What Dreams Are Made Of
Jun 30th 2009martyTrails & travel
All right, friends, halt all other internet activity and watch this. Then proceed directly to Priceline to buy your plane ticket. I’ll see you there.
P.S. Yep, it’s in British Columbia.
Archive for June, 2009
Keeping the Faith
In my neck of the woods, there’s a trail that is part of the fabric of my life.
Sounds funny, I know. Maybe I’ve lived here too long, where one great trail becomes a close friend because there aren’t hundreds of others like it. But as helplessly as falling in love, I have become devoted to this particular circuit of dirt.
It sits in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, but it feels like the desert, with dry red soil surrounded by cinnamon-colored cliffs. Pine trees march up the edges of the trail, and the top loop provides a dazzling view of Mt. Meeker and Long’s Peak.
But to reach this nirvana, one must conquer the rock garden. It’s about a mile long and starts with a stiff climb right from the parking lot. As it ascends, it rears up in lumps and bulges and ripples of imbedded rock, with occasional strips of earth in between. These challenges come one after another, in a parade of technical moves that demand ever more from a rider’s already-taxed aerobic system.
In a word, it’s rad.
I learned about the trail when I was such a raw beginner that I had no hope of riding it. Yet it captured my imagination immediately. I got it in my head that anyone fit and skilled enough to clean the whole thing in one nonstop effort had reached the pinnacle of mountain biking.
This is the real deal, I thought. I gotta make this happen. It became the church, and I the devout.
As I improved my skills, I climbed the trail many times – sometimes just seeing what I could clean on a trip through; other times spending hours on that mile, working on different obstacles. Sometimes I’d ride it with friends, us egging each other on to clean the hardest spots. The days when I struggled, crashed, and gasped for breath vanished forever behind those incredible days when it felt easy, when mind and body came together in an effortless union.
Even when I wasn’t on the bike, that trail was with me. I’d ride sections of it in my mind while I was falling asleep, standing in lines, sitting in traffic.
But each year it eroded and the climb became a touch more difficult, often just enough, it seemed, to equal my gains in skill. It was a yearly renegotiation, with me trying to bring more to the table as Mother Nature kept upping the ante.
As time passed, it seemed that I could only reliably clean about 85% of the rock garden, either due to poor fitness, fluctuating skill or just plain bad days. I got down on myself about it, thinking, “I should be able to do this by now.” But then I’d watch the majority of the other riders out there, and they weren’t mastering it either.
And then, almost three years ago, I hurt my back. I ruptured a disc, and coming back from that particular injury is a long, hard road. Aggressive climbing is definitely off limits for months.
And discs become forever weakened. As I struggled to heal, I kept re-injuring it — about once a year, it seemed.
Being away from mountain biking, and especially from the challenging trails that I loved, was like a little death. I found myself turning away when I saw other mountain bikers heading out on rides; it was just too hard to watch. Staying away from the rock garden turned out to be far harder than riding it.
Today, I’m still coming back from the third re-injury last September. I’m not doing hard climbs, but at least I’m riding. And in the meantime, I’ve learned a lot about my back and how to keep it strong and balanced. I’ve also learned a lot about being tough where it really counts — in the mind.
As for my trail, the one thing that keeps me connected to it is another little strip of dirt, which climbs gently to meet the main trail from another direction. This option at least allows me to descend the rock garden, a grin-inducing experience in its own right.
I sometimes stop on the descent and look up the hill. The sunlight etches the rocks and ridges, bringing a sharp clarity to the trail’s character. The sky frames a particularly tough, tall rock face.
I look up at it and smile. Although the time is not yet right, I know I will ride this climb again. I don’t know if I’ll ever master it, but I’m not sure that matters anymore.
I turn back down the hill, clip in, and let off the brakes.
Bus-Assisted Mountain Biking
While it’s true that Boulder lacks an abundance of trails right outside of town, that doesn’t mean we always have to get in our cars. We can put together several rad rides using the bus.
I have a friend who calls RTD “Reason To Drive.” Even if you agree with this assessment, hear me out.
