A Pinoy Biker’s Philippine Rural Adventures

Recalling the previous post, we were in “God’s country“. The view from the top is always better, and this one is no exception. It was green everywhere, although there were few trees, far apart and small, indicating they were young and therefore not the original growth covering this land.

It was good to see that even in the middle of summer, this part of the world is still sustained by nature and although there were signs of man’s abuse everywhere, the earth is renewing itself.

Now comes what I was partially dreading but excitedly waiting. The real downhill adventure of this singular ride. The path started as compact dirt but still damp from the previous day’s rain. It wasn’t muddy at all but since it was damp, the soil clung to the grooves of my wheel.

One thing that I was apprehensive about was that my wheel wasn’t for dirt at all but a slick one, made more for the city streets than for mountain trail riding. The donor of my wheels though, had assured me that they would hold and that he himself had used them for downhill riding. But he is half my weight. The truth is, that was a little consolation, considering the grade of the downhill trail we were about to tackle. I am not versed in the measurement of uphill or downhill grades so I cannot give you any information on this. Suffice it to say that if you let a basketball roll down from the top, you will not be able to reach it running on your feet at full speed.

My bike buddies were off in an instant. They were lightweight compared to my weight, which is about 100 kilograms, give or take a few grams. This made them more agile and their bikes more maneuverable. Their brakes also functioned without fail. And this actually made the difference between a safe, enjoyable and thrilling ride, and one that’s thrilling yes, but not actually safe and enjoyable, at least while the part where I was losing control was happening.

From damp dirt, the road turned into one covered with small, loose gravel. I think it’s called “macadam“, and it is in preparation for the final asphalt paving of the road. My bike and I were still going downhill as one coordinated being at this point. I turn the handle right, the bike goes right; I press the front and rear brakes intermittently, in the manner how Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) brakes work, and the bike obediently and unhesitatingly stops. So far so good.

We passed level ground and here my buddies waited for me. They saw me, and after being assured that I was ok, they took off. I caught up with them at the approach of the next bend going downhill again.

And it started to happen. As we rounded off the left bend, the small loose gravel turned into bigger but still loose chunks of what was once asphalt road. And I was in the middle of it going at, at least 30 kph. I don’t have a cyclocomputer, but unlike measuring steep grade, I can very well judge the speed I am going. I saw that Eric was on the left side and there the road was smoother, being paved with asphalt and I tried to turn the bike towards him. Here, the bike started to have a mind of its own and decided that it was better to go along straight. But I was stubborn and becoming desperate, so I tried to apply the brakes and turn left towards that side. The bike was sliding now, being pointed to the side of the road but still going straight! The brake pads and the rotors were losing their grips because of the building heat and I was losing my brake by the second. My dilemma was if I let go of the brake and straighten the handle, I go faster which would make it harder to stop and jarring effect of the road was aggravating me. If I tried to brake hard and turn the wheel to the left, I will totally lose the brake and you know the consequences. But our Lady must have been watching me all the time.

The loose chunks of asphalt paving became whole again and as I was able to let go of the brake for a few seconds; the pads and the rotors cooled off and the brakes worked the way they should. I was able to stop fully before the next bend and right now, I am wondering if I offered a prayer or not. But if I didn’t, being still in God’s country, I know He will forgive me. He let me survive without any scratches, didn’t He?

There was still about a kilometer of downhill riding left. It wasn’t less exciting than what had happened but uneventful. We finally arrived at the foot of the mountain and since I didn’t know this path we were taking, I was surprised that we were now in Wawa. There is a dam somewhere here. The river that flows out of it is accessible from the road and you can swim there.

The river can be seen from up the road where we were. After a water stop and some picture taking with the river as background, we went on our way to Rodel’s house, about 2 kilometers away. We ended the ride at his house at around 12:30 pm.