885 St. Charles Dr. #11, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805 373-8824 e-mail: mtbikesman@aol.com
web site: http://www.nrmbc.org
October 2007
"Kickstand" Pete will be hosting a Hallowe'en party this month. The details will be announced in the eGroup.
Remember to bring your walkie-talkie on the ride with you. We use channel 5, privacy code 25.
The Endurance Rating rates distance, climbing & pace of the rides. E1 represents the lowest level of exertion needed to complete a ride. And E5 represents the highest level of exertion needed to complete a ride. The Technical Rating (how smooth/rocky): | ||||
T1 Mostly smooth & wide |
T2 Mostly smooth but variable width |
T3 Predominately uneven surfaces & somewhat rocky |
T4 Long segments with rocky and uneven surfaces |
T5 Extensive segments with rocky & uneven surfaces with possible drops & exposure |
Summary
6:00 PM (E3.5 - T3.5) | |||
9:30 AM (E4.0 - T3.5) | |||
8:30 AM (E3.5 - T3) | |||
7:30 AM (More - Trails!) | |||
8:00 AM | |||
6:00 PM (E3.5 - T3.5) | |||
9:30 AM (E4 - T4.5) | |||
9:30 AM (E2.5 - T3) | |||
9:30 AM (E3.5 - T3) | Steve: Conejo Mountain Road | ||
8:30 AM (E4.5 - T4) | |||
9:30 AM (E3.5 - T3.5) |
Randy - 805 373-8824 mtbikesman@aol.com |
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Marizel - 818 590-8167 mtbmarizel@kmmiller.net |
Bob - 805-890-0052 goodtobebob2005-99@yahoo.com |
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Wendy - 818 522-0840 cyberdivachick@yahoo.com |
Charlotte - 805 890-1234 AftOnAGale@sbcglobal.net |
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Huck - 818 321-8868 hshapiro@bluestrike.com |
Steve - 805 402-3128 |
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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
Saturday, October 13: Annual COSCA Trail Work Day. This annual event draws a large crowd and as always helps to put some very sweet trails back into good shape. Be sure to stay afterwards for the free barbeque and raffle. Meet at the Conejo Community Center in Thousand Oaks (Botanical Garden Entrance off Gainsborough Road). Registration and board busses: 7:30-8:00 a.m. There will be a free barbecue lunch and raffle afterwards. Time: 7:30 am.
Sunday, October 14: CORBA Fat Tire Fest.
Join us for CORBA's biggest fundraising event (not to mention CORBA's biggest PARTY) of the year!
- Place: Malibu Creek State Park
- Poker Ride Check-In: 8:00AM - 10:30AM
- Poker Ride (Helmets Required!): 8:00AM - Noon
- 11:00AM - 12:55: Clinics, contests, demos
- BBQ Lunch: 11:30AM - 1:00PM
- Awards and Raffle: 12:55PM
Cost is $25 for CORBA members and $30 for non-members. Pre-register and receive 10 raffle tickets. Go to http://www.fattirefest.com/schedule.html for more information and to register.
CORBA is also looking for volunteers to work this event. If you are interested in helping out please contact Tamara.
Time: 8:00 am.
Directions: Take the 101 Freeway to the Las Virgenes Road exit in Calabasas. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south toward the ocean. The park entrance is on the West Side of the road just south of Mulholland. There is a fee for parking inside the park. Otherwise you can park in the dirt area on the corner of Las Virgenes and Mulholland. Start in the last parking lot by the restrooms inside the park.
WEEKEND RIDES
Saturday, October 6: Space Mountain / Potrero & back.
We start with a moderate climb up the Space Mountain singletrack. At the top we’ll continue across the Los Robles Singletrack until we get to the picnic table. After our break it’s on to Potrero Road with lots of up & down single track. Then we turn around
& retrace our steps back towards the picnic table, back along the Los Robles Singletrack, down Space Mountain, & through the Whoop De Doo Trail that leads back to the parking area.
Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4.0, Technical Rating = T3.5, 15 Miles and 3000 Feet of Climbing
, About 3.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Bob
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.
Sunday, October 7: Cheeseboro/China Flats Loop.
We will begin with an easy to moderate climb up the Sulphur Springs trail to Shepherd’s Flat. Then we head west on the Palo Comado connector singletrack that leads to the Palo Comado fireroad. We’ll continue up this rather steep fireroad for approximately a mile till we come to the top of China Flats. The loop ride around the top of China Flats is both beautiful and easy. Those with extra energy can ride and/or hike-a-bike up to Simi Peak. On a clear day the view from the top is well worth the fairly short but very strenuous technical climb up to it. We’ll then retrace our tracks and enjoy some fun downhill all the way back to the cars. Meet at 8:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3, 15 Miles and 1800 Feet of Climbing
, About 3 Hours
, Ride Leader: Wendy
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, October 20: 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
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, October 20: Cheeseboro to Lookout.
We will begin with an easy to moderate climb up the Sulphur Springs trail to Shepherd’s Flat. From here we’ll take the Palo Comado connector trail over to the lookout spot. Then we’ll turn around and enjoy some fun downhill all the way back to the cars via the same route as before. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E2.5, Technical Rating = T3, 10 Miles and 1100 Feet of Climbing
, About 2 Hours
, Ride Leader: Marizel
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, October 21: Conejo Mountain Road.
