesterday, which was probably the reason why I was feeling so sucked out and seared after doing each segment of Thunder Trail. But it’s also possible that my muscle fibers had atrophied and my aerobic capacity went back to ultra-wimp level in the previous days I slacked off. Whatever.

Despite being gassed out and fried, there were still gallons of joy pumping through my veins last Saturday. Why? Because I was able to do all of the technical sections of Thunder Trail without dismounting. As any biker knows, this is a very special kind of feeling. Verrry ssspecial.

Stoked. It’s the ecstasy of accomplishment. It’s when everything works better than intended and you bask in the sweet sweet afterglow of fulfillment. It’s visceral poetry. It’s like scoring 100 points on Flappy Bird. It’s like plugging a USB correctly on both ends on the first attempt! Read more [+]

Biking Thunder Trail in Binangonan

March 24, 2014 9 comments

Thunder Trail BinangonanThunderbird Resorts in Binangonan Rizal is familiar to Metro Manila mountain bikers who frequent Antenna Hill and the Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs.

Thunder Trail however does not seem to be as famous as either of these two biking destinations. This is a shame because this winding singletrack and fireroad which leads to a hilltop lagoon is one of the better MTB trails near Metro Manila.

Binangonan Rizal is my hometown. It makes me proud that the Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs have now become part of the “must-visit” places among Metro Manila weekend warriors. Over the years, I’ve also seen Antenna Hill attain much deserved fame in the mountain biking community for its challenging climb (which offers great views of the Laguna de bay) and the excellent downhill track which was built there by gravity aficionados.

Thunder Trail complements these two destinations. This trail has got plenty of twists, fast flowy descents, and sections that require you to dip into your bag of technical tricks. Read more [+]