Winter Springs

Most of Denver and the Front Range is still covered in a melting coverage of snow and mud that keeps most trails in our area from being rid-able. That's ok though, because most of Colorado Springs is still ride-able and a few of us escaped from the Mile High City and went south seeking good riding and new found friends.

I didn't say Colorado Springs was completely snow free, but take mostly decomposed granite trails and cover them with 2 inches or so of the white stuff and you've got some awesome riding.



Climbing Columbine









 

To Climbing the Chutes




Led us to the sweet singletrack of Stephanie's










a snowy climb up High Drive







and a sweet out and back on the Palmer Trail






and back to climbing High Drive...which hurts during the fit months of the year and had my legs screaming at me during this ride







A final grunt up High Drive brought us to the deliriously fun singletrack of Captain Jacks



and the final descent down the Chutes with 12 riders, all within 6 feet of each other's rear wheels riding at mach 4, fuggin Rad!!

Battle of the Wounded Knee

I went back to Colorado Springs on Saturday with a posse from Denver including newly relocated Luis from Tampa. Other fellas included PBR, Slow and Bsoft. Luis and myself have been friends for a few years now and he was even my Pisgah Mountain Bike Race partner back in 2008. Luis has always been a strong little fella but according to him he had two months off the bike before this ride. You couldn't tell though since he was rocking the climbs and the descents at the front of the group.

I got my ambition wiped out of me just a mile or so into the 1st downhill where I wiped out on some ice, took a digger that knocked the breath out of me and gashed and sprained my left knee.

Photo Cred: PBR

After that I was crawling at the back of the pack on the climbs and I was wigging out on some of the descents...it wasn't till we made it back to the Chutes at the end of the ride where some of my downhilling prowness  started coming back in full force.

Here's a video I shot of Buckhorn and Jacks....always fun descents and yeah I was wiggin out but trying to keep the speed up.

The Springs NIght Riding

Just to say, the Riding in Colorado Springs is rocking with snow dusted trails that just love to absorb the moisture while the rest of the Front Range is suffering with snow and mud. I made it down to the local Springs ride on Wednesday and its just what I needed. Another trip down there is in the works for tomorrow.

Photos cred: Jaydude

Back in the CO

I've been back in Colorado for over a week now and I've gotta say, despite the snow and cold, it's good to be home. I might be a westerner after all as I've missed the terrain, my family and friends. I was able to get in a run a few times last week, a hike with the girls at Matthew Winters and a couple of snow rides/ hikes.

A Photo run down...

Snow Hike at Matthew Winters Despite the snow and cold, we almost always ride Thursdays

and Yesterday's ride with Bsoft and a newcomer



Yeah, I need a Fat Bike

Exploring The ATG Triangle

That's the Alabama> Tennesee> Georgia Triangle. During the week my hours at work consume all the daylight and all I'm left with is Daybreak and Twilight. Unforunately all the trails in Huntsville are closed to night riding but to make up the lack in riding fitness I took up running two nights a week. It seems to be working as I got in almost 60 miles on the singlespeed this past weekend between Oak Mtn State Park in Birmingham, AL and Cloudland Canyon in Rising Fawn, GA. The weekend before I snuck in a 20 mile ride at Raccoon Mtn in Chattanooga, TN. At Raccoon Mtn I hooked up with some locals on a we're not going fast but we're going fast ride. The trails in the area make the most of the terrian to make it a up and down always churnning the pedals kind of ride. I took some video with the Gopro that I may be able to post up later but the slow internet hotel has limited that. This weekend's ride at the famed Oak Mtn in Birmingham was just as promised. So much fun n swoop singletrack with a bit of tech at the end. The only dissapointment was the famed, "Blood Rock" which was about 50 yards of rock garden that compared to most of the surrounding swooping singletrack. It was still cool though and the newest additions of singletrack on the Mountain including Boulder Ridge and the West Ridge were a blast of off camber boulder riding and rocky singletrack. Sunday I went to Rising Fawn, GA with a light rain falling all day. I went to explore the new 5 points singletrack at Cloudland State Park. This was a cool trail system that had a center starting point to a network of trails equaling about 20 miles or so. All of it drained super well and was fun in swoopy as well. Plans are in the air for this coming weekend. Thoughts of the Pinhoti Trail near Dalton or Mulberry Gap, GA come to mind.

Sweet Trails Alabama

After a week of school in Alabama, the weekend came and I was ready to hit the trails. I drove up to Monte Sano State Park and immediately found the McKay Hollow Trail. I later learned the locals refer to this trail as, "The Death Trail". 2 + miles of hike a biking through a beautiful hollow with a wee bit of riding between the steep and rocky entrances and exits. It was fantastic.





The previous two days of rain provided trails just the way I expected them to be in the southeast. Wet rocks and roots covered with slimy leaves provided a bit of excitement and it made me realize my technical skills for such riding was a bit rusty.



Couple that with a few steep climbs and this being my 1st time on a single speed in some time and there were a few hills that just had to be walked.



Funny enough, I was told to go to the Goat trail for the funnest technical descent and it was awesome but my favorite trail so far has to be the Mountain Mist trail. Rocks and roots line the trail and its flow is sublime.



One of the cool natural features on the Mountain Mist trail is the natural granite wall that parallels the trail for most of its length.



My second day at the park I found the Stone Cuts. It is a hiker only trail of maybe a little over half a mile but I shouldered my bike and made the hike up just to see it. The Stone Cuts are an exposed ridge of capstone that after thousands of years of erosion, split into two and created small caves and low walled " slot canyons".







I go home to Colorado on Thursday for 5 days of Christmas with my family, maybe a ride with friends on some snowy Colorado trails and then back to Alabama for another month or so of school with LG Electronics.

Going To the South East

Lots of changes going on in the Goat Household. I've taken a new job with LG Electronics and will be going to the US headquarters in Huntsville, AL for 6 weeks of training. I've been an appliance service technician for almost 15 years but this training will teach me about their computer system, up my refrigeration certification from a Type 1 to Universal, and provide a good base for working on TV's. I leave tomorrow with a week home for Christmas but otherwise I'll be missing my beautiful family.

As for riding, I've gotten maybe 2 rides in since Thanksgiving. Lots to do and a chest cold that knocked me out for the past weeks. My In-laws got me a GoPro Hero2 as a Christmas present and I couldn't resist getting out for a few hours on a snow bound Green Mtn to test it out.

With all of this loss of fitness I'll be shipping my Single Speed to Huntsville. A kit of cogs are in my tool kit ranging anywhere from 17-20 teeth. If I feel like I'm just spinning out too much there is a cassette in there as well for going 1x9. I hear Monte Sano State Park in Huntsville is the place to go for techy riding and I'll be traveling around the southeast to ride the Pinhoti Trail, Oak Mtn and maybe even ride the Snake Gap Time Trial.