Four Seasons of Mountain Biking: Aaron’s Year on the Bike

The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by, and 2015 was no exception. It’s hard to believe 2016 is nearly here. This year was fun, challenging, frantically busy at times, and emotionally taxing. By the time you read this, I’ll (hopefully) have over 4,000 miles and 300,000 feet of climbing on …

year on the bike

The older I get, the faster the years seem to go by, and 2015 was no exception. It’s hard to believe 2016 is nearly here. This year was fun, challenging, frantically busy at times, and emotionally taxing. By the time you read this, I’ll (hopefully) have over 4,000 miles and 300,000 feet of climbing on the books. That’s a fairly typical year for me in terms of mileage, although a larger portion of that distance was on dirt (versus pavement) in 2015. So, without further ado, here are some highlights — and lowlights — of my year.

Winter

Probably the most notable event from this period is starting work at Singletracks! In February, I came on board to handle business development for the site. I’ve known Jeff for several years from riding here in Atlanta. Singletracks has been growing like gang-busters, and it was time to bring on someone full-time to handle the advertising side of the business.

In terms of riding, my favorite event of the winter, hands down, was Faster Mustache’s 10-Year Anniversary race. I’ve been a part of the club/team/group/band of misfits for about eight years of its history, and I count the members among my best friends. It had been quite a while since the Atlanta chapter had organized an event, and to be honest, we worried if we could pull it off and if anyone would come. Well, folks came. Something like 200 racers and spectators joined us to celebrate a decade of bikes and beers.

Taking a mid-race burrito and beer break during Faster Mustache's Wheels to the Farm race
Taking a mid-race burrito and beer break during Faster Mustache’s Wheels to the Farm race

My longest ride of the year wasn’t on a mountain bike, but dirt roads and gravel did feature prominently, so I’m including it here. In early March, a few of us, led by Chris Tavel of Loose Nuts Cycles, rode from downtown Atlanta to Serenbe and back. Serenbe is a unique place: it’s where really rich people go to pretend to be farmers. Anyways, they have a great cafe where we stopped for lunch before heading home. 95 miles and 4,200 feet of climbing. Woo.

Laura Colbert on one of the beautiful roads around Serenbe
Laura Colbert on one of the beautiful roads around Serenbe

Spring

I got the spring started off right with the #BrutalLoop. The route was one I had in mind for a long time, but I had never ridden it. So I did what any self-respecting mountain biker would do and got a bunch of folks to join me. Mulberry Gap graciously hosted us and Terrapin donated some beer to the cause. Around 30 riders took on the 33-mile loop, which featured over 6,000 feet of climbing. My buddy Chris and I were feeling frisky and opted for a little extra credit, getting in 40 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing. We’ll be putting on a similar event in 2016, so if you’re interested, be sure to keep an eye out.

Beers and bikes, anyone sensing a theme here?
Beers and bikes, anyone sensing a theme here?

Just before summer really hit, I drove up to Pennsylvania for the Trans-Sylvania Epic to spend a week racing on their rocky trails. I had high hopes for a strong performance, but I had some rough days, particularly on stage two. I’ll spare you the gritty details, but stomach issues almost caused me to drop out of the race. However, I finished the week strong, and I’m itching to go back and improve my performance in 2016. The 225 miles I covered over the seven days made for my longest week on a mountain bike yet.

photo: TSEpic Media Team
photo: TSEpic Media Team

Summer

After returning home from the Trans-Sylvania Epic, I mostly stayed close to home. I built up a bike for my girlfriend’s birthday and we hit the local trails. It seemed to be a very typical summer until I got a call on June 27th that would throw my world into a tailspin.

One of my dearest friends, Austin Crenshaw, had been killed while riding his road bike near Portland, OR. I met Austin here in Atlanta and while at first we were just “riding buddies,” over time we gradually became close friends. He was an amazing rider with immense natural talent. He was of those guys that didn’t geek out over equipment, could barely change a tube, but could spank you going up or down. Austin was always game to explore a new trail or set out on a misguided adventure. Some of my most memorable rides were with him.

About to head out on a 3-day, 120-mile bikepacking trip in October 2008. From left to right: Christopher, Austin, me, Kurt
About to head out on a 3-day, 120-mile bikepacking trip in October 2008. From left to right: Christopher, Austin, me, Kurt

He moved to Portland several years ago and flourished in the bike-centric city. We didn’t talk on the phone regularly, but we kept tabs on each other through comments on social media, Strava, and the occasional email.

His death was — and still is — crushing. I went out to Portland for his funeral and afterwards went to visit my aunt and uncle in Bend. There, I rented a bike to ride the trails in Phil’s Area. With all that had happened, I hadn’t ridden in a week. As I set out it hit me that I would never again have the pleasure of riding with Austin. It broke my heart. I spent the entire ride crying. Without question, it was the saddest ride I’ve ever done.

I took a detour to check out a waterfall during my ride in Bend.
I took a detour to check out a waterfall during my ride in Bend.

Remember that our time here on this planet is not guaranteed and to make the best of it. Take that side trail. Explore. Get lost. Live without regret.

Back home, as I often do, I turned to the bike for therapy. I was signed up to race in the Jerdon Mountain Challenge and the Offroad Assault on Mount Mitchell in July. Needing to get some big rides in, I put together a gravel loop in Ellijay, GA, dubbed the Tour de Cohutta. Covering 70 miles and climbing over 8,500 feet, it was one of my toughest rides of the year. But, it was also just the thing I needed to get me in gear for the upcoming events.

