Hamana "Mo-Ron" Tuesday Night Ride
Here's where things get more interesting.
When I was living out west last winter I fell in with this crew called
"Team Hamana". They are a group of hardcore riders who go out rain or shine and climb up Mt. Tam for an hour in the dark, risking hefty fines from Rangers, all so they can descend some of the sickest singletrack on earth. They are alright. I was only in town for a week and I had one opportunity to hit one of these rides so tuesday afternoon I rode the road-type bike the 25 miles from San Francsico to Fairfax to meet up with them. Many of the usual suspects were there: Ron Bolds on his Steelman Cyclocross SS, Pete Verdone on his $250 Zion beer-can frame with a $1000 parts group, Mo (the Mo in "Mo-Ron)), Russ, "Fuzzy" Eric, Karen, Craig, and another guy who's name I'm forgetting. I borrowed Pete's five inch travel Intense Something or other 38Lb. dually.
I had only ever ridden my hardtail SS on these trails so this was new and awesome to me. The thing climbed like a guy in four layers of cotton clothing swims, but the pay off was the descent, I was actually able to keep up with Pete "if I'm not eight feet in the air, going forty miles an hour I'm bored" Verdone for the first time ever, I did mention he was on a crappy cheap-ass hardtail didn't I? I can also beat up a woman and some midgets.
What really sets a Hamana ride apart is the safety brake portion. Folks bring pies, cookies, fruit, Pringles, assorted tasty weirdness, and "Candy Juice", allegedly a Swiss Rum, it looks like hydraulic brake fluid and tastes like BURNING (thanks Ralph Wiggum). No Mo-Ron ride would be complete without the sensation of this vile potion bubbling back up your gullet every time you pedal up a rise.
After waiting a while for hill climb winner Ron "I brought a 'cross bike to an MTB ride to find out what riding a 29er is all about" Bolds to descend back to the parking lot we headed back into Fairfax for tex-mex and BEER. Great success!
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