BIG miles in the birthplace of mountain biking

My buddy Michael wanted to get me out for a big ride in Marin. I was TOAST by the end of this day, but we saw so many cool spots and rode a lot of great Marin County singletrack.
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[@michaeljensen4095]

Maple Syrup Gel Recipe: I use roughly 60% maple syrup, 20-25% honey, 5-10% molasses, and some salt. The theory is the maple syrup is the easiest and purest natural sugar to digest which is pretty much all glucose; the honey is generally about 50% fructose and 50% glucose - from what I understand we can only process about 60 grams of glucose per hour but can process an extra 30g of fructose for a total of 90g of carbs (at full exertion our bodies burn more than we can take in so this extra bump from fructose can really matter) ; the molasses adds more potassium and electrolytes and I like what it adds to the flavor (this is definitely the most personal and optional ingredient); and I add salt - the amount should really be based upon how much of a salt sweater you are... I never really get the salt stains and also use sports drink (mostly OSMO) so only use about a 1/2 teaspoon. You can dilute with some water to make it easier to digest, particularly if you use a higher percentage of honey. It really is a very economical way to fuel for longer and harder rides; the flask was something like $5 and for $30 of ingredients from Costco or similar (don’t skimp on the quality or you may not be getting real maple syrup and honey) I probably get 100 gels worth. That said, I use the SIS Isotonic and Caffeine gels in races because I find it to be the easiest to digest and know they have the science dialed.

[@metalpeck]

*Thanks* for the Break down of your special gel drink!!! 🚵🏼‍♂️

[@88batmobile]

Hey Michael--looks like a sweet ride! Moved to the Bay Area from OR not too long ago and have checked out most of the trails on the peninsula and South Bay but looking to check out some riding in Marin. Would you mind sharing your route? Would love to check out that ride!

[@aaronhuie7013]

Nice! Thanks for sharing this, Michael!

[@Narutofan825]

you should consume about 50g of sugar per day

[@michaeljensen4095]

One above all Great if that works for you. I am not sure of my daily macros, but try to eat very little sugar (less than 50 grams?) on off/light riding days and need way more than 50g sugar to race or ride hard (where I’m largely working beyond my lactate thresholding and am burning sugar instead of fat), especially for 3-5 hour efforts where I would bonk after 2 hours without the gel.

[@2004RS4]

You’re human!!! Love that you actually included you’re “hike-a-bike”, and “nope, I’m not riding down that” moments... makes me feel better about myself... I’m not alone!!! Thanks!

[@nelsonman1231]

No shame riding within your limits

[@laxmilama3935]

@@nelsonman1231 @1@

[@prestond]

These are the kinds of rides I'm trying to get in shape for. Not too technical just long xc rides with beautiful scenery. Definitely my speed. Great video as usual.

[@rollinrat4850]

Theres tons of riding like that in the South Bay and on the peninsula. Most of it can be ridden on a cx bike or hardtail. You dont ‘need’ suspension that much. Just nice soft tires. Ive ridden around here for 45 years. I can link together trails to make all day 70 mile loops with just a few miles of road.

[@bkxc]

It makes for a great adventure!

[@yegmtb8377]

i do that in my home city aswell the trails run along the river the other day i just went 30km or so check my couple vidz i got still working on getting proper media going

[@bayarearob]

I just got into mountain biking and would live to ride this exact trail.

[@aramgutierrez2119]

bigntallxx take a shot at Alaska ! We got many that style

[@darkovilos]

When the dude spoke before the ride, I was like, “oh he’s a soft spoken person”, then they cross the bridge with those pedestrians lol

[@stoneybowmann]

The GG Bridge, especially on weekends, is a nightmare of tourists and weekend warriors.

[@bkxc]

Hahaha!

[@trinityemergencytraumacent9317]

"ON YOUR LEFT!"

[@tomgraves6463]

@@bkxc Was the west side of the bridge closed for some reason? I thought bikes used the south bound side, with no pedestrians over there. ❤Mt. Tam.... 👍

[@tomgraves6463]

Well.... I commented before the end. Never mind. BTW: Great video. 😎

[@nuding4923]

Thanks for those metric numbers. I think a lot of people like it but no one tells you .

[@matthewwilliams1393]

agreed, really useful for Europeans

[@bkxc]

Yup yup!

