Hot Mama Rides

Thanks to all the Hot Mama Mountain Bikers!

2010-06-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all Hot Mama Mountain Bikers for an awesome clinic last Saturday!

Here is a picture with almost everyone... we took the picture at the end of the clinic after some of the hot mamas were already gone. :-(

I have to share with you this very nice feedback I got from one of you:

"Hi celia, Saturday's clinic was so fun. Thank you for all you do to empower and strengthen women - in mind, body and spirit. I will be in touch within the week to schedule another one on one instruction. Have a great day!"

And Christina told me that one of you said to her:

"I am going to tell my husband to send you flowers 'cause I ended the day a more confident rider"

By the way, since several women weren't able to register because the clinic was full, we have decided to offer another Hot Mamas clinic just for women on June 19th, so spread the word!

Thank you!

Mountain Bike Events and Film

2010-05-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Marin Bike Fest in Marin

A great night of Film, Fashion, Food and Fun!

Saturday, June 5th - 8 a.m. - Mill Valley Bike Swap

Saturday June 5, 2010 6pm - Women of Dirt: The Film

Access4bikes and Bicycle Trails Council of Marin Present:

        Women of Dirt: The Celebration
         Fairfax Women's Club,
         46 Park Rd., Fairfax, CA, 94930

Celebrating the mountain bike while celebrating the women who love them!

A special screening of Awesome Land: Women of Dirt. A Bicycle Fashion Show-featuring some of the best bike fashions in the west, by Sheila Moon Athletic Apparel, LUNA Sport clothing and My Alibi Clothing. Q & A with bike celebs, Marla Streb and Rachel Lloyd! Come on down and party, have a brew and wine, sponsored by Lagunitas and Peleton Cellars, and tasty food treats. Also, raffle-drawing and local live music!

A party and fundraiser for Access4Bikes, your local voice for trail access in Marin.

$20-donation advance tickets $25- donation at the door.

For more information visit http://access4bikes.com/events.htm

Sunday June 6th - Tamarancho Dirt Classic

Mountain Biking Marin upcoming clinics.

Cross Country Mountain Bike Skill Clinic for Women

2010-05-09T17:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 29th Mountain Biking Marin is offering a special Hot Mamas Women Only Cross Country Skill Clinic in Marin County.

The Hot Mama’s Skill Clinic is for women interested in improving their mountain biking skills whether they are beginner, intermediate or advanced riders. This fun event will offer a wide variety of techniques dependent upon registrants’ current individual skill and fitness levels.

Visit Mountain Biking Marin for more information.

Keeping in Shape While Minimizing Riding in Muddy Trails

2010-03-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

Well, for those of you who care about your bikes getting muddy but want to stay in shape I have some suggestions that are working for me just as if I was riding my mountain bike every day:

1) Practice Yoga regularly: I try to get at least 3 or 4 yoga classes per week. In particular I think Vinyasa or Power Yoga combined with Bikram Yoga is a great combination to keep your core muscles in check. Plus I get my fix of warm weather with those type of Yoga practice where the room is kept at a warm temperature. With my Yoga practice, I have also developed my upper body (arms, shoulders, back) which I find it quite important for biking. Having a upper strong body facilitates bike handling, in particular the very heavy downhill bikes. Plus it keeps those extra pounds under control, in particular during the winter season.

2) Go to Tahoe and ski: I try to go to Tahoe one day a week. Yep, it is a long day driving both ways the same day, but it is not that bad if you get a friend to come with you. I recommend Sugar Bowl which is one of the closest ski areas to the Bay Area, right off the 80 hwy. Mountain biking and skiing have so many similarities! and you can be all day long outdoors without getting muddy or wet. This is me in Tahoe last summer flying with my DH bike:
And this is me in Tahoe this winter flying with my DH skis:
3) Get a single speed bike: I decided to make my hardtail gear bike into a single speed. I equipped it with fenders and take it everywhere. Since the bike has no gears and no suspension, then it has way less components and parts that get damaged with the mud. Plus this bike is helping me to build some more leg power. I know it is hard to do some of the very steep climbs in a single speed, but I just get ready to get off my bike and run up the hill to keep up with my friends riding geared bikes.

4) Danny Forer's bike and rain guide: Read the guide my friend wrote with many awesome tips to stay warm and dry during long rides under the rain. Click on this link.

5) Stay away from the muddy trails: Riding trails when they are muddy actually is not that good for the trails. So if I can avoid it, I don't ride bikes on muddy trails. I suggest riding the fire roads in Mt. Tam (Old Rail Road, Elderidge, etc..) or the fire roads in the Headlands (Coastal, Miwok). Although I do understand that fire road riding is quite boring.

Women's Downhill/Freeride Clinic - Fernie, Canada

2009-02-05T21:30:00.000-08:00

Attention downhill, freeride and cross country women riders!!!!

There is an awesome week-long clinic at Fernie, Canada organized by Sacred Rides taught by women for women coming up the first week of August. This is a call to all intermediate and advance women riders that would like to improve their downhill/freeride skills including technical descend, dirt jumping, launching techniques, and elevated trails riding among other skills like teeter totters!!!! And your cross country skills will also improve! Downhill riding makes you a faster cross country rider!!!!

Shanti and Celia already signed up.

Friday July 31, 09 to Friday August 7, 2009. Click here for more information.

Let's get the Bay Area contingency together and have girl fun while improving our biking skills.
When you register be sure to tell them Celia referred you.

The ones that will open trails to mountain bikes

2008-11-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this video clip from ABC Channel about high school mountain bike teams and clubs in Marin County. These kids and their parents could be the ones that accelerate the impossible to stop process of legalizing singletracks (real trails) in Marin and in the US!!!!

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6525250

December Hot Mama Clinics

2008-11-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

The Hot Mamas skill clinics are special events taught by women for women who want to excel in mountain biking while having fun and networking with other women riders. We are offering special small groups intensive clinics limited to only 4 women at a time on different technical levels from beginner to advance based on your skills and fitness.

Clinic levels and dates:

SKILL Level II - SATURDAY DEC 6th from 9-11 am at Tamarancho
SKILL Level TBD - SATURDAY DEC 20th from 9-11 am at TBD (based on who signs up)

These clinics will take advantage of the features trails and fire roads in Marin County offer to beginner, intermediate and advance riders that facilitate the teaching of balance, launching, dropping, switchbacks riding, cornering, climbing, descending and other techniques.

Two Steps to Register:

Registration fee is $85 per person. We will take registration on a first come first serve basis.

1) Fill out an assessment form to determine your appropriate clinic skill level. It gathers information about your technical ability, current fitness level, and riding preferences. Please click here to open the assessment form, you can print it, fill it up and fax it to 415-871-2241 or you can email it to celiag@mountainbikingmarin.com with your name and skill level you desire to be in.
2) If there is still space available you will receive a PayPal invoice and more details about the clinic.

