Elevation Outdoors April 2015

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CONTENTS

HEADLINER TBA

ROWDY SHADEHOUSE THE YAWPERS • A. TOM COLLINS CURE FOR THE COMMON TECHNICOLOR TONE FACTORY THE GOOD KIND • K-LAW

COURTESY TITAN DESERT BY GARMIN

APRIL 2015

SANDBAGGING: SONYA LOONEY SUFFERED THROUGH SAND, BUNIONS, 115-DEGREE HEAT AND THE EMPTINESS OF THE SAHARA WHEN SHE RACED THE TITAN DESERT BY GARMIN. SEE PAGE 36.

features 26 ELECTRIC SLIDE Proposed legislation may put electric bikes on singletrack alongside riders using nothing but lungs and muscle power. Do e-bikes pose a challenge to the way land managers will treat all bikes on trails? Are they going to ruin the sport? Joe Lindsey digs into the details and ponders the bigger questions for the biking community.

29 THE BETA ON BRAND NEW SINGLETRACK Thanks to collaborations between land managers and dedicated local mountain bike groups, a lot of new singletrack is popping up in Colorado and Utah. Ride these new trails!

32 BIKES AND GEAR The best new, shiny stuff is here.

departments 9 EDITOR’S LETTER

23 HOT SPOT

The rise of the bike park.

You may think you know Moab, but we have some surprises for you.

11 QUICK HITS Crested Butte steps up to save Snodgrass, the story behind Eagle's new singletrack, Vail goes epic for the summer, The Adventure Gap, Rocky Mountain National Park turns 100, Bheestie bags and more.

17 FLASHPOINT The winners at the Colorado High School Mountain Bike Championships are impressive, but the best stories come from further back in the pack.

21 THE TRAIL Download free GPS for a Colorado National Monument road ride.

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25 STRAIGHT TALK USA Pro Challenge champ Tejay Van Garderen talks about life on the road.

36 THE ROAD Sonya Looney suffers through a mountain bike race in the Sahara.

38 ELWAYVILLE Bikes, dogs and climate change.

ON THE COVER Brady Schlichting rides on the Bone Yard in Eagle, Colorado (see page 13). By Jeff Cricco / Instagram.com/JeffCricco

Photo: Markus Greber

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CONTRIBUTORS

TURN YOUR UNNEEDED GEAR INTO CASH...

TURN YOUR UNNEEDED CASH INTO GEAR

What's the worst crash you have ever had on your bike?

ElevationOutdoors.com

E D I TO R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN doug@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR EDITORS CHRIS KASSAR chris@elevationoutdoors.com CAMERON MARTINDELL cameron@elevationoutdoors.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS AARON BIBLE, ADAM CHASE, ROB COPPOLILLO, LIAM DORAN, JAMES DZIEZYNSKI, SONYA LOONEY, JAYME MOYE, CHRIS VAN LEUVEN EDITOR-AT-LARGE PETER KRAY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS JASON BLEVINS, CAROL BUSH, JOE LINDSEY, JORDAN MARTINDELL, HEATHER RIDGE, AVERY STONICH

ART + PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR MEGAN JORDAN megan@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR DESIGNER LAUREN WALKER lauren@elevationoutdoors.com

A DV E RT I S I N G + B U S I N E S S PRESIDENT BLAKE DEMASO blake@elevationoutdoors.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ELIZABETH O’CONNELL elizabeth@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MARTHA EVANS martha@elevationoutdoors.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CARSON HOGGE carson@elevationoutdoors.com BUSINESS MANAGER MELISSA GESSLER melissa@elevationoutdoors.com CIRCULATION MANAGER AVERY SHOOK avery@elevationoutdoors.com PROMOTIONS JAKE HOWE

D I G I TA L M E D I A ONLINE DIRECTOR CRAIG SNODGRASS craig@elevationoutdoors.com DIGITAL MANAGER CAMERON MARTINDELL cameron@elevationoutdoors.com ©2015 Summit Publishing, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN Twenty-two years old. Mt. Snow, Vermont.

Testosterone, speed and a flash of white light. Concussion, helmet broken in half, cracked ribs, broken teeth… and I rode to the bottom.

CAMERON MARTINDELL Blue Mountains, Australia. We found some rippin' singletrack. My front tire found a root. I flew 15 feet in a summersault endo into the scrub.

HEATHER RIDGE Sadly, it was biking back to our campsite from a wine festival in Palisade and trying not to spill my drink.

JOE LINDSEY When I first started riding, I thought it was “pro” to stop for a light, not clip out and grab a post. I rolled up to a light and calmly put my hand on the top of a three-foot post with a reflective marker. It was flexible fiberglass. I promptly toppled over.

Guy in a car rolls down his window, “You hurt anything?” Just my ego.

JASON BLEVINS I don't recall it too clearly. It was late.

In the city. There was ice on the sidewalk. An ugly moment. A broken helmet. Myriad injuries that lingered for years.

Lessons learned: crashes never come when anticipated and daily life is rife with peril.

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SONYA LOONEY Valmont Bike Park.

I was riding things I shouldn't have been riding and crashed on my face and shoulder. It was right before Halloween and I was scary: I had a black eye, shiner on my cheekbone and road rash all over my face.

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NOTES

The Rise of the Bike Park LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PUMP TRACK OF DREAMS: IF YOU BUILD IT THEY CERTAINLY WILL COME.

BOB ALLEN/IMBA

can safely say that Boulder's Valmont Bike Park has improved my family's life.

When I bring my kids to the bike park, something changes. All the grumbling about using the iPad or cleaning rooms or even just getting along like civilized human beings disappears once they get out on the track and rolling over the whoop-dee-doos. My normally non-competitive daughter, takes off and demands that I time her on laps. My son negotiates drops I never would have imagined him riding. Oh, and yes, I enjoy it, too. It brings out the kid in me, and it gives me a chance to get out there and simply enjoy being on the bike with the people I love most (plus, we can let our dog run it out in the dog park).

It's hard to describe the joys of the bike park to people who have not been there. I have pitched it to New York editors as the biggest new attraction in Colorado (well, along with our craft beer scene and legal weed), but it just doesn't seem to sink in that this place would attract all ages, all types. But it does. Spend an afternoon at Valmont and you will see birthday parties, kids on Striders hitting the pump track, pros and wanna-bes launching ridiculous air and tricks, 'cross riders grunting through laps, teenagers getting their angst out on tricky problems and middle-aged dudes like me honing their technical singletrack skills.

Valmont is not an oddity. The bike park is on the rise throughout the country.

The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) has published a beautiful new book that details how communities can build parks, large and small. A group from Chicago recently came to Valmont to meet with IMBA and plan a new, similar park called Big Marsh back in their city. There are popular private parks like Kentucky's Mega Cavern, which was built in an old mine.

But the biggest news when it comes to bike parks is the opening of the Ruby Hill Bike Park in downtown Denver this year. This 80-acre masterpiece will rival Valmont in the beautiful variety of its terrain and features. Best of all, it may put people out enjoying bikes, who, unlike those of us lucky enough to live in Boulder or other mountain-sport-centric towns, have never had the chance to live in a community where mountain biking is an everyday part of growing up and life.

The rise of the bike park represents a new page in the evolution of mountain biking as a sport. Bike parks are part of the community, but they are far easier to use for a wider range of people than golf courses or tennis courts. There are no trail user conflicts here like there are when it comes to singletrack. If mountain biking is going to grow as a sport it needs to reach a wider, more diverse base. Bike parks in urban areas like Denver and Chicago can do that (especially since many of these parks are exploring the idea of loaner programs, so that you can ride even if you don't own a bike). And when it comes down to it, you do not need to own a $5,000 carbon bike to enjoy the park. A cheap beater may be the best choice.

Biking has always been about just getting out and having fun, and that is exactly what the bike park offers. When I get out there with my kids, it takes me back to those days when I lived on my Huffy, when we jumped curbs in suburban New Jersey and rode those old beaters on trails into the woods long before anyone had ever heard of mountain bikes. We found stupid things to jump over—sometimes we crashed and sometimes we found eternal moments of glory.

And that, to me, is the real secret behind the rise of bike parks. They are not new at all. They are just a way for the community to create a place where kids and adults who still feel like kids can get out and do what we have done all along—have fun, embrace gravity and speed, and forget the complexities of life. I hope to see you at the park.

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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SHORTS

QUICK HITS

TECHNOLOGY BHEESTIE ELECTRONICS DRYER

WORTH FIGHTING FOR: SNODGRASS’S SUBLIME SINGLETRACK WILL NOT BE WIPED OUT BY DEVELOPMENT THANKS TO THE EFFORTS OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

Snodgrass Saved

CRESTED BUTTE LAND TRUST RALLIES THE COMMUNITY TO PRESERVE ONE OF THE TOWN'S ICONIC MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS When Ann Johnston of the Crested Butte Land Trust got wind of a land deal that would destroy a key trail in her Colorado hometown, she sprang into action. The Snodgrass Trail is quintessential Crested Butte—breathtaking singletrack that winds through wildflower meadows and aspen groves, connecting two valleys close to town and crossing public and private property. Its future hung in the balance when Crested Butte Mountain Resort decided to sell some of the land to a real estate developer, along with plans for 30 houses that would wipe the Snodgrass Trail off the map.

Holly Annala, secretary of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA), couldn’t bear the thought. “It’s a little place of wildness right outside of town. That natural landscape is irreplaceable,” she said.

The development deal fell through in January 2014, prompting the land trust to start a campaign to raise $2.8 million to purchase the property.

