Cedro Peak

Last Saturday I woke up with a massive elevation/one too many beers hang-over in the oxygen-challenged city of Albuquerque.  Something about hanging out with my sister and the ability to open a refrigerator makes for a toxic combination of too much blood in my alcohol.  Head feeling like a broken cinder block in a metal trash can, I hit the coffee pretty hard and tried to force some bread down.  Rye bread and I don't get along, and in my weakened condition the first bite of what was supposed to be sourdough -almost came up.  Luckily I had an army's supply of clif bar products in my bags.  Sports nutrition is awesome for "curing" the chemical imbalance that a night of consumption creates, oh yeah and coffee, don't forget the coffee.

Thirty mins down the road and I was in a parking lot of one of Cedro Peak's trail heads, still reeling from my night of "youthful magic moment", I was starting to question the intelligence of riding.  Then I came to my senses and threw a leg over the saddle.  Good choice.  Buttery single track, some rocks, lots of rocks, bermed down-hills, and lung busting climbs -this is the mountain in mountain biking.  All other riding is just off-road.  The fog in my brain lifted and the machine that is the human body started firing on all cylinders, Houston we have lift-off.

Cedro is a multi-use trail system in Cibola National Forest and Albuquerque Open Space.  The trails range from fire roads, motorcycle tails, to double and single track.  They can be as hard as World Cup or as easy as weekend warrior.  It has not rained in the Albuquerque area in a very long time and some parts of the trails were powder, we are talking over the rim powder.  I have ridden in over the rim sand (pain), but never over the rim powder.  The traction is not that bad, but it just freaks you out, some drift involved but nothing that you wont get used to.  At Cedro you have to earn your turns and there is work involved to "get the goods".

 

The biggest problem I have with riding Cedro is charging all of the climbs.  I power up as fast as I can so I get to the down-hill, a little over-eager on my part, but I get so excited and the prospect of another down-hill is too much.  Rookie, I know, but railing bermed turns through pine trees with mountain vistas in the background just does something to me -kid in a candy store with a winning lottery ticket.  Cedro will make you pay, there is no free ride and you have to get up to get down.