Rubber Side Down

I use that word pretty loosely.

I mean, I put a number on. And got on the start line. Then rode for about three minutes with the other Expert ladies before I began my solo trek through the woods. But, that’s okay. What was important is that I got through the race with pretty minimal back pain, which to me is a huge victory.

And the downhills were a freakin’ blast. My Maverick really is a unfair advantage in that regard. (Bully kid from the Simpson’s voice:) HA HA!!!!

Of course, I quit laughing abruptly when I saw my finish time for the day. But hey, luckily I’m not staking my ego on that kind of thing. It was fun and that’s all I care about.

Huge thanks to my man Rob for helping me out and sunburning himself waiting for me at the finish line. Here’s our rig at the expo area, as the Subaru guy checks out Rob’s bike. Rob had a fun time with the Expert men as well, so we chalked it up to a great day.

Now we are driving on to Salida for a couple of days’ riding and then on to Crested Butte, to join 40 other crazy people for four days of riding over the Fourth. Awesome! And yes, I hope to post some drool-worthy photos of Crested Butte.

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Hey racers,

it seems that Winter Park has finally decided to initiate an upgrade policy, which is a great idea. Not only will it keep people moving along through the categories, it will stop the endless whining from riders about “all the sandbaggers.” Hooray! Race number two in the series, with a redesigned course, is this Sunday — head up there and kick some boo-tay, my friends. I will actually be there, believe it or not, trying to ease my just-healed spine into the racing season. Don’t heckle me too hard for how slow I am, or I will get in front of you on narrow singletrack and refuse to let you pass.

Secondly, and this seriously gets my knickers in a twist of anticipation, Winter Park is going to have a Super D race. SICK! I can’t wait! (okay, let me stop hyperventilating over here.) It’s Sunday, July 20, during the Crankworkx event, and that probably means it’s extra rad. Get it on your calendars, my fellow gravity lovers.

(photo courtesy Winter Park website)

P.S. I’ve been putting this off, but I can’t hold out any longer. I publicly apologize for the lameness of my “events calendar”. It used to be awesome, showing every cool race, festival or trailwork day in the area, and now it’s just a pathetic square of inoperable crappiness. Our blogmaster here, Nick, tells me he’s searching for a new calendar plugin that will put the smack-down on the old one, but it’s not happening overnight. Please bear with me while we find a solution, or if you’re a hardcore blogger and know what’s up, send me an email (located in the About section). Thanks!

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(Photo courtesy BikeParts website) (Yes, even I forget my camera sometimes. Fire me.)

It’s really a cool place to go explore. I’m on a mission this summer/fall to try to see everything our northern neighbors have to offer.

I started with Lory State Park, checking out the cross-country trails while the man honed his skills in the dirt-jump/pump track park.

(photo courtesy Lee McCormack)

Due to a minor setback in the seemingly never-ending back-pain journey I’m on, I needed to keep the riding mellow….and Lory definitely delivered. With frequent views of people partying on Horsetooth Reservoir, the narrow singletrack of the East Valley Trail cruised and rolled with no real elevation change to speak of, until it delivered me to the Nomad Trail in the adjoining Horsetooth Mountain Park. That trail was pretty chill as well, and there I ran into another rider who showed me how to connect to the Blue Sky Trail, a long, mostly-easy meander down to Devil’s Backbone. I didn’t have time to fully experience Blue Sky, but I got a 15-minute taste of its real singletrack section before I had to head back to meet Rob at Air Central.

I think a return trip to Lory, to explore the five other trails (which include moderate and difficult terrain, according to the map), is definitely in order. And a full jaunt down the Blue Sky Trail will be a must, as well as the much-lauded trails in the mountain park. I’ll report back as soon as I can. In the meantime, if you’re a beginner mountain biker or you have friends who are just getting into the sport, take them to Lory. They’ll love the mellow, scenic ride. And if you follow your instincts through the campground just south of Nomad, you’ll figure out the Blue Sky connection. I can’t promise what lies further along there, but I bet it’s pretty cool.

(photo courtesy Lory State Park)

P.S. There’s a $6 park fee per four riders to get in (see the comments for details). Don’t forget some cash!

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No, not the altitude…the amount of Picture Rock Trail that got built by the hardworking 225 people who showed up for National Trails Day this morning. Sweet!!

This part of the trail, a mile or so above where it drops out onto Red Gulch Road in Lyons, undulates in and out of gullies as it descends, which makes it look seriously fun to ride. Plus, the soil is nice — there’s none of that cake-mix silty stuff you see on the Wapiti/Wild Turkey side of Heil.

Here’s the Delta Force Crew hiking in:

When they hiked back out, the grassy earth was now a trail. That’s what happens when you bring 200 people and Pulaskis.

Rob Love expands his Circle of Death:

Now the rumor is that only 1200 feet remain to connect the two ends. And then you add on some finishing work, and who knows — we could be riding the Heil-Hall connector by late July?? Outstanding.

Huge props to everyone who showed up today. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

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Check this out: Buffalo Creek has some new trails, with more on the way. Schwing! There’s a new loop (well, new since last summer when it was built) off of the Colorado Trail, called Buffalo Burn. Locals call it the Beginner Loop, but even experienced riders seem to enjoy it. Then there’s Redskin Creek, which provides a singletrack option connecting the Colorado Trail to the bottom of Gashouse Gulch, removing the need to ride some of the crappy service road I kvetched about in a previous post. (What can I say. Everything’s coming up Marty.)

Rumor has it another 27 miles are on tap for the area, making it even more worth the drive than it already is. Camping, here I come!

Here’s a map for your edification and workplace fantasizing. I’m headed down there with some friends on the 14th, and I’ll try to get some photos of at least one of these new trails to show you. Better yet, someone beat me to it and send ME some photos.

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