“When the land went on the open market, I knew we needed to protect it,” said Johnston.

The community stepped up. Crested Butte Mountain Resort donated $625,000. The towns of Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte were quick to follow, kicking in $700,000 and $30,000. The land trust applied for a Great Outdoors Colorado grant, securing $383,000, and it collected contributions of $225,000 from the Gunnison Valley Land Preservation Board and $125,000 from a 1% for Open Space Fund. Concerned citizens also opened their wallets, writing checks from $10 to $250,000.

But with the closing looming, funding still fell short, and Johnston was losing sleep. She turned to the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, which swiftly doubled its contribution in a unanimous Town Council vote.

Even so, the land trust was still $7,000 shy of its goal a week before a January 2015 deadline.

“People started calling us every day, asking ‘Did you get to your goal yet? How much do you need?’” said Johnston. “One of our final contributions was

XAVIER FANE

from CBMBA.” David Ochs, a CBMBA board member and executive director of the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce, rallied in support. “For this land to be preserved and free of development, yet providing public access, is a win-win for the people of the Gunnison Valley and beyond. It will help keep Crested Butte the magical and wild place that it is.”

The community can now breathe a sigh of relief.

When the final deal inks, the Crested Butte Land Trust will place a conservation easement on the land and transfer ownership to the town of Mt. Crested Butte, preserving this Colorado gem forever.

As for Johnston, she’s on to the next project.

The Crested Butte Land Trust is keeping tabs on other vulnerable properties and is ready to pounce.

—Avery Stonich

Centennial Celebrations

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK TURNS 100 IN 2015 Carved by glaciers cutting through peaks reaching 12,000 feet into the sky, Rocky Mountain National Park has been visited by hunters, trappers, miners and minivans for over 10,000 years. Covering 415 square miles of alpine tundra, montane and riparian ecosystems, this year our nation’s 10th National Park turns 100 years old and it has plans to celebrate the centennial all year long.

At the turn of the last century, naturalists such as Enos Mills, with the support of local conservation groups, brought the need for the area’s preservation to Congress. In 1915, Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act into law, helping to pave the way the following year for the creation of the National Parks Service.

A century later, the Colorado Mountain Club, which played a major role in helping to designate the area as a national park is offering member-led hikes of 100 of the 125 named peaks in the park all summer long through 2015. Other centennial celebrations include the Climber’s Oral History Project, which features interviews with local, pioneering peak climbers in conjunction with the Estes Park Museum’s “Climb On” exhibit. bit.ly/RMNPcent —Heather Ridge

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GEAR WE GRANITE GEAR: WHEELED PACKABLE DUFFEL Bag drags are just that, a total drag. Unless you have wheels on your luggage—and this is rare with the duffel bags often used for adventure travel type expeditions. Granite Gear has come up with a durable and lightweight solution in two sizes: 100 liters (3.38 pounds) and 145 liters (3.93 pounds). $90/$100; granitegear.com

BOOKS THE ADVENTURE GAP: CHANGING THE FACE OF THE OUTDOORS This courageous work

by James Edward Mills skillfully weaves social commentary with adventure stories to tackle a giant issue: the shocking lack of diversity in the outdoor space. Mills illuminates countless reasons for the “adventure gap” and seeks solutions for bridging it. His honest evaluation of this racial disparity forces us to contemplate how we, regardless of race, can contribute to shrinking the divide. $19.95; joytripproject.com —Chris Kassar

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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SHORTS

QUICK HITS

Crested Butte, Colorado THE MULTI-SPORT MARVEL

I grew up in California, and while I have given up the surf for the slopes, I simply can't let go of my never-ending quest for perfect Mexican food. I was skeptical when a friend told me about Teocalli Tamale and how their burritos would satiate my Mexican food desires. I am thrilled to say that the burritos alone are worth the five-hour drive from the Front Range and I could (embarrassingly) eat there every day. This pint sized burrito bar has portions that will quench even the most fierce hunger pangs. The simple menu consists of burritos, tacos, tamales, salsas and of course margs and beer. They are open daily from 11 a.m to 9 p.m., but on powder days don't expect anyone to serve up your burrito until noon. teocallitamale.com

SLEEP Nestled on the corner just as you enter town, The Old Town Inn looks more like an old carriage house than a hotel. It is small, with only 33 rooms, and while those rooms are not glamorous, they are comfortable and clean. The staff and service stand out at this quaint hotel and they are truly what sets the Inn a part from the competition. As a familyowned establishment, the Inn's staff treats guests

KEVIN KRILL

EAT

BUTTE EQUALITY: NO NEED TO PICK YOUR SPORT, YOU CAN DO IT ALL.

with a familiarity and genuine kindness. The Inn is just on the edge of town and it's a comfortable walk to the many shops and restaurants that line the main streets of downtown Crested Butte, making late-night partying in town a much more pleasant option than the alternative hotel room party. So next time you are looking for a budget, compassionate option for your weekend in the Butte, hit up the Old Town Inn for a friendly and laid back experience. oldtowninn.net

PLAY

3P Triathlon race, aka the CB3P. The 3 P’s being ski POLE, bike PEDAL and kayak PADDLE. The event starts up on Mt. Crested Butte where racers climb up the mountain on their skis only to shred back down, then transition to their bikes to ride from Mt. Crested Butte for about 27 miles towards Gunnison, where the racers make one more transition into their kayaks (or whatever paddle boat they like) for a 4.5-mile leg down the Gunnison River to the town's white water park where food, beer and cheering fans await. crestedbutte3p.com —Jordan Martindell

To truly enjoy the Butte, you need to embrace the locals' multi-sport mantra. The fact is that there are few places that can host events like Crested Butte’s

Check out a video of the CB3P by scanning this QR code or punching in: http://www.elevationoutdoors.com/eat-sleep-playcrested-butte/

50 Mile MTB Race Saturday, August 15th

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26.2 & 13.1 Trail Run Sunday, August 16th

SHORTS

RACKING UP 110 MILES OF SINGLE TRACK AND COUNTING Just 30 miles west of Vail and pleasantly perched at 6,600-feet in elevation, Eagle is quickly becoming a must-ride mountain bike destination. Much of that is thanks to its mild micro-climate Desert too hot?

Head to Eagle. Mountains too wet? Ditto.

“We get the early season dry-out while the high mountains are still snowed in,” says Yuri Kostick, mountain bike advocate, landscape architect and town mayor. “Our trail season opens April 15. And, when it gets too hot in places like Fruita and Moab, Eagle is the perfect place to come.”

Don't act surprised. Eagle is no stranger to mountain biking. Local riders began cobbling together a network of trails more than 20 years ago.

Rides such as “Dead Cow” and “Mike’s Night Out” reflect the realities riders have faced and the rugged spirit that keeps them coming back for more.

Today 110 miles of singletrack loop, weave, and wend their way through, around and beyond town.

The trails at Eagle Ranch will appeal to beginners, as does Haymaker, a 6-mile loop built in 2013 to host the Colorado High School Cycling League’s state

mountain bike championship (see page 17).

It's not all cross-country riding, either. Downhill aficionados can get their kicks on the professionally rebuilt Pool and Ice Trail accessed from the top of Bellyache Ridge. And, epic rides beckon riders to trails west of town. Best of all, every trailhead is within pedaling distance of downtown.

This spring mountain bikers will get a chance to know Eagle’s trails even better during the Eagle Outside Festival, held May 15-17 (eagleoutsidefestival.com). Endurance athletes can test their mettle on Sunday, May 17 during the Firebird 40, an early season ultra race that, according to promoters, features “40ish miles of some of the best that Eagle’s can Enterbackcountry to win a two-night stay in throw at ya.” If cross-country racing 13 miles Old Colorado City along with travel is more your thing, you will want to check out dining gift certificates, Saturday’s Firebird short allowance, course.

The weekend line-up passes also includes skillsattractions, clinics, to local and a a “lo-fi chainless DH” race, a trail running race, yoga gift basket loaded with surprises. in the park, a kid zone, music and one of the biggest mountain bike industry demos anywhere.

“Theis May 21, 2015.

The deadline to enter demo is insane,” Kostick says. “All the big names are here. You can ride straight from the demo to the trail and back. You can do it five times a times a day, if you want.”

If you miss the festival, you can pick up your guide to riding in Eagle at the town’s only bike shop, The Mountain Pedaler, located at 101 E. 2nd Street, 970-328-3478.

—Carol Busch

DAVID WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY

MTB Destination: Eagle

QUICK HITS

HEAVEN: THE SINGLETACK OF THE BONEYARD LOOP IS SO GOOD YOU MIGHT MISS THE VIEW OF RED CANYON.

WIN BIG MOMENTS IN OLD COLORADO CITY

Where history, shopping, dining and art come alive!

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Enter to win a two-night stay in Old Colorado City along with travel allowance, dining gift certificates, passes to local attractions, and a gift basket loaded with surprises.

The deadline to enter is May 21, 2015.

REGISTER AT: VisitCOS.com/OCC2015 APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

13

Vail Is Hot

A NEW LAW MEANS THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE HAPPENING AT THE RESORT THIS SUMMER As a winter passes that closed many mountains on the West Coast as early as January, it has become even more obvious that ski resorts across the globe need to think beyond winter. Bike parks in places like Whistler, British Columbia; Åre, Sweden; and here at Winter Park and Keystone, Colorado, certainly keep the lifts spinning. But U.S. legislators and resorts have thought even bigger in envisioning just how ski areas can offer more comprehensive experiences in the green season.

