Riding The Faultlines of Cavite

Sadam lived in the mountains with his wife and two teenage sons. They served as caretakers for a patch of land by the river, which doubled as a budget-friendly campsite. He worked odd jobs, previously working as a backhoe mechanic, welder, and, from what I could gather from his vague anecdotes, a reluctant henchman. When I met him, he was towing mountain bikers up the trails.

Toby is a bus driver, shuttling Toyota employees to and from the company’s Santa Rosa, Laguna factory to different points of Cavite. When I met him, he wandered into a commercial forest trail with his 68-year-old father on a pair of late 2000s Honda XR 200s. I volunteered to show them the trails, and within 15 minutes, his dad’s front sprocket decided it was done working.

Bryan married into a family business in Maragondon, Cavite – a decades-old grocery/general merchandise store selling everything from livestock feeds and rice to motorcycle fluids and alcohol, among other sari-sari store essentials. Basically, if the locals need it for their day-to-day, they sell it. When I met him, he had just gotten back into riding following a two-year hiatus imposed by his wife after giving birth to their son.

And I was a man from San Andres Bukid, Manila with a checkered past, who accidentally found his way to Cavite and fell in love with mountain biking. Thinking that the world could end at any time, I spent all my money on a sweet triple-cylinder Yamaha XSR 900 during the height of the pandemic. When I met them, I was teaching myself how to ride off-road on my Honda CRF 150L.

Sunday Habit

Together, the four of us made a habit of riding across, around, and through the rugged, forested mountains of Maragondon and Ternate most Sundays. Odd characters with diverse backgrounds quickly forged bonds through banter, laughter, and a general love for the outdoors and riding off-road.

When I first stumbled onto the trails that now feel like home, I was just a few months into off-road riding, with a couple of semi-formal lessons under my belt and hundreds of hours spent watching YouTube tutorials. Fortunately, it was summer and my limited experience was enough to scramble over the rocky terrain and survive river crossings without drowning my bike.

As the monsoon season muddied the trails, it would force me to work on my technique even more. Traction was prime currency. And having the grit and stamina to endure through humidity and fatigue was mandatory. But much like other worthwhile pursuits that require the utmost focus, off-road riding became a meditative experience that built new synaptic connections. And it consumed me. 

Tricky Terrain

The mountainous areas of Maragondon and Ternate are nowhere near as popular with enduro riders as those in Rizal. I rarely saw anyone beyond our circle of riding buddies on the trails. What I saw, though, were active quarrying operations. From what I gather, these activities are linked to the extraction of fill materials for Manila Bay reclamation projects. While they have raised environmental concerns from outsiders, they have also given locals jobs and steady sources of income.

Ironically, the Philippine Reclamation Authority supposedly led reforestation efforts in 2023 to offset the ecological damage caused by the quarrying operations. Meanwhile, one of the more challenging trails in the area (and local hunters’ favorite peak), Mount Bulbok, is part of a Department of Environment and Natural Resources-managed forested zone.

Grit

It amazes me how locals can survive and thrive with so little. Forget about life, let’s talk enduro riding for a minute. Here’s a random list of things I’ve seen them ride without:

●      Brakes

●      Clutch levers

●      Tire treads

●      Suspension

Forget about helmets and protective gear. If they have an engine that runs, they’ll figure it out. Something tells me this resiliency translates to other aspects of life. This is probably what draws me to these people. While other people from my past life muddle their minds and those around them with trivial and petty affairs, these people are just trying to get by, having a laugh while doing so.

The grit and problem-solving ethos so innate to them is beyond me. And that gives me something to aspire for. I stumbled into the mountains consumed by the challenges of learning a new skill. I might just come out of them a better human being.