A Few Recent Thoughts

It has been a while since I've blogged about my site.  Many things have been happening.  We have had a few fires, flooding and quite a few changes to the trails.  I've been taking time to remap some of the trails and am working diligently to get the changes loaded as soon as possible.  With all the trail closures from the fires over the last few years and the many reroutes it has been quite the challenge to get the updates into the system.

Trail Charge

However that's not the only change that you can expect.  Right now I'm working on getting the site moved to a new server.  This has caused some technical difficulties as well as some challenges.  Therefore I have decided that it is time to make a new design for the site and move the content behind a paywall.  It was my hope to keep the content free to users, but with the competition moving the way it is that is not possible.  Therefore look for some small changes in 2017 and a slight fee for trail access.  This won't be any different than any other site on the web today.  Besides, I'm looking for an early retirement and this is it;).  Not really, I'm just trying to make sure the site is financially viable and I can continue to provide content.

New Content

I have over 200 trails that have yet to be loaded to the site.  I've been spending a lot of time collecting content and once the application is moved to a new site, I should be able to load what I have.

Trail Damage

On another note, cycling is becoming a great deal more popular these days.  With advancements in technology even people who can barely get off the couch can now ride an electric bike.  In my opinion this is not cycling, it is motorbiking.  Some of the resorts are allowing these machines on the trails, much to my and many other's amazements.  Also, with the addition of 29ners (something I've held off owning for now) the trails are widening to allow for the lower skill levels and the requirement of the larger wheels to make wider turns.  With this being the case more care needs to be made by cyclists to ensure they do what they can to care for the trails.  Right now finding a good ambassador for the trails is very difficult but I'm hoping that changes in the near future.

In recent years I have been doing a lot more running and hiking.  By doing this it allows me to see how cyclists treat other users.  I spend a lot of time on the front range in Colorado and if someone blindfolded me and took me to a trail, I could tell you which part of the state I was in.  For example, if I were up north near Denver and came across a cyclist, they will slow down and let me pass.  However, if I am down in Colorado Springs, they will likely try to run me over.  This is appalling.  This should not happen.  So...if anyone in Colorado Springs can have a conversation with the cyclists down there tell them to learn some manners.

That's the thoughts for now.  Look for more in the future.

SirRexALot

Fallen Hero...Really?

From 1999 to 2005 Lance Armstrong reigned supreme over the cycling world. He was the winner of the longest, greatest, and best known cycling race in the world. The Tour de France was the pinnacle of his career. Now with the decision by the UCI to strip him of his seven tour titles, and ban him for life from cycling, it is a sad day for the sport, and a sad day for American athletes. But that’s all it is.

Lance Armstrong was thought to be one of the greatest athletes this country had ever seen. I’m not sure too many people knew that. He was considered a hero. At least as much as someone who rides a bike can be. He wasn’t a soldier, or political leader, he was just a guy who we thought could ride a bike harder than any human alive. Well…it turns out that wasn’t the case.

That brings up something pretty important. Why was he one of our heroes? Why was a guy who rode a bicycle for a living given any importance at all in our society? We have true heroes who give their lives to our country, and we don’t even know their names. But some yahoo riding a bicycle is known throughout the country. So now we find that he is not the hero we thought he was. We deserve what we got.

More focus really needs placed on the true heroes we work with every day. We have soldiers, doctors, nurses, police officers, and fireman who dedicate their lives to our health and safety. I should point out that my wife is a big fan of fireman, but I’m not entirely sure it has anything to do their heroism. Other than that, however, we don’t see the same focus on these people as we do sports figures. Seriously, why would anyone, actor, TV personality, or sports figure be considered a hero?

I think as a country our perspective is completely wacked. We should be putting our true heroes in the spotlight. The fact that so much news and opinion has been focused on a guy riding a bike is astounding. This is coming from a guy who spends much of his spare time on a bicycle. I love to ride a bike. I think mountain biking is the greatest physical activity ever invented. However, unless I ride my bicycle through a fire, saving children and kittens, I’m nowhere near being a hero.

Lance is just another icon in a long list of icons who have fallen in recent years. I think the news makes too much of it. The fact that these things make it to the headlines just shows how screwed up we are. Each time an icon falls the press launches on them like sharks on a wounded seal. If they spent that much time focusing on real news I’m sure we’d have been in one less war over the last ten years.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t cheer on athletes, or take time out of our lives to watch someone do something at which they excel. In fact, I think it awesome watching people do things they are good at. What I’m saying is that we need to put things in perspective. Sports figures are not heroes. They are entertainment. A hero is much, much more.