[@rollinrat4850]

Its really not that hard to do conversions. Most people have a phone and a calculator. 100miles is about 161 kilometers. 100 km is 62 miles. Move the decimal. Multiply and divide. Easy peezy

[@nuding4923]

Robert Trageser I can do that but if it’s just there it’s comfortable. I don’t get your point

[@rollinrat4850]

nuding 492 Sorry, maybe Im a little sensitive on this subject. Sorry to make it political but making that change will cost big. Ive been in manufacturing as a machinist most of my career. Now I wrench on bikes in a shop in my semi retirement. Ive listened to arguments to switch to metric standards in the US since the 70s. I dont see the advantage in such a switch. I see it as a convenience to lazy people. (Wackofornia is full of them) I see it costing businesses and especially consumers more to make the switch. Taxpayers WILL pay to change signage and such. I pay far too much as it is for just about everything in my state of wreck and chaos I can ONLY refer to as Wackofornia. I cant wait to get out of here! There are far bigger issues our tax dollars should address at this time and most money is blatantly squandered to put it very lightly by government. I can do conversions in my head, at least for distance measurements. If I cant I just get out a calculator. I used to get lots of metric drawings and specs from engineers and just did conversions. Modern CNC equipment and machine parameters can be switched back and forth easily. Older manual equipment cannot. I read Euro race reports and try to fathom the huge distances these guys ride, but in miles. Conversions ARE EASY. Its Simple math that anyone, who payed attention in elementary school, can perform. SAE is here to stay in the US. It is what it is.

[@MTBTexasBikeRider]

Awesome trail wow you both have BMC bikes cool 😎

[@chrisjbrkr]

I just did this ride yesterday. It was easy to recreate the route based on the video. I’ve been riding in Marin for years and this was the first time I rode some of these trails. Thanks for posting this!

[@ianbaguley8008]

"The edge of the world" what a beautiful view

[@coreymclernon]

Sweet riding! I’ve been riding with a bell on my bike for a long time. People seem to respond really well to the ding of my bell better then yelling “on your left”!

[@gatoryak7332]

By far.

[@2_L8]

does your bell tend to make slight ring noises as you hit bumps?

[@gatoryak7332]

@@2_L8 My bell makes no noise until I press the ringer. It's not the cheapest on Amazon, but close to it.

[@coreymclernon]

@@2_L8 No, and it helped save my life once when I almost hit a mountain lion!

[@michaeljensen4095]

@coreymclemon The GG Bridge is too loud with the wind (research the GG Bridge wind noise - I can hear it often from my house over a mile away) and road noise to hear a bell. A company based in Marin actually designed a louder bell for the bridge but that doesn’t even work. The really aggressive riders where a whistle to get pedestrians attention and that seems too harsh for me… so I just yell.

[@kevinhunter2325]

09:08 Just waiting for Uncle Michael's brakes to fail! That was amazing to watch.

[@MBOA]

That ride looked SO scenic. wow, so cool. Love it!

[@TrailPOV]

Beauty scenery! And the inverter XC fork is awesome

[@jesus.portilla]

You guys are so lucky to be able to go out and ride the woods safely. We used to be able to do the same, but now is too dangerous. My brother just got jacked by two thieves and stole his bike, he’s ok but very angry. Anyway, keep posting videos like this, I really enjoy them.

[@exploredom3690]

Love the rides, looks like we grew up a few miles apart.

[@nathanfeaster5140]

Love these videos. Thanks a bunch Brian! Great work out there.

[@gavinstuart4163]

Yet again another epic ride and video from the master, BKXC!! 🤘 So much so that my 4 coming on 5yr old son has started to watch your videos with me.... Keep up the great work as you've earned a new young fan 👍🤘

[@bkxc]

Love to hear it!!

[@cortarelva]

Started watching this, eight minutes in got such an urge to go ride that one and a half hours later here I am to finish this awesome video.

[@markkoziol5742]

Good going again brother Bri.!!! Great video, nice job being all in on that adventure. I’m putting money on you being ready for BC race. I’m much inspired, thank you 🙏🏼.

[@ebenezercunningham9073]

Your friend did all of that riding and just acted like he had spent the day relaxing.

[@zxtenn]

Consistent serious riding and cardio training is what it's all about, both in outstanding shape, most of these guys only weigh in about 140-150

[@tiagoT_]

so sick! inspired me to get back riding my bike! thank you :)

[@darrellg7722]

Thank you for your content. I've always dealt with anxiety and due to life's circumstances, I was pushed into a deep depression the first few months of this year and thanks to a friend I was turned on to mountain biking videos and came across your channel. I did a short stint on anti depressants which didn't help matters at all but just the tranquil feeling from watching your videos was enough to inspire me to order my first mountain bike. I had always enjoyed biking as a teen, mostly bmx but nothing serious. Looking forward to a positive year getting back into biking and keeping in shape as well as focusing on self care and mental health. Again, thank you for doing what you do!

