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It's been a long while since I spent a day riding the local trails. And I've been itching to get back to the trails around Simi Peak. I used to ride in the area very regularly, but haven't been back since I moved to Agoura Hills in May. So, it was time.

I took the day off of work, and spend the day criss-crossing the best trails around Simi Peak.

(Map: "Rocky Peak Trails")

The map really speaks for itself. Five hours and fourty-five minutes of riding, three major climbs, and a lot of distance covered.

Descending Chumash was an absolute treat. What keeps me interested in mountain biking is going out on every ride and doing something that I couldn't do before. So it was really satisfying to finally ride a section of Chumash that I've stopped to work on several times before, but never managed to complete. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture or mark the location, so you'll just have to take my word for it. This was the only remaining section of Chumash that I couldn't ride, so it's a rush to finally ride Chumash from start to finish without walking.

What's more, I was able to ride the rock garden where I took a fall a while back. I'm a much stronger, more confident rider than I used to be, and I was finally able to get that fall out of my head and just ride. (I mean, it's not even a hard rock garden, for crying' out loud.)

Devil's Canyon is increasingly aptly named. Fallen trees, trail that's overgrown to the point of being invisible, and stream crossings that suck wheels and shoes down into the muck. It really presents a variety of terrains, and some of it is absolutely breathtaking. But until there's extensive trail maintenance done, I won't be back. At least, not on a bike.

I found skill and stamina that I didn't know I had while climbing Johnson Fire Rd. I remember that climb as a killer, and even considered skipping it today. I'm glad I didn't. I found a sustainable pace, and made easy work of nearly all the technical sections. I only walked two sections: the first rocky patch after the burned-out house, and the very last section before it levels out and heads for Rocky Peak road. The first requires short-term power that just wasn't in my legs after several hours of riding. The second is extremely loose and gravelly on one side, hellishly hard and bumpy on the other. It's tough when I'm feeling strong and fresh, and today I just didn't want to burn my last few matches all at once.

Over the last couple of days I weighed finishing with Hummingbird. I'd never ridden it before (and I still can't really say that I have), and I know it's a bear. But I know I'm a stronger rider than I used to be, so I wanted to give it a try. I'm glad that I did: I learned that I never, ever want to ride Hummingbird again. There are just too many sections that scare the hell out of me. A lot of it is strictly full-suspension-only territory. It's not just that it makes me nervous. I look at some of it and think, "People ride that?" But I had fun riding what I could (which was more than I expected), and enjoying a great view of the sunset over Simi.

And finally, as I was pedalling through the trees at the base of Hummingbird, I spotted a huge coyote howling atop a boulder. Classic coyote yip-yip-yoooooooooo, and a spectacular sight to wrap up a spectacular day on the bike.

And now, the technical stuff that's boring to everyone, but that I include here so I can refer to it later.

Clothing

• Underarmour boxer briefs (long)
• Patagonia Lightweight Endurance Ankle Socks
• Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Bib Shorts
• Twin Six Black Argyle jersey
• Pearl Izumi Thermafleece arm warmers
• Fox Reflex gloves

Temps were in the mid 60's. I originally layered an Underarmour compression top under my jersey, but when I got to the trailhead it was obvious I wouldn't need it, so I left it behind, and went with just the arm warmers. When the wind lulled and the sun was shining, I'd start thinking it was time to put away the arm warmers, and ten seconds later a cold wind would kick up, and I'd be really glad I had them. I continue to be floored by the versatility of the jersey/arm warmer combination.

Food

I drank two liters of water mixed with two single-serving packets of mandarin orange Hydro Boom. As always, this just wasn't doing it toward the end, but did the job. For rides this long, I really should be drinking something with protein anyway.

I supplemented that with two Peanut Chocolate Chip Clif Bars. The first went down easy, the second was less than awesome. They did the job, but if I ever do a 24-hr race or similar lunacy, I'll have to work out a better food plan.

Bike

My bike remains largely stock, with two upgrades: I swapped out the original wheels for Mavic Crosstrails, and installed Avid BB7 disc brakes. Both continue to perform admirably.

My fork, however, is toast. No damping, and it bottomed out a few times when it should have held firm. One more reason to put the bike away until I can get my hands on the new fork.

The plan is to get a new Fox F100 fork installed. But that's money I just don't want to spend on my bike at the moment. I have more important things to spend it on.

Performance

I've only done two other rides like this: Wildflower, and the long ride I did about a year and a half ago.

This ride was far harder than either of those two. Far more climbing, on far more technical trails. And I managed to ride several sections that I never have before. So I'm really happy with how I fared.

Recovery

The day after, I'm a little tired and sore, but not as much as I expected. I did two things this time around that I think made the difference. First, I stayed fueled during the ride. I had about 160 calories & electrolytes in the CamelBak, and supplemented that with two Clif bars (240 cal. each). All together, that's about 640 cal, whic is a lot more than I think I had on either Wildflower or my previous long ride. I felt the difference.

Second, I got a full meal within 30 minutes of finishing the ride. I got back to my car, changed out of my bike stuff and into warm, comfy clothes, and headed straight for The Habit for my traditional post-ride meal: grilled BBQ chicken with avocado, fries, and an Arnold Palmer.

I weighed myself when I got home, and was still down a couple of pounds, so I made a concious effort to drink water frequently for the rest of the night. As long as the water tasted good, I drank. I think I only took in about 700ml or so, but it felt right.