dreadedmonkeygod . net

I woke up this morning still a little sore from this week's Krav & BJJ sessions, but after a little breakfast, some much-needed couch time (watched A History of Violence), and catching up on my usual biking & training blogs, I decided to do a little riding today. I headed up from the Long Canyon trailhead in Simi to the top of Simi Peak.

(Map: "Alberson to Simi Peak")

This is a great training ride, but I wish I knew of a more interesting aproach to China Flat from the Simi side. Alberson Fire Rd. is just a long uphill slog that I can only motivate myself to do with the promise of something new or fun at the top.

But once I did hit China Flat, the riding was great. The trails are really fun, and because of today's weather, I had them nearly to myself.

I'd set out today planning on riding to Simi Peak, but if I was feeling fresh at China Flat, I'd head down in to Agoura and do a loop around Chesebro Canyon. My legs were not fresh.

The final climb up to Simi Peak is challenging, and after climbing Alberson, my legs just didn't have the juice to keep me moving upward over the rocks. Next time for sure.

The clouds parted just long enough for me to enjoy a bit of sunshine adn a fantastic view from the top of Simi Peak. But before long I was getting cold, and it was time to head down again.

The descent from Simi Peak back to Alberson was great fun. I decided to explore a bit of singletrack I'd spotted on the way up, and it was a really fun ride, and went exactly where I wanted to go, winding up along the west end of China Flat to the connector road to Alberson.

I opted for the easy way back to Simi, and was glad I did-- I was completely gassed by the time I reached the bottom of Alberson, and got home on persistence and granny gears.