885 St. Charles Dr. #11, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805 373-8824 e-mail: mtbikesman@aol.com
web site: http://www.nrmbc.org

January 2007

During the rainy winter months, if the ground is wet, call the ride leader on the morning of the ride to see if it's been relocated to a drier trail. There may also be a notice on the web site (http://www.nrmbc.org), but don't rely on that. Also, if you plan to join a night ride, phone or email the ride leader to make sure he or she knows you're coming, otherwise the ride could be canceled.

Summary

The Fine Print

By riding with the North Ranch Mountain Bikers I understand and accept the following:

► I understand that mountain biking can be dangerous and accidents can result in either injury or death.

► I understand there is no charge for the bike rides.

► I understand that the trails the North Ranch Mountain Bikers ride may not be verified for safety or ridability.

► I understand that it is my responsibility to determine if my riding skills match the difficulty of the trail we are riding on.

► I understand that the ride leaders accept no responsibility for my safety on any ride and that I undertake any ride knowing that I and I alone am responsible for my safety on the ride.

NEWS FOR EVERYONE

Sunday, January 7: CORBA Trail Work Day.   Come out and help build and fix up the trails we love to ride! It feels great to ride a trail you've helped build and maintain. For more information, visit the CORBA Trail Crew page. Work days usually last from 8 - 2:00. Be sure to wear suitable clothing (sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, hat, GLOVES) and bring snacks, sunscreen and WATER. CORBA will provide the tools and training. Time: 8:30 am.

Trailwork will be on the Mt Zion Trail in the Angeles Forest above Chantry Flats.

Saturday, February 17: CORBA Trail Work Day.   Come out and help build and fix up the trails we love to ride! It feels great to ride a trail you've helped build and maintain. For more information, visit the CORBA Trail Crew page. Work days usually last from 8 - 2:00. Be sure to wear suitable clothing (sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, hat, GLOVES) and bring snacks, sunscreen and WATER. CORBA will provide the tools and training. Time: 7:45 am.

Trailwork will be on the Ken Burton Trail in the Angeles National Forest near Brown Mountain.

WEEKEND RIDES

Saturday, December 30: Santa Barbara - Little Pine (Advanced).   Climbers, this is your ride: 13 miles of steep fireroad. You will, however, be rewarded for your effort by a 6-7 mile super-sweet, super-technical singletrack that descends down a beautiful canyon. From the Lower Oso parking lot we’ll climb approximately 4 miles up a steep fireroad, alongside a scenic riverbed, to the Cameusa Connector trail turnoff. From here we will continue climbing 2 more miles to a fork in the road and continue up the left fork for another 4 miles to a section of switchbacks known as "The Wall." From the top of The Wall it's another 2 - 2½ miles of moderate climbing to the Water Tower. We’ll continue along the saddle of the mountain from the Water Tower for about 1 - 1.5 more miles to the top where we'll enjoy some lunch and take in the scenic view of the Santa Barbara foothills, Cachuma Lake and, even the ocean on a clear day. Now comes the very narrow and very technical 6-7 mile singletrack decent. You also have the option of going back the down the fireroad to the parking lot if you don't feel up to the singletrack. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E5, Technical Rating = T5, 20 Miles and 3800 Feet of Climbing , About 4.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Tamara

Directions:   Take the 101 north to Santa Barbara and exit "154/Lake Cachuma". Go straight through the signal light, crossing Hollister Ave. This road will curve around to the left and leads to another major signal intersection, turn right. This is Hwy 154. The 154 will head up and over the mountain. Once you cross a very long bridge look for the Paradise Road turn-off, and turn right. Drive several miles to the Forest Ranger kiosk, in the middle of the road, where you can purchase an Adventure Pass. Continue straight across the cement bridge through the riverbed and park in the Lower Oso parking lot on the right by the bathrooms. Here's where we'll meet to start our ride. Plan for a 1.5 to 1.75 hour drive to get there from Thousand Oaks.

Sunday, December 31: Wildwood/Lynnmere.   Wildwood is a great place for an easier ride. There's a lot of neat riding (single track, fire road, creek crossings, and a small waterfall). We'll head out towards Lizard Rock via the fire road. At the base of Lizard Rock, there's a short hill that we'll be walking. From here we'll take the singletrack, that has a few technical sections (all walkable), down to the valley floor and head on to the falls for a short break. Then there's a climb up the Lynn Muir trail with lots of fun to be had on the singletrack that leads out to Lynn Road. After a couple miles of road riding we'll end up back at the main Wildwood parking lot. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3, 7 Miles and 1000 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Randy

An easy ride before the New Year's Eve Party

Directions:   Take the Lynn Road exit, off of the 101 Fwy in Thousand Oaks, and go north until you come to Avenida De Los Arboles. Turn left and go about 1 mile to the end. From Simi Valley, go west on the 118 Fwy and then south when it turns into the 23 Fwy. Get off on Avenida De Los Arboles and go right for about 2 miles to the end. Hang a U-turn at the end (watch for opposing traffic) and then turn right into the dirt parking lot.