Pictures & Thank yous - Hot Mama Bike Skill Clinic (Saturday August 17, 2008)

2008-09-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Finally! pictures from the first annual Hot Mama Bike Skill Clinic that Mountain Biking Marin organized on Saturday August 17, 2008 at China Camp State Park.

First class instructors (click here for pictures and bios) worked very hard to bring the best teaching methods for the many techniques this clinic covered.

A big thank you to Sally Kuhlman from Virtual Simplicity for all her help and support before, during and after the event. Thanks to Corienne Bannier for helping out during the clinic. Also to Joy from Gioia Boutique, Dolores from Dol Active Wear, and Jackie Baker from Freeride Foundation for donating clothing items to the Breast Cancer Fund raffle. Many thanks to Chris and Scott from BikeRx for making the Ellsworth demo bikes possible. And last but not least, thank to the many bike stores and bike advocacy groups that helped with the promotion: Access 4 Bikes, Bicycle Odyssey, Bicycle Trails Council of Marin, Bike Rx, Friends of Tamarancho, Girls Learn to Ride, Gioia Boutique, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Mike's Bikes, Mt. Tam Bikes, Sunshine Bicycles, and Virtual Simplicity.

But what made this event a big success were the Hot Mamas participants themselves. Yes!, women of all ages and technical/fitness levels came together to learn and practice bike skills, to network, to ride and yes to have fun!
CLICK HERE FOR HOT MAMAS PICTURES READ THE CAPTIONS!

Here is a very nice comment from Joy, a good friend and clinic participant:
"Celia's mountain biking clinic was so much fun, that I would do it again. I learned a couple of very useful skills that will stay with me. The instructors were so helpful. The food was awesome, and the gals were so much fun to ride with. There was so much heart in the clinic. The planning and everything rocked! Thanks so much. We are building a jump ramp at our home now."

If you are interested on learning and practicing more bike skills through small groups (up to 4 women per group):
* Skill Level I Newbies - Sat. Oct 4 from 9-11 am at China Camp
* Skill Level II Beginners - Sat. Oct 4 from 2-4 pm at China Camp
* Skill Level II Intermediates - Sat Oct 11 from 9-11 am China Camp
* Skill Level II Advance - Sat. Oct 11 from 2-4 pm at China Camp
Get in touch with Celia (celiag@mountainbikingmarin.com) to check for availability. Click here for more information about these October 08 bike clinics.

Hot Mamas Mountain Biking Skills Clinic

2008-07-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mountain Biking Marin (MBM) presents its first annual Hot Mamas Bike Skill Clinic on Sunday, August 17, 2008 at China Camp State Park.

The Hot Mamas Skill Clinic is a special event taught by women for women who want to excel in mountain biking (cross country, free riding and downhill) and learn bike maintenance and mechanics while having fun. We will be offering teaching on different technical levels from beginner to advance based on your skills and fitness.

We will take advantage of the many features the China Camp State Park offers to beginner, intermediate and advance riders that facilitate the teaching of balance, launching, switchbacks, bunny hops, wheelies, and other techniques. Some of the China Camp features include: wider singletracks with easy switchbacks, narrower singletracks with challenging switchbacks; easy to strenuous drops and jumps; technical downhill sections; easy to moderate climbs and descents; and more.

Sign up now and save $25!

Advance registration is $95 per participant if you sign up before Wednesday August 13, 2008.

Advance registration is $95 (before August 13)
On-site registration is $120 (on August 17)

Register today at www.mountainbikingmarin.com
Space is limited!

Clinic Activities
A morning clinic session, an afternoon ride to practice what participants have learned while providing final tips and tricks.

Schedule
9:30 am - 11:00 am on-site registration & fitness/technical level assessment to divide into groups
11:00 am - 1:00 pm clinic instruction at China Camp
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm gathering to review techniques (lunch is not included)
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm riding time to practice and master what was learned

6 Hot Mamas in China Camp

2008-05-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Hot Mamas decided to climb to the very top of China Camp last Sunday May 11. All 6 of us agreed on doing the whole loop so we all went climbing that steep semi-paved road to the top of the Nike site. We wanted to practice climbing, new switchbacks and some drops from the very top.

The 6 hotties were (from left to ride): Celia, Suzie, Leigh, Christina, Kristy, and Jessica.

I noticed about a month ago that Jessica first came riding her new bike with running clothes , and this time she came showing off her new bike outfit. She already came convinced that she is a real mountain biker!

I hope to see everyone next Sunday May 25 at 10:00 am near the guard booth in San Pedro Rd, China Camp. The Hot Mamas will roll at 10:30 am for another fun ride!

Sunday April 27th Hot Mama Ride Report

2008-05-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

9 Hot Mamas showed up last Sunday ride! From left to right, the hotties were (click on the pictures to enlarge and better appreciate our beauty): Janet, Suzie, Veronica, Christina, Jessica, Jennifer and Celia. Dana was taking the picture. And Leslie..., well showed up a little later to ride by herself and meet up with us mid point.

Since Jessica was a mountain bike first timer, Dana stayed with her for some basic instructions and the rest of us went on to ride the trails. We thought we were not going to see them again but Jessica turned out to be a natural so they catched up with us while we were practicing the switchbacks.

Here is Dana showing the switchbacks moves.
Here is Jessica making the switchback!

Here is Christina and Janet on one of the climbs. Christina was meditating about the climb and Janet was pushing hard to make it. And here is Veronica showing some power as well!

Followed by Jennifer! look at her style!

Leslie got a late start but did the loop the opposite way to make sure she said hi!

And we even got some blood running down on Christina's leg

And here is our Hot Mamas Singletrack Chu Chu Train video!

Hot Mama Ride China Camp April 13th, 2008

2008-04-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's Hot Mamas that came to the China Camp ride were (from left to right): Leigh, Hannah, Celia and first timer Debra. Leslie also came but she comes later in the ride...

The four of us decided to ride the loop clockwise for a change. Although for about half of the loop we stayed together, Leigh was riding with Debra in the back and I was riding with Hannah in the front. Debra was a trooper. She rode half of the loop on her rigid cruiser bike. And Hannah was determined to clear all the switchbacks, which she did! all of them!

At about half way through the loop we found Hot Mama Leslie who was running a little late and missed the ride start. Cool that she rode the loop counterclockwise so we were able to see her and say hi. Leslie continue the ride on her own, Leigh and Debra bailed to get to the cars early, and Hannah and I finished the loop. It was another fun ride on a warm sunny day!

Stay tune for the next rides on Sunday April 27th!

