Ride Reports

11/06/04 Greenleaf ride

Riders: Clifton, Charles, Ward, Paul, Shane, Walt, James, Marcel
Trail: Greenleaf State Park, OK (South & North Loop)

Ahhhh! yes! Green leaf!

Shane, Paul, Marcel, Charles, Ward, James, Clifton and myself headed out for Green Leaf.

I think I have been on my mountain bike once since the Roman Nose TDD race in June and that time was at Draper. So I knew I was going to have a crash course of trying to regain any sort of technical skills required to ride this trail. As I rode down the road to reach the first section of trail all that was going through my head is that this bike feels so foreign to me. I guess all that time on a road bike has it's problems after all. Once we hit the first section of trail (which is a nice little down hill old road bed covered with rocks and leaves) I was thinking this is going to be a loooooong day. I was not comfortable at all! Too late now. We hit the first bit of trail before crossing the bouncing bridge without much trouble. By that I mean no blood or mechanicals. To our surprise the trail had been trimmed back for the most part but they must have forgotten to call Tietsort with his leaf blower because the leaves were covering at least half of the rocks and that was not a good thing. So the eight of us bounced laughed and bounced of the rocks like little pin balls for the next couple of miles until we reached the first bump in the trail or at least I received the first bump to my knee. There is this rock drop about 2.5 feet high nothing big but it has this little chunk of rock at the lip that if you don't power over it will throw you on your head. So Clifton hits no problem as usual, then Charles cussing Clifton all the way over it with no problem, then I hit it knowing I have never cleaned this but hey there is always the first time right? Well not this time either. Ward had the million dollar view of my face getting really intimate with the dirt and rock of Green Leaf State Park for the first time but certainly not the last time of the day. So I do as we all do when we eat it. I got up and hopped back on my bike and kept riding as I cried to myself.

As we hit the more primitive section of the trail we started orienteering as we rode. The trail was sooo covered with leaves that the only way we could find it was to look for the blue blazes on the trees while looking for rocks and trying to pick a line... Quite mentally taxing when riding point! So as one of us would lose the trail and veer off the next person inline would pick up the trail if they could find it. Some time right about now Marcel had stopped for a photo opp. and as we all passed he packed up his camera and walked back to his bike, looked up and was totally lost without any of us knowing. We all rode a bit farther and stopped for a bite to eat. Charles and Marcel were nowhere to be found. As we were eating they pull up and Marcel starts to tell the story of being totally lost on a trail that we know is there but none of us could really see. Now we come to the part of Charles and cable housing... Somehow Charles had broken his front derailleur cable. Marcel happens to have a spare cable (He is the king of spare parts on the trail!) But we don't have a phillips to get the old cabled out. So by now father Shane has taken interest in the situation and observes the extra 2 feet of cable and housing Charles has as stylish loops behind his seat post. So Shane cuts about a foot of it off (wanted to keep some extra in case this happens again) and they get Charles back in business. So were off and soon I was off the bike and over the bars several times on the little tricky decent Clifton calls his "nemesis." He and Charles both clean it for the first time!!!!!! As we make the turn and make our way back we run into the 'Trail Man" and others from the Ok Ankle Express. They are the group who maintains this fine trail. For a moment we were really happy because we could actually see the trail. Then Mechanical #2 happens Ward flats. With a flat change always starts good conversations on off the wall subjects... This was no different All I can say is that Shane has a fine solution to Russian women with bad teeth.... We all get on our bikes and Mechanical #3 happens Charles realizes he has flatted also... More jokes on the same and other colorful subjects... By know we are all feeling the affects of the trail and are ready to get to the vehicles for some tasty suds! The group splits a bit and we are riding along with out much problem besides finding the trail and there I go again kissing rock... Man this it getting old! So we continue up the long hike a bike climb and start working our way through the lower sections and I heard something funny running through my rear wheel. I look down and don't see anything but when I pedal my chain is dragging. I hop off the bike and see that my chain had jumped into my spokes for no reason. So I unjam the mess, put my chain on my cogset and start to pedal with my hand get it in the right gear. When I notice this great deal of slack in my chain. That's when I noticed that 5 Pretty spokes on my pretty CrossMax wheels were bent and then I saw that my rear derailleur was wrapped around my chain stay and was missing a pulley. Well time to start running... So Ward says hey you should turn around and hit the fire road and of course the youngster defying my elder said no way were almost done. Well we were in about 3 miles. I must say I kept pretty good time on foot though.

16.5 miles, 3hrs riding, 5hrs on the trail, 1 broken cable, 2 flats, 1 rear derailleur, a few drops of blood, sweat, tears and a thousand laughs and memories later it proved to be another classic trip to Green Leaf!

THE END