Sponsored by then Colorado senator Mark Udall, and passed in 2011, the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act rethought the way the U.S. Forest Service permits ski area use on public lands. It amended a 1986 law that limited use to alpine and nordic skiing and allowed for serious summer development. The bill opens up the possibility of building inclusive, family friendly activities like mountain bike parks, ropes courses, zip lines and frisbee golf courses (it doesn't allow for more classic resort amenities such as golf courses and tennis courts, however).

Last spring, the Forest Service finalized its policy of exactly how it will implement that law. It also estimated that opening resorts up to more summer

14

use would add 600,000 visitors to national forests in the summer, creating 600 new jobs and pumping $40 million into mountain communities.

No resort has embraced this new policy with more gusto than Vail. Hot on the heels of the new legislation, the mountain introduced its Epic Discovery plan in 2012, with a focus not just on expanding the way people can play on the mountain in summer, but also encouraging education through a partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The result is quite possibly the best family destination for the summer. Already, Vail's Adventure Ridge offers up everything from a four-line zip tour to an intense ropes course with varying levels of difficulty to horseback rides and disc golf, which made it one of our favorite spots to escape the Front Range heat with the kids and our bikes in tow.

Last fall, the Forest Service approved Vail's $25-million Epic Discovery plan. This year, the mountain will add summer tubing to the menu of activities up on Adventure Ridge. But the big thrills will launch in 2016, with the debut of a full Canopy Tour, which will include a series of zip lines and suspended bridges in Game Creek Bowl, and the Forest Flyer, a raised-rail alpine coaster that will whisk riders 3,700 feet down the mountain.

If that all seems like too much of an amusement park, remember that the mountain is also keen on teaching visitors about the ecosystem as well. It plans on building micro-interpretive centers across the mountain that will link into trail systems. Vail Resorts CEO Robert Katz has even said he wants

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DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

SHORTS

QUICK HITS

BOWLED OVER: THE 5.3-MILE GRAND TRAVERSE STARTS AT ADVENTURE RIDGE BUT ESCAPES THE CROWDS IN A HURRY.

the mountain to do a better, more engaging job at interpretation than the National Parks Service.

If all you really want to do is ride your bike, don't fear. The resort also promises to expand its tail system, which already includes some rollicking downhill runs and gems like the Grand Traverse, which takes off into the lush wildflowers and open vistas of the Back Bowls.

No matter what, the kids (big and small) will not be bored this summer. And if more jobs and money come to town, everyone should be happy.

—Doug Schnitzspahn

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APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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ISSUES

FLASHPOINT

The Real Winners

ON THE RIGHT SINGLETRACK: HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES RACE THE HAYMAKER TRAIL THROUGH THE HAY MEADOW IN BRUSH CREEK VALLEY, EAGLE, COLORADO.

TED VIC

THE ANNUAL COLORADO HIGH SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS HAVE BEEN A PROVING GROUND FOR FUTURE STARS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT STORIES OF THE RACE COME FROM FURTHER BACK IN THE PACK.

by JASON BLEVINS here was a lot to celebrate at the fifth annual Colorado High School Mountain Bike League State Championships last October. All told, the competition drew a record 613 Colorado high schoolers from schools large and small across the state to Eagle. And, of course, there were the faces of hundreds of volunteers, mostly parents, beaming with pride and a bit of envy as they muttered the sidelined singletrack mantra heard so often: “I wish they had this when I was in high school.” All those racers and spectators meant there were countless stories born here, each reflecting the thrill of pedaling.

The tales of victory were enough to get any fan excited about the future of the sport. There were the junior varsity riders from Boulder High who took home the school’s fifth state title thanks to mega-lunged pedaling. There was the gifted pair of seniors who tied for third after four races on the Haymaker Classic trail. And there was Durango’s impressive Christopher Blevins who transformed a surging start from the back of the pack into a fourminute lead and a state championship title.

The most compelling narratives, however,

came from the back of the pack, from the kids who weren’t aiming for a podium but were clearly winning. Some of them wore jeans and inexpensive, not-too-cool helmets. Some pedaled hand-me-down rides. Some brought families generations deep. Many found answers—and even futures—behind the handlebars.

“I plan to do this for the rest of my life,” says Rita Gutierrez, an 18-year-old who was born in the Vail Valley but only discovered singletrack four years ago when she was enlisted by The Cycle Effect, a pro-coached, 60-girl team that uses mountain bikes to empower young women from every background.

In January, Gutierrez won the 15,000-student National Interscholastic Cycling Association’s student-athlete leadership award, largely based on her passion for cycling; a two-wheeled lifestyle she has embraced and shared. She often takes her friends onto singletrack for the first time, exposing them to a world they never knew. More often than not, they start racing too.

“I’ve been trying to get a bunch of girls to join. I tell them how good it feels to finish a race and not finish last. They see how much fun I’m having and

they want to be a part of that,” she says. “They are like ‘Oh my God, this is so cool. I didn’t know this was here.’ It’s like they are discovering a new arcade in town. It’s a whole new place to play. I don’t think a lot of us knew how lucky we were to live here until we started riding our bikes.”

THE GREATER GOOD The Colorado High School Mountain Bike League was the third league to join the nascent NICA in 2010, with 144 athletes from 19 teams. The spectacular growth of Colorado’s league, which now boasts 54 teams and several high schools lining up to award first-ever varsity letters to top mountain biking athletes, is mirrored across the nation as leagues explode with festive races featuring pro-level riders and kids competing in their first-ever contests. Utah had more than 1,000 student athletes racing in its third annual state championships last October, including the 107-athlete Corner Canyon High School Mountain Bike Team, the largest high school mountain team in the country.

“There is just huge, huge demand,” says APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

17

ISSUES

FLASHPOINT Austin McInerny, the executive director of NICA who oversees 15 leagues in 14 states. Most of McInerny's work consists of cajoling sponsors and pushing merchandise to support not just the association’s growing leagues and 1,800 coaches but the $165,000 in scholarships the association awards to different teams to support their racing.

Asked if he is shocked by the spectacular growth of high school mountain bike racing, McInerny starts to nod his head. But then he stops.

“Yes, it can be overwhelming but really, I’m not surprised,” he says. “This is about riding with friends and challenging yourself. All the things that we love about cycling are amplified by these student athletes."

Colorado's now-burgeoning league was born on the back of Kate Rau. An indefatigable champion of kids and bikes, Rau bounds across dusty racetrack parking lots high-fiving everyone she sees. Many of the young girls stop for a trademark Rau bearhug.

“Kate is probably my biggest role model,” says Aaricka Johnson, a Leadville senior who raced against seven girls in 2011 and 60 in last October’s state championships. “Everything she does is for the greater good.”

At an awards ceremony before the race last October, Johnson tearfully bid farewell to the league that had defined her high school experience.

“You are changing the lives of the kids you coach,” she told the dozens of coaches who were in attendance from across Colorado.

Garrison Hayes is one of those kids. The 15-year-old’s first-ever mountain bike race was with the Highlands Ranch Composite Team in 2013.

There were five racers on his team back then. Last October the team fielded 20 riders. And every one of those riders, once they finished their own races, hiked their bikes up the singletrack to cheer on Hayes and pedal across the finish together.

I don’t think a lot of us knew how lucky we were to live here until we started riding our bikes.

“It’s so cool how everyone supports me on the trail,” says the cancer survivor, who, in 2005, underwent Van Ness Rotationplasty procedure as an alternative to traditional amputation required for a cancerous bone tumor. Hayes skis, plays soccer, runs track and field, all with an ankle joint that serves as a knee. At the Leadville race last September, Hayes pedaled through the finish beneath a canopy of raised arms.

“I get to compete against everyone in Colorado,” he says, "I’ve been on the bike now

18

TED VIC

PEDALING THROUGH

for two years. I love it. I’m so glad I have this opportunity.”

Then there is Kelsay Lundbergh who finished second overall in the 2014 series, fueling a thirdplace finish for Salida, a 300-student high school with a 24-student mountain bike team that rivals those from the Front Range’s 2,000-student Fairview and Boulder high schools. A graduating senior, the sage 17-year-old credits the team with floating her through rough waters, including the death of her father to cancer in 2010.

“I’ve had some hard things in my life in the last four years and, just like climbing a hill on a bike, you have to push through and persevere. You push through so much pain and then slowly, you get better and you keep getting stronger and stronger,” says Lundbergh, whose older brother Garrett raced for Salida and is now emerging as a national powerhouse on a mountain bike at Durango’s Fort Lewis College.

“There are a lot of connections you can draw between riding a bike and life,” says Lundbergh.

THE CYCLE EFFECT The coaches feel the power of the bike, too. Many of them are veteran riders, hardened from years of racing. Giving back to the sport and witnessing the transformative power of pedaling resonates with them. Professional triathlete Tamara Donelson has seen The Cycle Effect, which was founded by her husband Brett, grow from a handful of Vail Valley girls to more than 60 competitive athletes in Edwards, Eagle and Summit County. The Cycle Effect rules are strict. Dry land training begins in February. Miss a training session and you’re out.

Make every meeting, and you get a bike and a kit.

“They are believing in themselves and they are recognizing that they are really capable of achieving things they maybe never considered,” Donelson says. “They say to themselves ‘Hey, I’m pretty

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TEEN DREAM: LUKE VICKERMAN RIDING FOR VAIL SKI AND SNOWBOARD ACADEMY, BANKS A TURN ON THE HAYMAKER RACE LOOP.

good at this. I’m able to beat other kids.’ They are learning they are stronger than they think they are.”