Hot Mamas Resumes in 2008

2008-03-31T08:30:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday March 30th, the Hot Mamas gathered again for a super fun loop around China Camp. From left to right, the Hot Mamas this weekend were Susann, Dolores, Leslie, Celia, Suzie, Kristy, Leigh and Dana.
Leslie, Suzie, Leigh and Dana went for a switchback practice loop while Susann, Dolores, Kristy and Celia went for a rocks, drops and more switchback sections practice loop. Dolores and Kristy cleared the creek drop with the sharp right turn switchback at the end. They were pros! Susann was taking it very easy because she is leaving town to visit Belice and didn't want to hurt herself before her vacation. Kristy was looking great on her new Specialize full suspension bike! She cleared one of the tight switchbacks of Jt Hall. And then when she was going to try the next one, well... she didn't quite make it and instead she decided to spill down the hill rolling down trying to catch her new bike to protect it from scratches. Both were okay so we continued our ride.

At the top of the camp we rendezvoused with the Hot Boys who were riding around some of the same trails waiting for their turn at 2:00 pm. Below are (Left to Right) Susann, Celia, Joe, Mike, Tom, Mario and Kristy.(Dolores was taking the picture).

And here is the Hot Mamas and Boys (coed group): Dan, Steve, Mike, Mario, Joe, Dana, Dolores, Julio, Tom and Eugene. (Celia was taking the picture). If you want to know what happened in this ride click here

Stay tuned for the next Hot Mama ride on Sunday April 13th at 10:00 am at China Camp. For more information visit Mike's Bikes website.

Hot Mama Ride Started in Spring 08!!!

2008-03-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday March 16th, Dana, Celia and Dao did the first Hot Mama ride of 2008 at China Camp. Since nobody else showed up, we all went for a nice slow pace ride to hang with Dao who was riding Dana's bike for the first time. Dao got some basic skill lessons and was able to make several of the switchbacks. Dao was a trooper and she is committed to train and get in shape to then come back to the Hot Mama rides.

After we say goodbye to Dao at her car, Dana and I went for a fast loop while chatting about kids and friends. I was on my single speed and I have to say the front loop of China Camp is perfect for it! not too technical and without steep climbs. If you are starting to ride a single speed, China Camp is perfect to get used to riding wihtout gears.

Here is the schedule of the Hot Mama Rides sponsored by Mike's Bikes and Mountain Biking Marin. Girls! time to come out and ride!

Sundays: March 30th; April 13th; April 27th; May 11th, May 25th

Ride levels: beginner and intermediate/advance

Meeting Place: San Pedro Rd by the guard booth

Meeting time: 10:00 am

Rolling time: 10:30 am

Sunday Dec 2 - Rockville with the Ladies

2007-12-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

We were all behaving as ladies should by the beginning of our hot mamas ride in Rockville. You can appreciate our distinguished poses in the picture above. From left to right: Celia, Dana, Lisa, our ride leader Karen, and Jackie.

By the end of the ride though, our behavior was unspeakable and shameful. As you can appreciate in the picture below, we were behaving like cheap drunk street women. From left to right: Celia a.k.a. Puff the Venezuelan; Karen a.k.a. Godess Saheeenna; Jackie a.k.a. Fearless Jumper; Dana a.k.a. Crossdresser; and Lisa a.k.a. Common Sense Wannabe. Everything started by some weird feather ritual our leader asked us to do just a few minutes into our ride. (I actually think she probably arrived to Rockville a few minutes earlier, sacrificed a bird, ate it and left the feathers around for the ritual). Karen told us to place the feathers in our helmets so we could "fly" the trails. Since she was the ride leader, we just obeyed her and did so. Here is Karen placing magic feathers on Lisa's helmet. Lisa already looks weird... Dana already with her feathers with a weird shape jacket on her backpack. Here is Jackie putting her feathers on her helmet. Weird... Celia with hers as well, feeling weird with a funny smile already. We then proceeded to look at that rock Dana has been dreaming about for months. A rock in the shape of a perfect ramp about 3 feet and a half high. Look how high Dana's right foot is!!! And Dana is a quite tall woman! Karen, Celia and Jackie's feathers helped them jump over the rock several times. But one of Jackie's feathers fell from her helmet right before her last jump and DAAANG!!$#@^% she felt on her ribs. Fortunately she was able to keep going with the ride, although she was more conservative on her riding. Wise decision. Here is Jackie lauching the rock right before her crash. After jumping the rock, we went playing in the rock garden while invoking Saheeenna's powers and repeating the ride's mottos: "Saheeenna!", "pedal like a dyke", "lean back like the pooping position" when jumping and riding downhill shoots. Here is Dana tangled on a tree after a crash. We finally took time off to rest and eat... and humm ooops show some butt. And toward the end of the ride Karen showed us how to ride down a quite technical section, very steep, rockie and with roots. See Celia below walking the section up so you can appreciate how steep that section is!. Now this is Celia cleaning the section! Followed by Dana also cleaning the section! And I wanted to end this ride report with the super smooth style of our ride leader and teacher Karen Saheeenna going down the same section. What a rider!

Vote Today for More Acces to Mountain Bike Trails on Mt. Tam

2007-11-03T13:05:00.001-07:00

Hey Hot Mamas it's time to vote!

Should there be more opportunities for mountain biking on Mt. Tam?
Read the article and vote today at: The Marin IJ
(Deadline December 1st)

Weight Loss Ride in the Headlands

2007-10-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

My body reached the 135 pounds mark and Dana told me she wanted to do some climbing to get in shape, so I planned this Friday ride in the Headlands with training and weight loss in mind. It was raining and foggy so I bribed Dana with hot chocolate after the ride plus assured her and she was going to ride some fun trails for the first time.

This is me deciding what rain gear to bring.

This is the map with the route and the prize after the ride, yummy hot chocolate. The route consisted basically going to the Golden Gate bridge and back home via Hill 88. Dana didn't realize what she was getting into...

This is Dana finally committing to the weight loss ride.

This is Poncho telling us we are nuts for riding in this weather and very sad because Dana didn't bring his big strong handsome boyfriend Hawk.

This is a mountain lion's poop we found during the ride.

I promise we didn't eat it because I knew about Dana's cinnamon roll with peanut butter jelly. I always beg her for a couple of bites. She wasn't so mad at me for taking her to this ride yet, so she let me have a big bite. Behind the cinnamon roll is Rodeo beach at the Headlands.

We found rescue teams practicing rescuing people from big cliffs and we were amazed by all the equipment they use.

And by now, after riding 19 miles and climbing 4,652 feet under the rain for about 6 hours Dana was really mad at me.

The fun trails we did and the hot chocolate, beer and pizza after the ride didn't snap Dana out of her bad mood. Before she left the house she told me: "I won't ride the Headlands in 20 years!"

But after some days in another ride, she told me she lost 4 pounds. I lost one pound only! That wasn't fair!

Last Women's Ride of 2007: Wed Sep 19th

2007-09-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

Seven women showed up this last time! yeah! Celia, Francine, Dolores, Suzie, Lornita, Karen and Nicole. But only 6 of us gathered by the kiosk at San Pedro Road around 5:30 pm to ride the last Women's Ride of the year around the front side of China Camp. And yes, there are only 5 women in the picture above.... What about the 6th and the 7th women? Well, the picture above was taken at the end of the ride and only 5 of us finished the ride together, from left to right: Francine, Dolores, Suzie, Celia and Nicole. So what happened?! Do we still have two women lost in China Camp from last night?!! Keep reading if you want to know what happened.

