Drop the Jop

Discussion in 'Trailhead' started by StrandLeper, Dec 30, 2016.


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Added to Calendar: 01-02-17
  1. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    2nd half. See ya there. At least briefly - until you all scamper up the hill ahead of me. I'll bring a rope.
     
    Faust29 likes this.
  2. Cougar

    Cougar Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Washington City, UT (near St. George)
    Name:
    Craig
    Current Bike:
    '14 Turner Burner
    So the first loop folks are going to wait at the base of Motorway for us 2nd loop folk at 1000? If you decide to leave without us, you'll sacrifice @Faust29 's visor and leave it behind so he blends in with @StrandLeper on loop two?
     
    Faust29 and herzalot like this.
  3. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    That works.
     
  4. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I'll be there at 7:00... :thumbsup:
     
  5. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Also, two of my Laguna friends Chad and Michael will be meeting us for loop 2. (No, not Chaz Michael Michael). Black and red Santa Cruz and orange and black Intense.
     
    mtnbikej, Cougar and herzalot like this.
  6. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    I'll be there for 2nd loop.
     
    mtnbikej, Cougar and herzalot like this.
  7. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
  8. kioti

    kioti iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Jim Jennings
    Current Bike:
    ibis ripley
    mtnbikej and pperrelle like this.
  9. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I just bailed from Holy Jim, from above the switchbacks. Too much water falling out of that cloud to justify spending hours out there going higher, getting wetter, colder...

    Power to you guys for going for it. I gotta stick closer to my credo follow conditions.

     
    Cornholio, herzalot, mtnbikej and 5 others like this.
  10. kioti

    kioti iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Jim Jennings
    Current Bike:
    ibis ripley
    Popcorn replaced by breakfast sandwich and big cup of coffee..

    FWIW: Currently sprinkling in Trabuco. Not a deal breaker as it appears to be moving through (at least for the moment).* @mike's credo worth considering, as Santa Ana's can dish out tough, even miserable, conditions.

    Still on board? 2nd lap surfaces handle wetness well. Maple Springs can be awesome on a day like this. Main Divide is rocky and rideable, but exposed and cold, especially if windy. Joplin will require warm hands. Core temperature must be protected. Dry clothes and gloves at the top recommended. You all know this. Expect to get wet from contact with brush. STT can be descended in wet conditions as far as the Luge. Beyond that it gets sticky. The Luge can be ridden wet without harming it.

    Turn-around options anywhere on Maple or Main Divide. After that you're committed. No shame in retreat or postponement.

    Be safe, best of luck, and sincere wishes for a safe passage..

    *Weather update: 9:30am Trabuco. Sprinkles stopped. Sun coming out. Partially sunny to the coast.
     
    Luis, herzalot, mtnbikej and 7 others like this.
  11. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I bailed at mile 9 in a fit of coughing and green lung goo... J, Strand, Vido, and singlespeedrider are knocking it out!
     
  12. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    A couple years ago we did the MS-Joplin route in similar conditions. The climbing wasn't too bad, but joplin was tough. Even if there wasn't water coming from the sky, there was enough on the bushes to soak one through, especially if you are leading out. Lost all feeling in hands to point I couldn't brake effectively, had to stop and warm them multiple times. I should have had some better wet gear and goretex gloves.
    Hope the guys send the one out first on Joplin that has the best wet weather gear:cautious:
     
  13. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    I just bailed out of my bed from a puddle of drool and warm blanket. Conditions were ideal.
     
  14. singlespeedrider

    singlespeedrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Phoenix AZ
    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC advanced single soee
    I bailed a few mikes shy of 4 corners. Had some prior obligations and was not upset to get out of the cold and wet.
     
  15. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    yeah I saw you, was brain wet climbing up Silverado Canyon, you were riding down.. a number of us (me @herzalot @Cougar + 2 others) made it through loop 2, wasn't overly overly overly wet but the Garmin did say 32 deg at one point. Sure someone will post a ride report. Have dinner on the mind.
     
    Cougar, kioti, knucklebuster and 8 others like this.
  16. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    I loaded up my car at 8:45 and it started pissing rain at my house. I called @Cougar on the drive over to Cooks. "How committed are you to doing this ride in the rain?" I ask. The reply, "I really need to get out of the house." Hmmm not the answer I was looking for. So I figure I will follow through on shuttling Craig to the Silverado meet-up point, and then I can bail from there. Well, it wasn't raining when we got there. Ok, let's ride.

