Sedona Sweetness

Last night I got a call from my friend Mick, the owner of our local bike shop.  He had just built up a Pivot Mach 5.7 and wanted to take it for a spin in Sedona.  I have been chomping at the bit to test out my Mach 6 on some real trails, so I jumped at the chance.

We met at the Bike and Bean around 3pm and I quickly changed into my mountain bike costume.  Minutes later, we had our butts on our saddles and red dirt under our tires.  Life instantly felt better.

We rode north on the Slim Shady trail.  Slim dished up some technical climbs, banked descents, and rock boulders begging to be dropped.  Next, we hooked into Templeton.  Templeton is more mellow than Slim and offers amazing views while you roll along a slick rock shelf.  Mick and I switched bikes for this section and I can tell you his Mach 5.7 is sweet.   After Mick's dog "Taco" took a short swim in the creek, we rode out the Back O' Beyond road.  Jackie met us on the road and we refueled on water and cashew bars.  

After saying goodbye to Jackie and the kids, we connected in with the Mystic trail.  This was my first ride on Mystic, and it did not disappoint.  The trail rolls up and down like an amusement park ride.  The trail is littered with short steep climbs and punchy descents.  Next, we hit Pig Tail, and Hog Wash.  I don't understand Sedona's fascination with pigs, but half a dozen of their trials have pig names.  Maybe its a hippy vortex thing.  Hog wash reminded Mick and I of a mini Mescal Trail.  The ribbon of single track stays tight against a rock wall, as you rotate around one of Sedona's many mountains.  Hog Wash is challenging, flowy and a bit exposed in spots.

After slaying the hog, we connected with Broken Arrow.  Broken Arrow starts off with a demoralizing climb up a technical rock-strewn path.  Starting your day from Broken Arrow the climb doesn't feel so bad, but after climbing out of the Village, Mick and I were feeling it.  Fortunately, the trail rewards you with amazing views from Chicken Point.  Mick and I snapped a few pictures and then promptly returned to our bikes.  The sun was going down and we still had a ways to go.

Descending out of Chicken Point on the Little Horse Trail is a hoot.  There are numerous rock ledges to boof off of.  The pace was quick and exciting.  The only downfall for this sections, was that the sun was directly in our eyes.  This minor detail made things extra special (i.e. and pain in the butt.)  This section of trail was where I knew I had my Mach 6 suspension dialed.  Up to that point the bike had performed flawlessly.  Bombing down Little Horse at speed, the suspension just sucked everything up.  The Pike fork is a godsend.  It really feels like cheating.

Running our of daylight, we merged onto the Bell Rock Pathway and pedaled are butts off until we made it back to the Village.  We met Mick's wife Jackie back at Bike and Bean.  Jackie was the hero of the day.  While Mick and I were enjoying the red single track, Jackie was keeping the kids busy at the park.  After our ride, we stuffed ourselves at Famous Pizza and then made the 1.5 hour drive home.  It was an epic day that the whole family enjoyed.