Wow! It's hard to believe that it's been 2 months since my last post. I guess it's all the more perplexing since I quit my job! Shouldn't I have more time to blog? Well, it's turned out that I do have more time... to ride.... he he he. These are the times when you realize what the more important things in life are. Funny thing is now that I'm not working, in-between-jobs as they say, I seem to be busier than ever. I wake up early and I feel like my days are full and well-spent, so much so that I get a good sleep at night.
Ok, time to catch up on my blogs. One memorable ride we did was last June over the Independence day holiday. After 3 tries, we finally completed the Bonanza Loop! Recall that we first explored the trail with Robin and Joel way back in April. We reached up to the stream and turned back (t'was me who chickened out due to exhaustion). The second time my bottom bracket gave out 30 minutes into the trail.
This time we challenged Elena, Mona, Nix and Kiko, our novice bikers, to help us finally close the loop. Frankly I was a bit worried about bringing them to a trail that we hadn't really fully explored. We knew they could make it to the stream, albeit with difficulty, but beyond that who knows what kind of uphills we would face? Robin, Bong and I just reassured them that we would take it slow and make frequent rest stops. I also insisted we start riding before 8 am to avoid the heat. The big risk we faced was we didn't know exactly where the trail starts to head down toward Montemar. Getting lost with a group of novice bikers is not exactly fun.
We motored to the trail head in Bgy. San Antonio and parked, hoping we'd still see our cars there when we came back. Our plan was to bike all the way to the front of Montemar, and complete the ride via concrete roads to Bgy. Kabayo, where we were staying. Then we'd motor back to San Antonio to pick up the 2 other cars.
It was a beautiful, sunny but cool morning as we set out. Luck was on our side, even the poultry farm wasn't so smelly. The novice riders looked comfortable as we hit the first rest stop for pictures. The first few hills though took its toll on Nix and Kiko. As usual, my son likes to barrel up the hills and then run out of steam at mid-climb. By the time we hit the ranch gate, Kiko was wondering aloud about heading back. Nix was experiencing shortness of breath and nausea; payback time for all the steaks she ate while on cruise a few days back!
It was a beautiful, sunny but cool morning as we set out. Luck was on our side, even the poultry farm wasn't so smelly. The novice riders looked comfortable as we hit the first rest stop for pictures. The first few hills though took its toll on Nix and Kiko. As usual, my son likes to barrel up the hills and then run out of steam at mid-climb. By the time we hit the ranch gate, Kiko was wondering aloud about heading back. Nix was experiencing shortness of breath and nausea; payback time for all the steaks she ate while on cruise a few days back!
Mona in the meantime was showing off her fitness charging up the hills on a borrowed bike. Unfortunately for her she didn't have the right shoes for the clipless pedals which were now painfully digging into her soft soles. When her feet would come off the pedals during a steep climb, she'd have to stop. Of course that's unacceptable for this spinning class instructor, so she would go back down the hill and ride up again! Although she was an ex-member of the David Salon Cycling Team she'd never gone mountain biking before and you could tell she was enjoying herself. Oops. Looks like Robin's going to have to buy a new bike soon.When we finally hit the stream, we took another well-earned rest. I couldn't restrain myself though, I decided to go on and scout the trail up ahead. What I saw wasn't encouraging. A 
looooong steep climb faced us. I had to fib a bit when I got back to the stream and I told the girls that it looks like the downhill part is nearby (ya right). "uhh, but first we need to push our bikes a bit since the climb's too steep." 15 minutes later, we were still alternately pushing and pedaling up this long hill. I stole a glance at Elena and she didn't look too happy.
looooong steep climb faced us. I had to fib a bit when I got back to the stream and I told the girls that it looks like the downhill part is nearby (ya right). "uhh, but first we need to push our bikes a bit since the climb's too steep." 15 minutes later, we were still alternately pushing and pedaling up this long hill. I stole a glance at Elena and she didn't look too happy. I kept reassuring them... malapit na... malapit na. See, I can see the trail and it's leveling off! (ya right). To my chagrin, the double track trail we were following began to turn away from the trail that I was pointing at a moment ago. Oh no, what if this trail starts heading uphill again?!? I was worried that the Kiko and the girls were near exhaustion and they couldn't take another climb. Luckily, it started leveling off and as we rounded the curve I saw a familiar group of eucalyptus trees in the distance. Further down we could see the South China Sea! It was like a big load was removed from my shoulders. The trail flattened out and eventually started heading down. It was a classic downhill ride complete w
ith green scenery and soft earth. The trail brought us to a rustic cattle farm where we politely asked an old man for directions. Take a left and you'll end up in Saysain. Turn right and it will lead you down to Montemar and Bagac. The cattle was quite a sight! About a hundred head of cattle blocked our trail. We could see ALL OF THEM staring at us from a distance, with their tails swishing away the flies. As we rode closer, the herd slowly parted to let us through. I could hear strains of the Marlboro theme song playing in my head.
ith green scenery and soft earth. The trail brought us to a rustic cattle farm where we politely asked an old man for directions. Take a left and you'll end up in Saysain. Turn right and it will lead you down to Montemar and Bagac. The cattle was quite a sight! About a hundred head of cattle blocked our trail. We could see ALL OF THEM staring at us from a distance, with their tails swishing away the flies. As we rode closer, the herd slowly parted to let us through. I could hear strains of the Marlboro theme song playing in my head. 
The payback downhill was worth the sacrifice! Not too steep, but loooong. Through the cogon fields, some cultivated plots and eventually we hit the eucalyptus tree plantation we had been to some weeks back. Within half an hour we were at the most technical part of the downhill. A steep, bumpy road with lots of water damage. Nix took a spill but wasn't hurt too badly. Elena gingerly made it through. Kiko didn't get off his bike at all. I guess there is no substitute for saddle time in teaching you good bike balance. Through out the whole ride, Kiko showed his excellent balance. His weakness though is he doesn't know how to pace himself and he still lacks mastery of his gear shifting. This results in a lot of energy wasted.
Finally we hit the last stretch of dirt road just before the Montemar subdivision. Just 20 meters from the concrete road, Elena took a spill over loose gravel. Elena could hear Bong exclaim, "Aray!" as she fell. "Ooooo, that's got to hurt!" Poor Elena. Her shin swelled up and you could see the black and blues. Luckily it was just a scratch. Tsk tsk tsk, I hope she doesn't accuse me of wife abuse!
The last few kilometers of concrete road took their toll on the novices. Except for Mona, they were exhausted. Although by this time, the rain started to fall cooling us down a bit. It was a triumphant ride nevertheless with the girls wishing for more of those rides in the future!