I’ve got three options for you: (click the links to see the bus schedules for these routes)
The “N” – Boulder to Nederland. Hop on this on a Saturday morning, and you won’t be alone. Lots of folks have already figured out that this is the rad way to get to the West Mag area and beyond.
If you get there early, you can snag two spots on the front of the bus. If you miss out on those, you just slide your bike into the cargo bays. If there are a lot of bikes, be prepared to take your front wheel out and carry it on board. For that reason, you might want to bring a disc brake insert as well, so you don’t get your bike off the bus and find that the front brake lever’s been accidentally pulled with no rotor in place.
You can then unload at the Nederland Park-n-Ride. From there, the world is your oyster — ride as much as you want and then ride down Magnolia Road/Boulder Canyon to Boulder, or catch the bus here to head back home. Keep in mind that Magnolia climbs out of Nederland for some distance before it turns downhill, so save some energy for that climb (or avoid stuffing yourself at Katmandu restaurant beforehand).
The second bus option is awesome also, but it requires you to be available in the middle of the day on a weekday, since the bus only runs Monday through Friday in commuter hours. You folks that have flexible schedules will love this, since the trails should be relatively uncrowded.
The “GS” – Boulder to Golden. Although I haven’t done this route yet, my research shows that you can catch the bus in Boulder, take it to Golden, and choose the West 58th Avenue stop. From there, ride south to 56th Ave., turn west, and ride about 1.7 miles to the bottom entrance to White Ranch.
If you like climbing, this is the ride for you. The ascent up Belcher Hill is a toughie. Once you ascend into the park, there’s tons of riding to be had. Check out a map here. And then you simply descend to the bottom, ride back out to 58th, and catch the bus home. Easy as pie.
The final option: This one is also Monday through Friday only. And the bus hours are limited, so you’ll need to plan your trip accordingly. But again, the lack of crowds will make it more than worth it.
The “Y” – Boulder to Lyons. If you’ve got time and energy to ride either to Lyons or back –but not both– this is the way to go. Ride to Lyons using the trails around the Boulder Reservoir, connect them to Heil Valley Ranch, and then cruise the Picture Rock Trail to Hall Ranch. Do a lap of that, grab a snack at the Stone Cup Cafe, and catch the bus back to Boulder. Killer. Or do it in reverse; you can’t go wrong either way.
Visit the RTD fares page for the current rates. Or hit up your employer for the Eco-Pass you didn’t think you’d use. Then you can ride for free.
A few photos from my recent Nederland bus adventure:
Buffalo Creek is Calling You
Jun 8th 2009martyTrails & travel
It’s whispering your name seductively….come ride and camp and ride some more….
You can find all the information you need right here. If you aren’t camping and you plan to park at the main trailhead, be sure to bring $5 in cash for the forest service parking fee. The riding is MORE than worth it, I promise.
You will hardly find trails more swoopy, pump-able and fun in all of Colorado. And it’s all singletrack. How can you beat it? Naturally, if you’re looking for technical challenges, this isn’t the place, but if you want a fast, fun time in a gorgeous setting, get your booty down there.
Fruita is For Everyone
Jun 8th 2009martyTrails & travel
A couple of years ago I did a story about off-road hand cycles, and I’m still fascinated by them. It’s so cool to see these folks gettin’ with it.
CU Short Track
Jun 4th 2009martyEvents & Race
| June 3, 2009 | ||
| 5:00 pm |
Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.
CU Short Track
Jun 4th 2009martyEvents & Race
| June 24, 2009 | ||
| 5:00 pm |
Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.
CU Short Track
Jun 4th 2009martyEvents & Race
| June 17, 2009 | ||
| 5:00 pm |
Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.
CU Short Track
| June 10, 2009 | ||
| 5:00 pm |
Cheap, fun training races for everyone. 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday through August 12. Get more info here.
Teva Mountain Games
Jun 3rd 2009martyEvents & Race
| June 6, 2009 |
This cross-country race is part of a big outdoor sports festival in Vail. It has gotten rave reviews from local racers, so check it out! More details available at their website.
