Professional mountain biker Mike West was caught riding in an area around Flagstaff Mountain back in March that’s closed to protect golden eagles. After pleading guilty to “driving a vehicle in violation of the regulations,” he was sentenced to 60 hours of community service, three days in jail, and slapped with a $500 fine. His three day prison sentence and the fine have been suspended – as long as he doesn’t get in trouble over the next year. The article I read also notes this isn’t West’s first offense – he was given 12 hours of community service in 2006 for a similar offense – so that may have played into the sentencing decision.

Boulder is clearly sending a message with the prosecution and harsh punishment. Unfortunately the timing wasn’t great: the city council was set to consider allowing mountain bike acesss in the West Trail Study Area just days after the news broke. Not surprisingly the council “voted to uphold a current ban on mountain bikes in the vast majority of the study area.” (though we’re guessing they would have done this anyway)

West says he didn’t know the trail was off limits and he regrets his actions. He’s scheduled to speak to students in Boulder about the negative consequences of riding illegal trails and the environmental impact that often follows. During his trial West was suspended from the Yeti team, though he’s since been reinstated by team leaders.

The video below shows a short interview with Mike and I really found myself identifying with what he’s talking about: the desire to explore new trails, experiencing natural beauty from the seat of a bike, and also the need to get involved in advocacy groups like IMBA. Very few of us can say we’ve never ridden an unofficial mountain bike trail; this incident should just solidify our resolve to get more great trails open to bikes and to promote the low impact nature of mountain biking to non-riders.

It’s hard to believe how fast our trip to Colorado flew by. Now that we’re back I’ve had a chance to go through my pics and notes and I’m ready to share some of the trail highlights.

North Table Mountain

I sorta stumbled onto this mountain bike trail mostly by accident and I’m glad I did. After my visit with Spot Bikes in Golden I had some time on my hands and noticed what appeared to be a trailhead directly across the highway. Gavin at Spot mentioned some new singletrack being built nearby and I figured this must be it. Although the trail wasn’t yet listed on singletracks, the parking lot was open and there were even trail maps at the kiosk. Ride on!

From the road, North Table Mountain Park looks like a snoozer. It’s basically an exposed, grassy mesa across from a light industrial park on a busy highway where you’d assume the tread is smooth and wide – sorta like Green Mountain near Denver. Despite studying the map before heading out, I quickly found myself on a steep gravel road climbing toward the summit. After half a mile or so I was almost ready to turn around when I spotted a singletrack trail descending to the right.

The singletrack started off pretty mellow but quickly became rocky and technical with switchbacks that required me to come to a complete standstill to navigate. This is what I remembered about Colorado mountain biking. I started getting worried, however, when I realized the trail was descending into a neighborhood below with no obvious way back to the trailhead (while the rocks were fun going down, I wasn’t excited about riding back up the rocky trail). Eventually the track dumped me out onto a residential street and from what I could tell from the signage I had ended up in a city of Golden Open Space area. Fortunately I had the trusty MotionX app on my iPhone which helped me thread my way through the neighborhood to the trailhead for another attempt.

This time around I REALLY studied the map and chose to go clockwise around the loop. This worked out much better, though signage seems to be a work in progress in some places and I still ended up returning on a trail I had intended to skip. The trails at North Table Mountain alternate from grassy singletrack to doubletrack and on the north side of the park the climbs and descents are generally mild. As you approach the mesa summit, however, be prepared for rocks, switchbacks, and steep climbs. I definitely had to walk parts but I imagine that stronger riders can clean the whole loop. Near the top I came across an unexpected surprise – a hidden waterfall shrouded in trees and scrub brush.

Heil Valley Ranch

The plan for Heil Valley was to invite local singletracks members out for a good old fashioned group ride but schedules and traffic conditions conspired against us (on my way back to the car I did run into nanook on the trail). The weather seemed a little sketchy with dark skies and a bit of wind but a park worker at the trailhead assured me the rain would hold off. Thankfully it did and the clouds cooled an otherwise scorching hot day.

For some reason I expected Heil Ranch to be a sprawling open space trail with a big parking lot, sweeping views of the suburbs, and limited tree cover. Instead, “the ranch” felt more like a true mountain ride with very few signs of civilization. The climb was gradual enough and toward the top things started getting rocky, just as the singletracks reviews I had read mentioned. I took a right onto the Wild Turkey loop and after about a mile or so I ran into – wait for it – a flock of wild turkeys (the Ponderosa loop also had Ponderosa Pines on it, weird I know).

Things stayed pretty rocky around the top loops, though there were a few stretches of the pea gravel covered fast stuff. Despite all the rocks I felt great on my hardtail 1×9 and was able to clean the entire loop from top to bottom. Around the back side of the Ponderosa Loop I found incredible views of the valley below and some of the best singletrack of the ride. Talking with others on the trail it sounds like the Picture Rock Trail, which connects Heil Valley Ranch with Hall Ranch, is the real star here. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough steam or daylight to descend Picture Rock and ride the out-and-back to return to my car so I decided to leave that one for another trip.

