Forest Hills (Cogeo) to Sierra Madre hotel in Tanay.

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.