That is really the goal, asserts Rau. It’s not just about sculpting champions and hoisting trophies.

The league is about developing a skill that will linger through all phases of life.

“If we give kids a passion and guidance, they will flourish,” says Rau, who shares countless stories from parents who credit mountain bike racing with changing their kids’ lives. After a couple of those retellings, her eyes well up.

“The mountain bike team has been the right side of the tracks for so many kids,” she says. “I really want to make this more accessible to more kids. Feed the fun so they can go live in Detroit or Chicago or Delta and have an identity and a tribe. Something they can go and do and leave the worries of the world and recenter.”

The kids get that in Eagle. With dust creasing their sweat-stained faces, they flank the finish line of every race. The back-of-the-pack riders dig deep as they approach their teammates and the racing late in the day heats up in the final 100 yards.

Everyone, from every team, is cheering, hugging, high-fiving. It’s quite a spectacle.

“Keeping this widespread appeal is so important,” says Dave Wiens, the Gunnison ambassador of all things mountain biking who directs the mountain sports program at Western State Colorado University. “If this starts catching, and I don’t see how it couldn’t, we are going to explode and every high school in the state will have a mountain bike team. But the most valuable thing here is introducing kids and even their parents to the bike. That can be a life-altering introduction.”

The cycle keeps growing. •

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

19

The River Ride is a charity bike event benefitting SOS Outreach, a youth development organization. It starts at Beaver Creek and takes riders along the scenic banks of the Colorado and Eagle Rivers. Choose from 100, 68 and 42 mile routes on great roads. Full SAG support and spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains make it one of the don’t miss century rides in Colorado!

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GPS ADVENTURE

THE TRAIL

The Grand Loop

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by CHRIS KASSAR POWERED BY

olorado National Monument's classic 33-mile loop will challenge your lungs and legs—but with a modest (by Colorado standards) total vertical gain of 2,300 feet and topping out at just 6,640 feet, it won't totally wreck you. That means you can better enjoy the views.

Traffic along Rim Rock Drive is typically light and people drive slowly and are respectful of cyclists, but still be aware, especially as you cruise through the dark tunnels near both entrances.

Depending on how fast you ride and how much exploring you do via side hikes, allow three to five hours.

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ROUTE CODE: ELEV0036 Scan for this route’s GPS Hike!

Park and Ride Drive 3 miles south of Fruita on Highway 340 and park just outside the West Entrance (one option is the nearby Dinosaur Trailhead). Gear up and begin pedaling along the nicely paved Rim Rock Drive toward the entrance (the fee is just $5 for cyclists). Now, embrace your granny gear as you work up Fruita Canyon.

Balanced Rock View Catch your breath here and take in the dramatic landscape that stretches out before you.

You’ve only just begun, but already you can see why this ride got the name “Tour of the Moon” by riders who traversed its rippling and alien landscape in the famous 1980s Coors Classic races.

Visitor’s Center Cruise through two tunnels, and then climb a few fun hairpin turns. Continue climbing steeply to reach the Visitor’s Center, which is worth a stop if you want to top off water bottles, use the restroom and check out its updated and informative interpretive displays. You can also make a detour to check out the Book Cliffs.

Coke Ovens Overlook From the Visitor's Center, continue cruising along Rim Rock Drive, which turns into a bit of a roller coaster with ups and downs that make this ride an exhilarating blast. The monument’s splendor begins to really shine through: You are rewarded with endless dramatic views of red rock plateaus, steep canyons and stone pillars. Pinyon pines and junipers dapple the fiery landscape with bits of green. Overlooks abound on this route so take your time and pause anytime you want to snap a pic or just soak in the solitude. Grand View is appropriately named, featuring views north and east

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TRAIL GEAR

into Monument Canyon and toward the Bookcliffs across the valley. The Coke Ovens Overlook serves up a great view of the Ovens.

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High Point Continue cruising through this high-desert wonderland and keep your eyes peeled for bighorn sheep, coyotes, lizards and golden eagles. Shortly after the Ute Canyon Trailhead, you’ll reach the highest point on Rim Rock Drive at 6,640 feet.

You can now enjoy the mostly downhill ride. But, don’t get too comfy, after Cold Shivers Point, the switchbacks are steep and there is still one tunnel.

Monument East Entrance/Exit Here you leave the monument and wind your way down local roads to complete the loop. Devils Kitchen Picnic Area just inside the monument is a good spot to hit the restrooms.

PEARL IZUMI W’s Symphony Shrug This original design revolutionalized the way we dress for rides.

Pull it over a tank, and the sporty shrug provides added warmth for cool mornings or steep descents in a tiny, lightweight package that you can toss in a pack, cram into a pocket or tie around your waist. $45; pearlizumi.com

7.

Head Back

Shortly after leaving the monument, make a left turn on South Camp Road. Follow South Camp for a while, then South Broadway and then Broadway. These back roads can get confusing so you might want to write down exact directions or map it out on your phone beforehand.

8.

Home Stretch

Intersect with Broadway/Highway 340.

Follow it for a short stretch back to your car. • APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

21

It’s always hard to leave paradise. Packing up camp on a sunny morning in Coyote Gulch, Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, UT- Andrew Burr

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ESCAPES

HOT SPOT

It’s Moab Time

PURE GOLD: THE SLICKROCK AT KLONDIKE BLUFFS DELIVERS.

CHRIS KASSAR

READY TO HEAD OVER THE BORDER FOR A DOSE OF THE RED ROCK? HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE CONSIDERED BEFORE WHEN IT COMES TO EVERYONE’S FAVORITE ADVENTURE TOWN.

by CHRIS KASSAR pring in the desert is sublime. The Earth bounces back to life. Bright flowers bloom.

Critters come out of hiding. Temperatures hover around perfect. You start itching to wear shorts again and get a little color back into that pale face after what’s been a sweet but long winter.

When that happens, it’s time to head to Moab and explore some new trails and adventures and revisit a few old favorites. Here are our top choices.

a car window—to get in your way. Allow time for stops and short hikes at the Windows, Balanced Rock, the Fiery Furnace and Skyline Arch. Bring enough water for the first 20.5 miles; you can fill up at the Devil’s Garden campground.

DISCOVER HIDDEN VALLEY

This spot about 17 miles north of town offers worldclass singletrack and classic, must-ride slickrock.

Even though it’s easily accessible, has primitive campsites near the trailhead and miles of new trails, most visitors overlook the area. That makes it one of the few trail systems where you may still find solitude in this increasingly popular town. Don’t miss the physically challenging (but technically simple and extremely fun) 8.2-mile roundtrip up the slickrock Klondike Bluffs jeep trail that ends at the Arches National Park boundary. Take the short hike to the top of the Bluffs where you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the Park. As for singletrack, if you’re an expert looking for a ride that will test your lungs, legs and skills, hit EKG, a 10.6-mile round trip off the Dina Flow Trail. If you’re looking for something a tiny bit easier, that will still push your limits, hit Baby Steps Loop (14.9 miles out and back; 1,700 feet climbing).

Hike or trail run this underrated route and you’ll be rewarded with stunning vistas, solitude and incredible rock art. From the trailhead three miles south of town, climb up through a series of steep switchbacks until the trail levels out and enters Hidden Valley, a lush broad basin that few visit.

After just two miles, reach a low pass from which you can see the incredible sandstone fins that make the Behind the Rocks area so special. From here, head right on a small trail to explore the petroglyphs that decorate the giant rock wall above you. Then return to the main trail and head back the way you came (about four miles roundtrip) or continue over the pass to meet up with the Moab Rim 4WD trail, a fun, hilly route that cruises over giant expanses of slick rock sandstone that feel really remote even though you’re only a few miles from town. Go on a weekday in off-season and you won’t see many, if any, jeepers. You can run or hike for as long as you like—even all the way to the Colorado River—if you’re feeling adventurous and energetic. Retrace your steps to return (about 10 miles roundtrip) or shuttle a vehicle for a one-way run (about five miles).

ROAD RIDE ARCHES ROAD

CLIMB MT. PEALE

Moab isn’t just for mountain biking. In fact, it’s got some of the sweetest road riding in the state.

Our favorite is the 41-mile ride from the Arches National Park entrance to the end of the road at Devil’s Garden and back. This is truly a unique way to see the park. As you climb and descend and climb again, you can take in every inch of the iconic rainbow colored sandstone arches, walls and towers set against the breathtaking backdrop of the snowcapped La Sal Mountains without anything—like

People come to Moab to experience the desert. We get it. But, how can you totally ignore the beautiful La Sal Mountains rising in the distance? If you feel the same way, then take a day and head to climb or ski Mt. Peale, the range’s highest peak at 12,271 feet. Snow typically sticks around on the couloir until mid-summer so be prepared with an ice axe and crampons (and skis—if you want to test your skills on the downhill). From the trailhead, which is accessible all year long, it’s a short five-mile round

RIDE KLONDIKE BLUFFS

trip with 2,700 feet of elevation gain. The crux comes on the steep (30–35 degrees) couloir that you climb from 10,700 feet to reach the ridge crest at 12,000. The unique perspective this climb offers of Canyonlands, Arches and the rest of the La Sals make it well worth the effort.•

APRÈS ADVENTURE EAT & DRINK: To power up before a big day, hit the best breakfast joint in town, the Jailhouse Café for scrumptious ginger pancakes, whole-grain waffles, the chorizo scramble or a delicious variation on eggs benedict. After you play, hit the Moab Brewery (themoabbrewery.com), a true oasis in the desert serving up delicious, locally brewed beers, sandwiches, burritos the size of your head, and juicy burgers. It's a happening place to hang out, meet like-minded folks and get beta on trail conditions and climbs.