Monday, January 1: Space Mountain/Rosewood.   This is a fun loop ride with lots of singletrack and switchbacks for your biking enjoyment. We start with a singletrack climb up Space Mountain. Then we’ll continue along the Los Robles Trail to the "Lookout" and take a break at the picnic table. Then it’s time to catch some thrills as we make our way down the Rosewood Singletrack to Lynn Road. After a short jaunt on pavement we are back on dirt again. This portion of the trail has a few ups and downs and connects with the whoop-de-doo trail that leads back to the cars. Meet at 12:01 pm and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3, 8 Miles and 1500 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Randy

This is a great way to start off the new year. It's a tradition the NRMB has had for quite some time.

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Moorpark Road exit in Thousand Oaks. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Moorpark till it dead-ends at Greenmeadow Avenue and park in the dirt lot on the right.

Saturday, January 6: Westridge/Sullivan Canyon.   This is a loop ride that begins with a moderate to fairly difficult climb up the Caballero singletrack to dirt Mulholland. From here it is a moderate climb on fireroad to the Nike tower. We will then ride the West Mandeville Fire Road (AKA Westridge) all the way down to where the dirt meets the road. An option for more advanced riders is to ride the firebreak singletrack (although the descent is mostly downhill, there are some rather challenging uphill sections along the way). There are several places where the fireroad and singletrack cross so you can switch from one to the other. At the bottom we will regroup and ride a little bit of pavement over to Sullivan Canyon. From here it’s a mostly moderate climb, with the exception of one fairly difficult climb, back up to dirt Mulholland. The ride ends with a fun downhill thrill on Caballero. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T3.5, 15 Miles, About 3.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Tamara

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Reseda Blvd. exit in Tarzana. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Reseda a couple of miles and park on the street at the trailhead. If you come upon the Braemar Country Club you've gone a little too far.

Sunday, January 7: Triunfo Canyon Trail and COSCA .   In the fall of 2005, the hard working trail builders rerouted the single track leading from Triunfo Park to the east COSCA area. It's much improved. We will start at Truinfo Park and climb up into the east COSCA area and work our way up to the infamous "Decent of Death" (most of us will walk this part. Then will have some fun single track out to where we can see Lake Sherwood. Then we head south to the main fire road and climb the Vista Loop Trail to the single track leading down to the base of Space Mountain. It’s down the fun Whoop de Doos and then up through Little Sherwood Forest and then back track to the Triunfo Canyon Trail singletrack via the Los Robles East fireroad. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4, About 3.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Randy

This got rained out last month. Lets try it again.

Directions:   Exit the 101 Freeway going south on Westlake Blvd. Go south for about a mile and then turn west (right) on Triunfo Canyon Road. This will lead you to Triunfo Park. Turn left onto Tamarack St and turn into the second parking lot on the left. The ride starts at the far west end of the park.

Saturday, January 13: Backbone: Kanan to Corral Canyon.   This is an out and back ride that is 100% singletrack and 200% fun. We will ride the Backbone singletrack approximately 7 miles to the parking area at the top of Corral Canyon. This trail has a lot of ups and downs and is quite technical in some sections. We’ll stop at the parking area for a while and take in the view. The ride back to the car will proceed along the same trail. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4, 14 Miles and 2600 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Tamara

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Kanan exit in Agoura Hills. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Take Kanan for several miles until you reach the third tunnel (don't forget to count them). Park in the paved parking area just before the tunnel. If you are coming from PCH then look for the parking area just after the first tunnel on the left.

Sunday, January 14: Test Your Metal and Your Mettle.   This near death experience was everybody's favorite last year. Would you like a ride to test your suspension? Want to be bounced until you drop? This is your ride. We start up Cheeseboro (smooth enough), cross over to China Flats (still smooth), descend down Dead Cow Road (should jar your brains out), cross over on Rocky Oaks (the final leg is worse than Dead Cow) and then cross back to Palo Comado. Then we bike up to the connector trail and then a fun descent down Cheeseboro to our cars. Whew! Are you a man or a mouse? Come test your mettle and your bike's metal on this ride. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4.5, 15 Miles and 2400 Feet of Climbing , About 4 Hours , Ride Leader: Randy

Who doesn't want to start the new year off with a spinal cord injury?

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Chesebro exit in Agoura. Head north and make a right on Chesebro Road. Follow the narrow road one-mile and turn right at the park entrance. Continue up the paved road 1/4 mile to the top parking lot.

