Post by hyperion on Feb 11, 2008 21:50:19 GMT 8
Paco Mountainbikers Bataan MEGA Loop Adventure
Da Plan: Take early morning ferry to Orion from Manila, then ride from Orion to the beaches of Morong where we would stay overnight – take on the Da Killer Loop and Mt. Samat Shrine along the way and get back to Orion the next day. In short, this is a triple loop ride compressed into 2 days with one night of recovery time. Total distance: about 100+kms of nearly pure uphills and downhills. Difficulty: definitely not a walk in the park
Da Date: February 9-10, 2008
Starring:
PasawayL on his pretty in pink Vision 4X/DJ
Keiya on his camou Da Bomb XLRer
Dennis on his trusty Vision Pursuit
Athan on Attack Racing Ares
Ron-ron on GW MALLBIKE!
Bertscout on his Shawn H-3 DH rig
And I: Hyperion on my distorted Giant XTC
Da Ride:
The day began ominously bleak. We assembled at my Paco crib at about 4:30AM and set out at about 5 AM. We rushed to the CCP complex to catch the 6AM ferry to Orion. Alas, apparently there had been no more ferry trips to Bataan since January! Uh OH. Normally, this would have probably lead to ride cancellation but since we are certified mountainbiking addicts; we debated whether to ride all the way to Bataan or to take a bus or two.
Since some of us were carrying 20-30 lb backpacks fully packed with tents, cookware, toiletries, clothes, ipod including speakers etc; and a certain stubborn rider showed up on a 45lb DH bike (hmm who could that be?) a gruelling road rip to Bataan (around 5-6 hours at least?) was quickly ruled out of the question. Since there are 7 of us, our bikes probably wouldn’t fit on one bus either so we had to take another option.
Thankfully Keiya’s trusty Isuzu pickup (Da Bikez Transporterz) was there to save the day. We shoehorned all 7 of our rides into the pickup while 5 of us rode Ronron’s Isuzu Trooper (Da Riderz Transporterz). It was way past 7 AM by the time we have loaded our bikes and gear into the cars and we set out for Orion via NLEX.
Our convoy somewhere in Pampanga on the way to Bataan.
We arrived at Orion at around 9:45 AM. We had breakfast of rice, fried egg and tuyo courtesy of Athan’s parents and siblings who live in Orion. (Thanks Athan!) We left Orion at around 11:30. We passed by the junction to Mt. Samat Shrine along the way. We promised we will be back the next day.
From left to right: hyperion, dennis, Keiya, ronron, Bertscout and PasawayL
Da Killer Loop:
It is not hard to see why the killer loop is named as such and is considered to be a mountain biker’s haven.
Lovely mountain views? Check.
Strong and cool wind? Check.
Trees and shade? Check
Singletrack? Check.
Doubletrack? Check.
Steep climbs? Check.
Ruts? Check.
Roots? Check.
Rock Garden? Check.
Long and steep descents? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Adrenaline Rush? Right on!
In short, it was technical torture climbing up because of the loose rocks, deep ruts, bumps, roots, leaves and plants growing on the trail all of which conspire to kill momentum and balance. I think only PasawayL was able to ride to the top consistently while most of us had to dismount and rest our way to the top.
Mt. Samat Shrine as seen from Killer Loop
The appeal of this trail however is the HUGE FUN goin down. Stones and rocks were literally bouncing off my tires as I sped down the trail in almost uncontrolled mayhem which I had confidence to do only because PasawayL and Keiya were hurtling down even faster. I can see why FS AM rigs are favored for this trail.
My cyclo registered 58kph at some point and I was braking hard most of the time!
Just before we went downhill …
Resting near the foot of Killer Loop.
After the rapid descent, we proceeded to go to Morong. However, the road to Bagac didn’t turn out to be as easy as we thought. The road consisted of Sierra Madre-esque looooooong climbs and looooong descends and it took us 2 hours to get to Bagac. It was already 4:30 or so when we reached the Bell Tower at Bagac.
It would have been dark before we reached Morong so we decided to go to Saysain beach at Bagac instead. I thought that the beach was close to the Bell Tower and it would be an easy ride. Boy was I dead wrong. To get to the beach – we had to negotiate more major climbs and some very steep descents and it took an hour or more of climbing torture and steep descends before we made it into the beach head.
