View Boulder to Ward, the Long Route in a larger map

1) Do not chase: A few people are in visible in front of me. I must not chase. I must save energy. I must not chase.

2) Couple on tri bikes: I get passed, unsurprisingly, by a couple hammering on tri bikes.

3) The scenic route: Ah, the scenic route, a small bypass in Lyons. This is a nice pleasant ride.

4) Couple on tri bike: They passed me again. How is that possible?

5) The shaved leg group: I catch a group of three guys with shaved legs. Most excellent. The ride my wheel and do not rotate the lead. Less excellent. Now I need to fear violent attacks.

6) The shaved leg group drops: I look back to discover that the guys have magically all come off my wheel. Nice.

7) The old guy: I get toasted by an 60+ year old guy with skinny legs on an ancient bike with drop shifters. If Phil Liggett had desperately resorted to providing commentary on my ride he would undoubtedly say I was “going backwards”.

Peak to Peak Highway: Sweet! I made it to the top of the climb. I just need to cruise on in to Ward now.

9) Couple on tri bikes: Really? How could they pass me again? What on earth are they doing? How is this happening? Oh, and I would have sworn there were just rolling elevation changes on this road. Why does it keep going up?

10) Steaming pile of horse poop: I ride up to a massive pile of horse poop. Still steaming. Then I get bit by a fly, all the while still going up. This would be the point where Phil Liggett would say I cracked, hit the wall, and a large number of other cliche sayings. Repeatedly.

11) 8 miles to Ward sign: Oh, you evil sign. I want this climb to be done but now you tell me I need to suffer for 8 more miles?

12) Mile marker confusion: Now the mile markers indicate that I have only gone 5 miles from the sign. How is it possible that I think I recognize things next Ward? And crap, I am out of water.

13) Ward! Utica Street Market: I made it. Really I don’t care if the markers or the sing was wrong because I am here! And I can get a cane soda pop at the Utica Market.

14) Water: Oh, the greatest water on the planet coming from a random little house on the edge of town. Thank you for filling my bottles

15) The descent: Normally I like going very fast on the downhill. Yet my legs feel like rubber and my reflexes slow. This sucks

16) The turn: I just stay on this road to take the fastest, most direct route to Boulder. Right? Right?

17) Failure recognition: Crap, I missed a turn. I know I missed it. And there is no way I am ever going to attack the wall on Olde Stage in this condition. Crap. Why did that lady give me “the look” when she passed me?

18) The lady again: I catch the lady on the flat headed back to town. Not intentionally – I am just trying to keep my legs moving. I smile at her as I pass; she scowls.

19) And again, the lady: She blows past me, again, on the downhill, again. She scowls. Again.

20) The lady on the flats: I catch her again. Really, I am not trying to do anything other than finish this bloody ride. Unsurprisingly she scowls at me

21) The lady, really annoyed now: She catches me again on the downhill and says, aggressively, “You really suck at descending”. While I want to explain I am exhausted after doing this ride, the overly competitive inner ego kicks in and I proceed to catch her again on the downhill and destroy her on the little climb into town. And then just hammer through town.

22) The stoplight: Crap, I hate red lights. Please don’t let her catch me. Please don’t let her catch me. Please don’t let her catch me. Yes, green! Sprint!

23) Beer at the finish: The only cold beverage in a can, a Copper Bell Lager, is quickly in my hand. I have never had one before, but it is cold and wet. And gone in a few short minutes. I better not do that again; next time I should try to taste it.

See the Google Map with pins of the highlights.

See the MapMyRide version.

A) Introduce new people to mountain biking without killing them

B) Recover my confidence on a bike post crash(es)

C) Go fly fishing in a ditch when the water is exceedingly high

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A.