Saturday, January 20: Sycamore from the Beach & Wood Canyon.   We’ll begin at the parking lot and ride up the Big Sycamore Trail to Two Foxes and back to the main fireroad. Then we ride up the paved Ranch Center Road and Art’s Trail. And it’s back to the paved road and we’ll see the water tower. The best part of this ride is blasting down Wood Canyon and then back to the main fireroad and on to the parking lot. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2, Technical Rating = T2, 14 Miles and 1200 Feet of Climbing , About 2.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Marizel

Directions:   For those who are coming from the San Fernando/ Los Angeles area: Take the 101 Fwy towards Ventura and exit on Kanan Road (make a left turn from the exit ramp).
Then make a right turn on PCH 1 and head towards Sycamore Canyon (it is 5-7 miles northwest of Kanan Road and is on the right side).

For those who are coming from the Santa Barbara/ Ventura/ Oxnard/ Camarillo area: Take the 101S Fwy (101N for those who are coming from Thousand Oaks/ Simi Valley) and exit on S Las Posas Road (going towards PCH). Then go to PCH 1 South and look for signs to go to Sycamore Canyon (which is on the left side).

If you don’t want to pay the $10 fee for parking in the lot you can look for parking on PCH. We'll meet on the park side of Pacific Coast Hwy 1 for the ride (in front of the restrooms, located by the campground/ parking lot area).

Saturday, January 20: Secret Singletracks of COSCA.   We ride in the Los Robles Trail East / COSCA area from time to time but we mostly stay on fireroads. On this ride, we'll explore several singletracks instead. We start with a climb up the Triunfo Canyon Trail and then turn down towards the Fairview Trail, make a loop and then head west on the Los Robles Trail Edison Road. We'll wind through several singletracks in the center of the COSCA area, including the brand new Bridgegate Trail. One of the trails will lead us down to the valley and the pavement for a few blocks to get to the Brookview Trail, which we climb to get back to the top of the Triunfo Canyon Trail, then head back down to the cars. Depending on how we feel, we may ride for a short distance on the Conejo Crest Trail (AKA Babyheads Ridge) but we will not be going up or down the Descent of Death. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4, 11 Miles and 2000 Feet of Climbing , About 3 Hours , Ride Leader: Steve

Because this is the first time we've ridden this, I've estimated the E and T ratings and erred on the side of being a little tough.

Directions:   Exit the 101 Freeway going south on Westlake Blvd. Go south for about a mile and then turn west (right) on Triunfo Canyon Road. This will lead you to Triunfo Park. Turn left onto Tamarack St and turn into the second parking lot on the left. The ride starts at the far west end of the park.

Sunday, January 21: Grasslands - Short Bulldog Loop.   We’ll bike over to Malibu Creek State Park via the Grasslands trail. Once inside the park we’ll proceed along the main fireroad, which passes through a fairly short but technical rocky streambed. After a short stop at the M*A*S*H site we’ll tackle the first 1.25 miles of Bulldog. After the steep but fairly short climb up Bulldog we’ll cut off onto Lookout Fireroad that will bring us down to a paved road in the Malibu Lake area. Then we’ll take Crags Road to a back entrance of the park and peddle back to the cars via the same path as before. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T3, 14 Miles and 2100 Feet of Climbing , About 3.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Joanna

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Lost Hills Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. Park in the lot for DeAnza Park located on the northwest corner of Lost Hills and Las Virgenes Roads.

Saturday, January 27: Cheeseboro/Bell Canyon.   We will begin with an easy to moderate climb up the Sulphur Springs Trail to Shepherd’s Flat. Then it’s a short ride east on the connector trail, which takes us to a strenuous climb up the power line fireroad. We will descend down the other side and cutoff onto a singletrack that goes though a portion of Bell and Las Virgenes Canyons. Then it’s another strenuous climb up Gaspipe to Sheep's Corral. From here it’s all downhill back to the cars via the Sulphur Spring Trail. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4.5, 18 Miles, About 3.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Randy

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Chesebro exit in Agoura. Head north and make a right on Chesebro Road. Follow the narrow road one-mile and turn right at the park entrance. Continue up the paved road 1/4 mile to the top parking lot.

Sunday, January 28: Caballero/Roger's Rd/Rustic Cyn/Sullivan Cyn.   We begin with a moderate to fairly difficult climb up the Caballero singletrack to dirt Mulholland. From here it is a moderate climb on fireroads up to the hub and onto a fun singletrack that leads to Roger's Road. We will proceed along Roger’s Road, a moderate singletrack, past the ‘Old Oak Tree’. Afterwards we'll take a rocky/rutted singletrack into Rustic Canyon. We'll climb back out of Rustic Canyon and over to and take Sullivan Canyon back to Mulholland. Then back to Caballero and the cars.  Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4.5, Technical Rating = T4, 20 Miles and 4000 Feet of Climbing , About 4.5 Hours , Ride Leader: Ken

This route takes us over a couple of dry streams that aren't too dry after it rains. This ride maybe rerouted or relocated if it rains in the days preceding it. Please check the Yahoo Groups for the latest ride info.

Directions:   Take the 101 Freeway to the Reseda Blvd. exit in Tarzana. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Reseda a couple of miles and park on the street at the trailhead. If you come upon the Braemar Country Club you've gone a little too far.