So How Was Your Lunch Yesterday?
A Note from Fatty: My race report for the 25 Hours in Frog Hollow is taking a break today because I felt like making a video this morning. I’ll resume this story on Monday.
Everyone I suspect that everyone has a special place in their heart for the ride they do most often — the ride they do when they have a not-huge amount of time for riding…but still enough to have some fun. Get their heart, legs, and lungs going.
For me, that ride is Corner Canyon. I believe I’ve mentioned it before.
But I don’t believe I’ve mentioned the trail I love most of all: Rush. Which is stupid, because it’s the most incredibly, ridiculously, outrageously fun “flow” trail around — it’s fast, with dozens (hundreds?) of little woopdedoo jumps, banked turns, and quick, steep drops.
And to think: until yesterday, I had never bothered to film it.
But yesterday, during lunch, I finally got out the GoPro, attached it to my handlebar, and filmed the whole descent.
Through some piece of luck, I didn’t run across a single person during the entire ride (except at the intersection, toward the very bottom — and they were not on the trail. Which meant I got in nobody’s way, and nobody got in mine.
So, here it is: a top-to-bottom video of Corner Canyon’s Rush trail. Put — appropriately enough — to a Rush soundtrack.
Not bad, eh? But I’m sure your standard lunch ride is just as good. Right? Right?
Comment by MicroTim | 11.14.2013 | 11:33 am
Love it! I can’t believe that this is an option for a ‘lunch ride’! The best we can get here is an hours worth of urban-exploration.. certainly no single track! Cheers from a jealous rider!
Comment by Sean | 11.14.2013 | 11:42 am
Awesome flow on that trail. Do you ever have trouble with ahem horses, or motorized vehicles putting their stamp on the terrain? Seems like a lot of the good flow trails like that around here Eastern PA get trashed from the aforementioned.
Comment by the Putti | 11.14.2013 | 11:45 am
Jealous….I need to move…
Comment by TominAlbany | 11.14.2013 | 11:48 am
Very nice, Elden. I’m envious to say the least. That’s some buff stuff you got there!
Comment by Derek | 11.14.2013 | 11:49 am
So jealous – my lunch ride is a 16 mile road road with a 2 mile climb. Dang!
Comment by David | 11.14.2013 | 11:54 am
I admire the display of bike control at around 10:10, nearly overcooking the corner but able to wrestle it down on top of the banking. What a great trail.
I’m stoked that at least one person watched this all the way through! – FC
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.14.2013 | 11:56 am
Very Cool! So sad though about how the drought has killed all the trees.
Will this ride be part of the future Fatty’s Phat Fondo event?
Comment by walter | 11.14.2013 | 12:06 pm
Woot Woot! The way you railed this trail, methinks you have ridden it more than once or twice. That is one seriously awesome trail – having it nearby for lunch or an after work ride is just too good to be true.
Anyway you can upload to youtube?
I could, but they’d just strip the soundtrack. – FC
Comment by Clydesteve | 11.14.2013 | 12:14 pm
Zow – the handlebar mount position makes me feel like I am hanging way to far out front – about to do an endo / stoppie!
You need to come over to Bend and try the single track around there someday. I would say it is comparable, but not as accessible.
Comment by TominAlbany | 11.14.2013 | 12:25 pm
My lunch yesterday was centered around being the guest “mystery reader” for my daughter’s Kindergarten class. Twenty pairs of eyes and ears hanging on my every word was quite thrilling actually. Plus, I got lunchtime hugs from my little Sophie Belle. I actually bet I DID have as much fun as you!
I agree; that is in fact an awesome lunch you had. – FC
Comment by BigJohn | 11.14.2013 | 12:28 pm
No comparison! You win! My lunch ride takes place in a desk chair. I eat my bowl of vegetables and read a blog by some cyclist who claims to be fat(or at least to have once been). What a great video. In Wisconsin, we are lucky to get a minute of downhill in a stretch. That looks like a blast.
Comment by MikeP-CT | 11.14.2013 | 12:42 pm
Nice – although watching on full screen HD has left me with some motion sickness. Which bike were you on?