[@bkxc]

Get out there and kick some ass Darrell!

[@50mtb44]

Nice. You need to ride more with Michael ... to build up those distance/speed XC chops. Beautifully green scenes. Thx.

[@brucesummers7448]

Marin and Tom Richey definitely started the sport of mountain biking back in the 1970's with bikes that were strong enough to survive on the fire roads and trails of the SF bay area. The UK was ahead in building heavy duty touring bikes which was appropriate for where the Brits were riding and the only touring panniers came from the UK at that time. Richey built his first bike frame in 1972 and learned from his failures and produced stronger frames and stronger forks to make for a durable bike that would not break apart on the trails. What has not changed is the need for a spare tube or a tire repair kit.

[@fromxctoletssee]

thats super cool man. Thats pretty much my weekend right there. sat and sunday and intervals during the week. thanks for the adventure!!

[@davidtonetti4450]

Excellent video BKXC! Motivates me to do big XC rides again.

[@boxieracorn8445]

Coastal trail is one of my favorites

[@drimpillo]

Nice run!!! Edge of the world is amazing! Good view also! Keep it up!

[@garymoser7584]

Fun trails and beautiful scenery!

[@marmaduke_456]

You know you’ve turned into an xc goon when you descend a fire road

[@PhiloM]

Wow that was epic I'm from Southern California where the scene is also pretty damn good I remember leaving my garage and being on insane single track within minutes so much fun and great exercise it's an addiction for sure. Thanks for posting this it was a lot of fun to watch.

[@aclent6254]

This is the video that got me into mountain biking...started a month ago today always keep coming back to remember y i love it so much ...Thanks for the awesome videos keep up the good work much love from South Africa 🇿🇦🤙

[@bkxc]

Oh hell yeah!! Thanks bru

[@jusztinnemeti6380]

Great commentary. Excellent video. Went to some of those spots back in 2018, nice to revisit.

[@superscottyftw]

14:16 if the old man 'get off my lawn' type went mountain biking

[@martinroberts6402]

(Мой любимый - желтая лодка) My favorite one is the yellow boat one👍👍👍

[@iwabuchikun1]

Wow! Super cool video. What a stunning place. Thanks for the metric conversions, too.

[@mountaintime4276]

Huge miles Brian! Solid route route Mike put together.

[@mtnbikon391]

3 weeks until my season starts, endurance building is in full swing, good luck BKXC. SHRED IT!!

[@falconmalcolm]

Another great video been wanting to get into mountain biking your video was the first one I seen bought a bike the next week and been riding every day after work ever since from 1 Bay Area guy to another thanks for the extra inspiration

[@bkxc]

Oh hell yeah!

[@bayarearob]

The bay!

[@DJshekky]

almost the same ride i used to do pretty regularly; i live in what's officially called "mcallister terrace". what i used to do is a loop through golden gate park through the presidio and over the headlands to tam and back again. now, my range is only to miwok stables from my house and back, about 26-27 miles. looks like you did it on a weekday, which i would never do before 3:30pm when the western side opens to bikes. thanks for making this and posting it!

[@Bill97070]

Thanks for the showing the trails and beauty of riding in Marin headlands and Mt Tamalpais. I lived in the area for many years and it brings back great memories.

[@bkxc]

Glad you enjoyed it William!

[@greysol_jiggin]

My brother kinda walloped you on that one bro, killer video! Definitely subscribing. Thanks for the adventure.

[@kai5966]

Thank you for the metric units for us Europeans, I appreciate it!

[@lukesutherland7506]

And Aussie’s

[@maddy_6968]

And Indians too😅

[@davidc6032]

You keep riding with Michael and your fitness is going to jump up a notch.

[@nathankossak1858]

Great ride, thanks for sharing! Been looking for a cool route in the SF area.

[@Mydadssun]

Amazing that ur grandfather fell from that bridge then went back to work !! That's back when men where men much respect👍 what a ride great weather even better views 🤘

[@bkxc]

Big time!

