Steve Peat. Photograph: Kathy Sessler / Santa Cruz Syndicate via Guardian.co.uk.

The LA Times just ran a two part article profiling mountain biker turned Tour de France dominator Levi Leipheimer. As you may recall there was some trash talk between Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong before the Leadville 100 this year but Levi crashed during the Tour de France and wasn’t able to compete. Here’s what Levi had to say to the LA Times about Lance and the Leadville 100:

“(The Leadville 100 is) basically a road race. It’s long and not that technical and it’s all above 10,000 feet. I think I need to challenge him (Lance Armstrong) to something more technical.”

That sounds like a throw down. Maybe these two should enter La Ruta to settle things once and for all

The Guardian published a profile of downhiller Steve Peat that’s a good read if you have some time. It seems Peat wants to dispel the myth that downhill mountain bikers are lazy because they rarely climb. Here’s what he had to say:

“You need to be fit to be a downhiller even though it looks as if you don’t do much work. You’re pedalling out of corners, pedalling into your line, the terrain is rough, the bikes are heavy so you need to train and be fit definitely. My bike comes in at around 37lbs and that’s on the lighter side.”

Finally, IMBA needs our help on several trail issues in Colorado including proposed changes at Apex Park in Golden (see this forum thread). There are also changes being proposed to wilderness and roadless areas in Colorado that could impact mountain bikers. Hit IMBA.com to see how you can help!

Cool opportunity to help get a high school mountain biking league going in Colorado. Details below from IMBA.

Help Bring a High School Mountain Bike League to Colorado!

You may have heard about the incredible success that the Norcal and Socal high school mountain biking leagues have enjoyed in California.

We now have a chance to launch the Colorado version — high-quality racing and a comprehensive bicycle education program designed for young riders. We are asking for your help to make the Colorado High School Mountain Bike Racing League a reality.

How can you get involved? Start with three simple steps:

1. Learn about the successes of the sister programs in California by watching this short video clip.
2. Forward this message to your riding friends, club members, cycling parents and anyone who might want to get involved.
3. Let us know if you’d be interested in attending a gathering (or hosting one) for like-minded supporters to help build momentum in your part of the state.

Our goal is to raise enough interest and support to launch the Colorado High School League in the fall of 2010. With your help, we can do it!

If you’re not heading up to Buffalo Creek for the IMBA trail work party tomorrow you definitely need to get to Leadville for the big race. I’m pretty pumped after reading CogandChain.com’s run down of the competitors and the stakes in tomorrow’s race. Lance may not have won in France but he certainly has a good chance in Leadville tomorrow!

Over at leadville100.com they’re offering a live webstream of the race for less than six bucks. If you can’t sit in front of the computer all day tomorrow you can pick up a DVD after the race instead for $20.

Send us a shout if you go to the race so we can share your pics on Monday!

Buffalo Creek is probably my favorite mountain bike trail system in the world and the IMBA Trail Crew will be hitting the trails this weekend, August 13-16, to work and ride. The trails at Buffalo Creek are already some of the best XC trails in the country but they’re about to get some new “black diamond” level terrain. That’s right - steep rollers, drops, and wall rides inside the Pike National Forest!

Things kick off on Thursday, August 13 with a free Trailbuilding School session where participants will be trained as volunteer crew leaders. Trailbuilding school will take place at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden from 6:30-9:30pm.

On Saturday and Sunday work crews will start out at the Miller Gulch trailhead from 8:30-2:00. Word is that beer and food will be provided Saturday evening and camping at the trails is encouraged. And don’t forget to bring your bike for the group ride(s). More details at IMBA.com.

A diverse set of mountain bike tidbits for you this morning:

US National Mountain Bike Championships @ Sol Vista (Granby, CO) this weekend. This is the first year Nationals are being held in the state of Colorado and while the XC course may not cover the best trails Colorado has to offer, it will definitely be challenging, especially to those used to riding closer to sea level. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski is the favorite in the cross-country race after winning the marathon cross-country national race at the Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge earlier this summer. He also has a decent shot at winning short track as well which would make him the first rider to win all 3 titles in a single year.

If you’re heading to the races this weekend give us a shout - we’d love to post your pics and hear about the race!