Saysain Beach turned to out be a really homey beach. The waves are pretty tame and the water was clear. The sand was soft and fine metallic gray, not dissimilar to the metallic gray color of Toyota Fortuners. We pitched our tents right away before darkness set in.
Athan and Bertscout who are both mountaineers brought portable stoves so we cooked our dinner right there. We had freshly caught fried flying fish for supper. Athan also cooked his sardinas and misua soup. It took 2-3 hours to prepare the food which was like … gone in 60 secs.
Relaxing just after dinner.
PasawayL
Our campsite
We took a dip and swam just before breakfast and it was a blast. PasawayL got into and out of the water nude! Too bad the camera was not with us a the time. The water was so clam that it was easy to float and swim like we were on a huge swimming pool. This was i contrast to the beach near my hometown in Bicol where the waves are 10 feet tall.
We left Saysain at around 10:30. PasawayL broke away early was first to reach the Mt. Samat Junction before 12 noon. I was next to arrive at Mt. Samat Junction at around 12:20. The rest of the pack at around 12: 50. The distance was around 30kms and yet it felt like 2X as long. I was tired by this time and there was the 7 kms more of climbing ... arggh
I envisioned Mt. Samat to be like Maarat. In fact looking at the cross from the road ... it didn’t seem too high. I was confident we can take it. What a dreadfully wrong assumption hehe. Maybe we could have taken Samat by force if we were fresh but not with fatigued muscles on the verge of failure.
While Samat has some flat portions and most of the climbs are relatively long shallow angles which can be negotiated with the middle ring – the turns are super steep and even pushing the bike was super energy draining work. Mt Samat it turns out is much much harder compared to The Wall. At around 580 meters of elevation – it is nearly as high as Sierra Madre Hotel but the road to the top is only 7kms long. It felt like Kandila with asphalt road ... and like Kandila - it is probably best attacked with fresh legs.
Someone marking up Samat
I and Keiya resting about ¼ of the way up.
I was flat out wasted only halfway up. My quads burned and I was totally exhausted. I think I walked and pushed for nearly 1km to get to the shrine and had to stop briefly every 5 minutes or so to catch breath.
Tired riders at the gate to the Mt. Samat Shrine
Proud strong conqueror of Samat: PasawayL
Wasted conqueror of Samat: Athan
Another wasted conqueror: Me – no more energy even to smile
Keiya ... excited to go downhill
Keiya’s Baguio training pays off as he powers his way to the top – PasawayL style.
Dennis pushing his way at the last steep curve
Ron and Athan pushing
Me pushing and resting ... and cursing myself for getting out of shape by eating too much hehe.
Me before I went up the elevator to the top of the cross.
Paco Mountainbikers: Conquerors of Mt. Samat Shrine.
We began the descent down Mt. Samat at around 4:30 PM after a hearty snack of cup noodles and gatorade at the canteen. We finally remembered that we were sooo excited to climb up the Shrine that we actually forgot to have lunch!
Because I was very fatigued, I was the de facto sweeper. I already have very slow reaction time and I can barely put weight and load on my legs, so I dragged my brakes nearly all the way down. Even so, I exceeded 50kph easily everytime I feel I was going too fast and I take a glance at my cyclo before braking. Apparently PasawayL and Keiya raced (and beat) some motorbikes and cars on the way down so they were going down much much faster.
Finally we were back at Orion by 5:30 or so but we had to load our bikes and clean up a bit. It was way past 8 PM before we were able to leave after giving our heartfelt thanks to Athan’s family.
Somewhere in Pampanga on the way to NLEX
We had dinner at Fishermen’s Grill in Apalit Pampanga and like all our previous meals – the food disappeared in 60 secs hehehe.
Back in Paco Manila at around 12 midnight.
I normally sleep at around 2-3 AM but not this time. I took a quick bath and was dozing off in no time at all. I woke up early today as if I had some long riding to do. My whole body is sore especially my quads and hams. Even my butt hurts which haven't felt in a long while. But then I haven't had any two day ride ever! I took my SS bike to Binondo but I can barely put power to the pedal. This was no doubt one helluva ride. Fun and hard but more importantly: we are challenged. I want a revenge ride to conquer Mt. Samat – hopefully without dismounting the next time around. Bataan – we will be back.
