Longer Then an Elephant's Penis

I originally planned this year to end on that which is longer then an Elephant's Penis...The Crested Butte Classic. A semi underground race in Crested Butte, CO consisting of 3 loops which total 100 miles with 13,000 ft of accumulated climbing.



After my bonk that felt like death tapping me on the shoulder after the Gunnison Growler and the abysmal treatment of my family the following day I realized that racing isn't what mountain biking is about for me. Being on the bike is more of a spiritual experience that lets me discover new places both on this big ol rock we call Earth and within mt heart. New dirt is always exciting to ride and that place it carries me to that lets me feel like a kid again is priceless.


Big Ring on the 403

The Mad Scientist got a room this weekend in Crested Butte and asked the family and I to join him. His original plan was to ride a loop or two of the Elephant's Penis and to see if I could really complete it. Well, as I have a tendency to do, I took his plans and rearranged them a bit to make the weekend a bit more fun for all.


The Valley near Gothic

I've become humble in the past few years and the need to prove myself in some macho-cyclist form has become a less of a need then the adventure of riding itself, so thinking about doing any loop of the Classic which included enormous amounts of pavement and dirt roads became less and less appealing. So my suggestion for the trip was to do two early morning rides where I would break off sometime before lunch and help the family discover the wonders of the Butte.


The Spectacular Wonder of the 401

Fall should be prime In the Butte which means a spectacular splash of color should be washing the valleys and mountains with a crisp edge to the air to let us know that we should savor every moment, as snow will soon follow.


The leaves of the Great Aspen Grove on the Dyke Trail should be a golden treat