Joplin Again
Sometimes I just have to smile when I think back on a ride. This last Tuesday triggers a smile for sure. Two nights ago I did a night ride with Steven, Matt and Andrew down Joplin. We rode up Harding, down Joplin and then went from Old Camp back to our cars via Santiago Truck Trail.
For the longest time I've held Joplin up as the ultimate in technical downhill trails. The first time I ever bit off more than I could chew on a descent was Joplin. In fact it might be the only downhill trail I've ever turned around on (I hiked back up it on my first attempt).
Combine the existing mental barriers with a general reputation in the biking community as a difficult trail and you can see how I've let the word JOPLIN intimidate me.
The reality is that I've done much harder trails and rides since the first trip down Joplin earlier this year and going down it the other night was not that bad at all.
However it still makes me smile ... we did _Joplin_ at _night_.
The ride up Harding wasn't the fastest, but it was a good night to be riding and I felt pretty fresh the entire way up. It got a bit chilly towards the top, but it wasn't "knee warmer weather".
Matt ripped the sidewall on his rear tire and that allowed Andrew and I to catch up. Doug House was also on the ride but I didn't see much of him because he took off like a rocket up Harding. He has been in training mode lately and has become pretty freaking fast.
The trip from Four Corners to the start of Joplin was no big deal, but it was starting to get colder. On the way to the start of the trail two pickup trucks passed us with amazed 909'ers inside. They couldn't believe we were out riding at 9PM at night close to Santiago Peak. I have to admit ... you could tell they were impressed and it made me feel pretty awesome. Hahaha.
The trip down Joplin was fine for me minus one small biff. I walked the same sections I walked the first time I did it and did a few small drops that I walked the previous time. If you toss out the loose part at the top of the singletrack, it's actually a really fun descent. Very manageable for my skill level right now - meaning I don't have to walk the majority of it.
My favorite moment from the ride was when Steven was coming down a rock garden on his rigid singlespeed screaming, "HELLLLLLLLLLL YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Hahaha. Just one of those moments where you realize how awesome a ride is.
The trip from Old Camp back to the cars was uneventful. I have to say that after climbing Harding and descending Joplin that the ride from Old Camp is really a grind. Not a lot of enjoyable sections at all.
This ride beats Blackstar-Motorway at night for the first time for sure.
I'll never forget this ride.
For the longest time I've held Joplin up as the ultimate in technical downhill trails. The first time I ever bit off more than I could chew on a descent was Joplin. In fact it might be the only downhill trail I've ever turned around on (I hiked back up it on my first attempt).
Combine the existing mental barriers with a general reputation in the biking community as a difficult trail and you can see how I've let the word JOPLIN intimidate me.
The reality is that I've done much harder trails and rides since the first trip down Joplin earlier this year and going down it the other night was not that bad at all.
However it still makes me smile ... we did _Joplin_ at _night_.
The ride up Harding wasn't the fastest, but it was a good night to be riding and I felt pretty fresh the entire way up. It got a bit chilly towards the top, but it wasn't "knee warmer weather".
Matt ripped the sidewall on his rear tire and that allowed Andrew and I to catch up. Doug House was also on the ride but I didn't see much of him because he took off like a rocket up Harding. He has been in training mode lately and has become pretty freaking fast.
The trip from Four Corners to the start of Joplin was no big deal, but it was starting to get colder. On the way to the start of the trail two pickup trucks passed us with amazed 909'ers inside. They couldn't believe we were out riding at 9PM at night close to Santiago Peak. I have to admit ... you could tell they were impressed and it made me feel pretty awesome. Hahaha.
The trip down Joplin was fine for me minus one small biff. I walked the same sections I walked the first time I did it and did a few small drops that I walked the previous time. If you toss out the loose part at the top of the singletrack, it's actually a really fun descent. Very manageable for my skill level right now - meaning I don't have to walk the majority of it.
My favorite moment from the ride was when Steven was coming down a rock garden on his rigid singlespeed screaming, "HELLLLLLLLLLL YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Hahaha. Just one of those moments where you realize how awesome a ride is.
The trip from Old Camp back to the cars was uneventful. I have to say that after climbing Harding and descending Joplin that the ride from Old Camp is really a grind. Not a lot of enjoyable sections at all.
This ride beats Blackstar-Motorway at night for the first time for sure.
I'll never forget this ride.
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