[@Mydadssun]

@@bkxc hey bud just wanted to say I really enjoy ur channel very uplifting helps out when not in such a good mood thanks!!! Keep up the awesome work🤙👍👍

[@deficator750]

Back when humans were humans

[@James-yy4vl]

That’s some serious mileage, well in Brian

[@reishadrajab3538]

Nice riding dude... as always 👍and beautiful scenery...

[@seagulls4life12]

Great work Brian, it’s great to see you training for races

[@stoneybowmann]

My backyard. The hills are endless and the scenery is outstanding. I had to laugh that you got caught up on that narrow rock channel on the steep downhill at 13:30 ... that one took me 5 or 6 tries to master. Next time try out that ride on a gravel bike... it makes the long fire roads more interesting.

[@michaelmuldoon5301]

That section of trail in the Marin Headlands is off limits to bikes

[@jrenai37]

finally a marin video!!!! i live over in fairfax. that title did you well! you got more views than subscribers for it!!! check out camp tamarancho (awesome singletrack with a flow trail at the top) which is maintained for bikes specifically. its funny because i always drink the bottle coke after my rides also! i crave it

[@yegmtb8377]

sweet trails wicked climbs awesome vidz man

[@MilitaryVet]

Just did a recon of those trails on Trail Forks. Definitely want to ride 'em! Thanks for sharing

[@TylerDavie]

Fell off the golden gate bridge from that height into water and survived? What a god

[@Goodman-4525]

Nothing like a good shout to dispense of the hoard lol

[@bkxc]

Hahahah so good

[@wildmetro6143]

That is a beaudacious ride, wow. Beautiful scenery.

[@brcc8208]

Sometimes you just need a break and wish for those unfortunate things to happen. Spectacular trails and awesome picturesque views. Thanks for sharing!

[@jacobward7334]

I’ve been watching his old and new videos and he’s progressed so much in just one hear as a rider

[@RockerrrDon]

I need trails like these in India

[@poojapatil1357]

Yes, our country need 'em

[@RockerrrDon]

@Siddhant Mishra that's good to hear!

[@ladakhtravelogue8798]

Come to ladakh.. U get natural all kick ass trails.. Unfortunately we don't have these bikes though😔😉😅

[@UltimateMrGaming]

Siddhant Mishra h

[@UltimateMrGaming]

Siddhant Mishra z. Him

[@drevil4454]

Your like a little boy who finds enjoyment in every little thing. It's refreshing bro. Your vids are cool

[@BrisLS1]

13:40 Me Too! Being tired, a long way from home and riding blind over some craggy rock cliffs, no thanks, ha ha. Great ride!

[@AltarenGalil]

Michael seems like a really cool dude!

[@amadoalayo4533]

O

[@scottaw]

Great vid! Could you post that homemade energy concoction with the maple syrup? (What’s in it, roughly how much of everything, etc.). Thanks!

[@AreaCode865]

I’d like to see this also, what a great idea. Gels are a necessary evil, not tasting so good but definitely hit the spot. I’ve searched foldable water bottles on Amazon and there are one or two small 150 / 170ml bottles which would be appropriate. They do tend to have lots of easily available such bottles on the shelf in the US (Nalgene make some handy little containers), but here in the UK we have to count on the internet

[@michaeljensen4095]

Posted a comment with my recipe, et al.

[@slayerkhan]

Good times. Thanks for sharing. My childhood was spent on a bmx bike in Lagunitas. My friends rode the fire break rode along SFD to school in San Geronimo and back everyday. In the spring we would hit the rope swing into the Lagunitas Creek by the power station/ across from Specs Bar (RIP) . Moved to San Anselmo for Jr High and then Mtn Biking was born. I spent Jr High and High School hitting Bon Tempe and the Graveyard Fire road that runs behind the Miracle Mile. Best part of being a Marin Kid by far.

[@rupsingkro6737]

Beautiful scenery and good rider.

[@vttallm.phil91]

Génial Brian 👍🤘

[@moandhannahtravel]

Definitely looks like a great ride for a gravel bike as well! I can’t speak for Mo but I’ve been dying to get one to do some exploring!! -Hannah

[@bkxc]

Yeah, I want me a gravel bike so bad!

[@stonewp]

Gravel bike is definitely the ideal Bay Area bike.

[@GamingBeastR4W]

Nice place man Really have to appreciate you for showing us these Bestiest trails

[@scottbowers5019]

I enjoy your ride, the views , commentary, back story, and most of all your drive to improve yourself. It motivates me. I love to see things I will never experience. Great service you provide.. See you on the video!

