Trail of the Year 2008

This is the time when mountain bike magazine's pick a "trail of the year", which of course is subjective. This year Bike magazine had a different approach with 11 different categories along with "trail of the year." Oregon is the best place to mountain bike (I feel) because you can ride year round, you get to ride in four seasons, and you can ride in desert, thick forests, flats and lots and lots of climbing. It is the best of everything and it is nice to see this special place get national attention. This year, Bike magazine picked the McKenzie River Trail as "Trail of the Year" and it is well deserved. Also the North Umpqua River Trail as best "Must Ride Trail." And the trail system around Hood River was honorable mention in "Best Home Town Trail." Here is a full list of the "Bests."

Best Descent - Porcupine Rim, Moab, UT
CBC, North Vancouver, BC
Downieville Downhill, Downieville, CA

Best Flow - Sidewinder Trail, East Burke, VT
Jem Trail, Hurricane, UT
Zippety Do Da, Fruita, CO

Best Fully Committed Trail - Kokopelli Trail, Fruita, CO to Moab, UT
Wasatch Trail, Telluride, CO
Monarch Crest, Salida, CO

Best Lift-Served Trail - A-Line, Whistler, BC
Boondocks, Northstart at Tahoe, CA
Powerline, Snowshoe, WV

Best Hometown Trail - Blue Mountain, Peekskill, NY
Hood River, OR
Marquette, MI

Best Climb - Teocali Ridge, Crested Butte, CO
Amasa Back, Moab, UT
Black Mountain Trail, Pisgah, NC

Best Trail Network - Kingdom Trails, East Burke, VT
Brown County Trails, Nashville, IN
Park City, UT

Best Destination - Crested Butte, CO
Sedona, AZ
Moab, UT

Best Must-Ride Trail - North Umpqua River Trail
Dirt Merchant, Whistler, BC
Seven Summits, Rossland, BC (trail of the year 2007)

Best Technical Trail - Lynn Woods, Lynn, MA
Upper Oil Can, North Vancouver, BC
Plantation Trail, Davis, WV

Best Tight 'N Twisty Trail - Deadman's Gulch, Crested Butte, CO
Cut Yer Bars, Whistler, BC
Seventh Secret, Vancouver, BC

Trail of Year - McKenzie River Trail, McKenzie Bridge, OR
401 Trail, Crested Butte, CO
Monarch Crest Trail, Salida, CO

Mountin Bike Bucket List

This is from the March 2009 issue of Mountain Bike Action. This is their list of the 100 things you need to do befor you "kick" the mountain bike bucket (x = I've done it): My current score "34"