Chris's first mountain biking adventure

I have friends come to town from time to time and want to experience biking in Colorado.  Sometime to see me.  Or in this case one of my friends flew to visit her mother in Denver.  Obviously Katie and I rank far behind her mother, so we settled for an afternoon mountain bike ride and beer.  Now I like Chris.  She is fun, amusing, and only slightly annoying.  However she is not a bicyclist (she showed up wearing sandals, thankfully I had extra shoes) , opening the question where should I take her for the first attempt.  Marshall Mesa is obviously the answer, the trails are relatively flat, have minimal rocks/technical sections, and can be as short or long as you want.  We took Chris on the Marshall Valley, Cowdrey Draw, Community Ditch, and Coal Seam trails; that seams like a lot but in all it is only a few miles with virtually non-existent hills.  Why do I keep mentioning hills?  Well, out of towners generally are not used to the elevation and can really suffer.  Which while occasionally fun to watch, does not lead them to continue biking.  Usually.  My Trek Fuel EX 8 is definite overkill for the trail, alas.  However the Boulder Trek Store has great bikes for rent that are appropriate.

View from Coalton Trail

B.

I have been crashing on my Jamis Supernova cyclocross bike during races.  A lot.  Sometimes I just need a confidence booster.  Katie and I went out a few weeks back on one such ride.  As I mentioned above, Marshall Mesa can be extended to just about any distance you want.  We created a long loop (made longer by the 20 mile per hour in your face winds on the return half), starting on the Greenbelt Plateau, continuing on the Community Ditch and Cowdrey Draw trails.   After running into 66th, we took a right to a short trail before jumping on McCaslin Blvd.  Another right and a hill took us to the Coalton and High Plains trails, thus returning to the start.  Confused?  Check out this map.  The Coalton trail has a decent hill on it and when the wind is coming straight off the mountains, it hurts.  I didn’t fall, so overall it was a success.

Dan's Community Ditch Rainbow

C.

This has nothing to do with mountain bike.  Too bad.  Marshall Lake is private and maintained by a fishing club.  They stock a lot of trout.  And when the water gets high, the rainbows run up the Community Ditch to spawn.  I wrote about fly fishing in a ditch; it is an interesting experience.  Even more interesting when a club member comes and yells at you, even though you are on public property.  Alas, it was not my fault that the water runs high in the spring.

First Ride on Marshall Mesa

Marshall Mesa

Katie at the top of Cheyenne Rim

Go North Young Man.

Wait a second…

This morning Katie and I wanted to ride somewhere new – most of the mountain bike trails in Boulder county have been ridden too many times to county.  To find some new trails we looked north, to the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area above Fort Collins.  After an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the park gate and asked the ranger for an 8-10 mile loop recommendation.  The ranger told us to try the Cheyenne Rim trail, a 15 mile round trip out and back.   While not at all what we asked for, the colors were supposedly gorgeous so we agreed to try the trail.

Aside from the fighting the painfully strong winds, I really liked the trail. Of course with all the cacti it probably would be wise to have a selection of spare tubes. There were almost no people – across fifteen miles we saw only six other humans.  The trail was a mixture double track and single track (really wide single track) and extremely smooth.  So smooth that I could have easily taken my Jamis Supernova instead of my Trek Fuel EX 8.  The trail had a long gradual climb on the undulating hills in the wide open expanse of plains (bring lots of water and sunblock).  The park is a great place to take a new rider, as long as they have the endurance or you the will to turn around.

If you want a technical challenge, this trail is not for you.  If you want epic climbs, this trail is not for you.  So why did I like this trail?  It was beautiful and beautifully relaxing.  I spent the entire ride (downhill included) just cruising, looking at the scenery.

Cheyenne Rim Panaramic 1

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Start of Green Mountain Sports Cross Cat 4 Race

This morning I woke up wondering why I did it.  My body is experiencing a level of soreness not remembered since college hockey games.  My back, shoulders, and legs are all blissfully sore and I have discovered an unsurprisingly large bruise on the inside of my right thigh.  How did this all come about?  Yesterday I competed in my first cycling race ever.  I have been riding my road bike for near a decade and my mountain bike for almost as long; obviously taking my Jamis Supernova that I have owned for all of a week to a cyclocross race sounded like a good idea.