Climbing up Bear Creek on cross bikes, because why not?
Climbing up Bear Creek on cross bikes, because why not?

The next weekend after my big gravel ride, I was in Black Mountain, NC, to race. First up was the Jerdon Mountain Challenge. Since I was doing ORAMM the following day, I tried to take it somewhat easy. Even so, I had a great race and ended up finishing 4th in my category. If I had known how close I was to the podium, I would have gone a little quicker.

ORAMM has a reputation as one of the toughest endurance events here in the Southeast. The course covers 62 miles — which is hard enough — but it also manages to pack in 10,500 feet of climbing over that distance. I started out strong, but faded on the 12-mile climb up Curtis Creek Road. I had hoped to finish under 6:30, but went over that mark by 11 minutes. I’ll be back in 2016 aiming for that 6:30 time.

This is what 500 people getting ready to race ORAMM looks like
This is what 500 people getting ready to race ORAMM looks like

Summer continued to be busy. In August I spent a week traveling around Oregon with my girlfriend. We managed to squeeze one ride in during the trip: the Alpine Trail in Oakridge. If you’ve only got time for one ride there, it’s a good one to do.

A few days after returning from that trip, I was back on plane. This time headed to Salida, CO, to spend a few days hanging out at Greg’s place with some of the editorial team.

I did way more hiking than riding in Oregon, but when you get to see things like this, that's alright.
I did way more hiking than riding in Oregon, but when you get to see things like this, that’s alright.

Greg had some great routes planned out for us, and we packed a lot of action into those few days. First up was a ride on the Monarch Crest Trail to Agate Creek. I had ridden on the Monarch Crest before, but Agate was new to me: steep, chunky, and fast. Just my style. Later that day we tackled a local route that had me walking more than riding. The trail was short, but unrelentingly technical.

The next day we were up before the sun (again) for a loop on Canyon Creek. I try not to use the term epic, because it’s so over-played, but this ride qualified. It was “only” a 20-mile loop, but it started at 9,200ft and topped out at 12,600ft. Ten miles up and ten miles down. The views along the way were incredible and eased the pain of all the hike-a-biking. And the descent? One of the best I’ve ever done. Plenty of “no fall” zones up top, a chunky middle section, and buffed flow down low. Just incredible.

Walking sucks, but the views and impending descent make it all worth it
Walking sucks, but the views and impending descent make it all worth it

To cap off the trip, we met up with contributor John Fisch in Colorado Springs for a shuttle ride of Pikes Peak. Just driving up the road to the 14,110ft summit was nerve wracking. A primal need to get back to the tree line spurred me down the Barr Trail. Like Canyon Creek, the descent got progressively less technical and faster the lower we got. In 16 miles we had descended around 8,000ft! After a quick BBQ lunch, we jumped on some in-town trails that dropped us off just a block from John’s place.

Riding where we could, hiking the rest
Riding where we could, hiking the rest
Probably my favorite elevation profile ever
Probably my favorite elevation profile ever

Back in Atlanta, I had just enough time to get a couple rides in at home before heading out to Las Vegas for Interbike. I hate Vegas, but I actually enjoyed the riding out at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City. In my previous job I was always manning the booth, so if I got to ride, it was a quick loop close to the venue. Since testing bikes is part of my job description now, I got to do a lot more exploring this year. The trails there are rugged and will chew you up if you go down, which I found out the hard way. Over the two days I got to test 8 new bikes, any of which I’d be happy to own. My top three in no particular order: Rocky Mountain Altitude Rally, Intense Carbine 29, and Giant Reign Advanced.

Enjoying the technical trails of Bootleg Canyon (photo: Greg Heil)
Enjoying the technical trails of Bootleg Canyon (photo: Greg Heil)

Fall

Typically the fall sees me dust off the ‘cross bike and try my hand at our Georgia race series. This year, I just didn’t have the motivation to compete. Also, fall is my favorite season to ride trails, so the prospect of giving up my weekends to criss-cross the state racing for 45 minutes at a time wasn’t appealing.

I've been spending a good bit of time with this hunter-approved Niner this fall
I’ve been spending a good bit of time with this hunter-approved Niner this fall

Instead, I’ve been riding in familiar places, but also branching out to explore new trails. Niner sent me their new JET 9 Carbon to test, and Marin sent their 27.5+ Pine Mountain hardtail for Jeff and I to try out. I put a coil shock on my Kona Process 153 along with a set of flat pedals, and I’ve been working on my wheelies. Instead of hammering out laps, I’m trying to enjoy the entire experience of the ride. One night a week, I’ve been going to a random little park that has some great rock lines to keep my skills sharp.

My personal bike, a Kona Process 153
My personal bike, a Kona Process 153

So it’s been a low-key fall, and that’s just fine with me. I’m taking this time to recharge to come back strong for 2016. To that end, I’ll even be working with a coach for next year! While I do become a better rider with each year that passes, I hope to make bigger strides by being very focused with my training.

By no means was 2015 a bad year, although it was trying at times. I’ll be glad to put it behind me, but it’s not one I’ll ever forget. Here’s to a happy, healthy, and singletrack-filled 2016.

Cheers!