Trail mediators: Can’t we all just get along? That line was famously spoken by Rodney King during the Los Angeles riots of 1992 and today a mini-riot is brewing among various Los Angeles trail user groups. Back in May the City of Los Angeles hired the Osprey Group from Colorado to mediate a proposal allowing mountain bikes in city parks but it sounds like things didn’t go so well. In fact the final session ended “with hikers and equestrians refusing to give an inch to mountain bikers in city parks.” One local CORBA mountain bike club member had to apologize for losing his temper during the meeting and the mediators packed up and returned to Colorado with little to show for their efforts.

While mountain bikers and other trail groups are finding common ground elsewhere, the opposition is well organized in Los Angeles with the Sierra Club and the National Equestrian groups getting involved in the fight. Let’s just hope this stays civilized…

Bike Shop Ettiquette. Ok, so this one is just for fun and if you’re offended by foul language you may want to skip the link. A Seattle bike shop worker has posted some “tips” for interacting with your local bike shop this summer and these are a few of my favorite lines:

1. So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you’re doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than $300. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs $3,000. (B)ikes can be fast, light, cheap and comfortable. Pick two, and we’re all good.
2. No, I don’t know how much a good bike costs. For some, spending $500 dollars is a kingly sum. For others, $500 won’t buy you one good wheel. You really need to have an idea of what you want, because every one of you raccoons “doesn’t want to spend too much”.
3. I don’t know what size of bike you need. The only thing that I can tell over the phone is that you sound fat. I don’t care how tall you are. I don’t care how long your inseam is. Don’t complain to me that you don’t want to come ALL THE WAY down to the bike shop to get fitted for a bike.

Ha! Sounds like somebody is getting a little stressed dealing with customers this summer. Still, it might be a good idea to treat your LBS workers with a little extra patience - they’d rather be out riding too!

As we head into the weekend there are a few cool things happening:

Chicago is gunning to host the Olympic Games in 2016 but one problem: Chicagoland is flat as a pancake. Case in point: The original road cycling course was rejected because it was just too easy. Instead, word is the mountain biking event would be held in Blue Mounds, WI near Madison. The Trek company has to be salivating over the prospects…

Downhillers, looking for a free ride to the top? Check out Brundage Mountain Resort in Idaho where they’re offering free lift rides all day on July 2 as part of the summer season opening. The mountain boasts a 4-person high speed lift to the top of the 7,640 foot-summit which I’m sure beats pedaling all the way up Free is a heck of a value too considering that a regular daily pass is $25 (though that’s still a heck of a bargain).

Did you know the National MTB Championships are being held in Colorado for the first time EVER? It’s hard to believe but it’s true. You can catch the action July 16-19 at SolVista Basin Resort which is not too far from Winter Park. While SolVista is one of Colorado’s lesser known resorts, the Granby Mountain Bike Park located on site boasts 10 trails and a pump track. Get more info on the official site.

A few interesting stories from around the MTB world:

Missy Giove charged with marijuana distribution. Badass downhiller racer, 14-time NORBA champion, and 11 time World Cup winner Missy Giove was busted this week for driving a truck full of 400 pounds of Mary Jane in upstate New York. Missy faces up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine if convicted.

I have to admit I wasn’t too familiar with Missy Giove and her accomplishments but the article I read mentioned some interesting tidbits like the fact that she usually biked with a dead piranha around her neck. I’m thinking someone could make a movie about this woman’s life that could appeal to groups beyond the MTB world…

Rains close trails in Telluride, CO. Apparently it’s not just Florida and east coast mountain bikers that are getting rained out this year - even in dry Colorado the Forest Service was forced to close popular trails due to the rain. A few trails, like the Village Trail, Coonskin Loop, and Ridge Trail have reopened while others, like See Forever Trail and Basin Trail are still closed due to conditions.

Peaks Trail in Breckenridge, CO. Photo by utedude.

Breckenridge, CO hosts first annual Bike Week. Okay, judging by the dates (July 4 - 12) it’s a little longer than a week but the idea is to highlight the amazing MTB trails in and around the popular ski town. Officials claim there are more than 1,000 miles of interconnected backcountry trails in Summit County and they’ve even marked out five 20-30 mile bike loops you can “self-tour.” There will be lectures, movies, and demos happening all week plus the Breck Epic MTB stage race will be taking place July 5-10. Anyone have a place where I can crash in Breck next month?