STAY: Camp! Become one with the desert and camp closer to the trails. Our favorites include Lower Drinks ($15), with walk-in sites right on the river off Highway 128 and Moonflower Canyon ($10), which has 10 walk-in sites off Kane Creek Road. Both of these are run by the BLM and have toilets, but no water. If you’re up for more primitive camping head to Klondike Bluffs (free), which has unofficial campsites that are obviously used often, but have no facilities nearby.

GET INFO: For all your trail info, map and gear needs, hit Chile Pepper Bike Shop (chilebikes.com) conveniently located next to the Moab Brewery or Gear Heads Outdoor Shop on Main (moabgear.com).

—C.K.

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

23

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Q&A

STRAIGHT TALK

Tejay Van Garderen

COLORADO'S CYCLING CHAMP TALKS ABOUT TRAINING, UP-AND-COMING RIDERS AND HIS HOPES FOR THE TOUR DE FRANCE.

A

spen’s Tejay Van Garderen blew the competition away in the cycling category of our Best Mountain Athlete poll this past fall. That’s no surprise since he has also been steadily blowing the competition away on the bike ever since he won the prestigious Circuito Montanes at 20 and took second in the Tour de l’Avenir at 21. Now 26, the Montana native has only ramped it up over the past five years, winning his second straight USA Pro Challenge last year, in addition to his victory at the World Team Time Trial Championships, a fifth place finish in the Tour de France and a 2013 win of the Tour of California. He will be the American rider to watch in this year’s Tour de France. The BMC racing team member took the time during a busy race season this March to talk to us about what it takes to reach the top.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN France, it is always one I am up to doing well in and I love racing in my adopted home state.

What makes the race really cool is how well it is supported by cycling fans. The crowds are huge— like some of the big races in Europe—and that makes it a lot of fun. I also think I do well in Colorado because I know so many of the climbs.

It's really paid off, especially the Vail time trial, which I have won the past two years.

and at a lot of races we have a chef because the hotel food is not always reliable or the best for what we need.

There's often a transfer to the start— sometimes by bike—and we typically get to the start about 75 minutes before it begins. There's a pre-race meeting, getting dressed and sign-in (sometimes we warm-up on our Elite trainers if the course goes uphill right away). Fans are usually outside our bus and there are media interviews before the start, too. Then we race for four, five or sometimes more than six hours. Afterwards, we have recovery food and drink from PowerBar on the bus and back at the hotel. We get a massage, try to stay off our feet and just relax until dinner.

Then it's more refueling with a nice meal and then more relaxation before bedtime. It might seem a bit boring, but that's just the way it is.

What’s your race day routine?

It's basically the same no matter where we are racing (though some of the races in Spain, where I am racing now in the Volta a Catalunya, tend to start pretty late in the day, noon or after one o'clock). We wake up after sleeping nine or 10 hours. We try to eat three hours before the race,

What made you choose Aspen as a place to live and train?

My wife, Jessica, has family in Aspen, so when we were getting ready to start our own family, it made sense that we have a good support system in place around my training. Aspen is also a great place to ride. It's at altitude, the weather is generally good and there are the kinds of climbs I need for training.

What gives you hope for the sport? Are there some up-and-coming riders who you are excited about? Any who remind you of where you were at five years ago?

Cycling has a lot going for it right now, especially in America. The world championships are coming to Richmond, Virginia, in September. It's been a long time since we've been able to race on home soil in the most important one-day race on the calendar.

I'm looking forward to defending our team time trial championship there, too. As for the young riders, there's another Tejay—T.J. Eisenhart of Utah, who races for the BMC Development Team. He's the Under 23 national time trial champion and is one of those young guns to watch. The nice thing is that USA Cycling has a fantastic development program going to help bring up the guys who are most promising and can carry the torch.

What are your goals heading into the Tour de France this season?

My goal is always to win the Tour de France. It's the biggest race of the year, especially for the BMC Racing Team, and it is the one that everyone wants to win because there's so much attention around it. I might have had a good shot last year to be on the podium but I had one bad day. And that's all it takes—one day in three weeks—and you see your chances of a win gone. The good news is that I won't make the same mistake this time [he did not eat enough on a long, tough stage of the race].

Who are your cycling heroes?

I never really had a cycling hero. But my dad, Marcel, was a cyclist and he really got me interested and involved in the sport. I know he enjoyed watching me have success as much as I had liked making him happy by doing well.

How important is it for you to win another Pro Challenge? Does racing in your home state make a difference?

The USA Pro Challenge is a big part of my season.

While it comes after my goal race, the Tour de

TIM DE WAELE/TDWSPORT

Can you tell us anything about competing in the race that you think most people back home don’t realize?

There are actually two other "grand tours" of cycling, three-week races that are nearly as important and prestigious to win. But in America, you rarely hear of any races in Europe other than the Tour de France. Some people also don't realize that we race all the time, from January through to October, and not just in Europe. Last year, I raced in China at the Tour of Beijing.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: VAN GARDEREN HOPES TO LEARN FROM HIS MISTAKES IN LAST YEAR’S TOUR DE FRANCE AND COME HOME A CHAMPION.

What do you think cycling can do to continue to grow as a sport here in Colorado and across the U.S.?

It helps to have more races like the USA Pro Challenge and the Amgen Tour of California and the Tour of Utah. The big races attract more attention and that's how you get people exposed to the sport. It would be nice to see some of these races expand to longer than a week, but that's a big ask in America sometimes. I hope the world championships in Richmond help elevate the sport in terms of visibility and interest. • APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

25

COURTESY CURRIE TECHNOLOGIES

THE

ELECTRIC SLIDE ASSISTED LIVING: CLASS 1 E-BIKES WOULD BE ALLOWED ON SINGLETRACK, MAKING SHORT WORK OF TOUGH CLIMBS AND POSSIBLY OPENING UP BIG DESCENTS TO THE UNINITIATED.

COMING LEGISLATION MAY ALLOW ELECTRIC BIKES TO GO ANYWHERE REGULAR BIKES CAN GO. WHAT WILL TRAILS FULL OF E-BIKES MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF MOUNTAIN BIKING?

by JOE LINDSEY Last fall, the Moab field office of the Bureau of Land Management quietly published a short item on its website clarifying trail access for electric bicycles. The simple, straightforward guidance noted that e-bikes, as they’re known, were welcome on trail systems open to motorized vehicles, but not on non-motorized trails.

This decision was neither concerning nor shocking to Larry Pizzi, president of e-bike maker Currie Technologies and chair of the e-bike committee at the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA). For Pizzi, the ruling merely confirmed what had always been the case. And because the BLM grants its regional field offices wide discretion to manage land use locally, the ruling applies only to the Moab office’s management area. But when media outlets began reporting the news, the reaction was as strong as if a major, national decision had just come down.

“Bravo! Letting e-bikes on singletrack trails is the beginning of a slippery slope that leads to nothing good.”

“If you want to ride something with a motor, go ride trails where motors are allowed.”

“Say goodbye to your teeth if we do catch you on an inappropriate trail!”

Those comments are not surprising given the long and frequently contentious relationship between mountain bikers and certain other user groups, particularly conservation-minded advocates.

But those comments aren’t from other user groups—they’re from mountain bikers, on a story on core-enthusiast site MTBR.com, which initially

26

reported the BLM decision.

What exactly is an e-bikes. Well, they aren’t quite bicycles and aren’t quite motorcycles. They’re an entirely separate type of vehicle (see sidebar) with electric, not gas, motors which range from throttle-driven wattage cottages to elegant pedalassist systems that give the rider a gentle push.

But in the ethos of mountain biking, which prizes self-sufficiency and an earn-your-turns attitude, e-bikes strike many as a kind of cheat.

Whether the objection stems from a wish to preserve many wild places as accessible only under human power or, as Pizzi suggests, from a more narrow self-interest in preserving uncrowded trails, one thing is clear: The first group e-bikers have to win over isn’t hikers or equestrians or conservationists, it’s other mountain bikers. he Moab BLM release was accompanied by the perception, among mountain bikers at least, that out there in the desert there lay a horde of e-bikers waiting to sack Amasa Back like barbarians at the gates of Rome.

The mountain biking community is reacting. The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) held, for the first time, a panel on e-bikes at its World Summit last summer, and an agency position statement (short version: mountain biking is inherently a human-powered sport) dates to 2012.

But outside of two-wheel world, e-bikes are hardly alarming. Many land use agencies have no specific guidance yet. Bruce Hamilton, Associate Executive Director of the Sierra Club, seemed a

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bit perplexed when I called asking for comment. “I haven’t seen where the problem has been joined,” he replied. “Our biggest issue there [in recreation] is how to keep OHVs from tearing up public land.

There are far bigger issues (than e-bikes).”

Pizzi told me that there are, at best, “maybe a couple thousand e-bikes in the entire US,” adding that he meant genuine, trail-capable e-mountain bikes, not urban models.

But make no mistake: the boom is coming.

Pizzi’s CurrieTech imports e-bikes from HaiBike, which for 2015 includes the XDURO line of electric mountain bikes comprising a trail bike, DH-style bike and even a fat bike. French bike maker Lapierre recently began bringing in its Overvolt line. “This is happening,” said Pizzi. “Specialized is on board, Trek is on board. Everyone is in and it’s only going to grow.”

And as the bikes get more popular, riders will increasingly show up at local trailheads looking to get their shred on.