If my iMovie 10 version of this had exported, you wouldn’t have the motion sickness (at least, not as bad). The camera stabilization on it is really good. – FC
Comment by Hautacam | 11.14.2013 | 12:43 pm
Holy cow, is that real-time? You were flying!
Which of your several bikes were you riding?
I was on the Specialized Stumpjumper singlespeed hardtail, with a RockShox SID fork. And I didn’t speed up the film (though I was tempted to). – FC
Comment by Doug (Way upstate NY) | 11.14.2013 | 12:47 pm
My lunch time ride is a flat flowy trail. So not the same as the downhill shredder you got going there.
(But I like mine. It’s fun!).
Comment by UpTheGrade SR, CA | 11.14.2013 | 1:01 pm
That’s 10 min of MTB heaven you have there Fatty. Way to rail the curves: you are fearless.
My favorite lunchtime ride is Skyfarm in Santa Rosa. Its a 1,000 ft of climbing in a 3.5 mile loop and I can sometimes squeeze in up to 4 loops. Hard climbing and screaming descents for an action-packed lunch ride.
Comment by Dave T | 11.14.2013 | 1:06 pm
Very nice wish my lunch time ride was that cool. Mine is dead flat mixture of pavement and dirt but I do get quite a few google employees on google bikes to avoid that adds quite a bit of excitement.
Comment by Steve | 11.14.2013 | 1:07 pm
Awesome trail! While we’ve got some fun trails here in Memphis, there are no downhills like that! Cool beans!
Comment by Jeff Bike | 11.14.2013 | 1:18 pm
OMG!!! That is so sweet! The speed and flow is better than a carnival ride. Well done my good man.
Here in south Texas we seam to have a lot more rock and more gravel to work with. There are very few places around here that allow for more that a few minutes of riding like this.
I had carnitas (Mexican grilled pork tips) for lunch.
Comment by JRay | 11.14.2013 | 1:36 pm
Sooo very jealous… Awesome smooth trail with amazing flow… AND ONE WAY SIGNAGE! REALLY?!
That does it. I need to move to Utah. We have great stuff in Arkansas but that makes me wanna to go.
Comment by FodFod | 11.14.2013 | 1:52 pm
So I think this takes self depreciation to a new level…someone on this site is always saying how he isn’t very fast downhill and will lose time, yada yada yada…I was grabbing for my brakes a few times. I also noticed you were seeking out most of the jumps…nice work.
I’m still nothing special on downhill, but this trail has really taught me some new skills this season. – FC
Comment by Anonymous | 11.14.2013 | 1:55 pm
Cutting switchbacks. Tut tut! Soil erosion.
Well, yah, “Everyone does it”
Nice vid though.
Comment by Kukui | 11.14.2013 | 2:05 pm
Wow! That is great! I am crazy jealous.
I work in downtown Seattle and there aren’t any real MTB trails around for about three dozen miles! And good luck finding a network of well-kept singletrack…
Comment by Mark in Bremerton | 11.14.2013 | 2:05 pm
Nice! Great riding and filming! I have a big mountain that I can ride to in a few minutes, but it is steep to get up and the trails are “multi purpose”, which means the quads and motos have trashed them. I could get a lot more into mtn biking if there were trails like that within easy driving distance. More envy clogging up internet!
Comment by Bryan (not that one) | 11.14.2013 | 2:35 pm
No words. Too jealous. Ok, thought of a word. %&#@.
Comment by Co coach | 11.14.2013 | 2:47 pm
WOW, you should have a friends of Fatty ride at rush. Looks like fun and could be a fund raiser.
The thing is, there is a huge amount of singletrack in Corner Canyon now. I need to do a video of Ghost, which is just as fun…though a completely different kind of trail. – FC
Comment by Mike Z | 11.14.2013 | 2:52 pm
So the GoPro is your camera of choice? I know you used to have some other model. Just curious, I’d like one but I hate to wear a big box of a GoPro on my head.
Yep, I like the GoPro. I used to have something else, but technology has moved on. Like you, I don’t want one on my head; I use a handlebar mount for looking forward and a seat post mount for looking back. – FC
Comment by Mike C. | 11.14.2013 | 2:55 pm
Nice! I’d love to work close to that trail!
Comment by rob w | 11.14.2013 | 2:58 pm
Red barchetta….great song! Awesome trail!