1. Ride Crested Butte, Colorado
2. Ride Whistler Mountain Bike Park
3. Ride a new Rock-Shox Boxxer fork.
4. Ride La Fenasosa Bike Park in Spain
x 5. ENter an MBA subscription sweepstakes
6. Use the plastic brake stop to keep your brake pads from moving while stransorting your bike with a wheel off.
7. Visit Mellow Johnny's: Lance Armstrong's bike shop inAustin, Texas
8. Ride a fork with a new 15 mm thru-axle
9. Ride outside Whistler in Pemberton
10. Ride the main loop on Goosberry Mesa, Utah
11. Race a cross-country mountain bike race
12. Try Shimano's Thermo-Form shoes
13. Volunteer at a local youth mountain bike club
x14. Ride Specialized brand of tires
15. Ride a Giant Trance
16. Use a CO2 cartridge to fill a tire
17. Do an overnighter in the wilderness
18. Race a Super D-event
19. Watch a riding partner who just flew past you crash!
20. Ride Sun Valley's trail network
x21. Test ride a Niner
22. Race the iceman Cometh
x23. Do a night ride
x24. Ride from the base of amountain into a snowstorm
25. Ride Ashville, NC
26. Ride Sedona, AZ
x27. Take somebody on their first real mountain bike ride
x28. Take a $5,000 plus bike ride on a demo ride
x29. Stop to enjoy a spectacular view
x30. Wear a T-Shirt from the Fox Racing Shox's clothing line
31. Ride a single-speed
32. Try handlebars an inch wider than you're using now
x33. Do a night ride with only the moon light to guide you
x34. Volunteer for trail maintenance
35. Take cover from a lightning storm.
36. Visit Troy Lee Designs showroom
x37. Swap a tire in less than five minutes
x38. Learn to adjust your rear derailleur (thanks James)
x39. Learn to replace your brake pads
40. Ride anywhere in Southern California (in the winter)
41. Ride 5 of the 7 parks on Louisiana's I-20 corridor.
42. Do a shuttle run at Downieville, CA
43. Visit Durango and ride the Colorado & Hermosa Trails
44. Sneak into the Interbike trade-only show (thanks James??)
x45. Carry a shock pump in your hydration pack
x46. Ride with clipless pedals
47. Visit Evolultion bike shop at Whitler, say "Hi" to Jenine & Jon
48. Attend a park or forest planning meeting
49. Lead a lost hiker to safety
50. Build a jump bike and learn how to tabletop
51. Ride a Trek with ABP suspension
52. Ride Ray's MTB Indoor park near Cleveland
x53. Make friends with a hourse rider on the trail
x54. Take a camera with you on your ride
55. Ride the Womble trail in Hot Springs, Arkansas
56. Attend the summer Gravity Camp in Whistler
57. Stake Ned Overend's hand
x58. Change somebody else's flat tire
59. Learn to replace your derailleur cables
60. Ride Slickrock at Moab, Utah, and then ride the real trails
61. Ride Ashland, Oregon trail network
x62. Fix up and old bike and give it to somebody who can't afford it.
63. Join IMBA
x64. Break something important on your bike during a ride and figure out a way to ride it out
x65. Enjoy the feel of new grips and tires.
66. Ride Cooper Canyon in Mexico
67. Attend Crankworx Festival
68. Test ride a Giant Glory DH
x69. Find a shoe that fits you perfectly
x70. Put an adjustable seat post on your bike
71. Ride a Scott Genius
72. If you downhill, ride Mavic's
73. Watch The Collective's film "Seasons."
x74. Make a 20-song training mix and crank it
x75. Clear the climb that you've never cleared
x76. Really learn how to use your brakes
x77. Teach a new rider to give right of way to a rider who is climbing
x78. Show somebody a trail they didn't know about
x79. Take a kid on a mountain bike ride
80. Eat a giant bean & cheese burrito after an epic ride
81. High-five "The King" Steve Peat
x82. Talk to kids about bike safety
83. Ride at Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, NV
84. Build your own pump track
85. Bleed your own brakes
x86. Show more appreciation to bike shop employees who bleed brakes
x87. Use a GPS to track a ride
88. Get a video camera and mount it to your helmet or bike
89. Ride the North Umpqua Trail (James?)
90. Take a three to five day guided mountain bike tour
91. Ride a pump track
x92. Ride tubeless tires
93. Ride Snowshoe, West Virginia
94. Ride Highland Mountain Bike Park in New Hampshire
95. Ride a Santa Cruz Blur LT
96. Do a mountain bike packing trip
97. Race a 24-hour race with your friends
98. Attend a mountain bike World Cup
99. Check out don Hampton's collection of mountain bike videos at www.dh-productions.com
100. Attend the Sea Otter Classic
81.

Pain

Mountain Biking is all about pain. Roadies can only get pain after 150 miles, Mountain Bikers in about 4 miles. Crossbikers don't count, because they just go around in circles repeating the same "pain" and never learning from it. So that only leaves Mountain Bikers. We have pain going up and many times coming down (depending on the trail), some of it is the nature of the "beast" which is why I got into mountain biking to begin with. I liked the hard quick workout I got.

But some pain is self-inflicted. I was thinking about this Friday on my 6:30 a.m. ride up McCulloch. I started at the Sulfur Springs bridge and road up the 870 "Alien" road then up the main road to McCullock Peak. It was 28 degrees and as I started out I realized I had left my cleats at home. Thus I road with regular shoes on SPD pedals. As I climbed, I could only push, no pulling. On a positive note, I did like my new Ergon 2 grips with bar-ends. Very nice and I highly recommend them.

So I could only push up the climb, no pulling. Near the top I climbed in about 2" of snow. Once on top of the wall, I went down the back side on the 700 Road and got the perfect "slushy" ice-pick headache. So I turned off and took the "Rocky Road" trail down, which was in great shape because of the rock, but there was a river of water running down the trail. So, I didn't get muddy, but I still got wet.