The concerns are both legion and legit if, at this point, mostly hypothetical. Will the added power at the rear wheel and weight result in more erosion? What happens if someone’s battery dies 10 miles from the trailhead and they’re left to pilot a 70-pound beast out of the backcountry under pedal power alone?

If an e-biker shuts off the power, is it a normal bike? And how do you say for sure the power is on or off? Will faster speeds, or new riders less schooled in trail etiquette, increase user conflicts?

And last, will riders be able to handle that extra

weight and power safely?

Pizzi, who has become something of a de facto spokesman for e-bike proponents, readily admits that there’s work to do. “This is not a short-term proposition,” he said. “First, we need to engage in educating people about the rules of the trail.”

He admits there are no studies right now on environmental issues; he suspects there’s no added harm but admits lacking data to support that claim. The BPSA has partnered with IMBA to investigate, but as Mark Eller, IMBA’s Communications Director, told me, work hasn’t started yet so there’s no defined deadline for results.

Pizzi bristles slightly at the idea that e-bike users might be more prone to trail conflicts. He points out that the most aggressive riders he sees on trails are typically younger, gravity-oriented types. The initial e-bike adopter, he thinks, will be an older, experienced mountain biker, for whom an e-bike is a way to fully enjoy a sport that’s getting a bit too difficult on human power alone.

When you talk to Pizzi, there’s a disarming sincerity to his comments: We need to educate users. We’ll study trail impacts. There’s a lulling sense to them, as when he tells me that most riders will be perfectly happy on the kind of multitrack trails that, in Moab, are already open to motorized users.

But these things are slippery. Right now, e-bikes are pretty clearly identifiable. As Pizzi readily admitted, “It’s got a motor; that’s undeniable.” But as the technology matures, batteries will shrink, perhaps enough to hide in the frame, while more elegant pedal-assist systems improve efficiency.

The end goal of the BPSA’s legislation (see sidebar) is to have the lowest category of e-bikes classified as bicycles. I ask him: Do you mean then that these would be regulated exactly the same as bikes, allowed on the same trails? He hedges a bit. “I think we’ll create another category,” he said. “Right now, there’s a bold black line between motorized and non-motorized categories, and maybe we need a new category, closer to non-motorized.

Call it hybrid.”

Right now, the buyer may be an aging mountain biker, but the potential market is broad: families, in particular, who may not be active riders right now. Pizzi doesn’t see true enthusiasts adopting e-bikes, but tells a story about a demo in Park City, Utah, where some hardcore riders came back from a test ride grinning ear to ear. “They want to get their wives on them so they can ride together.”

That’s hard to object to. The bike industry would certainly love to get more people on bikes. And various studies show that personal experience with the outdoors (particularly non-consumptive uses) has a generally positive effect on people’s interest in conservation. o matter how you view the issue, there is an uncomfortable truth about e-bikes: they blur lines.

IMBA spent much of its first decade wrestling with the existential question of what mountain bikes were. Was the sport akin to others on wheels, and just not motorized? Or were we closer, at heart, to other humanpowered uses like hiking?

Hardcore hikers and conservationists might chuckle at the pretension of it, but to the vast majority of mountain bikers, the sport is purely human-powered. You get there by sweat and gears. Access is, to an extent, tied to ability, and that is a deal we willingly made in allying ourselves with other human-powered recreation. Can we really re-negotiate that deal now?

“It’s no more fair for an e-biker to declare that he should be able to access a non-motorized trail than it is for a DH rider to say that it’s OK to build a bandit trail because there’s nowhere to ride,” said IMBA’s Eller. Push too hard

for that access, he warns, and the backlash could result in more losses.

Perhaps what masquerades as concern really is just naked self-interest, keeping “our” trails quiet and uncrowded. But that’s likely not what’s behind the resistance. Many mountain bikers, including myself, remember the darker days of the 80s and early 90s, when it seemed like a trail closed every week.

E-bikes revive those old nightmares. They re-open an existential question about our sport we thought long settled. The negative response by many mountain bikers is far too vehement and vitriolic; it’s based on emotion rather than logic and it’s ugly. But it is not purely irrational.

The bike industry, as well as advocacy organizations like IMBA and land-use managers, would be well-served to hear what’s behind it: fear.

It’s a very specific fear, based on not-so-distant memories of the access battle that mountain bikers very nearly lost entirely and the damage from which we have spent patient decades rebuilding. If an e-bike is just a bike, if everyone sees it like that and they become a problem on trails, the fear is that it’s not just e-bikes that will be banned, but all of us. The fear is that if we lose it again, this time we won’t get it back.

Joe Lindsey is a freelance writer and contributing editor to Bicycling magazine.

SHOP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS:

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MAKING SENSE OF E-BIKES

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Park Meadows Mall Lone Tree E-bikes blur the line between bicycles and motorcycles. And what makes it more confusing is the different styles. In the U.S., any bicycle with operable pedals and a motor under 750 watts (one horsepower) is considered a bicycle rather than a moped and is regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission rather than transportation agencies.

The Bicycle Product Suppliers Association (BPSA) is attempting to pass legislation to further clarify levels of e-bikes. Here’s what their approach would look like:

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CLASS 1 Propulsion: Pedal-assist only Max assisted speed (point at which motor turns off): 20 m.p.h.

CLASS 2 Propulsion: Pedal-assist or throttle mode Max motor-driven or assisted speed: 20 m.p.h.

CLASS 3 Propulsion: Pedal-assist or throttle Max motor-driven speed: 20 m.p.h.

Max assisted speed: 28 m.p.h.

The BPSA legislation, if enacted, would allow a Class 1 e-bike to be used anywhere a normal bike is allowed to be ridden. Note that this definition carries no distinction about surface, such as like natural-surface trails, so singletrack is in play. Class 2 bikes would be allowed on paved bicycle infrastructure, like off-street multi-use paths. Class 3 would only be allowed on roads, but in on-street bike lanes.

—J.L.

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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FRESH DIRT HANG ON: THE BRAND NEW TRAILS IN AVON ARE SURE GET YOU OUT OF YOUR SEAT.

JEFF CRICCO

TIRED OF THE SAME OLD RIDES? DON’T WORRY. WE ARE IN A GOLDEN AGE OF NEW TRAIL CONSTRUCTION THANKS TO PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN LOCALS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND DEDICATED BIKE CLUBS COMING TOGETHER TO BUILD BRAND NEW SINGLETRACK. CHECK OUT SOME OF OUR FAVORITE NEW TRAILS.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

AVON While neighboring Eagle has got plenty of press for its new trails (see page 13), the same folks who built those trails were hard at work in Avon last summer. Momentum Trail Concepts built seven miles of ripping new singletrack in the West Avon Preserve that is open now. Don't miss the Wild West Ridge. bit.ly/1B8McDw

SIDEWINDER Completed in 2010, but still off-the-radar, this 20-mile thrill ride in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area was a partnership between the BLM, Bicycle Colorado, Singletrack Trails, Inc., local trail user groups, and the Western Colorado Conservation Corps. To put it simply, this is the best trail you have not heard of. on.doi.gov/1bnTehv

MOAB The Hymasa Trail and Captain Ahab have transformed Amasa Back's reputation from that of a jarring jeep route to the best-built singletrack around. Hymasa climbs 3.2 miles over the Amasa Back jeep track (ride it up, and back if you want a more mellow down). Captain Ahab is an instant classic, 4.3 expert, downhill-only miles of fun problems built for bikes. grandcountyutah.net/233/Maps

More brand new trails in Colorado include: LITTLE SCRAGGY EAST, BUFFALO CREEK Built by the Colorado Mountain Bike Association, this 5.5-mile singletrack opens up an area of Buffalo Creek that could not be accessed by bike.

Construction begins on the West Trail this summer, which will create a 9-mile loop that links into the Colorado Trail and Kelsey Campground. comba.org MORNING GLORIA, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS. The Routt County Riders created this five-mile trail so that it would be easier to make the grueling climb up Emerald Mountain. steamboatspringstrails.com SUNSET PARK TRAILS, ERIE. The Boulder Mountainbike Alliance was on a mission to build trails outside the Boulder bubble, but still wanted them to connect into a larger dirt system. The trails deliver fast, rolling fun on their own, or make a good stop on a longer quest via the Coal Creek Trail. eriesingletrack.com/trail-maps DEADLINE, ASPEN. Serving up 1.6 miles of flow with a wide array of berms, table tops and more surprises, this trails is sure to get the adrenaline pumping. bit.ly/1N0zApl

SAYULITA SINGLETRACK Most Coloradans head to Sayulita, Mexico for the surf. Now there's singletrack. In the little town of Mascota, which is about two hours inland of Puerto Vallarta, a core group of local guides and riders have developed a system of trails that dives and climbs through the valleys of the Sierra Madre. The rides don't just get your gears spinning, they also stop in at local mountain towns where you can fuel up and get a taste of life in these mountains. The guides cater trips to everyone from beginners to a recent junket of Enduro pros from the U.S. But, hey, this is Mexico. They also take you to the beach for surfing, SUP, snorkeling and relaxation after you have gotten that South-ofthe-Border fat-tire fix. mascotaride.com

UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIDGWAY In March, Colorado Parks and Wildlife approved a $200,000 grant for new trail construction here that will fund eight new miles of singletrack. Plus, Ridgway State Park netted $80,000 for new trail construction. The trails should be ready by summer.