By the end of the week I had notched 4 incredible trails I had never ridden before – Betasso Preserve, Trestle Bike Park, North Table Mountain, and Heil Valley Ranch – which is what trips like this are all about for me. Fortunately I’m just getting started this summer and can’t wait to return to Colorado in August!

It’s hard to believe it’s been six years since I’ve ridden a mountain bike in Colorado and I was anxious to see if the altitude would kick my butt the way it did when I first moved to Colorado Springs in 2000. On Saturday morning I got an early start driving the family truckster from Atlanta to Boulder and I made it to Lawrence, Kansas in time for dinner that night. I decided to scope out the local trails (using the handy “local trails” feature on the singletracks mobile website) and found that Clinton State Park was just a few short miles from my motel. The reviews I read said there were “serious climbs” and “technical rocks and roots” and I was curious to see how this was possible in Kansas of all places.

Roots and rock gardens – in Kansas!

Since it was getting dark and I didn’t bring any lights I decided to keep the bike in the car but I did manage to make it to the trailhead in time to snap some low light cell phone pics. After walking just a few feet into the trail I was amazed at the rocks and roots and the densely forested singletrack. In Kansas. Next time I’ll have to get into town early and won’t leave the bike in the car!

On Monday (yesterday) I took a quick trip up to Betasso Preserve a few miles outside of Boulder to get my first ride in. The reviews on this one were mixed – mostly 3 and 4 star ratings but there seemed to be some disagreement about whether this was a beginner or intermediate trail. At just 3 miles it seemed like a good warm up for Tuesday’s trip to Trestle at Winter Park and I found the trails in great condition. Fast and flowy with a thin layer of pea sized gravel on top of hardpack, this is what I remember about riding in Colorado. This was also the first time I had ridden a 29er in the state and I gotta say this is the type of riding big wheels are made for.

Groomed singletrack at Betasso.

Betasso Preserve isn’t far from downtown Boulder (just 7 miles or so) and it seems like the Boulder County Parks Department still isn’t too sure about mountain bikers. The main loop is completely off-limits to mountain bikes on Wednesdays and Saturdays and all bikes must travel the same direction around the loop (I’m told the particular direction alternates from month to month). Yesterday I rode the loop clockwise which flowed really well, though I would have loved to have tried riding the opposite direction to compare.

Just one trail in and clearly I need to get to Colorado more often (my new rule: at least 2 weeks every summer). Can’t wait to check out more trails this week!

Heil Valley Ranch photo by Rebus.

Next week I’m heading out to Colorado for the first of two trips to the state this summer and I’m getting super stoked! Trip #1 takes me to Boulder and the agenda is looking pretty tight so far.

• Mountain biking @ Trestle Mountain Bike Park, Winter Park, CO. On Tuesday morning we’ll be hitting the slopes at the Trestle Mountain Bike Park which just opened for the season last weekend. We’re told all the trails aren’t quite open yet (target July) but I know we’ll still have a blast riding sick DH bikes on the slopes.
• Visit with Spot Brand Bikes in Golden, CO. I got a chance to demo the Spot Longboard 29er mountain bike with carbon drive at Interbike this year and I immediately realized these guys were onto something. With much of their production still taking place in Colorado I’m excited to get a look behind the scenes to see how mountain bikes are made and to learn more about the carbon drive system. Fingers crossed for another demo ride with some of the guys after the tour.
• Singletracks group ride @ Heil Valley Ranch, Boulder, CO. Friday at 5:30 some of us will be meeting up for a group ride at Heil Valley Ranch near Boulder. I’m super stoked because I haven’t ridden here before but the reviews I’ve read sound promising. Give us a shout on the forum if you think you can make it, should be fun to meet offline.

We’re also hoping to hit Boulder Indoor Cycling to check out the indoor mountain bike circuits, though it does seem like a crime to ride outside during the amazing summer in Colorado. There will also be plenty of Colorado beer sampling, including a few delicious mountain bike themed brews.

Our overall summer riding calendar is jammed and the trip to Boulder is just the beginning. In July I’m heading to Northstar Resort at Lake Tahoe for a Beer, Bluegrass, and Biking trip (though not necessarily in that order) where I’ll be checking out the slopes and hopefully picking up some basic DH skills. Then in August it’s back to Colorado for a week-long, hut-to-hut mountain biking trip from Durango to Moab which promises to be epic. Closing out the summer will be Interbike in Las Vegas where I can’t wait to get back out on the trails at Bootleg Canyon.

Look for plenty of pics, videos, and articles covering all our MTB adventures this summer right here on the blog. See you on the trail!

It’s Cinco de Mayo so we thought we’d post an update to our mountain bike beer cerveza post from August, 2008. If you’re heading out tonight, skip the margaritas and order a man’s drink from the list below.

