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