Comment by Mayhemnsuz | 11.14.2013 | 3:51 pm
That is an amazing ride. Makes me want to take a biking trip to Utah.
My lunch today was a great surprise. Got done early with work and had the chance to catch up with my best friend from college over delicious and spicy Vietnamese rice bowls!
Comment by rich | 11.14.2013 | 4:34 pm
Wow….now a bigger person would have said how happy they were for you to be able to go enjoy that on your lunch hour…..but I’m not that person. I’m petty and jealous….and right now I hate you…..ok, maybe hate is too strong a word…..nah…not really.
On a serious note, nice riding, you were really moving. What a fun trail…but I’m still jealous…
Comment by Jeremy | 11.14.2013 | 6:04 pm
I don’t like you very much right now. 1) You have time to ride at lunch? I barely have time to pee and wolf down a little leftovers. 2) This is the trail you get on your lunch ride? I have to drive an hour to get a trail. Any trail. And those look nothing like this. (Probably why I ride mostly road, but I digress.)
Comment by onmarshcreek | 11.14.2013 | 6:09 pm
My wife and I rode this for the first time a couple of weeks ago with our college kids. It was an absolute riot! Thanks for sharing…I might be able to endure the winter now.
Comment by Ed | 11.14.2013 | 7:18 pm
Fatty,
Thanks for the video! One thing I wished I had when I rode with you and The Hammer was a camera to document the trip and show my family. Now I’ve got a video of one of the trails we rode.
-Ed
Comment by Liz M. | 11.14.2013 | 7:47 pm
Thanks — that is amazing! I am just a novice mountain biker (still learning) so I enjoy watching videos, especially from such an exotic locale.
My lunch time ride today was the opposite but also fairly spectacular. I walked one block from my office, hopped on a bike share bike and rode around one of the most beautiful, stately cities in the world to run errands. Life is good when you have a great ride at your fingertips, no?
Comment by TK | 11.14.2013 | 8:05 pm
Love me some Rush trail. But man, you were carrying some serious speed…especially considering you did this on a HT 29er. My rate of descent slowed considerably when I switched to my HT 29er, but I was coming from an all-mountain bike. Mad props.
Comment by Larry | 11.14.2013 | 8:08 pm
Great video of one of my favorite local trails. One of the things that I’ve noticed about GoPro footage is that is does not do a very good job of showing the steepness of the terrain in front of you (while making side drop offs look way worse than they are IMO). While Rush is not ridiculously steep by any means, it has a pretty good pitch to it. It’s not hard to generate good speed just by letting gravity do its work.
Comment by Al Pastor | 11.14.2013 | 8:17 pm
I’m a roadie, but I bet my mt bike co-workers could come up with something in China Camp state park.
It won’t be the same on video, but Lucas Valley Rd is a pretty decent road ride.
What really sucks is that most days I grab a sandwich and work at my desk through lunch. My workout is before work running on a treadmill. yuck.
Comment by Thad | 11.14.2013 | 10:13 pm
Right now I have a brand spankin new Tallboy LTc in my basement and I live 2 miles from that trail. (Never ridden it or any corner canyon trail) I have this knee that won’t work right. Thanks for letting me live vicariously. I mean it, thanks.
Comment by CaseyW | 11.15.2013 | 4:00 am
I’m living vicariously through you today on my lunch break… The terrain over here in Finland isn’t the most inspiring for Mountain Biking. I miss my trails in Tennessee!
Thanks for the entertainment!
Comment by Nancy_in_MN | 11.15.2013 | 8:11 am
Two (or three) observations:
1. Seamless editing on all the unplanned “dismounts”! Good job! Oh? You didn’t actually fall at all on this ride? My bad. I would have!
2. Sitting on my office chair, I caught air several times watching this. It was awesome!
and…
3. Are there any houses for sale in your neighborhood? I want to move there and be that close to awesomeness! And by that, I mean the trail. Well OK, I’ll admit there’s a bit of Fatty/Hammer/Nails worship too. Does it show?
Comment by Davidh-Marin,ca | 11.15.2013 | 9:37 am
I’ll put this comment in for Sasha.looking forward to seeing this ride after Christmas on your Fat Tire bike, 9zero7!
