I spoke to a surfer once and he described to me the difference in the types of waves and how it affects the way you surf. For them the shape of the beach, the structure of the ocean floor and the type of material its composed of (coral, sand, rocks) can make a difference on the surfing experience. 

I have to say the same thing holds true for mountain bikers. The type of soil on the trail, who else uses the trail, and the incline of the terrain can play a big part on the ride. During last weekend’s ride I just realized as well that there are so many different types of mud! Sta Rosa itself has about several different types of mud.   

Take the mud on Coffee Trail for example. Coffee trail is actually double-track trail used by the jeeps that farmers use to access their crops (coffee, coconuts, pineapples etc.). Jeeps leave deep ruts that fill in with water during the rainy season. Since there is a lot of tree-cover the water doesn’t try out in some parts so you get these really slushy puddles in the lower areas. When I first heard it was called coffee trail I really thought it was named after the mud.  It’s a little sticky like the clay in San Mateo and fills up your chain stay and seats stays in no time. When it dries up it tends to get flung from your tires into your face.  Remember to keep your mouth closed!

You gotta keep a steady pace and try not to spin out even when your bike’s going sideways. Just keep ‘er steady!

Its still not as bad as real clay. Clay sucks!.  I got stuck in Bataan once and had get rescued in the middle of the night by truck.  It doesn’t even come off when you spray it with water. You got to scrape it off by hand.  Uhh those are SPD pedals and not platforms in the pic by the way.

Of course after hitting a slight amount of mud followed by a gravel section you get the “granola bar effect”.

I’m tempted to post pictures of Mango Trail from our Sta Rosa ride, but lets just say the trail is also used as a cow pasture and the mud on your tires are suspiciously green for a reason.

Mud is always a challenge its question of equipment, technique and lots of determination. Sometimes though, you have to know when its time to call it a day.