The Bike Geek

Me, Lance and RL.

It has been over two weeks since I rode the “24 Hours of the Fullerton Loop” and my knee is still sore…. but it was all worth it!!!!

I participated on this ‘low key’ event to 1. Have fun, 2. Chill with my buddies 3.Donate to the Tara Llanes recovery fund. The event started at around 12:30pm, RL and I set up the camping trailer and waited for Lance to arrive.

I rode the first loop on my new KHS Team Alite bike, Rl was riding the Warp and Lance got on the KHS AM2000. Since we knew that it was going to be a long ride, RL and I took the ‘Mtn Bike Riders Relaxed Vibe’ to a whole new level.

We finished up our first lap while Lance was already working on his second. I had to go back home ‘cuz I forgot some of my cycling gear. I also took the Team Alite back and returned with the Trek Remedy 5. After a nice refreshing brew, Lance and I hit the loop, we wanted to make it before dark, but cramps and a flat tire really made it for a long ride (luckily I had my lights).

When we got back, RL was already grilling some delicious food, the dude can grill! Since Lance bailed out on us (punk) it was just RL and I. We invited a few friends over for a little ’snack’, we met this super cool guy (Matias) who happens to be an engineer for Crank Bros.

It was around 9:00 pm, at this time, Don Julio had already made more than a couple of appearances, so when there was talk about hitting the loop again at 9:30, I was ready to go!

I switched bike one more time, this time I rode the KHS AM2000, this bike is simply the best bike to ride in the night since I don’t really have to worry much about the terrain, the bike simply rolls thru anything (who needs a 29er!)

We finished the ride at about 11:00pm, went back to base camp and chit chatted a bit. RL and I hit the sack (not together) at about 2 in the morning. All I have to say is that I’m really thankful that the heater on my pop-up trailer worked like a charm ‘cuz it was freaking cold that night.

RL is an early bird, so when he asked me to ride the loop in the morning, I passed. After he came back, we hit the local restaurant for some delicious breakfast. I was mildly hungover and my knee was swollen like a melon, so I just decided to chill.

This experience was awesome, I had a great time even though I only did 3 laps. Like one of the organizers said, the ride is about celebrating our sport and our beloved loop and I certainly did just that.