Karen took off after half an hour for some back-to-school night event leaving her daughter Nicole with us who showed us how fast she is riding around those switchbacks and singletracks. Watch out for this 8th grader girl who is going to be kicking butts next year when she gets into her highschool mountain bike team.

Yesterday was a end of season day, practically the first day of the Fall. The day was cold and very windy, and somehow people went crazy around the 101 because it was literally a parking lot which was the reason why Lornita couldn't join us on time. We decided not to wait for Lornita as she was stuck in the 101, but we agreed to have her start the loop counterclockwise to meet us at some point as we were riding it clockwise.

Because the sun was rapidly setting, we decided to take the Oat Ridge fireroad shortcut to get back to the cars faster. So Francine called Lornita to let her know. Good for cell phones! Lornita made an U-turn to come back to meet with us and good she thought about bringing a night light because by the time she got to the car it was totally dark. She rode by herself but she was happy she got on her bike and actually enjoyed doing some night riding to start practicing for winter and stay in shape like a Hot Mama.

As I was fearing, none of us went anywhere to have beers afterwards. (This is why I miss having boys on the rides!). But I went home and drank my favorite non-alcoholic beer Dark Clausterhauler. It relaxes me like beer does, it tates like a good lager beer tastes and best of all, it has way less calories than a beer so it keeps me like a Hot Mama!!!

We will resume these rides next year in Spring 08. Stay tuned and stay Hot Mama!!!

A BIG thank you to Mike's Bikes for promoting this ride by spreading the voice and offering good discounts to the Hot Mamas.

And CONGRATULATIONS to Dolores, who placed 2nd on an important and competitive gokart race at Infineon. Her sponsor gave her a new machine to race faster. The trophe she got is bigger than her!!!

Wed Sep 5th Women's Ride w/ Sue, Clare & Celia

2007-09-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday Sep 5th, Clare, Sue and Celia showed up for the Women's Ride. As usual, we did the front loop of China Camp. Click in the MotionBased map below to view the ride stats, ride Google map and even the ride Google Earth!

Clare was a first timer, she came to say goodbye as she is heading up to Cambridge for college. But I am sure we will see her again.

Toward the end of the ride, Sue became a true mountain biker. She hit some dry roots or something on the trail that made her loose control of her bike to go over the handlebars. She scratched her elbow, her shoulder and her face. The wounds were superficial but enough to be considered the initiation of her mountain biking path. After making sure Sue and her bike were all right, we continued on with the ride on a nice steady pace to finish right before sunset.

See you all on Wednesday Sep 19th at 5:30 pm at San Pedro Rd by the kiosk. Be ready to roll and 6:00 pm.

Celia

Wed August 9 Hot Mama Ride Report

2007-08-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

A group of 9 hot mamas showed up last night for the women's ride supported by Mike's Bikes. The hotties from left to right (click on the picture for a close up): Nicole, Celia, Suzie, Karen, Francine, Sue, Lorna, Dana and Maria.

We enjoyed climbs, descends, switchbacks and practiced balancing riding over "skinnies" and other obstacles Dana built with some wooden blocks and boards. Dana is becoming an expert on skinnies and obstacles building. I think she is planning on converting her house into a mountain biking balancing center, as every week she sends me pictures of new constructions on her backyard, garage, front yard and the last one was a ramp over the stairs to the living room....

Below is a picture of Dana helping Lorna to master switchbacks technique!!!

THE NEXT RIDE IS ON WED AUGUST 22, 2007. BE THERE OR BE SQUARE.

Celia

Next Women's Ride Wed August 8th

2007-08-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Hot Mamas,
Time to have fun again!!! Come to a mellow ride filled with fun and female energy. Some of you can jump, go fast or try to beat Celia on the uphill steep climb... and some of you can go slower, enjoy the views better or get some switchbacks down.

And of course, everyone can chat about boyfriends, husbands, partners, children, grandchildren, pets and lovers!

When: Wed August 8th
Where: Meet at China Camp by the Kiosk on San Pedro Rd.
When: 5:30 pm to roll at 6:00 pm
About 2 hours ride.

Celia

PS. For more info get in touch with Mike's Bikes San Rafael or visit their website http://mikesbikes.com and click on group ride directory

Wednesday June 27 Women's Ride

2007-06-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Last June 27th was another warm beautiful Wednesday, perfect for a hot mama ride. This time I was the dork getting really early to make sure I wouldn't miss the ride. The hot mamas this time were Lindley, Suzie, Dominica, Sue, Dolores, Celia and Dana.

We started the ride with the warm up climb while chatting away as usual, you know this is what women do when we ride.

Then we tried getting some air at a jump, and was able to take a picture of Dolores in the air!

We continued our ride and practice some switchbacks techniques after Celia gave a demonstration of what NOT to do. Suzie, Sue, Lindley and Dominica cleared some good ones!

Click here to see more pictures

Next ride is on Wednesday July 11, 2007 at China Camp. Meeting at 5:30 pm to roll at 6:00 pm. Bring your friends!

Thanks to Mike's Bikes San Rafael for helping organized these rides!

Click in the link below to see the stats, the route, the map and more!

First Mike's Bikes Women Ride June 5, 2007

2007-06-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

A total of 13 women showed up to our first gals' ride! Leigh, Tracey, Judy, Suzie, Sam, Linda, Lisa, Jennifer, Sue, Corienne, Allie, Dolores and Heidi! With Dana and me Celia, we were 15 women! oh yeah baby!

Dana was so excited to lead this first ride, she decided to camp and sleep in China Camp near the meeting place the night before to make sure she was on time. Well... maybe not.. but she was there ready to go way before 6:00 pm.

Around 5:30 pm we started gathering, getting ready to roll at 6:00 pm. We rode the front loop of China Camp in about 2 hours chatting while pedaling and regrouping once in a while to make sure we all stayed together. Tracey and Cori had to leave early, Heidi joined us half way and the rest of us did the whole ride.

A big thank you to Jason from Mike's Bikes who came to our first ride as the sweeper!

After the ride, some of us decided to celebrate with beers and dinner at the Marin Brewery Co in Larskpur Landing. We got to know each other a little better!

Next ride is next Wednesday June 20th!
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Rolling time: 6:00 pm
Meeting place: San Pedro Rd by the parking lot kiosk
Ride route: China Camp

Celia's Birthday Present

2007-02-10T22:23:00.000-08:00

The end result of being sick, travelling for work and working long hours for the last two weeks was only three mountain bike rides. I was pretty cranky and moody, snappy, didn't want to deal with work, etc.. so Sally, the kids and I knew it was time for me to go biking, despite the rain.

