The incredible lightness of being laspag

I'm officially laspag. We rode all the way to Tower One. Thank God I brought the iPod with me.

I think it's been more than a year since I last visited Tower One, and today's ride reminded just how tough the climbs were. If you look at the map here, you'll realize that it's actually the highest point of La Mesa with a 241m above sea level elevation. The total climbing that I did for this ride? 565m! That's more than half a kilometer!

I wasn't in tiptop shape for the climbs and so I was in my granny gear most of the time. The iPod helped me maintain a steady pace and kept me company during the climbs.

One day has passed but I'm still sore despite getting a massage and having a few hours sleep. I'm not complaining, though. Invite me for another Tower One ride and I'll still say yes. This time I'll bring an extra water bottle and more Double Stuff Oreos.

Some new discoveries:
1. All those riding in Camp Aguinaldo helped hone my handling skills. I was pleasantly surprised at how more relaxed, confident and smooth I was in the singletrack sections.

2. There's a nice singletrack downhill section from the Tower One "Wall" that leads you to the foot of the semi-cemented climb up to Tower Four.

3. Going back to the parking, the singletrack on the right is shorter than taking the fire road.

Here's the map to La Mesa's Tower One: