web site: www.nrmbc.org
885 St. Charles Dr. #11, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
805 373-8824 e-mail: mtbikesman@aol.com
January 2008
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.
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
12:00 PM (E3 - T3) | |||
9:00 AM (E4.5 - T3.5) | |||
9:00 AM (E3.5 - T3.5) | |||
9:00 AM (E3 - T4) | |||
9:00 AM (E3 - T3.5) | |||
9:30 AM (E3 - T1) | |||
8:30 AM (More - Trails!) | |||
9:00 AM (E4 - T4) | |||
9:30 AM (E3.5 - T3.5) | |||
9:00 AM (E5 - T3) | |||
9:00 AM | Steve: Hike Conejo Mountain | ||
9:30 AM (E4 - T4.5) |
Randy - 805 373-8824 mtbikesman@aol.com |
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Ken - 818 590-8164 mtbken@kmmiller.net |
Tamara - 805 490-3650 MtnBykGirl@att.net |
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Marizel - 818 590-8167 mtbmarizel@kmmiller.net |
Joanna - 805 241-9772 JRogersmr@cs.com |
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Wendy - 818 522-0840 cyberdivachick@yahoo.com |
Steve - 805 402-3128 |
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Huck - 818 321-8868 hshapiro@bluestrike.com |
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, January 19: 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.
CORBA and the Santa Monica Mtns Trails Council will be working on Guadalasca Trail in Sycamore Canyon. Meet at the corner of Wendy and Portrero for the shuttle to the trail at 8:30 am.
WEEKEND RIDES
Tuesday, 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 12:00 pm and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T3, 8 Miles and 1500 Feet of Climbing
, About 2.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Randy
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 5: Sycamore: Guadalasca - Backbone Double Loop.
We start off on the connector trail that leads to Big Sycamore Canyon Road. We’ll descend down into the canyon and take Sin Nombre over to Sage and make the climb up to the water tower. From here it’s a fast and fun decent down Wood Canyon. Then it’s another climb up to the top via Guadalasca. We’ll ride the fireroad over to Backbone and enjoy another great descent. Then for those who haven't had enough climbing we'll turnaround and go back up Backbone and reverse our course. We'll get a another fun descent down Guadalasca as a bonus for our efforts. Then after a short jaunt on Two Foxes we’ll head up the main fireroad and climb up the dreaded asphalt hill. From the top it’s just a short ride back to the cars. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4.5, Technical Rating = T3.5, 25 Miles and 3500 Feet of Climbing
, About 4.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Ken
This will be a harder, longer and faster pace ride than the one Marizel is leading.
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.
Saturday, January 5: Sycamore: Modified Guadalasca - Backbone Loop.
We start off on the connector trail that leads to Big Sycamore Canyon Road. We’ll descend down into the canyon and cutoff onto Sin Nombre and continue down to the end of Two Foxes. From here we'll head up Wood Canyon and climb up Guadalasca to the top of the mountain. Then it's a fast fireroad descent over to Backbone where we'll enjoy more descending on a really fun singletrack. After a short ride back up Two Foxes we’ll continue riding up the main fireroad and climb the dreaded asphalt hill. From the top it’s just a short ride back to the cars via the connector trail. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3.5, Technical Rating = T3.5, 18 Miles and 2200 Feet of Climbing
, About 3.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Marizel
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.
Sunday, January 6: Cheeseboro/Gas Pipe/Las Virgenes.
We begin with an easy to moderate climb up the Sulphur Springs trail to Shepherd’s Flat. Then we head east and ride down Sheep Corral (AKA Gaspipe), a really fun technical singletrack that leads down into Las Virgenes Canyon. We’ll continue down the fireroad until it ends at the city street. Then we will cut through the gate to start the Edison Fire Road climb for about 2 miles until the short Canyon View descent back into Cheesebro.
The T4 rating is due to the Gas Pipe downhill section, which is about 15 minutes long. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T4, 10 Miles and 1800 Feet of Climbing
, About 2.5 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, January 12: Limekiln, Brown's Cyn & Comanche.
We will ride up Limekiln Canyon from Rinaldi to where it exits at Sesnon. Then we will head West on Moonshine Canyon veering off to the north into the Oak groves where we descend into Browns Canyon. The decent is using a nice single track that is referred to as the "Luge" since it kind of feels like a bobsled track. From the bottom we will make multiple stream crossings ending up on Browns Canyon Road. We will ride uphill (North) about a mile on pavement to Antonivich park. Here we will ride down the combination of fireroads, rocky sections, single tracks and old stream bed until we climb out by the 118 Fwy. Finally we will take the Mission trail East back to our original starting location. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T3.5, 13 Miles and 2300 Feet of Climbing
, About 3 Hours
, Ride Leader: Huck
Directions:
Coming from the West (i.e. Chatsworth, Simi Valley, etc.):
Take the 118 East and exit Porter Ranch Drive. You will make a left when exiting the offramp and then a right onto Rinaldi St. Take Rinaldi past Corbin and you will see a park area on your left past the shopping area. You may have to head past the location to turn around and park on the North (Left) side of Rinaldi.