This seemingly remote road goes through a narrow valley of wonderful volcanic formations. Along the way we'll look at the trails west to Camarillo Springs and east to Newbury Park. The Conejo Mtn Rd starts with a moderatly steep climb up the flank of Conejo Mountain. After the first mile, it's all downhill until we reach the 101 freeway. The out-and-back trip is only 8.4 miles, so we'll start with some nearby singletrack segments and a few blocks on the pavement to connect everything together. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3, 11 Miles and 2350 Feet of Climbing
, About 2.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Steve
This is another new ride for North Ranch!
Directions:
The Dos Vientos Community park is on the south-west corner of the intersection of Borchard Rd and Via Ricardo in Dos Vientos. From east of Thousand Oaks, exit the 101 freeway at Borchard Rd and take it for about 3.5 miles. Turn right onto Via Ricardo and then left into the park.
From west of Thousand Oaks, turn south onto Wendy Dr from the 101 freeway. After about a mile, turn right onto Borchard Rd and continue as described above. Meet at the north-east corner of the parking lot.
Saturday, October 27: 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’. We will take Josepho drop (J-drop), a rocky/rutted singletrack, into Rustic Canyon. We'll climb back out of Rustic Canyon to the Sullivan fireroad and over to Squirrel Cage dropping us into Sullivan Canyon. We will climb the canyon back to Mulholland. Then back to Caballero and the cars. Meet at 8:30 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: Huck
For those who need a bit less strenuous ride, there is the option to meet at top of Reseda eliminating the Caballero climb
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, October 28: Sycamore: Sin Nombre-2 Foxes-Guadalasca-Backbone.
We start on the connector trail and take it over to the asphalt hill. We then descend to the Sycamore Canyon Fire Road, pick up the Sin Nombre ST & merge back into the main FR. Then we’ll ride the Two Foxes ST & take a right onto the Wood Canyon FR. We continue to the base of Guadalasco, climb it, and come down the Backbone ST to the main FR. We begin our return by going up the main FR, up Two Foxes, up Sin Nombre, up the main fire road, up the asphalt hill. From the top it’s a short ride back to the cars. Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3.5, About 3.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Randy
We do this ride clockwise instead of counter clockwise. We climb up Backbone and go down Guadalasca.
Directions: Take the 101 Freeway to the Wendy exit in Newbury Park. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Wendy until it dead-ends at Potrero Road. Park in the adjacent dirt parking area.
NIGHT RIDES
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday Nights. See Summary Section of the Newsletter for meeting times, ride times are 15 minutes later. The lengths of all rides are between 10 & 15 miles with ride times of 1.5 - 2.5 hours. Lights are needed for the months of September to May. During the summer months they may not be needed, but it's a good idea to bring them just in case there's a delay. The specific routes taken for the night rides will be determined at the trailhead.
Meeting Locations for Evening Rides:
Lang Ranch/Sunset at Night. Heading north on the 23 toward Simi, get off at Sunset Blvd and turn right. Continue straight until just before you get to the guard shack. Park in the lot on the right.
MTB Backbone from Kanan at Night. 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. Park in the paved parking area just before the tunnel.
MTB Cheeseboro at Night. 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. Park in the lower, paved parking lot (the gate to the upper lot is closed and locked at sunset).
MTB Dos Vientos at Night. From the 101 freeway, turn south onto Wendy Drive, towards the ocean. Continue for about 0.7 miles and turn right at Borchard Rd and head West 0.5 miles. Turn left on to S. Reino Rd taking this South for about a mile passing Maurice Dr. On your left as you pass Paseo de Leon will be a Church parking lot. We will meet there.
MTB Grasslands at Night. 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.
MTB Lang Ranch/Albertson at Night. Exit the 101 Freeway on Westlake Blvd and head north for about 3 miles. When you go past the North Ranch Community Center you will go downhill and the first traffic light is at the corner of Westlake and Lang Ranch Parkway. Turn right onto Lang Ranch Parkway and drive about 0.8 miles to where the pavement ends and Albertson Fire Road begins.
MTB Las Virgenes Canyon at Night. From the 101, exit Las Virgenes and turn North (away from the ocean). Proceed approximately one mile to the dead end.
MTB Space Mountain at Night. 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.
MTB Wildwood at Night. 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.
Reseda at Night. Due to the extra drive, we will meet @ 6:15 and ride by 6:30. Meeting place: 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 and park at the Caballero trailhead. Trailhead is on the left. If you pass the Braemar Country Club you’ve gone too far.
Sycamore Canyon at Night. Take the 101 Freeway to the Wendy exit in Newbury Park. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south on Wendy until it dead-ends at Potrero Road. Park in the adjacent dirt parking area.
Trippet Ranch to Overlook at Night. Take the 101 Fwy to the Topanga Blvd exit. At the end of the off-ramp proceed south (towards the ocean). Continue up Topange approx. 5 miles until you reach Entrada which is the entrance to the park on the left. Follow Entrada to the park entrance.
Triunfo Canyon Trail at Night. 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.