Last Friday Feb 9th in the morning I put on all my usual winter layers (what a normal person will wear to ski in the cold snow) plus all my rain gear. I was looking like as astronaut. See below a picture Sally took before the ride:

I wanted to ride from my house all the way to Slacker to admire one of the most gorgeous views of the Golden Gate and the San Francisco Bay. I went down to the Tennessea Valley stables via Coastal, then climbed Marincello, did some secret trails that connected me with Alta, then went to Slacker via other secret trails. Once in Slacker, I did some secret trails to Coastal, where I descended to the bottom of Bob Cat to climb back Marincello. At the top of Marincello, I went down back to the stables via another secret trail, and ended the ride with the hard steep Coastal climb from the stables.

I was out there for 3 hours, climbed about 3,500 ft, was soaking wet and muddy with my spirit renewed, my peace of mind re-established and my self re-centered. It was the best birthday gift I could give to myself.

Here is how I was looking after the ride:

The Very Last 2006 Hot Mama Ride Dec 30 w/ Karen & Celia

2007-01-05T18:34:00.000-08:00

Last December 30th, I headed to Karen's house by China Camp early morning. We made the deal that we were going to ride slow, keeping a relaxed very mellow pace to keep a zone 1 heart rate, kind of a recovery ride. Sure...

It was really cold, I could see frozen cars, streets, roofs, etc... but since I committed to be at her house and the ride was going to be easy I just went for it. After bundle up in many warm layers, Karen and I went for our "mellow, zone 1, recovery" ride that started with a "very mild mellow" climb directly to the top of the Nike site! Karen is nuts! In less than 20 minutes we were already at the top of China Camp. These cross country racers are a royal pain in the #$%@!!!

Back at the more challening side of China Camp, we joined Jon riding with a friend for a little while, and ended up riding a section of the "M&M trail". That section (an "easy" section) was so steep that in order to ride it with no dabs I had my chin/face on top of my saddle! These downhillers design some challenging trails! They are nuts!

Sand Hill Ranch & the UPS Connection

2007-01-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased with UPS not only for its delivery service but also for connecting me with Tara...

Everything started with Tara asking Sally (my partner) if there was any biker living in the house as she has been delivering bike parts for quite some time. Sally told her about me, got her email and the UPS connection happened!

Since then, Tara (who is an awesome rider) and I have been in races and rides together. Hot Mamas: Dana, Becky and Wendy have ridden with Tara plus her sweet boyfriend Eric and good friend Jason who are also great riders.

Last December 17th, Dana and I got invited by Tara to go with Eric, Jason and other friends to Sand Hill Ranch to check out the mountain cross, slalom and free ride jumps.

The UPS connection made it possible for me and Dana to experience the unlimited thrill, incredible joy, powerful adrenaline rush and deep accomplishment feeling one experiences when having the cojones or the cocoya to move your bike against gravity and fly using your wheels as wings.

One of the most fascinating phenomena to me is how free riding connects people across the age spectrum. Regardless of how young or old you are, if you are there to fly with your wheels you are in! (Although your older body takes a little longer to heal when you crash...).

Jason is also a photographer, a painter and a graphic designer. He is the author of the blog I Hate Bikes, a collection of riding photos and stories about friends riding bikes.

Click below to read the story Jason wrote and check out the awesome pictures he fortunately took so I have a proof that Dana and I actually did jump over that car in the picture!.

Girl Power at Sand Hill Ranch

Last 2006 Hot Mama Ride: Tamarancho & Around w/ Mary Lynn

2006-12-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday Dec 19th, Mary Lynn and I brought our Nomads and bundled up in warm clothes as if we were going to the North Pole. It was very cold. But that didn't stop us from riding the last Hot Mama Ride of 2006.

We went up to Tamarancho counter clockwise for a faster exit to the ridge to then descend one of the most fun downhill trails of Marin where someone found once a camera wrapped around a tree...

The grass, trees and even the dirt were frozen covered by the white layer of ice. We could hear the cracking as our tires rolled the trails. Mary Lynn tried many technical sections with her new Nomad, she is conquering all Marin technical trails with the combination of her will and bike! Just wait....

This week ride: Thursday Oct 26

2006-10-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Ride date: Thursday Oct 26, 2006
Meeting place: Java Hut parking lot, Fairfax
Meeting time: 6:00 pm
Starting time: 6:30 pm BRING YOUR LIGHTS!!!
Ride duration: 2 - 2.5 hours
Ride area: around Fairfax
Ride skill level: Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Friday Oct 20: Mt. Tam Delight - Modified Version

2006-10-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Pam, Dana and I planned to meet at Deer Park around 7:30 am to start pedaling around 8:00 am. I was running 15 minutes late and couldn't call them because I left my cellular at home. Gosh! how dependant we have become to this electronics! I was hoping Dana and Pam were running late too, and my wishes came true. Kris brought the news to me to Deer Park since Pam called her to let her know she was running late. Kris stopped by before leaving for work. Thanks Kris!

We ended up starting around 9:00 am. Oh well... getting confused about starting times happens once in a while, plus the waiting was forgotten right away when the three of us were pedaling up Deer Park toward Mt. Tam. We did modify the original ride plan since we were an hour late but still got to ride awesome trails on that awesome mountain. It is almost too small to be called a mountain, but it offers so many different gorgeous spots around its skirts in all directions. I just love Mt. Tam.

During the ride we got to practice several sections several times. Pam was coaching me and Dana on different technical sections. And by the way, Pam cleaned all sections of the ride on her very first time riding it! And Dana cleaned several sections on several trails she couldn't clean before!!!

Tuesday Oct 17 Hot Mama Ride

2006-10-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I decided at the last minute to go for a ride. I called Dolores and Dana to see if they would ride with me that night. I couldn't start until 8:30 pm so I didn't think they would come. But I wanted some company. Dolores and Dana couldn't. And unfortunately I couldn't hook up with Wendy in time who went for a ride somewhere with her boyfriend. I then called Joanmary hoping she was in town and yes! she was available!

Joanmary came a little earlier to say hi to Sally and the kids. And we went for a Headlands 2 hours ride behind my house. We used the opportunity to catch up with our lives, talked about our new jobs and our plans for the future while paying attention to the wild life. We saw an owl and three deers, but no bob cats or mountain lions.

Let's ride next week. Send me an email if you have a plan for a ride. celiag@pacbell.net.

Celia

Hot Mama Ride Oct 10th Deer Park etc...

2006-10-11T23:06:00.000-07:00

Last night Dolores, Wendy, Lori were waiting for Celia at the Java Hut parking lot. I arrived right at 6:30 pm and the three of them were very nice to wait for me. Dolores said hi to me while handing me a "I am a Dork" notepad for work and home so people have no doubts about my cool treats. Lori was there ready with her clean black and red bike, and Wendy was also with a super fun new bike. Forgot the brand! Gosh! what kind of rider am I!!!!

