Dual Sport Class in Clear Creek

On Sunday, my buddy, Thomas, and I set out for Doc Wong’s Dual Sport Adventure Ride. It is a two day format with the first night in the “classroom”, and the second day provides a day for the drills while on the ride. This was the first time the class went to Clear Creek, and it proved to be a challenging day.

One of my first excursions off-road took me through the roads in Clear Creek. It was a horrible day. I was riding solo, wrecked, had a difficult time getting the bike uprighted and with the sudden realization that I was in over my head. I vowed to take some classes and practice my off road skills before heading back to Clear Creek. It weighed heavily on my conscience, and I started to grow comfortable with never returning to face my albatross.

The class ride was a mystery that unfolded itself during the classroom session. It was good reinforcement to hear about the drills and skills required for the ride. Our excitement level for the ride was growing out of control and couldn’t wait to set out.

Sunday morning was a rough start. Thomas and I were to meet at 7am at the Zeitgeist to ride a couple of hours to meet up with the rest of the class in Tres Pinos. As I filled the tank for the first part of the journey, my gas cap filler dropped to the ground as I started to fill. The hinge holding the cap to the tank broke, and I would need to find a fix quickly. We headed over to Safeway to find duct tape – a cure all for all repairs to keep my cap on the bike. Unfortunately, Safeway only carried Flamingo Pink duct tape, and it added a constant reminder to be safe (wife likes pink things) and a cool racing stripe on the tank. It provided many laughs throughout the day. Armed with Flamingo Pink Duct Tape, I could repair anything!

After the impromptu repair, we headed to Tres Pinos to meet up with Doc Wong and the rest of the riders. We had enough time to gas and go, but I wish we had a little more time to switch up layers. Summer in SF is a chilling experience and as you move south past San Jose, the temps rise rapidly. A little over 90 minutes and a thrilling twisty ride down Airline Highway, we would arrive at the entrance of Clear Creek. The group gathered, made equipment adjustments, aired the tires down, and prepared for the Adventure. The first water crossing greeted us into the Clear Creek area, and we were off.

The first part of the ride was slow and allowed us time to practice the various drills and techniques that were presented to us on Friday night. The mostly gravel road with a few water crossing was fun and challenging enough for the new riders. We would spend a lot of time riding, stopping and waiting for the group to catch up. Considering how hot it was, this wasn’t too bad. The lack of shade meant that we really didn’t cool off enough.

Shortly after the balance drills, we were presented with our first real challenge, a downed tree across the road. It was about 3ft high from the road, and since we didn’t have saws, we would need to build a ramp on both sides of the trunk. A few riders turned around and didn’t want to press their luck with the unknown road conditions and this formidable challenge. There were a few riders that didn’t fair well with the log crossing, and one spectator had an out-of-control KLR land on him and produced a gash on his face. Despite his injury, he pressed on after some medical attention.

The ride was awesome! I found myself standing on the pegs the entire day, and I felt like I had more control of the bike than ever before. The tires were a little slick for the road, and I could feel the bike sliding in the corners. Knobby tires would give me control, and perhaps some added confidence. I found myself repeating to myself, “knees in”, “elbows out”, “light on the controls”, “oh shit! GAS!”

After riding all day, I only had one unplanned dismount. Thomas was behind me and noted that it looked pretty hard. I was trying to avoid a rock, which I remained focused on, and eventually hit with my front tire. The bike dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I lost the turn signal, scratched the tank and walked away with a giant bruise on my shin. My Darien jacket held up well – no marks at all. The Aerostich Jackets are some of the best out there, but for off-road adventures, they are too hot! After checking to make sure that everything was still in the right place, the bike was uprighted in no time. I wish I had a video of the wreck…

We rolled into Idria as the sun was making its westerly track towards the sunset. Thomas and I left the group behind after making sure everyone made it out safe. The backroads from Idria to Hollister were twisty and bumpy, but after spending the day in the dirt, the bike felt like it was on rails. We made good time back to SF despite the heavy traffic.

We are already looking forward to the next Doc Wong Adventure Ride….

Pictures from the rider are on the next page…

[Show as slideshow]