Old friends, new riders: ride report

 Yesterday I went riding. Charles just bought a XR250. He was the first
boss I had when I first started working with computers, 12 years ago.
Cesar worked at that company at that time. He was boss of other
department. Now they are managers and starting on the dirt bike world.
We met at the gas station near my home, 8am. Gabriel, who has a XLX350
met us there too. After months without any rain, the water poured hard
very early this sunday, what would give us no dust, a few mud puddles
to play in, cooler temperatures over the day and excellent and very
welcomed traction.

Trail started easy, except that my bike was not working 100%. That
starter relay wire again. It gave me trouble until almost the end of
the ride. Cesar is the complete newbie here: He had a NX400, a bike
that weights a ton of tons, not to mention it has suspension with less
travel than a mountain bike and traded it on an orange, sparkling new
XR250. Charles have four, maybe five rides on his ride log. Cesar
wanted by all means to be sweep, the position I usually ride. Afraid
of delaying anyone, I guess, but I rode in front of him and I was
slowing down every time I looked back and did not see him. We stopped
at the jar to rest and both Cesar and Charles got to ride on my bike.
Theirs are completely stock, and since 2006 they come from factory
even leaner than my 2002 came, if that's even possible, my bike was
dangerously lean when I got it. Today, I have carb mods and a complete
less restrictive exhaust system. Not to mention Renthal bars with
risers, cartridge emulators on forks and the preload on rear spring is
on it's maximum: stock spring is too soft to my riding preference.

We decided not to climb the hotel ruins over itapuama beach. It is too
steep and the rut is deep, very deep. Instead, we went riding over the
rocks at pedra preta beach. Nice, it was a long time since I rode this
trail on this direction. The little woods section on the new home
development zone was nice, there was a nasty mud puddle right on the
start of it.

From there to the antenna trail. Gabriel got stuck on a rut and me
too... The other folks took the easy way. The downhill at antenna is
very steep: The technique is using the kill switch, first gear, using
the clutch as rear brake to be able to put both feet on ground.

Zombie woods, my favorite playground was nice, I was fast as usual,
when I stopped, about 10 minutes later, I had time to take helmet and
gloves off, pull the 10mm wrench and check on the starter relay wire
again, before Gabriel arrived. A couple minutes later and Charles and
Cesar arrived. We met a large group of hikers at the zombie lake. They
asked to take pictures with us...

We met some guys riding zombie woods backwards. Friends of Gabriel. We
did the rest of zombie woods trail and went straight to the grass
hill. The alternative way up is too easy. I went 2nd gear wfo on thus
easy way, my friends did ok too, until Cesar dropped his bike almost
on top of the second stage of the climb. I went down and climbed again
using the hard way. Fun!

At bar do doido, beef with macaxeira, a couple beers... Then we joined
Gabriel's friends and went to alakazam hillclimb, but going through a
fort that portuguese built to defend themselves from dutch and then
fort was conquered by dutch to protect from french and portuguese. It
was one of the most important forts in Brasil for quite a time. It had
15 cannons back on the days...

When we arrived at the alakazam hill, Gabriel's friend were not there.
I was first, but I hit a rock, and wheelied uphill. I hit brakes and
front end got contact with ground again, but engine stalled and I had
to go down to try to climb again. Gabriel crashed in a mostly
spetacular way, glad he did not got hurt. After that, I and Gabriel
got up there, but Cesar and Charles, after seeing both me and Gabriel
crashing, decided that this was too much for them, but we insisted and
they ended up climbing.

We went down the gaibu beach rock, stopped at a bar at itapuama beach
to drink some water and went home, arriving about 3pm. Since my car is
still broken, I put back the mirrors, blinkers and washed it (just hit
it loosely with the pressure washer).

It was a nice day! Cesar actually asked me a million times to call him
next time I'm hitting the trail!

I love go riding.

-- Tiago

 Thanks for the ride report, Tiago.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jim

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         Wudsracer/Jim Cook
          Smackover Racing
         '06 Gas Gas DE300
        '82 Husqvarna XC250
           Team LAGNAF