Around 6:45-7:00 pm we took off for Tamarancho until Dolores suggested to do something different, so we made a U-turn and headed to Deer Park. We climbed Deer Park fire road to then descend via Madrone and Flying Squirrel trails. It was a fun 1.5 hour ride. My first time doing those trails on my single speed, I had more fun than I originally thought on that bike. What a workout!

After the ride, we were all happy and relaxed. It was cool leaving all the stress behind on the mountains.

Back at Java Hut parking lot, Sally showed up with our brother-in-law Jess (another dork that needs another one of those note pads). They were going to join us at Iron Springs Brew for dinner and beers. Jess made sure he told everyone his republican pro Bush politics, so we didn't talk about that subject at all.... Instead Lori and Jess talked about cooking recipes and tricks (while Sally and I were cored listening to that shit). You know, we like to eat and taste it, not to cook it...

I think this is all for now. I am a little sad tonight because Sally just left for Texas for a conference and I am going to miss her all this weekend. But I am happy Jess is still here and just prepared a gourmet dinner with seared tuna, mushrom, brussels sprouts, salad, yummy! Healthy and tasty.

And Friday morning I am driving with Dolores and Tom to Sierra City to do some super fun riding around that area. I hope it doesn't rain nor snow!

Let's ride next week on Tuesday Oct 17th!!!! Stay Tuned for the details.

Celia

Two Hot Mama Rides - Sep 27 & October 2

2006-10-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

Special Hot Mama Ride: Featuring the Freewheeler Biscuits, Monday October 2

After an intense work meeting retreat in Fairfax, I drove my hot sexy blue truck to Deer Park to meet the Freewheeler biscuits: Barb; Nancy; Robin and Kris.

When discussing what route to do I noticed two things, first Barb wanted to climb Repack! and second Robin wanted to ride a fun trail that crosses Mt. Tam. With Barb's suggestion I started to wonder why many of the Freewheeler rides include nasty climbs. I thought it was because of Randy's preferences but I wonder if the wife has anything to do with this? who knows.... And with Robin's suggestion, I noticed how determined she was to ride that particular trail.. perhaps because she already had planned the whole ride from the previous week when we talked at the book club...

Barb had to compromise her eagerness to climb steep fire roads, so we decided to climb Rock Springs instead. Barb and Robin were always ahead talking non stop during the whole climb while Nancy, Kris and I were taking very slowly also talking non stop. All of us were of course talking about everything BUT bikes or bike parts.

Once we reached this super fun trail we started the fun part of the ride, and at mid point on that trail finally Robin spell out her riding plans, to go down this other secret trail, a really fun downhill trail that dropped us at the Lagunitas Lake. We continued going down toward Deer Park through some other trails. It was a fun technical ride!

Regular Hot Mama Ride, Wednesday September 27th
Only Celia, myself, showed up for last week ride. I decided to ride Tamarancho and tried to go as fast as possible without stopping just for the hell of it because I am not training these days.... However, I couldn't follow my plans. First, I met Mike Joyce, one of the Hot Mama Boys who has been gone in the East Coast for some time so we had to catch up a little. Then I saw Matt with some girl I don't know and couldn't ask for her email to get her into this Hot Mama Rides. And when I was finishing the loop, a couple of guys yield at me to stop to ask me if I could slow down and guide them out of Tamarancho. It was dark already and they didn't have lights.

After I was back in town I went to Cafe Amsterdam where the Freewheeler biscuits were meeting for their book club. It was that night that I got accepted to be part of the club and also when the girls planned the ride for Monday October 2nd.

Click the map below for some Tamarancho stats:

2006-09-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Next Hot Mama Ride
Ride date: Wednesday Sep 27, 2006
Meeting place: Java Hut parking lot, Fairfax
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Starting time: 6:00 pm BRING YOUR LIGHTS!!!
Ride duration: 2 - 2.5 hours
Ride area: Fairfax
Ride skill level: Advance*
Special Note: Hot Mamas will have beers at Iron Springs after the ride. Join us!!!

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Last Tuesday Hot Mama Ride in Tamarancho
As planned, last Tuesday Sep 19th the Hot Mamas met at Java Hut in Fairfax. By 5:30 pm Coral, Dolores, Tom and Celia started pedaling toward Tamarancho. We had a nice ride around this awesome singletrack loop. We did it clockwise. Coral,1st place XC junior at Sea Otter, showed us her great riding skill. It was great having her in the ride.

After the ride, Coral took off home. Also Dolores and Tom also went home. And I went to pick up Nicole (my daugther) from her volleyball practice. I was supposed to get beer for me and Tom, and a root beer for Dolores, who was cooking some yummy pasta for all of us. Well, I brought the beer, Dolores had the yummy pasta, and I forgot her root beer!!!! ooops.... But I think Dolores forgave me.... Then we played with Dolores & Tom's new kitty. Super fun. And finally Nicole and I took off back top the school this time to pick up Andrea (my other daughter) who came back from a field trip. CLICK BELOW FOR THE STATS:

This Week Ride & Last Week Ride Report

2006-09-18T10:37:00.000-07:00

This Week Ride Tuesday Sep 19, 2006
Ride date: Tuesday Sep 19, 2006
Meeting place: Java Hut parking lot, Fairfax
Meeting time: 5:00 pm
Starting time: 5:30 pm
Ride duration: 2 hours
Ride area: Tamarancho
Ride skill level: Intermediate to Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Last Week Ride Report
Last Tuesday Sep 12, the Hot Mama ride went to the Headlands featuring Kris, Nick and Celia. It was our first night ride in a long time. We struggled a little with the lights but we were able to finish and enjoy a "bushy" singletrack ride as Nick described it. Oh well... we did get scratches and had to squeeze in between bushes and branches, but we had fun.

After the ride, Sally spoiled us with a yummy dinner and beers...

Last Week Ride & Tomorrow's Ride

2006-09-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

Last week ride
Last Tuesday Sep 5 Celia and Dolores rode a fun Tamarancho loop. We found Coral with a flat when we were starting the ride so unfortunately she couldn't join us as we were riding without lights that day and couldn't wait any longer. Later on Coral told me that she got a second flat and actually it was a great thing she finally took her bike to the shop to be fixed and tuned up. Hopefully Coral will join us next time.

In the meantime, Dolores and Celia has a relaxing steady pace loop. We finish the ride in 2 hours, I went home happy and Dolores met Tom who just got back in town at Iron Springs Brew.

This week - Tomorrow's Ride
Ride date: Tuesday Sep 12, 2006
Meeting place: Celia's house at 801 Spring Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941
Meeting time: 7:00 pm
Starting time: 7:30 pm
Ride duration: 2 hours
Ride area: Headlands
Ride skill level: Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Report from China Camp Hot Mamas

2006-08-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

The three Hot Mamas from last Wednesday August 30th were Dana, Marissa and Celia. As planned, we met around 5:00 pm by the kios in San Pedro Rd and took off at 5:30 pm.

