Bicycles Unlimited - Eaglebrook School Ridge Ride 11-5

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Eaglebrook School Ridge Ride 11-5

Written by Bob Perry

Thursday, 06 November 2008

My time has been pretty well used up over the last few weeks and I have had to keep my focus on running the business in these difficult times. With all that has been going on in the business world I have not been able to get out for ride with the local prep schools as much as I have in the past. But today I put aside the business aspect of my life to take the boys from Eaglebrook School out for a ride on the Greenfield Ridge.

I drove down to the school at 2:00 and loaded the van with 12 or so bikes while Mr. Lakey got the boys onto a bus and then we headed back to the shop. In all there were 14 boys plus Mr. Lakey and me for the ride. When we got to the shop I put pedals on one of our bikes which I loaned a bike to Angelo whose bike was broken. After all the boys were ready I gave the instructions to the group and we headed down High Street towards the park. I chose to do the ridge from the south to north because of the vast disparity in abilities in this group of kids. The route eliminated the steep climb up the Chimney Trail, which would have been walked by most of the boys. We took the back streets and trails along the base of Rocky Ridge to Highland Park where we entered the singletrack trails. The group got strung out on the first section of trail which loops from the parking area up the hill and then back down to Bears Den Road. Taking this trail gave me the info that I needed to pick out which trails we should take on the rest of the route. After all the boys got down to the road we headed over to the Green Dot Trail and then up the hill to Five Points. Although the climb was hard for some of the boys, the group stayed pretty tight. From Five Points we headed down to the power lines and then up the hill to Bears Den Road again. I challenged the boys to ride up the hill to the Red Dot Trail from the road. I then headed down the road to the sharp left turn and waited there to direct the boys onto the trail. Mr. Lakey led the boys up the hill to the Red Dot Trail where he waited for me to bring up the rear. I rode up the entire hill and passed several of the boys who did not make the final climb as they made their second and third tries. All the boys gave a great effort in trying this hill even though some of them did not succeed. From the Red Dot Trail we headed up the hill to the Blue Dot Trail. I followed Sung Ho, Miguel, and Patricio down the steep, rocky and root covered trail, offering them tips on riding the more difficult sections. We arrived at the end of the trail where Mr. Lakey and the rest of the boys waited and then we all rode across the street to begin the climb up to Poets Seat Tower. We paused briefly at the tower before heading down the rest of the Blue Dot Trail. I led the boys on the final leg of the ride which ended with the Chimney Trail. The boys seemed to enjoy the route that I picked and seemed eager to return to do some of the trails we did not ride today. After returning to the shop we loaded the bikes into the van and the boys into their bus and headed back to school. It was a really nice outing for the boys. It was particularly nice to be able to do this ride on such a warm late fall day.

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Last Updated ( Friday, 01 May 2009 )

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Bicycles Unlimited carries the largest selection of bicycles and accessories in the valley. Bob oversees a staff of helpful and knowledgeable service and sales people. The shop has rides for every ability level. We will assist newer riders as well as seasoned experts with the skills needed to enjoy riding for many years.

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