Sherbert, the UrbanBulldog

I rushed out the door with Katie, late from a mountain bike ride in Nederland, and Sherbert.  Somehow we even remembered to bring Sherbert’s wagon.  The bulldog in a wagon is always a hit wherever she goes; the Green Mountain Sports Cross race was no exception.  Katie and Sherbert cheered me on to the finish.

The people were very friendly as I chatted before the start with a few racers in my group (Cat 4) and two cat three guys who wanted to take a lap to see the course.  Everyone was very encouraging, though one guy seemed to question why I would want to suffer for 45 minutes.  Reasonable question I suppose.  A few also said this was rather a difficult course to do my first race at – of course I have nothing to compare it to so I cannot say yet. Shortly before the start, an official pointed out that I was an idiot and put my number on the wrong side of my jersey; thankfully one of the cat 3 guys made the quick starting line adjustment.  This was a bit easier as I was in the back of the group.  Not near the back.  Quite literally I was the last person over the starting line.  I was told I probably would not finish last as this would give me ample opportunity to catch and pass people.  While a good suggestion I never really found a pack to cruise with – I just jumped from person to person without any sort of technique.  The gaps just got larger as the race went on.  Next weekend at the Boulder CX Series #1 I am definitely going have a better start.

Cross Barriers

The course was interesting, particularly as there was none of the mud I have expected via pictures of cross races on the internet and the 9 Ball Diaries.  In fact it was so dry that there was a dusty section that limited visibility to about almost nothing on the first two laps.  Continuing the dry theme, some of the corners were quite loose which turned into fun for me when hitting them at speed.  I only had to dab once and then I remembered how much less traction the Jamis bike offered compared to my Trek Fuel EX 8.  Somehow I managed to not crash the entire race but I certainly saw a number of falls in the corners.  There was also one short, loose, and steep decent over uneven terrain that forced me to catch my balance a few time.  Somewhere after was a steep up and down that I hit with too much speed on the second lap and caught a second of frighteningly unintentional air.

There were a number of straight-aways and run-ups; in the back of the pack these were great for helping me catch people.  Running over the barriers was a new experience and it is easy to see how one could misjudge the height and take a huge header.  I am certain that my form was questionable, though I did not seem to hit any.  The barriers also made me very happy that my Supernova only weighs about 18.5lbs with pedals – carrying your bike are a new concept to me.  Speaking of pedals, I was impressed at the ease of a speedy entry into my Time Atac Atium pedals; it is something you really don’t notice when mountain biking.  Unfortunately for me, after the barriers you had to remount your bike on the fly.  On my first attempt I landed too far back on the saddle and then had to suffer for the rest of the race with my saddle pointed up.  Of course that was not the worst of my mounts, I just prefer not to speak, or even remember, the others.

Don't Get Hauled into Juvey

Seeing as I started dead last I spent the first three (it might have been four, I was not really counting) laps jumping past small groups and individuals as gaps got larger.  Eventually I passed three guys in rapid succession and found myself with a gap so large I could not see anyone to catch.  I pushed hard for half a lap and then started to tank after doing a number of poor mounts.  The three guys I had passed apparently all had just stayed on my wheel and took the opportunity to pass and open up on me.  Going into the final lap I was by myself, no one within 150 meters of me in either direction.  I always was on the edge of delirium and really felt no motivation to push as it would be unlikely to catch or be caught.  Of course then with about half a mile to go I saw the third guy from the group in front of me come off the back and suddenly I had something to chase.  I was on his wheel going into the last 20 meters but just ran out of room.  He gave me a dirty look after we finished.  Alas.  There were 59 starters and I finished 42^nd overall; while a few people dropped out I am still assuming I beat them.  I need all the help I can get…

Dan in No Mans Land

After the finish I took my bike to the pit, promptly dropped it, and managed to meander over to the beverage tent – there were a bunch of beer from Oscar Blues but I could not even fathom the thought.  Instead I had (read slammed) some weird FRS energy drink and was jittery the entire care ride home.  At the end of the day my bike was filthy, I was filthy, and I could barely stand – it was glorious.