Marissa was a real trooper and promised she will be back. Plus we were talking about commuting to work together since we both live in Mill Valley and work in San Rafael. Dana cleaned Hitler and the rocky drop in JT Hall, so she was really happy too. It was fun!

Hot Mama Ride Report from Tuesday August 22

2006-08-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

Dana and Celia met at Java Hut last Tuesday. Dana was determined to clean Loma ALta DH, so after climbing Loma Alta, we both put on our protective DH gear and started riding one of the most fun downhill trails of Marin.

After cleaning everything, Dana stopped at the second to last steep rocky section. And after trying several times, studying the best lines and a little of encouragement, she did it! She cleaned the gnarly section and was screaming words I can't repeat on this blog. Screams of happiness after the fun adrenaline rush and the accomplishment she has been trying to achieve for over 3 years!

Congratulations Dana!

Next Hot Mama Ride: Tuesday August 22nd, 2006

2006-08-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

Hope to see you all next week! Celia

Ride date: Tuesday August 22, 2006
Meeting place: Java Hut parking lot, Fairfax
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Starting time: 6:00 pm
Ride duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Ride area: Loma Alta
Ride skill level: Advance**

**IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Hot Mama Ride on August 2nd, China Camp

2006-08-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

On August 2nd, 6 of us showed up a couple of weeks ago at the kiosk located in San Pedro road: Wendy, Susan, Becky, Karen, Linda and Celia. We did a fun relaxed loop around China Camp while chatting about boyfriends, husbands, partners, kids, etc...

Click here to see more pictures

Click below to see the stats:

China Camp Loop Wed August 2nd, 2006

2006-08-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

See you tonight at China Camp!

Ride date: Wednesday August 2, 2006
Meeting place: at the kiosk by San Pedro Rd
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Starting time: 6:00 pm
Ride duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Ride area: front loop of China Camp. Bring your single speeds!
Ride skill level: Intermediate**

**IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Headlands Galore Wed 19, 2006 Report

2006-08-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

BEFORE RIDE PICTUREAFTER RIDE PICTURE
Becky, Wendy and Celia were the three amigas that rode a nice fun challenging singletrack loop in the Headlands a couple of weeks ago. We had a blast although we got exposed to lots of poison oak.

Click here to see more pictures.

Click on the map below for the GPS stats, map, google Earth file of the ride:

Headlands Galore on Wed 19, 1006

2006-07-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

The Hot Mama Ride will move to the Headlands this time. Let's hope we don't get the cold fog but just in case bring an extra layer for the ride.

Ride date: Wednesday July 19th, 2006
Meeting place: 801 Spring Drive, Mill Valley (email Celia for driving directions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts: 6:00 pm
Ride duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Ride area: Headlands
Ride skill level: Advance with an Intermediate to advance option**

**IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Ride Report Wed 12, 2006: DH visitors in the Tamarancho area

2006-07-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the Hot Mama Ride had special Dhiller guests: Michael, Nancy and Roger. Also Wendy, Dana, Cheryl, Celia and our Hot Mama Boy Mike came to the ride. Cheryl was a first timer, a great rider and she had a great time, come back! And Wendy came for the second time to the ride, yeah! also a natural cleaning all those technical sections.

After some time climbing Tamarancho and some fire roads around White Hills, we then descended via one of the most fun trails in this county. We had only one mechanical almost at the end of the ride, Michael broke his chain trying to catch up with me, but I am so nice I gave him my extra chain link for free beer. We ended the ride just in time for the full moon to appear and ales from Iron Springs to drink.

No pictures available since Dana and Michael haven't sent me any...

Wednesday July 12, 2006

2006-07-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

Hot Mama Ride will resume this week, so come and join us this Wednesday!

Ride date: Wednesday July 12th, 2006
Meeting place: Java Hut, Fairfax
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts: 6:00 pm SHARP
Ride duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Ride area: Tamarancho and around
Ride skill level: Advance**

**IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Wednesday June 28, 2006 DIRT JUMPING

2006-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Let's get some air this Wednesday with Hot Mama Tara who wants to show us some fun jumps in Novato, then take us to Indian Valley for some singletrack riding and end the evening with beers and dinner at Moylans Brewery.

Bring knees/shin guards for the dirt jumping, and bring a light just in case it gets dark before we are done with riding.

Ride date: Wednesday June 28th, 2006
Meeting place: behind Costco, Novato (see below for driving directions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Dirt Jumping starts: 5:45 pm for about an hour or so followed by a 1.5 hour ride
Ride skill level: Intermediate to Advance**

Driving Directions:
Coming from the 101, take the Rowland Blvd exit
at the 1st signal, turn right
at the 2nd signal, keep straight to stay at Rowland Blvd
At the very end of Rowland Blvd, there's a barricade to the open space....
just park at the barricade (close to Costco)

**IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Tomorrow's Hot Mama Ride, Wed June 14, 2006

2006-06-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Ride date: Wednesday June 14, 2006
Meeting place: parking lot by Java Hut at Faixfar (email celiag@pacbell.net for questions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts at: 6:00 pm (please be on time!)
Ride zone: around Deer Park & the lakes (yes, again!)
Ride duration: 2-2.5 hours
Ride skill level: Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Hot Mama Ride Wed June 7, 2006 Report

2006-06-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

I arrived at the Java Hot parking lot early enough to sleep a nice short nap. At about 5:35 pm I saw Mary Lynn with 3 friends. I thought they were coming to the Hot Mama Ride, but they were actually finishing up a road ride. Oh well... next time.

Dolores and Tom, one of the Hot Mama special boys, came riding their bikes at 6:00 pm. I was glad they were up for doing a nice Tamarancho loop on a nice pace since I was fighting a bad cold. The three of us had a lot of fun doing the Boy Scouts loop counter clockwise. I was trying to stay on Tom's wheel, but after 5 or 10 seconds he will leave me behind. However, he will slow down for me so I could try to stay on his wheel again. It is a really great way to push yourself and appreciate how smooth and fast a trail can be ridden and how fast a switchback can be done.

My Edge 305 is broken so the only stats I got are:
Riders: 3
Miles: 13
Time: 2 hrs

Next Hot Mama Ride: Wed June 7, 2006 @ Java Hut

2006-06-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ride date: Wednesday June 7, 2006
Meeting place: parking lot by Java Hut at Faixfar (email celiag@pacbell.net for questions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts at: 6:00 pm (please be on time!)
Ride zone: around Deer Park & the lakes
Ride duration: 2-2.5 hours
Ride skill level: Intermediate to Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp, the Dominican side.

Hot Mama Ride Wed May 31, 2006 Report

2006-06-02T22:07:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday the Hot Mama Ride split in two: Dolores and Tom went up Eldridge and Dana and Celia went up Loma Alta. We missed each other maybe by 10 minutes or so. Dana and I decided to start rolling from Java Hut and it seems just minutes after Tom came looking for us.