I got to bottom and back to the car, tired but happy that I made it, and more impressed that I did that ride without cleats in about an hour.

Why We Live and Ride in Corvallis

Corvallis is a special place, it is small, has great bike shops, with great riding in your back yard. But one very special point is the weather. I have a lot of friends (even those in Bend) who have to put away their bikes or move to the trainer because they can't ride outside. In Corvallis we can ride year round, and not just on gravel fire roads. Generally there is good single track year round except in the early spring when the warm rains come. For example through most of January and most of February we had cold dry conditions so the single track trails were in great shape. That's why Corvallis is one of the best places for Mountain Bikers.

With Fenders

Without Fenders

Firsts

There are all kinds of "firsts" in outdoor adventure activities. Many want to be the first to say they were first. Then they can talk about their "first" assent of this place or that place. Others just want to do something that no one else has done. The rest of us have firsts, but they are personal firsts. The first time I have climbed this, road that, or done this.

I love riding favorite trails, but there is something about riding a new trail for the first time. Today was one of those days. The "Old Men Seven AM" (which is an every Saturday ride at 7:00 a.m.) road up to almost the top of Forest Peak on the "roads" then came down what I think is called "Stairway to Heaven" which is a wonderful ride, as we came out on the road (this was my second time riding this section) I said to Frank, "There must be a connector, there is to much gravel road left to go down." Sure enough Frank found it on the other side of the road and away we went on some wonderful new single track that came out on Wristman Creek. I need to learn the names, but it is well worth the climb up to enjoy the ride down.

I really enjoy the "firsts" of a new trail. Seeing where it goes, where it comes out, thinking about who put it there and wanting to thank them. Riding in the MacDunn is beautiful, and this was a perfect example. Old grown, new growth, moss, nice lines and a wonderful view as we crossed one of the log roads, of a perfect "tunnel" of evergreens on each side of the lane. It was a memorable "first" and that will soon become a "favorite."

Morning Rides

I like morning rides because most of the time I'm alone, things are quiet, the animals are out, and I don't have to worry about hitting someone coming up the single track. Plus, it seems like the weather is also just waking up. There are many times when I finish riding about 8:30 a.m. that the rain starts, but not before. You also get to experience the "warming effect" of a morning ride. For instance, I started at the Oak Creek gate at 7:00 a.m. on MLK day and it was 24 degrees. An hour later (60:47 to be exact, I know not a real fast time, but steady) I reach the bench on the top of McCulloch Peak and it is 39 with a stunning view. I get an ice pick coming down after the South Side Slip because it is only 27 at the car.

This is the same reason I like night rides, not riding in the dark, but a night ride which start about 9:30 p.m. The weather quiets down and the animals are back out and we don't have to worry about running into anyone coming up the trails.

I mention that because also on MLK day, my wife wanted to hike, so we also started at the Oak Creek gate at 1:00 p.m. and hiked up to the "half way" bench just before you get to the Endo trail head. In that 1.5 hour round trip we saw about 20+ hikers, numerous dogs, and 10 mountain bikers (where we you at 7:00 a.m?). It was like grand central. Now I admit, the Oak Creek gate like the Saddle is the Highway of Mac Forrest, but still in the morning even on a busy use day, you have the place to yourself.

The other advantage of early morning or late night rides is that you have the entire day to do everything else you need or be with the family. I find they are much more supportive of me riding when it doesn't doesn't impact the family or become a "burden."

New Year - Same Story - Snow and Mud

New Year's morning with the annual ride up McCulloch. Darin, Ryan and I went up the "traditional" way. Climbed the first half of "the Wall" then ran into snow on the road. It was thick and slick. We had to push up the second half of The Wall. Once we made the junction at the ridge we decided to head back down, but went the back way down the the wall bypass thinking it would be better. Big mistake. No one had gone that way and the snow was so deep and thick that going down hill I was stopped and didn't fall over. We didn't get rained up going up, but did coming down, and it hasn't stopped raining yet.


Why wash it, it will just get dirty tomorrow


Fenders, we don't need no stinking fenders


Darin on his new "Redline 29'r" hardtail 9-speed