K ANAB, UTAH

ZACH WHITE

READY TO RIDE

If you like Gooseberry Mesa, keep an eye on this area nearby, where IMBA Trail Solutions staff and locals are planning to build new rides. •

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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CHILe PEPPER BIKE SHOP

photo // greg dumas

repairs • Rentals • apparel Shuttles • tours • espresso chilebikes.com

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THE LATEST, GREATEST BIKES OUT THERE MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER TO ENJOY THE RIDE THANKS TO ADVANCES IN DESIGN AND A FEW ELECTRONIC EXTRAS.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

THE DEAL Bulls Wild Edge 29 Bulls is a big name in Germany but just launched this April here in the states. A carbon ride weighing in around 25 pounds, the Wild Edge offers up all the performance you would want (Shimano XT and FSA components, four inches of full suspension through a RockShox RS-1Air 100-mm fork and a rear Rock Shox Monarch XX Air Shock), but it rings in at a very nice price, since it's only available online. $3,800; bulls.de

CRUISER Priority Diamond It's no secret that we here at Elevation Outdoors love the simplicity and quiet of a Gates Carbon Drive belt system. This snazzy cruiser offers a three-speed belt and all the sleek showiness we wanted in our day-to-day ride. Plus, it handles smooth on the bike path and in traffic, all at less than $400. It's available in step-through models, too. $399; prioritybicycles.com

ELECTRIC Haibike Xduro FS RX 27.5 No matter what you think about e-bikes (see our story on page 26), we suggest you at least try one. The shock of rolling into pedal assist and magically heading uphill, puts a grin on the face of the biggest cynic. This baby won awards in Europe for good reason—it's fully loaded and can endure the pounding of even the gnarliest trails, stuff we could not ride up on human-powered bikes. $5,200; currietech.com

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ROAD Giant Defy Advanced PRO This composite ride is the best bike we put to the pavement in Colorado in every category. Light and very responsive, the geometry is ideal for the varied types of riding we face here: it's stable on descents, comfy on climbs and puts you in the right place in the saddle for those long windy spins. It's loaded with Shimano Ultegra Di2 11-speed electronic shifting and Shimano R785 hydraulic disc brakes. And all that rings in under five grand. $4,950; giant-bicycles.com

YOUR WINTER SPORTS OUTFITTER PROVIDING EXCELLENT SKI AND BIKE SERVICE TO THE FRONT RANGE SINCE 1996.

WOMEN’S ROAD Raleigh Capri Carbon 3 PowerTap The main concern when it comes to a woman's road bike is simply the geometry. Women and men have different shapes and different centers of gravity.

The Capri felt right for our female testers—a slackened seat angle brought them back just enough that they were not leaning into the front of the bike. Plus, women can be geeks too, and a PowerTap hub offers power data feedback on your ride that you can analyze to train better. $3,800; raleighusa.com

ENDURO Ibis Mojo HD3 Enduro is the flavor of the year for the biggerbodied race-minded folks here at EO. And this carbon-frame, 27.5-wheel beauty is our steed of choice. With long, geometry and paired with a 150-mm fork, it crushes the downs.

But don't worry too much about riding back up—the DW-link suspension takes the bob out of the climb with a solid pedaling platform. $2,900 (frame); ibiscycles.com

CROSS-COUNTRY Lapierre Zesty Trail 829 Meet our secret weapon. This bike keeps us ahead of our buddies on rides with big ups and rollicking downhills like Walker Ranch, Hall Ranch and Lair o' the Bear. Credit that to its simple ability to roll—the big 29-inch wheels and 120 mm RockShox SID RL front fork keep it railing on the downhills, but it can absolutely power into the ups, thanks in big part to the e:i Shock system, which responds automatically to the terrain. $6,500; lapierrebicycles.com

GREENMOUNTAINSPORTS.COM

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Specialized Era Comp Carbon 29 A ride for women who like to get out front whether they are racing or just out eating up the local trails, this bike is fully loaded. With female geometry and weighing in at just over 25 pounds, this carbon machine features Specialized's lauded Brain system, which engages the shock when you need it but stiffens up for pedaling power when you are digging into big climbs. $4,200; specialized.com

303-987-8758 12364 WEST ALAMEDA PKWY LAKEWOOD, CO 80228 HOURS: M-F 10-6 | SAT 10-5 CLOSED SUNDAY

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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SPIN ON

THESE LITTLE EXTRAS WILL IMPROVE YOUR DAY ON THE BIKE. 1. Giro Savant Meet the best road cycling helmet for the money that we tested. There's nothing fancy about the Savant, but it did just what we wanted: it fits easily and vents well. $90; giro.com

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2. Castelli Climber’s 2.0 Jersey Yes, Italian master designers built this baby for the rigors of big climbs, but its stretchy fit, breathability and fast drying properties made it comfy no mater where we rode. $130; castelli-cycling.com

3. Omni Wheel Want all the power of an electric bike but don't want to go all in? Swap out the Omni Wheel for the front wheel on your favorite ride and soon you will be cruising past all those racer types in their fancy Castelli kits. $999–$1,299; omni.evelo.com

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4. Shimano SH-M200 Enduro Shoe Enduro is so hot right now... hot enough to need its own big burly shoe that will keep you stable on the pedals when you bomb down. It has just enough flex for other rides, too. $180; bike.shimano.com

WHERE WILL THE TRAILS TAKE YOU TODAY?

LET BIG AL’S HELP YOU GET THERE.

FULL SERVICE SHOP • GEAR • SNACKS • MAPS • EMPLOYEES WHO RIDE

207 Elk Ave Crested Butte, Colorado | 970.349.0515 www.bigalsbicycleheaven.com

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2 3

6

7

5

8

5. Kitsbow Haskell

7. Osprey Escapist 32

We have to confess, we didn't realize these were mountain bike shorts when they first arrived. The Haskell is that ideal short for a day when you don't want to change between riding and hipstering at cafes and brew pubs. $165; kitsbow.com

Designed for bikepacking, this pack will haul a ton of gear and still feel balanced when you ride. A bottom zipper makes it easy to reach stuff in the bottom of the pack and an internal divider helps keep everything sorted. It's ideal for a Telluride-to-Moab trip. $130; ospreypacks.com

6. Sound Probiotics Sport

8. Michelin Wild Rock’R2 Advanced Reinforced

Many athletes focus on nutrition, few focus on their intestinal flora. These probiotics keep your gut happy, aiding in absorbing nutrients and amino acids among other benefits. $29; soundprobiotics.com

An Enduro tire designed for dry terrain (think Breckenridge), this knobby wonder features burly side blacks that hold on that loose stuff and compounds that endure punishment. $80; bike.michelinman.com •

LOOK FOR US AT THESE UPCOMING EVENTS Golden Games MAY 15-17 Lyons Outdoor Games MAY 30 GoPro Mountain Games JUNE 4-7 FIBArk JUNE 18-21

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

35

B A C K YA R D A D V E N T U R E

Sand Trap

THE ROAD

HEAT STROKE: THE TITAN DESERT BY GARMIN PUSHES ITS RIDERS THROUGH DAYS WITH NO SUPPORT AND ONLY A GPS TO LEAD THE WAY.

COURTESY TITAN DESERT BY GARMIN

WHAT DO YOU FACE WHEN YOU BIKE RACE ACROSS THE SAHARA? THINK SAND, WIND, PURPLE BUNIONS AND NAKED EURO DUDES.

by SONYA LOONEY squinted. My eyes were painfully dry, but the surreal backdrop came into focus. It was like something out of an animated movie. I blinked, but nothing changed. The great sand dunes of the Sahara were so spectacular they looked like a painted canvas.

I had traveled halfway across the planet and ridden my bike 300 miles across the ragged, snowcrusted peaks and cheerful yellow flowers of the Atlas Mountains to find them. Now here they were, and I was in the middle of this vast, empty, lifeless desert with 150 more miles to go.

The Titan Desert by Garmin, a seven-day, 450-mile mountain bike stage race in Northern Morocco, began when my flight landed in the modest Fez airport. It was my first experience in Africa. Bearded men in flowing robes meandered around the tiny airport along along with hundreds of wiry, buzzing bike racers. I dutifully boarded a bus that drove us to a remote part of this country. The disintegrating adobe buildings became more sparse as we approached our first race camp.

There would be no electricity except via generator, no plumbing, and no cell service. I’d be sleeping in haimas, shelters made of beautiful, heavy Moroccan blankets held together with large sticks, for the next week. I met my tent-mate, a Spanish girl who didn’t speak a word of English and we managed to communicate with my broken Spanish and wild hand gestures.

I did my best to keep my belongings in sealed plastic bags to keep sand out of the fabric weave of my clothing. Sandstorms could blow through our camp without even a moment’s notice. I even brought ski goggles in the event we had to race in one. Even without a storm, sand was already eeking its way into every crevice of the haima. he first few days were not what I expected from a race that takes place in the planet’s largest desert—long, scenic climbs, mild

36

days, and cold evenings. Donkeys loaded with firewood shared the jarring roads with us, but did not seem to enjoy our company. Their braying sounded more like a door swinging on rusty hinges than an animal whenever we approached.

The real excitement began with the bikepacking on Stage 2. We had to carry everything we needed for racing and sleeping for the next two days, and, thanks to my cumbersome load, I could commiserate with the donkeys. We were also not allowed to receive outside mechanical support or equipment of any kind during this period. Our sleeping arrangement was one large communal tent with carpets covering dirt. There were no showers or changing rooms. Modesty was an afterthought, particularly for my European friends who comprised most of the entrants in the event.

There was no shade or human soul to be found for hours at a time. Riding through the occasional village kept me sane.