But we hooked up by cell and agreed to at least meet at Iron Springs Brew afterwards and tell our stories. Over beers, garlic french fries, onion rings and calmari followed by a yummy chocolate cake a la mode, we were chatting about our ride. Dolores and Tom discover a new awesome trail around Mt. Tam we have to ride one of these days. Dana and Celia were practicing downhilling in Solstice clearing all the sections several times.

The only stats I have are that we were 4 riders in pairs of 2. I screwed up my GPS so more detailed ride info next week!

Stay tuned for the next Hot Mama Ride!

Celia

Next Hot Mama Ride: Wed May 31, 2006 @ Java Hut

2006-05-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

Ride date: Wednesday May 31, 2006
Meeting place: parking lot by Java Hut at Faixfar (email celiag@pacbell.net for driving directions)
Meeting time: 5:00 pm (please noticed earlier time, be on time!)
Ride starts at: 5:30 pm
Ride zone: Mt. Tam
Ride duration: 2.5-3 hours
Ride skill level: Advance**

IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
-Beginner: not applicable;
-Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
-Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
-Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp loop (Dominican side).

Hot Mama Ride Wed May 24, 2006 Report

2006-05-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

Last Night the Hot Mama Ride took Dolores, Dana, Linda, Karen, Celia and Tom to Tamarancho. Tom was a special guest always (well.. almost) welcome to the rides. Climbing at Rock Spring Rd. we found Paul who attracted to Linda like a magnet (you know, she is the tall hot blonde) decided to join. At least he noticed me thanks to my new Nomad "What a sexy bike!" he said. That is enough for me being the "dyke lite" Tom says I am.

Dana was ready to go when I arrived to the Java Hut parking lot at about 5:45 pm. Linda showed up right then as well. Dolores and Tom came riding their bikes and at about 6:05 pm we headed to Tamarancho. I was glad Karen was able to catch up with us at the camp since I didn't wait for her (sorry Karen!) because I was concerned about riding this secret trail with day light.

The seven riders re-groupped at the top of the secret trail. For the first time I was going to try my free ride/downhill bike on a technical descend. Convinced I was going to fly down the trail and leave everybody and their mothers in the dust, I went down first so nobody would be in my way! yeah! But after about 250 yards of the descend, the scary downhiller was reduced to a humiliated novice when the group found me head down stuck between bushes and rocks with my sexy big bike right on top of me. After they helped me get up, picked up my bike and made sure I was fine, like a dog with the tail in the butt, I took the last place in the line. Two good things from that crash happened though: by just pumping air and moving the tire around I fixed the flat tire I got (use tubeless with stan!!!), and the DH armours I wore protected me from hurting and even scratching my hot sexy body.

Dolores rode the trail much better than last time when she fell and hurt herself badly. She was rocking! Dana and Karen were also rocking even though it was their very first time riding it. Linda also cleaned some hard sections with no protection and a hard tail bike! I wanted to push her so she will fall into the bushes too but didn't have the heart. So at the end of the ride Dana and I agreed that we secretly will come back to this trail many times, practice until we can clean everything and then show off again as the scary fearless dhillers that we want to be!.

Back at the parking lot, Sally and Caroline were waiting for us to go for beers and dinner at Iron Springs Brew. Linda and Karen had to go back to their kids, but Dana, Dolores and Tom stayed. The Brew was packed inside and a band was playing music. We sat outside by the gas heaters and by some hot motorcycle guys that paid attention to me until Dolores showed up with her pig tails and pink accessories... oh well... I am a dyke lite anyway... and with a sexy bike that will make me a much better rider... you will see... just wait and watch out!

Next Hot Mama Ride: Wed May 24, 2006 @ Java Hut

2006-05-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ride date: Wednesday May 24, 2006
Meeting place: parking lot by Java Hut at Faixfar (email celiag@pacbell.net for driving directions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts at: 6:00 pm
Ride zone: Tamarancho area
Ride duration: approx 2 hours
Ride skill level: Advance*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
(0) Beginner: not applicable;
(1) Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
(2) Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
(3) Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp loop (Dominican side).

Hot Mama Ride Wed May 17, 2006 Report

2006-05-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday's Hot Mama Ride took placed in China Camp. The hotties this time were: Susan, Dolores and Celia.

We practiced switch backs and balance riding on boards while fighting the mosquitos to avoid being eaten up alive! Dolores and I got a good lungs workout by pedaling while not breathing due to catching up on our lives since we haven't ridden nor seeing each other in a while. Susan cached up with her life story as well. Once we ran out of things to catch up I started making fun of a classmate I used to have some years ago by telling a story about a ropes course I did. I was crying of laughter with my non-politically correct story not paying attention to the trail. I got my well deserved karma thanks to a small ditch on one side of the trail where my front wheel got stuck while I jumped over the handlebars. In the meantime, everybody and their mothers were passing us since we were keeping the promised easy ride pace. But it was too much for Dolores, so toward the end of the ride when the next guy asked to pass, Dolores lost interest on our stories and took off leaving the guy, Susan and I in the dust. We didn't see her again until we were almost by the cars.

As announced, we started pedaling at 6:00 pm and were done by a gorgeous sunset at 8:00 pm.

Hot Mama Ride Stats:
Click on the map below to check stats and many GPS goodies from the MotionBased site.

Next week's Hot Mama Ride: Wed May 17, 2006 @ China Camp

2006-05-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hot Mama ladies,
Let's resume the rides next week in China Camp.

Ride date: Wednesday May 17, 2006
Meeting place: by the kiosk along San Pedro Road (email celiag@pacbell.net for driving directions)
Meeting time: 5:30 pm
Ride starts at: 6:00 pm
Ride zone: front loop of China Camp
Ride duration: approx 1.5 to 2 hours
Ride skill level: Intermediate*

*IMPORTANT: Hot Mama Rides are classified as follow:
(0) Beginner: not applicable;
(1) Intermediate: not very technical singletracks and not very steep climbs, e.g. the front loop of China Camp;
(2) Intermediate to advance: some technical singletracks and some steep climbs e.g. Tamarancho loop;
(3) Advance: challenging singletracks with technical descends, steep climbs and tight switchbacks e.g. back side of China Camp loop (Dominican side).

Welcome to the Hot Mama Rides

2006-05-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome ladies to the Hot Mama Rides !!

The formerly Women Tuesday Rides (WTR) has changed its name for 2 reasons:

1) The ride's name doesn't depend on the ride's week day any longer:
The survey Celia sent by email 2 weeks ago shows a majority voting to change the day to Wednesdays. A total of 28 women voted, 13 preferred to change the day to Wednesdays, only 5 wanted to keep it on Tuesdays, and 11 were okay with either day. I hope Amy, Cristi, Jackie, Lori and Paula can make the ride <:-(

2) Representing the riders:
As shown in this picture, only hot women have been coming to this ride... a year and a half of hot mamas displaying not only incredible bike skills but also spilling breath-taking beauty all over the mountains.

Celia