    10:00 meet up at the bottom of Silverado motorway was optimistic for the hardcore three of @StrandLeper @mtnbikej and Vido. They forgot to factor in the time it takes to ride from the Tree Farm to the Maple Gate. The six "second halfers" @Cougar @bvader, yet another Mike, @jdubb , Chad and I decided to give them to 10:30, then head up on our own. They emerged at 10:29. @Faust29 had bailed early due to illness, and @mike's plan to come over from Holy Jim was thwarted by the wet conditions.

    Up Maple Springs we went. Temperatures dropping, clouds shrouding the road. 35° at the top and very, very damp - but not raining. Everything @knucklebuster and @kioti said above about the conditions was true. Somehow, we lost track of @jdubb on his singlespeed. Hope you're alright!

    Then it was time to drop the Jop. Cool trail. I was very successful on much of it, and rode like a tripodding beginner here and there. J was a Jedi master. I found it difficult to contend with the low and tight vegetation combined with poor visibility, cold hands and steep chunk. I eventually got a rhythm going though and crushed (survived?) the longest rock garden. Much sharper rocks than the stuff I ride all the time. Definitely a trail to return to.

    Luge was awesome, although my arms and hands were a little fatigued. We lost a few riders who mistakenly plummeted down Cadillac instead. They emerged about 45 minutes later.

    I'll let others tell more of the story, including a nice warm truck ride!

    Fun day, great riding partners! Bikes are fun! :thumbsup:
     
  17. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    Got up a little early this morning...knowing that I had to gather much more gear than usual. I looked at the weather station at the top of Motorway @ 5:15 and it was showing 38* with 14 mph winds. Cold but not horrible. I also saw that Silverado was showing a high of 54*. So i packed a bunch of extra dry gloves/headsweats/jersey/armwarmer/jacket. This meant taking my pack. :gag: . WTF o_O It is January 2nd and I'm already using my pack on 50% of my rides. :thumbsdown:

    I left the house in a light mist. By the time I got near the Toll Road, it was a heavy drizzle. I rolled into the Tree Farm with a few minutes to spare, but still ended up being a few minutes late. Geared up we headed out...into a consistant light rain. Got to break in the new rain jacket right away. Everything else was wet, but my core was dry. :thumbsup: Also decided to wear my Shimano winter boots. They are heavy, but they are warm and waterproof....this would be an issue later on.

    Pace up Silverado was kinda quick. We dealt with the rain all the way up to the Maple Springs Gate. From there it stopped. Shed the jacket. While cold, it was tolerable. Rolling up the paved section of Maple Springs the pace again started off kinda quick. Eventually I backed off...couldn't blow myself up this early...plus the legs were taking forever to warm up. I also knew what we were in store for. On the way up, I kept looking at the time. The 3 hr time we gave for loop #1 was looking like it was going to be close. We really didn't account for that being the Maple/Motorway only ride....but the pace was much slower due to the plannd Loop #2. We reached the end of the pavement pretty quick. @Faust29 wasn't doing so good, but wanted to get his 2k' so he pushed on to the first guardrail and called it a day. @singlespeedrider had somewhere to be so he was only gonna go up to a certain time then bail. Maple Springs was in great shape. A couple of soft spots, but perfectly rideable. @StrandLeper , Vido and myself reached 4 Corners about 9:20. Glove change and put my jacket on. It was cool but not cold. We were in the fog/clouds.

    @StrandLeper and Vido at 4 Corners
    IMG_2273.JPG

    It was pretty soupy up there
    IMG_2274.JPG

    We continued on to Main Divide and made short work of the short ups and downs to Bedford. There were some new ruts along the way and of course the white flour/powder was gone. We did hit some small sections of mud around Bedford. We dropped down and began the big climb past Bedford. I really didn't even try today. Walked the whole thing. The rest of the ride to Motorway was uneventful. We made it Motorway, quick break, but we were way behind schedule.

    Looking up Motorway climb
    IMG_2275.JPG

    Looking back towards Blackstar
    IMG_2276.JPG

    Motorway was in great shape. A lot of the shale had been washed away. Even the water diverters weren't an issue today. Couple of stops along the way just to regroup. Made it to the bottom the group of Loop 2'ers.

    Wasn't looking forward to the 2nd climb up Maple Springs. Just took it easy on the paved section. Went by slower than the first climb, but still not horrible. It was also much warmer and much more humid.


    @bvader showing off his mad skills...
    IMG_2277.JPG

    @jdubb was the new guys.....on a SS :thumbsup:
    IMG_2278.JPG

    @herzalot giving a thumbs up to the road ride with @Cougar
    IMG_2279.JPG

    @StrandLeper realizing what lies ahead on the 2nd climb
    IMG_2281.JPG

    We kinda got spread out on the climb up after the pavement. Got to chat with @herzalot for a bit. He was never that far back. Up at 4 Corners it was much cooler than the first loop. The wind was blowing over from Harding. We saddled up again and began the slog out to Modjeska Peak. It was cold. There was more rock fall on the road. I made it a little ways through the really rocky section before I gave in. We made it to Modjeska Peak and someone said it was about 34*. Dealt with a little head wind on the way down to Joplin.