Babes in the Backcountry is hosting a womens only mountain biking weekend in Breckenridge this summer and it includes some unique activities beyond mountain biking like yoga and spa treatments. Sorry, no men allowed BUT it could be a good way to trick (err, introduce) your wife or girlfriend into mountain biking. Price is a bit steep for a weekend (500 bones not including lodging or bike rentals) but may be a good option for some. Press release with more details is quoted below.

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo.— An action packed weekend full of volunteer trail maintenance, good fun, and spirited riding partners is being offered to women mountain bikers July 31 - August 2, 2009 in Breckenridge, Colorado. The Breckenridge Bike Babes Mountain Bike Getaway, hosted by Babes in the Backcountry, offers trail building, skills and bike maintenance clinics, instructional guided daily tours, training, yoga, nutrition and a little pampering at the end of the day. The women’s mountain bike weekend is geared toward amateurs wanting to get a taste of the sport to advanced fat-tire enthusiasts looking for a challenge with fellow lady riders.

The town of Breckenridge is continually expanding and improving its recreational territory, opening up miles of dirt roads and trails to mountain bikers and hikers, connecting the mountain town with seemingly endless Rocky Mountain wilderness. Breckenridge and the surrounding area have been praised as an up-and-coming fat-tire destination. For more information on Breckenridge, visit gobreck.com or call 877-593-5260.

The Breckenridge Bike Babes Mountain Bike Getaway includes an optional day of trail building and conservation, an evening bike maintenance class, two days of skills and guided rides, two morning yoga sessions, two organic lunches, Saturday night dinner and wine tasting, a spa treatment and a Babes in the Backcountry gift bag. The cost of the trip is $500, and lodging and bike rentals are not included. To register or for more information, visit babesinthebackcountry.com.

Various other bike clinics are offered by Colorado Bike and Ski Tours throughout the summer in Breckenridge as well.

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!

We’ve just updated the race calendar with the dates of the Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek Mountain Bike races.  Most of the races will be held at Bear Creek Regional Park and the June 13 race is a UCI C3 race (one of just seven in the US) and a USA Cycling MTB XCO (Cross Country Olympic) Pro Tour race. If you live in Colorado, don’t miss the action at these races!

Press release from the Sand Creek Sports race director:

Get your bikes ready!  The Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek Series mountain bicycle races return to the Pikes Peak Region of Colorado on Sunday May 10th at Bear Creek Terrace in downtown Colorado Springs.

This seven race Series features the June 13th Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek International Classic at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on a new 8.8 km course in the shadow of Cheyenne Mountain, home to NORAD.  This UCI race is one of the races in the new USA Cycling Pro MTB XCO Tour as well as the Western Final in the new US Cup Series!

In addition to the four Wednesday races, the Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek Series
will conclude on August 1st at the US Air Force Academy on the famed Falcon Trail as the State Games of America mountain bike race!

The Carmichael Training Systems Sand Creek Series is sponsored by Carmichael Training Systems, Ascent Cycling, About The Shot Photography, Kings Chef Diner, Front Range Othopeadics, Peak Regions Cyclist, Doubletree Hotel-Colorado Springs World Arena and
Sand Creek Sports, Inc.

Please visit the Sand Creek Sports website for more detailed race information.

Comment period is open for mountain bike route planning on the Colorado Grand Mesa. The end of the article has contact info for submitting comments to the Forest Service…

The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest announced that it is beginning planning for mountain bike (and other mechanized travel) on the Grand Mesa. These efforts will encompass the entire Grand Mesa National Forest and is a continuation of identifying a system of routes that bikers can use, that are environmentally friendly as well as, pleasurable for riders.  The Grand Valley Ranger District wants your ideas and comments.

“For the past 15 years the Grand Mesa National Forest has been involved in travel management planning, mostly involving motorized travel,” stated Connie Clementson, Grand Valley District Ranger.  “Now is the time to look at a planned, sustainable system of recreation trails and routes for mountain bikes that provide a quality recreation opportunity and protects sensitive areas and resources.”
Clementson went on to explain that the general focus of the effort is focusing on those existing routes that are open.

Information regarding the proposal and how to provide your comments can be found on the Forest’s website at www.fs.fed.us/r2/gmug/policy/#travel under “Grand Mesa Mechanized Travel” or contact Niccole Mortenson at 874-6616.

via the Delta County Independent