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Additional posts about Green Mountain Sports Cross

303Cycling

Six Degrees to Slush Photos

H-O-W-D-Y

CLIF BAR Development Cyclo-Cross Team

Official American Cycling Association Results

Abandonment at Picture Rock Trail (Lyons, CO)

Over the past four weekends Katie and I have been neglecting our mountain bikes; I spent a long weekend fly-fishing, we fled our mold-infested apartment (part of the wall in the bathroom literally fell down), and we have been preparing for Katie’s Alaska backpacking adventure with a backcountry trip in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I cannot remember what happened with the fourth weekend, but it was undoubtedly equally awesome…  We woke up to a brisk morning in the high 50s, which could be considered brisk given the normal summer temperatures in Boulder, and decided it was time to resume mountain biking.  Unfortunately, after such a long break and moving, it took over an hour to find and load my truck with all of our bikes and gear.  Eventually we said bye to our bulldog for the morning and headed north to the Picture Rock trail in Lyons, CO.

The trailhead parking lot was only about half full – rather surprising for a weekend however we suspect a lot of people were either at SPAN the Rockies or the Muddy Buddy.  We unloaded our bikes, my Trek Fuel EX 8 and Katie’s Specialized Epic, and headed up.  The trail was pretty awesome (assuming you are not in need of bombing the downhill and have healthy respect for blind turns), particularly after a break from riding.  The beginning section is flowy, placid singletrack through high mountain prairie grasses.  There are a number of rocky turns mixed in; just enough to keep you from staring off too much at the cliffs and mountains in the background.  After you have ridden a few miles and started wishing you were riding a cyclocross bike, the trail reminds you why suspension and fat tires are quite desirable.  The second part of the ride can be defined by tight turns and lots of rocks.  A few sections are somewhat technical, and require some momentum, but nothing is remotely comparable to the rock garden at Hall Ranch.  Like the lower section there are a number of blind turns that ensure you are paying attention to avoid oncoming riders; thankfully there were very few people who passed us on their way down.  After topping out and feeling nowhere near tired, Katie and I tacked on the Wild Turkey loop.  Quite a bit smoother than the latter section of Picture Rock with a significantly lower grade, we flew through the trees on the trail.  There were a few switchbacks mixed in, but nothing too tight as to lose all your speed.

Katie Mocking Me On Her Descent

After returning to the top of Picture Rock we ran into a guy with a pretty new titanium Moots YBB resting on the trail sign; I am still uncertain if he was just showing it off or actually riding.  The bike had been converted into a single speed rig, though the gentleman had an internal rear hub in at the time.  It looked so smooth, simple, and shiny – I drooled a little.  We chatted briefly; apparently two weeks ago he broke his handlebar and subsequently smashed his crank, frame, and massive amounts of skin.  Without a bike and the SingleSpeed World Championships rapidly approaching, he bought the YBB as an emergency replacement.  Unsurprisingly his wife was incredulous when he told her the price; I am uncertain if that is good or bad.

After leaving the Moots guy, Katie and I headed back down where we quickly learned all of our handling skills had evaporated; it was possibly one of the slowest descents I have ever made.  I would like to blame it on my legs being exhausted from speedskating on Saturday but I suspect that was not the case.  Thankfully everyone who was headed down on our climb appeared to have turned around for another lap, allowing us to pull off frequently; however it gave pause to consider our drastic decrease in skill as the riders passed, again.  Maybe next week’s awesomeness will involve less falling.