The Palm Canyon Epic is a point to point ride that starts in the mountains south of Palm Springs, California, and descends to the city via some of the most rugged terrain I've ever ridden. Several years ago I attempted this ride twice with two groups, and despite starting early in the morning, most of us had to take a shortcut to the finish due to impending darkness. I remember it being incredibly rugged, remote, very technical, and having miles of narrow trails high above deep canyons. My skills are terrible and I'm terrified of heights, and I, along with several others, frequently got off the bike and walked. Until today I considered it to be the toughest ride I'd ever done.
I had to take some time off in early January following some surgery and I've yet to have an "out of town" ride this year. I really wanted someplace warm, especially after riding in a snow storm just a few days ago. Lead-Sled agreed to lead Joe @ MBD.com and I on the Palm Canyon Epic, but we warned him I'm pretty slow. I think I almost scared him off, but I'm glad he came. He and Joe are quite strong riders and Lead-Sled is an especially fast downhiller. I was determined to finish the entire route this time and to not hold the other two up. So I made a huge effort to stay on the bike as much as possible in order to keep up. I had my best technical skills ever, made steeper descents than ever, and rode virtually everything I had walked in the past. I just tried to let go and let my 29er do its thing, and it did. And, although I was much slower than the other two, I rode all those narrow trails with all that nasty exposure. The only section I had trouble with was the 3.5+ mile sandy wash. Even though it was supposed to be in the best condition ever, it really sapped the strength out of my thighs, wore me out mentally, and it took me quite awhile to recover.
Stopping for photos really added up, and even I probably could have done the ride in five hours. It was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and I certainly no longer consider it my toughest ride ever. In both distance and time, it is much shorter than my typical weekend ride. But it was a blast, and improving my technical skills made it quite worth while. Special thanks to Lead-Sled and Joe for the ride! Many more photos on my SmugMug site.
Our host, Lead-Sled
Joe
Joe
Me, courtesy Joe. Much steeper than it looks!
The Dry Wash
Me
I had to take some time off in early January following some surgery and I've yet to have an "out of town" ride this year. I really wanted someplace warm, especially after riding in a snow storm just a few days ago. Lead-Sled agreed to lead Joe @ MBD.com and I on the Palm Canyon Epic, but we warned him I'm pretty slow. I think I almost scared him off, but I'm glad he came. He and Joe are quite strong riders and Lead-Sled is an especially fast downhiller. I was determined to finish the entire route this time and to not hold the other two up. So I made a huge effort to stay on the bike as much as possible in order to keep up. I had my best technical skills ever, made steeper descents than ever, and rode virtually everything I had walked in the past. I just tried to let go and let my 29er do its thing, and it did. And, although I was much slower than the other two, I rode all those narrow trails with all that nasty exposure. The only section I had trouble with was the 3.5+ mile sandy wash. Even though it was supposed to be in the best condition ever, it really sapped the strength out of my thighs, wore me out mentally, and it took me quite awhile to recover.
Stopping for photos really added up, and even I probably could have done the ride in five hours. It was a thoroughly enjoyable ride and I certainly no longer consider it my toughest ride ever. In both distance and time, it is much shorter than my typical weekend ride. But it was a blast, and improving my technical skills made it quite worth while. Special thanks to Lead-Sled and Joe for the ride! Many more photos on my SmugMug site.
Our host, Lead-Sled
Joe
Joe
Me, courtesy Joe. Much steeper than it looks!
The Dry Wash
Me