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Forest Hills (Cogeo) to Sierra Madre hotel in Tanay.
July 23, 2007
Last Saturday was a great cloudless day for a road ride.
Met up with JED around 5:30 am, loaded the van and passed for Isaias who was waiting for us on EDSA, We got to Forest Hills (passed Cogeo and Masinag market) on Marcos highway around 6:15, setup the bikes, warmed up and hydrated - we were off at a little past 6:30 am. The early morning jeeps and trucks were out in full force but once we were past Cogeo, traffic thinned out quite a bit. Now it was just you, your lungs and the road. 
With the occasional errant pedestrian or dog crossing that stymied your cadence. I was quite impressed with the maintenance of the roadway. It was nicely asphalted, painted and all the curves were properly marked. Perfect for a road ride!
It was the first time for me to take the old yellow racer for a ride since it was restored 3 weeks ago and almost immediately the 20+ year old bike started complaining. First I had to raise the tire pressure, then the alignment of the rear wheel got a bit skewed hampering the roll (almost felt like the brakes were on) and after the first 30 mins. of hard pedalling, the 20+ yr old leather strip on the left toe-clip finally gave! But continued pushing till I noticed that my shoe had started to rub on the crank and was starting to peel rubber. So no choice but to remove the whole clip. 
It was a good thing that Jed had instructed his driver to follow at a discreet distance behind the last rider. (a support vehicle ala Tour de France!) I decided to swap the bike with a spare mtb that he had brought "just in case" something like this would happen. But after an hour and half of almost 100% uphill climbs, my lungs and legs just gave up on me! Despite being hydrated - this ride showed how unprepared I was, physically, for such a climb. 
This road certainly beats " The wall " at Maarat anytime. The continuous uphill climb with very few recovery slopes was just too demanding. I had to rest. (read: stop) So once again, loaded the bike and now myself, into the van. My body didn't stop perspiring even as I reclined and stretched out. Was surprised that I had actually consumed all the water and gatorade that I had brought, in 2 hours! Around the 53 km marker, we needed to rest as Jed had a bad case of muscle cramps. After an hour in the van, I had fully recovered and was able to join the punishing pace set by Isaias. After a 15-20 min respite we continued to the Sierra Madre Hotel. Wow! Glad I decided to finish the ride with them, what a spectacular view this place had! Both sides had amazing scenery of the Sierra Madre mountain range on the North East and Laguna de Bay area on the West. There were a few residential developments and the ones around had spectacular views as well. One sales office even provided a roadside view deck , ala " Banawe rice terraces."
The last 4 to 6 kms from the sign to the hotel site was a gruelling uphill ride. But the fresh air and views were worth the pain. Don't mind the 2 dogs that bark and try to nip your heels. After cresting the ridge, inspite of the noon day sun, the temperature dropped and the ride downhill to the Pranjetto Hills Resort and Conference Center
was refreshingly cool and at one point I think I went more than 50 kmph! The thought of my earlier road rash experience kept my fingers long on the brakes. The wind rushing against you and the slight rumble of the knobbies on the cemented road was just a great feeling. Despite the fact that my racer had become a single speed!
We were able to fully recover after a nice swim in the center's pool and a quick lunch prepared by Lily, the center's cook. Here, it would be good to call in advance for meals you would like to have. The center's lack of regular customers prevents them from stocking up on too much food. So call ahead and make reservations. More for their services rather than a table. It seems the place is used for team building seminars and they cook specifically for the number of pax attending. Jed decided to have desert at " The Coffee Stop" around 30-35 mins. further down the road. 
Another scenic drive. Lots of zigzags ala Kennon road, leading to Pililia, Laguna. Again road conditions were perfect and lots of bikers. Both pedalling and scooteristas. They serve sandwiches and ala carte orders. Their coffee beans are from Gourmet Cafe and cakes from Cake Avenue. Noticed that some deserts they offered - I have'nt even seen in Manila. Have to call Liza A! All in all, a nice road ride. Maybe next time we do this, I will be better prepared. I read in the PMTB forum that there were 40+ riders that made it that same day! Congrats to all.
My first major spill on the trail. Analysis of an avoidable fall.
June 13, 2007"It was going to happen sooner or later" - This was what my friend, JD, said when he caught up with me on the downhill stretch of rough road, leading towards the Timberland Heights gate. I was sprawled all over the trail. My bike's rear wheel still caught in the rut that I had been trying to avoid. " Good thing it happened now, towards the end of the ride." he added. I actually agreed with him 100%. We were coming to the end of a 3 hour exploratory ride. Taking the Maarat - Timberland trail and seeing if we could ride all the way to Marcos Hiway towards Forest Hills. This was my third off-road ride and I was just happily buzzing along.
on the way: 
It was a stupid endo that could have been avoided. First, by NOT going sooo damn fast. But the thrill and the air rushing past was exhilarating. One couldn't seem to NOT WANT to go fast…. Second, making sure you knew what lay ahead is important. If you do not OR cannot see around the curve, SLOW down. Mixing the front and rear brakes - alternating so the tires were just starting to skid, and then releasing would have been okay on a regular graded road, but this part of trail was just too uneven for any real traction - to keep total control of the bike. Seemed like the rains earlier in the week had run little deeep ravines in them. And hey! the thrill of shooting down that hill was just too addicting and I did try to control the speed - unfortunately for me - the newbie in the group. My first ride down that Timberland trail, was just an accident waiting to happen. And it did.
When I came around the corner, I saw the uneven surface and the deep rut on the right side of the trail. I tried to steer the bike towards the left side, where the track seemed more even and with less rocks. But my speed was just a bit too fast and applying more brakes was out of the question. Too late. Tried to do the next best thing or so I thought. Go over the obstruction. I got to lift the front wheel but somehow didn't have enough bounce, to get the rear wheel through and over- and the rut just grabbed it! It was as if some giant's hand grabbed the wheel and shook me off. Next thing I knew, I was all over the trail. My knee aching and I had hit my ankle as well on something. Probably a rock. Just had enough time to shake off the spots and pour some of my precious water to clean up the cuts, before the other riders caught up. Well, another good reason we were ending the ride - I could use as much water as I could to clean up the wounds.
Thank goodness I had my helmet and my paintball gloves on. Or else, the bruises and cuts would have been much worse. So now it was just one bleeding knee and an ego, smarting more than the knee. Specially, when my other friend's 14 yr. old son came by. The 3 of them were just smiling. I guess they've all been through similar situations.
So, thats what happens when one falls down from a mountain bike at say, 17 or was it 27 kmph! But boy was it fun!! Although there was another bit of downhill to pursue - now all cement - it was still a thrill thinking about zipping down. Well now the air rushing all over the bleeding knee kept my finger on the brakes, just a tad longer. Now, I know why those down-hillers come with knees and elbows protected! Another item on my "to get" list.
The last 5 min downhill rush was soo anti-climatic. Adrenalin was still pumping when we got to Ka Tobias' store where the other bikers were having drinks and cooling off. But I had to focus on re-washing my wounds, wipe off the mud and dirt. And thank goodness too for Betadine! The smarting is still there, 2 Days later. But the thrill of that downhill rush is still there as well. Kinda overcomes the pain on the knee. But my hand and ankle are also starting to ache. So I just might have to visit another doctor friend and see what else I've managed to damage.
But you know what, I cant wait to get back on that trail and do it all over again! Minus the spill this time.