Comment by AKChick | 11.15.2013 | 10:53 am
@Davidh-Marinca took the words right out of my mouth. However, I’m not sure how a fat tire would handle a single track trail…I’m still very much a newb. They are so fun though. You can get into a great ride for around $2300. The carbon version is a lot more, but I love my aluminum fatty.
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 11.15.2013 | 11:24 am
@AK Chick thought I had given you enough time, sorry for stepping on your lines.
@Nancy in Mn,
I was thinking the same idea as you, until Fatty sent me that restraining order, but I digress. I did find that the Nelson’s celebrity is so dominant as to have an impact on housing prices. Geesh! I might have to part with some bikes:
http://www.trulia.com/property/3073411857-705-High-Ridge-Cir-Alpine-UT-84004
Comment by Jacob | 11.15.2013 | 12:37 pm
Wow. I need a trail like that. All the trails I’ve been on only have banked corners on really steep descents with a wall of trees or rock on one side and a 30 foot drop on the other and I don’t really feel comfortable taking them properly. Some of those looked like you wouldn’t could take them without much fear because you just leave the trail if you botch the turn and not have to crash.
Comment by MattC | 11.15.2013 | 1:12 pm
Thad, what size is your Tallboy? My knees BOTH work (GRIN)…and I’d love to upgrade from my heavy old Blur (03). Not that it’s a bad bike by any means…but everybody knows you ride better/faster on a new bike. Just sayin’ that I’d be happy to give ur Tallboy some trail-time. Yeah..I know…I’m SUCH a giver…
Comment by BostonCarlos (formerly NYC) | 11.15.2013 | 2:03 pm
color me jealous. Anyone know if there’s any riding like this near Boston?
Comment by Margarita | 11.15.2013 | 5:27 pm
I wanted to thank you for posting this as it inspired me to go on a great bike ride during my lunch break yesterday. I biked along the Seattle waterfront and there’s a small rose garden where some late roses were still blooming. There was a lovely red rose on its last legs. I picked it attached it to my stem and as I biked it lost petals every now and again, so I was leaving a trail of petals in my wake. It was a really lovely ride, and I don’t think I would have swung my leg over the saddle if I hadn’t read your blog.
Comment by Nancy_in_MN | 11.15.2013 | 5:43 pm
@davidh-marin,ca Too late! I already bought it. Need help with payment though, so I’m planning to sell brats and The Best Cake In The World on that nice front lawn.
Comment by roadrash | 11.16.2013 | 8:17 am
Greatness! I’m taking the kids on the block to see SingleTrack High @ our LBS this morning. This was the perfect warmup!
Comment by Papa Bear | 11.18.2013 | 9:51 am
@Nancy in MN, There are a couple of places for sale in my neighborhood – 30 min north of Fatty in West Valley City. Utah rocks!
@Fatty, awesome ride! I thought the screen shimmy was pretty well taken care of. What did you use to stabilize the video?
Comment by rohit | 11.18.2013 | 11:31 am
Yowza! What’s the ratio of wheels in air:wheels on dirt esepcially around 1:30-4:00? It’s one way to avoid flats…
Comment by Rhys | 11.18.2013 | 8:24 pm
I moved here [to SLC] a little over a year ago and CC is one of the first areas I got out to. Rush is hands down the coolest and funnest trail, althouth it’s ruined my desire to try other trail systems. Thanks to Rush, I haven’t tried much else around here.
Comment by Rhys | 11.18.2013 | 8:26 pm
Meant to say that Rush is the funnest trail I’ve ever been on, nut just at Corner Canyon.
Comment by Glen | 11.19.2013 | 9:25 am
I haven’t been bitten by the off road bug (and choose not to pay for a second bike)…until now. That trail makes me want to buy a fat tire, learn to ride it, and move to Utah! The Rush soundtrack brought back fond memories of high school, too. Thanks Fatty.
Pingback by Fatty’s lunch ride is better than my lunch ride - What Now | 11.21.2013 | 12:43 pm
[...] a link to his post with the video. So how was your lunch yesterday? Tagged cycle, cycling, training. Bookmark the permalink. « How I learned to love the [...]