    At the top of Joplin everyone was choosing their place in line. Somehow the guy on the hardtail ended up in front. o_O We dropped in and immediately I was soaked. Rode down for a few minutes before I stopped to put my rain jacket back on. Now I have been on Joplin about 6-7 times, but it has been several years. So it was familiar, but I still didn't remember what was around each corner. The trail is really overgrown, and the brush was hanging down low due to the water. Picked my way down it. Cleaned all the fun techy sections. We'd stop and regroup from time to time. It had finally started to warm up by the time we got down towards Old Camp....even saw the sun a few times. We didn't hang out at Old Camp long. The guy on the moto down there cut in front and took off. Did some walking out of Old Camp. My HR was getting out of control and the trail was pretty beat up.

    When we got up to the clearing at the top of Old Camp, is when I realized the disadvantage to having waterproof shoes. All the water flowed down my legs and onto my socks, then down my socks into my shoes. I was swimming in them the rest of the ride. :cry:

    STT was typical with some water puddles along the way. Worked my way from the back of the pack to the front by the time we rode past Rose Canyon. Thought we were all closer together than we actually were. Made it down to the Luge. @herzalot , @Cougar and @bvader headed down the Luge. Chad & I waited for the rest of the group...and waited and waited and waited. Finally a rider that was at the Old Camp clearing when we were there came by. We asked it he had seen our other riders. Nope, saw no one. o_O We headed down the Luge and me up with the others at Cooks. The 3 missing riders showed up a few minutes later. They ended up heading down Cadillac. :laugh: :eek: The 4 of us parked at the Tree Farm hit the road and pedaled back.

    It was wet, cold, raining, windy, cloudy, freezing, muddy....but it was such a great day on the bike.

    I don't have the stats....cause my Garmin took a dump in the rain. :thumbsdown::sick::cry: :mad:

    IMG_2280.JPG

    IMG_2282.JPG
     
  18. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    Good job guys, sounds like an adventure :thumbsup: You two loop guys, yer crazy
     
    Tom the Bomb, H2oChick, jdubb and 4 others like this.
  19. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Wow. What a day on the bike and what a way to start 2017. 50 miles. 8400 feet. 4758 Calories burned. 6:50 moving time. @mtnbikej was the perfect tour guide.

    Motorway was interesting. I liken it to Meadows… but longer and with shale. You really need to pin it to get some pucker going. Maple Springs was not a terrible climb. The rollers over to Motorway were fun, but I had to stop to unstick my dropper on one climb- because it was frozen.

    I packed up last night: riding wear: Bibs under waterproof cycling commuter pants. Jersey, with my protective sleeves, plus my jacket with zip off sleeves, Baclava around neck, warm cap under the helmet. My new Serius (or something) $35.00 gloves from REI, AMAZING PRODUCT! In pack: My waterproof neoprene shoe covers, along with dry gloves, a Craft base layer, and an additional poncho.

    Ended up giving my dry gloves to my friend Chad for the Joplin drop… his hands were not in good shape.

    About 150 yards into the Cadillac drop, I knew that we went the wrong way, but I figured what the heck… fun, funky, muddy

    Feet were literally freezing the first time up to Four Corners. I put on my shoe covers my temp was perfect/ My hands NEVER got cold… EVER.

    Kind of random thoughts above. Sorry for the lack of a storyline.

    It was great to meet Mark, John and Steve. It was a bummer that Faust was sick (just making it up Maple as far as he did was incredible considering his condition). We lost John on the climb up to Four Corners on lap 2.

    It was great to ride with J, Chris and Craig.

    My buddies Vido, Chad and Michael had a blast too. Michael is 10 months from complete reconstruction of his knee and suffers from drop foot… but crushed it. Chad climbs like a beast and bombs the drops. Vido is basically two lungs and two legs with a person in between and he had a great time.

    I wasn't sure that I was in the necessary shape to pull this off as the fourth quarter was work intensive, and light on riding, but I went with the whole "mind over matter" thing-- it helps that J is on a single speed… "F if J is still grinding, than I had better to be able to grind."

    I really got my legs under me during the second lap from four corners over to Joplin. Joplin was very interesting. I am not used to chunk and soft trail co-existing, so I have a few issues here and there, but it was a blast.