As I entered the tent to find a small plot of real estate for my sleeping bag, I tried to avert my eyes from all the dirty, naked men (80 percent of the race entrants are male) in various compromising positions. As Jerry Seinfeld jokes, there’s good naked and bad naked. I saw enough bad naked to

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last a lifetime. My personal challenge was finding a way to change my own clothes as a modest American woman.

After surviving two days and nearly 150 laborious miles with an extra 15 pounds on my back, the heat and wind arrived to taunt me. I had adjusted my expectations as I was cautioned that the Titan Desert was a road race on mountain bikes. Indeed, the starts were the scariest part of the day with hundreds of racers, mostly eager Spanish men vying for position, plunging down the sandy road at 25 m.p.h.

I also did not get the memo that I should have brought my own road team to work for me. Most days, I would be forced to brave the wind and desert alone. There was nowhere to hide or seek solace from that invisible force that always seemed to be pushing against me. I wished I had some bodies to sit behind, even for a minute.

I found myself in the middle of the pack, just off the pace of the lead pack of men but faster than everyone else, except one other woman. My inner frustration quietly simmered as I watched the first place female racer with her own personal team of men who carried water for her and shielded her from the wind. Racing for second place with no support demoralized me.

My chapped lips formed a desolate grimace and my sore legs dutifully turned the pedals. There was no shade or human soul to be found for hours at a time. Riding through the occasional village kept me sane. They were a blur of stimulation, and a welcome distraction. Once-intricate but now decomposing buildings and tall mosques lined the streets along with smiling, screaming children. After a few minutes of rowdy exhilaration, I’d exit the towns to the quiet sounds of my own breath, my tires crunching on the dirt road and that insulting wind in my ears.

I also rode through abandoned towns left in ruins. I guessed that the water source had dried

THE ROAD up and people had to move to other locations. I pedaled on, lonely, too. ear the end of Stage 5, I was spent. Every body part ached and the wind felt like standing in front of an open oven. I heard that we would be entering Erg Chebbi, the entrance to the sand dunes, but all I could see for hours in every direction was brown, flat desert with the occasional litter of black rocks. I was beginning to think this race might kill me.

I have Tailor bunions on the outsides of my feet.

They are so big that podiatrists like taking photos of them. They are my own personal science fair project. Factor in extreme swelling and 115-degree heat and I was in the worst pain of my life. During the day, the purple bunions busted out of the holes I cut in the sides of my shoes and I would cry out loud when I had to push down on the pedals. I carried an extra water bottle to dump on my feet in an attempt to reduce the swelling.

I would cross the finish line each day and rip off my shoes as quickly as possible. My gait was reduced to a hobble. This was the longest edition of the Titan Desert and it was extreme, even for me, someone who searches for the hardest races in the world. Racers who had finished the race five times before were complaining about the ridiculous distance. I wasn't sure how I would keep going.

Then it all changed. When the glowing orange dunes of Erg Chebbi finally came into view near the finish line of Stage 5, I was mesmerized.

What stood before me looked like the desert from

Aladdin—the dunes were 500-feet tall and some were miles wide. I have raced all over the planet, but I had never pedaled into a landscape like this.

After I finished riding, I collected myself, and made my way out of camp, wandering out by foot into the massive dunes. The extreme heat outside made our haimas intensely stuffy and suffocating.

They were the last place we wanted to rest. The dunes felt open. Oddly enough, each time I thought I was alone in this vast expanse, Berber men would appear out of nowhere with goods they wanted to sell me. Later that evening, I could hear them singing in Arabic as I drifted off to sleep. The nights in the Sahara grew astonishingly cold with an ink black sky spattered with millions of twinkling stars.

I could rest. he next day, we prepared to traverse a section of the dunes on our bikes. With nothing but GPS waypoints and our own power, we were required to navigate our route based on what we deemed most efficient. There was no marked route. I was wearing a thin layer of spandex shoe covers with duct tape around my ankles to cover my feet and avoid adding sand chafing to my already insufferable foot issues. I was under the impression that the dune stage would require a lot of walking, but it only ended up being 45 minutes on foot.

As we headed out into the sea of sand, herds of sauntering camels slinked by the small groups of scuttling racers. The wind-crusted sand of the dunes was almost like snow. It looked like ripples

on a frozen lake. If you walked gingerly, the sand crust would even support your body weight. It was beautiful but overwhelming. I was alone out here.

Later that day when I was back on the bike, I found some men riding at my pace and finally had people to take my mind off the lonely desert terrain. By the time we got to the finish line, my new friend Javier was screaming obscenities in Spanish. I joined in.

The last day would be short, “only” 50 miles.

I don’t know if it was my ebbing resolve or my broken-down body, but this final short stage ended up being the most mentally taxing for me.

I struggled to get to the finish line where a cool, blue pool and hotel supposedly awaited us. It was no mirage. After I crossed the finish line I headed straight to that pool. Cool water enveloped my tired body and I felt a strange feeling... relief.

That night, I lay in my bed in the air-conditioned hotel. My belly was full of salty, Iberian ham (courtesy of the Spaniards) and properly hydrated with Moroccan beer. It was hard for me to propely imagine the adventure I had just survived. Twentyfour hours ago I was in a pushing through sand dunes in the sweltering desert. And all of a sudden, I wanted to be back out there pushing myself on my bike. I have to confess that my definition of normal gets redefined after each race. The dunes had reminded me: Racing hard is my normal.

Sonya Looney is a contributing editor at Elevation Outdoors and a professional endurance mountain bike racer.

APRIL 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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ELWAYVILLE

FRONT RANGE LIFE

The Saga of Tobear DOGS, BIKES AND CLIMATE CHANGE

by PETER KRAY

ogs form the basis of almost all my best memories. Whether it’s skiing, hiking, sleeping in on a rainy Sunday morning or just sitting on the porch on a warm afternoon, a fourlegged friend makes everything that matters more fun. Especially bicycling. More for the dog than you, because when you’re on a bicycle, you can finally move as fast as the pooch can run.

I learned that from my old dog Tobear, a Montana Malamute-Labrador mix who, when we lived in Jackson Hole, used to take off for weeks at a time. He would live on rabbits and prairie dogs and horseshit, and sometimes keg beer and pizza crusts as the stories go, until he eventually got quilled bad enough by a porcupine or was tired enough to finally come home.

When we skied together, he would get so bored with my slow-as-a-snail skinning pace that he would take off on the uptrack to grab some fresh turns with whomever was already coming down. He’d often lap me as I hiked, and by the time I finally reached the summit, be getting ready for his third or fourth run.

But I’ll never forget the joy on his face the first time I took him mountain biking: I loved the feel of pedaling out at a fast clip to see him running along beside me and constantly looking over to bark encouragement—“A-roo-roo-roo”—as if to say, “You’re really moving, man!”

It became our thing in the summer and the fall.

As soon as I got home from work, he would start pacing between me and the bike, whining for some off road buddy time.

After I fell in love with a red-haired girl and we

38

of being, where you are both passing through the day and taking mental snapshots at the same time. As a species, the wheel remains our greatest invention— although beer is an awfully close second— which means that two wheels have only doubled the pace of our evolution, and our fun.

In a rapidly changing world, where population growth and carbon emissions are increasing at a nearly exponential rate, bicycles and the wheels they ride on may also prove once again to be one of our key sources of recreation and, I hope, redemption.

For example, I keep thinking about my family’s KEVIN HOWDESHELL/KEVINCREDIBLE.COM old Park Hill neighbor, Mona, who always rode her bike to the grocery moved to Denver, I would still ride with Tobear store—barely two miles away—even when all the around the lake at City Park or race with him down other families went there in their station wagons and Montview and up 16th Street on a little criterium sedans. In a state bent on fitness and healthy eating, between her house and mine. why wouldn’t HOW we get to the grocery store be I used to dangle his leash off the left handlebar. as important as WHAT kinds of groceries we buy?

Until, of course, that time when he suddenly Secondly, I thought about a fairly recent trip to stopped for some emergency doggie business and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, where much I sailed out over the asphalt with enough time to of the city still commutes on bicycles all year long. imagine the inevitability of several broken bones.

To my eye, I was especially impressed with all of It was only one hard “THWACK!” and several the longhaired women in black boots and long black bruises, though. Thankfully. And that slow shock of jackets with their happy faces in the wind. And I taking stock, laying on my back wiggling my fingers thought that the bikes only increased the impact of and toes until Tobear came up and licked my face their incredible sense of fashion. After all, no one and announced, “A-roo-roo-roo,” to let me know can see what you’re wearing when you’re driving. that he was ready to get running again.

Then finally, I just read about the “new normal” winter in the Rockies and California, where rising PEDALING FORWARD temperatures are already beginning to strangle off Later, when the mighty Tobear had left me tearthe occurrence of reliable snow, and will eventually streaked and headed out on his journey for that big make the sports of skiing and snowboarding doghouse in the sky, I realized that what he had obsolete. In light of the diminishing snowpack, a taught me in our all-too-short time together was couple ski areas in the Pacific Northwest announced that the world is always spinning, and that every they would put more of a lift-served emphasis on moment you’re not out there spinning along with it mountain biking. is immediately and forever gone.

Which Tobear would have loved. But, like me, I He also taught me that when you’re out there bet he would also prefer if it just kept on snowing. spinning with the planet, it’s best to cover a lot of ground. As a lifelong runner (ok, jogger) and hiker, I came to realize what an incredible journey each day of cycling brings—how you can be in the saddle exercising, traveling, touring and traversing the world all at the same time, and all while still staying in a remarkably observant state of mind.

Being on a bike does create a remarkable state

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