[@bkxc]

Thanks so much Scott!

[@montemaguire4596]

Put a ramp at that look out and JUST SEND IT !!!!! SSSSSEEEEEEYAAA

[@johncast9565]

You'll be fish food.

[@smits7142]

GOING FOR IT!!

[@bkxc]

Hahaha!

[@fatmanbc2252]

Nice to see you pushing yourself man, next time gotta make it up that hill.

[@Claysoldier456]

I rode up Mt Tam with my dad at the beginning of COVID. Hes the one who told me that the mountain was the birthplace of mountain biking! Great times, and I Iove watching a video exploring mountains I've ridden.

[@Ro3Go]

What a great and wild ride. I enjoyed watching your video from beginning to end.

[@alexanderfrazier8840]

When he was going up hill and drifted into the grass. That shit always happens to me

[@alvinthomas552]

Same lol. I have no sense of direction and I just end up in some stinging nettles lol

[@mike569112]

What's this trail called? I've done a lot of the boy scouts trail but don't know of many others.

[@St0lenGlasses]

I was born in Vallejo, and live in Texas now. It’s so cool to stumble into a video and hearing you pointing out all of these landmarks and points of interest from back home! Great video happy riding

[@bkxc]

Most definitely!!

[@Darkhalfcustoms]

That was great. love this video especially the end.

[@balkanRod37]

Bro I’m from sf too nice to see some mountain bikers around there

[@Aheitchoo]

Man where is that at 7:10, looks so beautifull and were going riding soon.

[@gerwanderfolgadogerwanderf2867]

🇧🇷👏nooo q demais curto muito vídeos ótimo,as bicicletas são máquina ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🚲

[@sqeakgeek]

Very impressive I have done small parts of that & that was more than enough for me big ride round trip!😎👍

[@blainewinters8492]

Good job, Brian! You get stronger every ride!!

[@ScottBartley1138]

Love that you put the metric conversions up...miles, feet and Fahrenheit mean nothing to me! Thanks :-)

[@8rochefort]

What pack is that dude sporting? Anyone?

[@michaeljensen4095]

David Heck It is a USWE pack. They have a great design of the straps which keeps the pack very stable - easily the best pack I have every used in this regard. Jonathan Lee of TrainerRoad and the MTB Podcast touts these and he’s how I learned about them. I have that smaller XC one and an Airborne 9L and they both are so stable that you forget the pack is there when descending.

[@8rochefort]

Michael Jensen Thanks man! I was looking at the Ranger 9 or the Airborne 9. Still trying to figure out which one to get.

[@andrewjohnston4882]

That was some trail. Perfect style and level for me, not too technical but not lazy! Fast flowing and some stunning scenery. There is such diverse and contrasting country in the States a man could never tire of riding and you look, sound and ride like you’ll never tire of riding. That was a great vid I’m a noob and I subbed dude, maybe I’ll get over there sometime see what I can do?

[@skatefreak93]

Pumping out the vids! Love it.

[@kxngdavid]

I want a mountain bike and I want to move to San Francisco.

[@thereisnopandemic]

San Francisco would be nice, if it were not for the people living there.

[@TRG916]

That trail looks like the perfect perfect rude for a 100% novice. I'm not a novice but it looks super easy.

[@trainwrecktrailerz9175]

Epic ride and those views!!! Amazing!

[@lukerutherford]

Wow, great ride! Nice views. Love visiting S.F.

[@benderomamalin3288]

Sam Pilgrim see this

[@siggitpambudi2345]

mountainbiking+smoke pot=would be nice

[@bastosnaunggoy]

Thanks for sharing this tempted to go to SF now :)

[@Rickydbaby]

What a monster ride! Wow. Amazing views.

[@raphaelfrobus3180]

Hey man I’m from SA and I know you come here allot so please can we ride together thanks

[@zane3618]

Michael's voice sounds like Jordan Peterson

[@mohamedramal8678]

That was amazing man!! I have enjoyed watching the video.

[@realmccoy220]

Nice ride nice views been missing this type of rides.

[@Chris-yy5pj]

I'm a gun loving, conservative from Nevada but I'll be damned If I don't want to go to California for once in my life

[@aaronnowak5632]

awesome views! would love to ride there someday soon

[@qnoorani]

great video. was fun to follow the ride. that was view starting at 8:47 was amazing. will get out there one of these days!

[@MTBEH]

Those trails look like so much fun