Coming from East (i.e. 405 North):
Take 118 West and exit Tampa. You will make a right when exiting the offramp and head to the left. You will make a left on Rinaldi and park on the right (North) past the townhomes.
Sunday, January 13: Ojai - Sulphur Mountain.
This is the perfect Spring ride - a beautiful out and back along a country fireroad amongst grazing cattle. The first half of the ride is a moderate, non-technical nine-mile climb up a fireroad. Along the way there are spectacular mountain vistas to spy to the North, Lake Casitas to the West, and the Pacific Ocean to the South. At the top we’ll take a break. Then it’s 9 glorious miles of DOWNHILL back to the cars. Wow, what a great finale!!! Meet at 9:30 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E3, Technical Rating = T1, 18 Miles and 2300 Feet of Climbing
, About 3.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Joanna
Directions: Take the 101 Freeway to the 33, just a bit west of Ventura. Continue north on the 33 for approximately 7 miles and make a right onto Sulphur Mountain Road. If you reach the town of Oak View you’ve gone too far. Park at the end of Sulphur Mountain Road.
Saturday, January 19: Las Llajas/Devil's Canyon/Johnson Mtwy/Chumash.
We will start at the bottom of Chumash Trail and ride on the street to Las Llajas Canyon, where we climb a gentle fireroad with 530 ft of elevation gain over 3.5 miles. At this point we will turn up the steep Oil Well Road until we reach Rocky Peak Fireroad. Here we can take a break to catch our breath and regroup. We will then head east a bit to start our descent along Devil's Canyon. This will be 4.5 miles of technical single-track navigating along the exciting canyon floor. When we reach the end, we will climb out above the 118 Fwy and up through the mansions of Chatsworth to reach Johnson's Motorway. This 2.8 mile climb along a rocky fireroad will get your heart pumping. After resting at the top, we will ride down to the bottom on Chumash Trail, a mostly firm but often rocky singletrack. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E4, Technical Rating = T4, 18 Miles and 3200 Feet of Climbing
, About 4 Hours
, Ride Leader: Huck
There will be a slightly slower Intermediate group (still E4) starting 30 minutes earlier
Directions: Take the 118 Freeway to the Yosemite Avenue exit in Simi Valley. At the end of the off-ramp proceed north to Flanagan and make a right. Park on the side of the road at the end of Flanagan.
Sunday, January 20: Sycamore: Guadalasca - Backbone Loop.
We start off on the connector trail that leads to Big Sycamore Canyon Road. We’ll descend down into the canyon and take Sin Nombre over to Sage and make the climb up to the water tower. From here it’s a fast and fun decent down Wood Canyon. Then it’s another climb up to the top via Guadalasca. We’ll ride the fireroad over to Backbone and enjoy another great descent. After a short jaunt on Two Foxes we’ll head up the main fireroad and climb up the dreaded asphalt hill. From the top it’s just 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, 19 Miles and 2900 Feet of Climbing
, About 3.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Randy
We will climb backbone and go down Guadalasca. Everyone enjoyed this last time.
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.
Saturday, January 26: Malibu Creek - Bulldog - Tapia.
This is loop ride with beautiful vistas of both the mountains and the ocean. The climb up Bulldog is rather difficult due to its steepness and length, approximately 3.7 miles to the top. From here we will take Castro Motorway down to the Corral Canyon parking lot. Continuing on, we’ll take Mesa Peak, which has several good climbs and descents. There is a great downhill to be enjoyed once we reach the Tapia fireroad. This fireroad ends at Malibu Cyn Rd just south of Tapia County Park. Then we’ll take the Tapia Spur Connector trail back to the cars. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
Endurance Rating = E5, Technical Rating = T3, 16 Miles and 3200 Feet of Climbing
, About 4.5 Hours
, Ride Leader: Tamara
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.
Sunday, January 27: 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 Rock Ridge Trail (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.
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.
HIKES
Sunday, January 27: Hike Conejo Mountain.
This loop hike will take us along the flank of Conejo Mountain where we'll see some remarkably isolated sections of Newbury Park and stark volcanic formations. We start with a stoll along the Borchard Path then turn north on the Jump Trail. The most difficult section will be the steep Index Finger Trail that takes us to Conejo Mtn Road with its volcanic rocks and stark isolation. We'll follow that back down to Dos Vientos, returning to the start on the street.
All of these trails are open to bikes, but the steepness of the Index Finger Trail makes it impractical to ride except for hard-core downhillers and jumpers. Meet at 9:00 am and be ready to depart 15 minutes later.
5 Miles and 1200 Feet of Climbing
, About 3 Hours
, Hike Leader: Steve
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.