Da Plan: Take early morning ferry to Orion from Manila, then ride from Orion to the beaches of Morong where we would stay overnight – take on the Da Killer Loop and Mt. Samat Shrine along the way and get back to Orion the next day. In short, this is a triple loop ride compressed into 2 days with one night of recovery time. Total distance: about 100+kms of nearly pure uphills and downhills. Difficulty: definitely not a walk in the park
Da Date: February 9-10, 2008
Starring:
PasawayL on his pretty in pink Vision 4X/DJ
Keiya on his camou Da Bomb XLRer
Dennis on his trusty Vision Pursuit
Athan on Attack Racing Ares
Ron-ron on GW MALLBIKE!
Bertscout on his Shawn H-3 DH rig
And I: Hyperion on my distorted Giant XTC
Da Ride:
The day began ominously bleak. We assembled at my Paco crib at about 4:30AM and set out at about 5 AM. We rushed to the CCP complex to catch the 6AM ferry to Orion. Alas, apparently there had been no more ferry trips to Bataan since January! Uh OH. Normally, this would have probably lead to ride cancellation but since we are certified mountainbiking addicts; we debated whether to ride all the way to Bataan or to take a bus or two.
Since some of us were carrying 20-30 lb backpacks fully packed with tents, cookware, toiletries, clothes, ipod including speakers etc; and a certain stubborn rider showed up on a 45lb DH bike (hmm who could that be?) a gruelling road rip to Bataan (around 5-6 hours at least?) was quickly ruled out of the question. Since there are 7 of us, our bikes probably wouldn’t fit on one bus either so we had to take another option.
Thankfully Keiya’s trusty Isuzu pickup (Da Bikez Transporterz) was there to save the day. We shoehorned all 7 of our rides into the pickup while 5 of us rode Ronron’s Isuzu Trooper (Da Riderz Transporterz). It was way past 7 AM by the time we have loaded our bikes and gear into the cars and we set out for Orion via NLEX.
Our convoy somewhere in Pampanga on the way to Bataan.
We arrived at Orion at around 9:45 AM. We had breakfast of rice, fried egg and tuyo courtesy of Athan’s parents and siblings who live in Orion. (Thanks Athan!) We left Orion at around 11:30. We passed by the junction to Mt. Samat Shrine along the way. We promised we will be back the next day.
From left to right: hyperion, dennis, Keiya, ronron, Bertscout and PasawayL
Da Killer Loop:
It is not hard to see why the killer loop is named as such and is considered to be a mountain biker’s haven.
Lovely mountain views? Check.
Strong and cool wind? Check.
Trees and shade? Check
Singletrack? Check.
Doubletrack? Check.
Steep climbs? Check.
Ruts? Check.
Roots? Check.
Rock Garden? Check.
Long and steep descents? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Adrenaline Rush? Right on!
In short, it was technical torture climbing up because of the loose rocks, deep ruts, bumps, roots, leaves and plants growing on the trail all of which conspire to kill momentum and balance. I think only PasawayL was able to ride to the top consistently while most of us had to dismount and rest our way to the top.
Mt. Samat Shrine as seen from Killer Loop
The appeal of this trail however is the HUGE FUN goin down. Stones and rocks were literally bouncing off my tires as I sped down the trail in almost uncontrolled mayhem which I had confidence to do only because PasawayL and Keiya were hurtling down even faster. I can see why FS AM rigs are favored for this trail.
My cyclo registered 58kph at some point and I was braking hard most of the time!
Just before we went downhill …
Resting near the foot of Killer Loop.
After the rapid descent, we proceeded to go to Morong. However, the road to Bagac didn’t turn out to be as easy as we thought. The road consisted of Sierra Madre-esque looooooong climbs and looooong descends and it took us 2 hours to get to Bagac. It was already 4:30 or so when we reached the Bell Tower at Bagac.
It would have been dark before we reached Morong so we decided to go to Saysain beach at Bagac instead. I thought that the beach was close to the Bell Tower and it would be an easy ride. Boy was I dead wrong. To get to the beach – we had to negotiate more major climbs and some very steep descents and it took an hour or more of climbing torture and steep descends before we made it into the beach head.