Fat Tire Amber Ale

Still the mountain bikers’ favorite, Fat Tire is now widely available in most US states (heck, it’s even on tap here in GA). Beer Advocate gives this one a B based on more than 1,200 reviews making this one of the most mainstream MTB beers you’ll find. And yet it tastes so sweet after an epic ride!

Singletrack Copper Ale

This beer can be tough to find but we love the name (I’ll have two singletracks please). This one is brewed by Boulder Beer and as far as we know that’s one of the only places you can find it these days. “Refreshing, yet full flavored,” we can’t wait to head to Boulder this summer for a taste.

Endo IPA

Carolina Beer Company brews an Endo IPA and if you drink more than a few of these you may endo yourself. The brewers claim this is a beer for those who love hops (bunny hops?) and it features a “hint of caramel.” I love the image of the old timer wearing a bike helmet on the label, anyone in Carolina want to send us a bottle?

More MTB/Bike Beers

Bike IPA is brewed in Oregon and they’re the guys who commissioned the now famous beer bike, bike bar (see photo). The Utah Brewers Cooperative brews (brewed?) a 4% beer called Wasatch Slickrock Lager that sounds like a good ride. Then there are the countless brews on tap with trail in their name – too many to mention but not so many you shouldn’t sample them all.

Next time you saddle up to the bar, order off the mountain biker’s tap list to show your loyalty!

photo courtesy ColoradoDaily.com // MARK LEFFINGWELL

Boulder Indoor Cycling is offering classes for surprisingly young mountain bikers over holiday breaks from school and teaching skills that many adult riders have yet to master. Young bikers, ages 5-10, learn how to roll over teeter-totters, logs, ramps, and skinnies, how to be safe on the trail, and how to make minor bike repairs. Over the winter holidays many of the sessions were filled to capacity with 15 young riders tearing up the indoor course.

An article I read mentioned that a 5-year-old was able to master the double black diamond course (rated from green to dbl black) and that kids as young as 18 months receive instruction at the indoor park. Many of the youngest riders are still rockin’ Strider scooter bikes but some of them are even learning to ride rocks and stairs already!

In addition to biking, the kids also spend time coloring and drawing – but instead of cuddly animals, these kids are imagining and drawing their dream bike tracks. If all of this is any indication, I think we’re going to be seeing some sick new riders hitting the scene in 10-15 years, pushing the boundaries of what we think is possible in terms of riding and course design. I just hope I’m still limber enough to get out there and ride with ‘em!

That’s according to the May issue of Mountain Bike Action magazine which hits newsstands next month. The editors were stoked on access to lodging, weather, local breweries, and of course, the trails in Bend. No word on who is #2 – if you got your copy in the mail let us know which towns made the top 5…

Betasso Preserve photo by Rebus

Speaking of mountain biking towns, singletracks member nejmensi points out that the freeze on legal singletrack in Boulder, CO is starting to thaw. Here’s what he had to say:

Big news out of Boulder Colorado (my home) this week is that they are planning to enlarge the popular Betasso Preserve trail network by an additional 4.6 miles!  The existing trail is around roughly 3.2 miles and is the most frequented trial in the county/city according to Boulder County statistics.  This follows on the heels of countless new trials in the last few months including a completely new trail in South Boulder that includes the spanking new 3 mile +/- “Spring Brook” trail, “Vista…” loops, and “High Plains Trail”, effectively making the South end of town a full 15 mile +/- system. The Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance (BMA) is to credit for much of this…   Boulder is definitely entering 2009 with a great new expanded trail network!  About time…

Sweet. Now, if we could just establish a decent mountain bike town out here on the east coast!

A crazy cow charged a mountain biker and stomped on her legs yesterday at the South Boulder Creek Trail in Boulder, Colorado.  From the Boulder Daily Camera:

A cow charged a woman on the South Boulder Creek Trail on Monday afternoon, knocking her down, officials said.

The woman was riding her bike on the trail when she encountered the cow, and she stopped to let the animal pass, said Pete Taylor, a ranger for Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. The cow knocked the woman over and walked on her legs, he said.

He said the woman — whose name wasn’t released — wasn’t seriously injured, and she refused medical treatment.

She didn’t appear to do anything to provoke the animal, which witnesses said appeared to have an injured leg, he said. The cow had left the scene by the time rangers arrived, but hikers coming down the trail were warning others about the rogue bovine.

This is my first time ever hearing of any close cow encounters on mountain bike trails.  It reminds me of riding at Joseph D. Grant County Park in San Jose through the green fields where cows always kept their distance.  You would often have to open and close gates when entering wide pastures  just to keep the cows in.

The lesson here is to keep your distance from any wild animals you see on the trails.  I’ve seen my share of cows, deer, dogs, turkeys, snakes and other critters while riding my mountain bike.  Thankfully no run ins with angry cows.  If you have any stories or tips to share about your own animal encounters on the trail, feel free to leave a comment.

via Captain Crab’s High Sea Adventures