Rex

Trails and Hunters and Bears Oh My

It’s been a great summer of riding, and now it’s onto fall. This is one of my favorite times for mountain biking. The weather turns brisk, and the leaves are starting to turn, and fall on the trail. I love the smells and sounds of the forest in fall, the breeze through the trees, and the look of the leaves as they fall to the ground during the ride. However, now is the time when you will see hunters on the trail…and a lot of scared wildlife!

Above Georgia Pass looking east.

Yesterday I was out for a long ride from Kenosha Pass to the Georgia Pass. This is a great 24 mile ride with about 3000ft of total climbing. The ride starts out with a climb from 10,000ft. You begin off HWY 285 outside Jefferson Colorado and climb west toward Georgia Pass. It’s a great ride, and I highly recommend it. During the ride, however, I was surprised to see so many hunters along the trail. OK, not really surprised, as much as concerned. There is nothing scarier than being five feet away from someone holding a firearm, and not realizing they are there until you hear them breath.

That was early in my ride, and the hunter was more than kind, obviously hearing me coming, and not in the mood to carry a mountain biker off the trail. This is something to always keep in mind while riding. I have never been a hunter, but I know a lot of them, and they are really great people. They enjoy the outdoors just as we do, and this is a way of life for them, just as cycling and hiking are to many of us. However, you should always be cautious on the trail, even more so this time of year.

Looking at the mountains west of Georgia Pass.

One of the primary lessons hunters learn is to look beyond their target to ensure there is nothing on the other side that they wouldn’t want to hit. I have heard from a few cyclists that they don’t really worry about being shot by a hunter, because “hunters know what they’re shooting at.” This is true, and I doubt if a hiker or biker is ever shot by a hunter that it is on purpose. However, what happens is new, and inexperienced hunters don’t realize what is beyond their target, or they can’t see what is beyond their target. That’s why it is a good idea to wear bright colors this time of year. I’m not talking the normal colorful jersey either. Many of these jerseys just blend into the normal colorful mountain background, especially if there are a lot of flowers. Do yourself a favor and wear bright orange, and do your best not to look like food.

That last part was especially important for me yesterday. As I started down from 12,000ft, and made it back into the trees, I found I had a companion in front of me: a 200lb bear. It was about 100ft in front of me running at a lope, and I was closing fast. I realized instantly that I was following a bear. And then I thought “I’M FOLLOWING A BEAR!” This is NEVER a good plan. I stopped dead in my tracks, and let it run out of site. You should never follow a running bear. They have a tendency to attack when they are scared. After I stopped, I waited a minute or two, and started whistling to myself. I want this animal to know I was not a morning snack. Most bears try to avoid people, and I wanted to make sure he knew I was people. Once I started going again, I was very cautious for the new mile before I let it loose again.

Still, even with all the hunters and wildlife out, it was a great day on the bike. When out this time of year, keep in mind that there might be things out there more dangerous than the trail ahead of you. At any point you can run across wildlife, or someone out hunting it. Take precautions on your rides to ensure you’re going to get back safely. That is the ultimate goal. How else will you be able to tell us about what you saw?

Let the Season Begin!

It's that time of year again folks. It's time to get out and dust off that mountain bike, and hit the trails. If you're living around Colorado, you know we haven't had a lot of snow on the front range, so the moisture is way down. The upside is that you can ride just about anything all the way west to Buffalo Creek. The downside is that the ground is very dry, and prone to damage.

I was in Buffalo Creek last week, camping and taking in some good riding. I was amazed at how little snow was up there. I was even more amazed that with the high winds and dry vegetation that someone would be dumb enough to have an open fire. But there it was...in very high 30 mph winds, someone had a fire going. Evidently they didn't notice the 140,000 or so acres that burned before they go there. I was heading over to talk to them about it when the Forestry Service beat me to it. Given the tongue lashing they got, I'm sure that won't happen again...at least not by those folks.

Taking care of the forest is a good thing to keep in mind when you're out riding. I mean, making sure you don't burn the forest down is a good thing, but more often people are just not considerate of others. Make sure you clean up after yourself. It goes without saying that if you fix a flat, don't throw your tube into the woods. Also, make sure our wrappers, and other various trash makes it out of the forest with you. I have yet to ride near Denver where I don't see various pieces of trash from someone who was there before me. I'm not talking beer bottles here (although I see those as well), I'm talking about the empty tubes of GU and powerbars that make it onto the trail.

And speaking of consideration, Mountain Bikers often get a bad name for their trail ediquette. I'm not sure it is all that deserved, but sure enough we have our bad guys. So this year when you're out riding, take the extra effort to slow down for others, no matter who they are. It will make a good impression either way. Be kind...if it's not returned, so what. Just wish them a nice day and move on. At least Karma will shine on you. Well..happy riding! SirRexALot