Saysain Beach turned to out be a really homey beach. The waves are pretty tame and the water was clear. The sand was soft and fine metallic gray, not dissimilar to the metallic gray color of Toyota Fortuners. We pitched our tents right away before darkness set in.
Athan and Bertscout who are both mountaineers brought portable stoves so we cooked our dinner right there. We had freshly caught fried flying fish for supper. Athan also cooked his sardinas and misua soup. It took 2-3 hours to prepare the food which was like … gone in 60 secs.
Relaxing just after dinner.
PasawayL
Our campsite
We took a dip and swam just before breakfast and it was a blast. PasawayL got into and out of the water nude! Too bad the camera was not with us a the time. The water was so clam that it was easy to float and swim like we were on a huge swimming pool. This was i contrast to the beach near my hometown in Bicol where the waves are 10 feet tall.
We left Saysain at around 10:30. PasawayL broke away early was first to reach the Mt. Samat Junction before 12 noon. I was next to arrive at Mt. Samat Junction at around 12:20. The rest of the pack at around 12: 50. The distance was around 30kms and yet it felt like 2X as long. I was tired by this time and there was the 7 kms more of climbing ... arggh
I envisioned Mt. Samat to be like Maarat. In fact looking at the cross from the road ... it didn’t seem too high. I was confident we can take it. What a dreadfully wrong assumption hehe. Maybe we could have taken Samat by force if we were fresh but not with fatigued muscles on the verge of failure.
While Samat has some flat portions and most of the climbs are relatively long shallow angles which can be negotiated with the middle ring – the turns are super steep and even pushing the bike was super energy draining work. Mt Samat it turns out is much much harder compared to The Wall. At around 580 meters of elevation – it is nearly as high as Sierra Madre Hotel but the road to the top is only 7kms long. It felt like Kandila with asphalt road ... and like Kandila - it is probably best attacked with fresh legs.
Someone marking up Samat
I and Keiya resting about ¼ of the way up.
I was flat out wasted only halfway up. My quads burned and I was totally exhausted. I think I walked and pushed for nearly 1km to get to the shrine and had to stop briefly every 5 minutes or so to catch breath.
Tired riders at the gate to the Mt. Samat Shrine
Proud strong conqueror of Samat: PasawayL
Wasted conqueror of Samat: Athan
Another wasted conqueror: Me – no more energy even to smile
Keiya ... excited to go downhill
Keiya’s Baguio training pays off as he powers his way to the top – PasawayL style.
Dennis pushing his way at the last steep curve
Ron and Athan pushing
Me pushing and resting ... and cursing myself for getting out of shape by eating too much hehe.
Me before I went up the elevator to the top of the cross.
Paco Mountainbikers: Conquerors of Mt. Samat Shrine.
We began the descent down Mt. Samat at around 4:30 PM after a hearty snack of cup noodles and gatorade at the canteen. We finally remembered that we were sooo excited to climb up the Shrine that we actually forgot to have lunch!
Because I was very fatigued, I was the de facto sweeper. I already have very slow reaction time and I can barely put weight and load on my legs, so I dragged my brakes nearly all the way down. Even so, I exceeded 50kph easily everytime I feel I was going too fast and I take a glance at my cyclo before braking. Apparently PasawayL and Keiya raced (and beat) some motorbikes and cars on the way down so they were going down much much faster.
Finally we were back at Orion by 5:30 or so but we had to load our bikes and clean up a bit. It was way past 8 PM before we were able to leave after giving our heartfelt thanks to Athan’s family.
Somewhere in Pampanga on the way to NLEX
We had dinner at Fishermen’s Grill in Apalit Pampanga and like all our previous meals – the food disappeared in 60 secs hehehe.
Back in Paco Manila at around 12 midnight.
I normally sleep at around 2-3 AM but not this time. I took a quick bath and was dozing off in no time at all. I woke up early today as if I had some long riding to do. My whole body is sore especially my quads and hams. Even my butt hurts which haven't felt in a long while. But then I haven't had any two day ride ever! I took my SS bike to Binondo but I can barely put power to the pedal. This was no doubt one helluva ride. Fun and hard but more importantly: we are challenged. I want a revenge ride to conquer Mt. Samat – hopefully without dismounting the next time around. Bataan – we will be back.