    I started to cramp climbing out of Old Camp. My inner thighs just seized. I NEVER cramp… so I just slowed down, drank some water and hoped that the cramps would go away. They did.

    Today just showed that if you are prepared for it, and bring your wife's Christmas cookies, you can ride in just about any weather.

    Thanks again @mtnbikej for being such a great tour guide and so cool to my friends.
     
  20. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    That second climb up Maple Springs I concentrated on making sure that I took my supplements, got plenty of water, drank some Tailwind, had a few Gu's and a pack of Cliffblocks. I ate more on this ride than I ever have on any ride, I think I was expending energy riding, AND keeping warm. But when I got home (was supposed to take the wife to dinner, but she wanted to stay home instead YES!) I ate a steak, some pork, some chicken and potatoes.
     
    Tom the Bomb, Cougar, jdubb and 10 others like this.
  21. StrandLeper

    StrandLeper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Timothy M. Ryan
    Current Bike:
    SC Bronson 1x/Pivot 429 1x xtr
    Oh, and a HUGE thanks to @Cougar for shuttling Michael and Chad back to Silverado. Michael probably would have killed me if he had to ride back all of that way from Cooks Corner. So I owe you, basically, my life. I took a few pics that I will upload.

    It was a fricking gnarly a@@ day!
     
    Tom the Bomb, Cougar, jdubb and 7 others like this.
  22. Rumpled

    Rumpled Well-Known Member

    Location:
    OC
    Name:
    Jim Martin
    Current Bike:
    2018 Specialized Epic Carbon C
    J,
    What was the powder/flour you were referring to? Was there a recent ultra run?

    Big effort guys!
     
    Tom the Bomb, herzalot and mtnbikej like this.
  23. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    img_1812-jpg.20990.jpg
    img_1813-jpg.20991.jpg
     
    Tom the Bomb, littlewave and mike like this.
  24. jdubb

    jdubb Member

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    John Williams
    Current Bike:
    2018 Santa Cruz Tallboy cc
    I showed up hoping to do the 2nd lap. It was nice meeting you guys!
    The climb up Maple Springs was rather slow for me and I found myself walking stretches that I should have been spinning. It did not take long for me to get dropped. I kept moving forward, but stopped about a mile short of 4 corners and put my gore-tex jacket on and realized immediately that I was very cold & was not going to be able to warm my core. I wanted to keep going, but was way behind and dragging anchor so I put my tail between my legs and turned for home.
    Bummed that I could not join the group down Joplin, but it just wasn't happening for me today.

    Kudos for the double lap guys, gnarly indeed!
     
  25. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Anybody out on the mountain today gets a star. Props to all you guys out doing it today.
     
  26. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Added notes: Jop group saw 2 red salamanders at old camp... Was not sure who was moving faster at that point cold amphibians or cold riders.

    Missed a PR on the luge by 1 sec... Curses..But then again...I got pretty leaned over in some of those banked turns especially that lefty after the 2 jumps on the sight away, so nice!
     
    Tom the Bomb, kioti, mtnbikej and 4 others like this.
  27. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    Our plans were to ride blackstar down motorway but the rains changed our plans. Nobody wanted to cancel so we went up Silverado to maple springs down motorway.... Another crazy group of guys were at the Tree lot heading out in the rain up the same way... they advised us that blackstar is no good...Did not realize that it was MtbkingJ and Faust29's group! Motorway was in great shape, saw the tracks that Mtbk J's group made... were behind them all the way..
    It was COLD! But still a great day for a ride. Maple Springs and Main divide held up well and motorway was just as fun as could be....

    It was good to say hello! Glad we weren't the only ones riding in the rainy mist! All worth it!
     
  28. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    hey MtbikeJ ... the 4 corner's picture.. we were right below you, near the harding junction.. freezing in the mist... barely saw your bikes in the mist..we headed back down to make sure one of our group did not freeze to death, then went back up to motorway... followed your tracks!
     
    Tom the Bomb and mtnbikej like this.
  29. sir crashalot

    sir crashalot iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    laguna beach
    Name:
    gary fishman
    Current Bike:
    2018 banshee rune
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_newt i love seeing those guys. Theyre only out when its damp so thats a good sign, I havent seen one since before the drought. theyre so docile you can just pick them up, but wash your hands!

    Epic ride y'all. And luge is so fun these days.
     
    Tom the Bomb, bvader, kioti and 2 others like this.
  30. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    HA!!!! Too funny. I was joking that our group was chasing you guys up Silverado Cyn. Chatted with Tony a little bit on the way up Maple.

    Agreed that everything was in really nice condition considering all the rain we have had the last couple of weeks.
     
    Tom the Bomb and konakc like this.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


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