This video has been out there for a couple of years but it just recently popped up on my radar. It’s an inspiring look at mountain biking in Chaffee County as described by four residents and local riders.
Continue readingBanana Belt Bike People
Buena Vista
Casual
Ah, fall in Colorado. Seeing the days slowly getting shorter and feeling the nights gradually getting cooler. Saying goodbye to the hiking and biking of summer and anticipating the skiing of winter. Time to downshift, kick back, and take it slow while nature works on changing its pallet from green and gold to green and white.
Continue readingCollegiate Peak Redemption
After my recent ignoble defeat on the Wetterhorn, I was thinking that I would be ending my 2022 climbing season on a down note.
Continue readingIt must be July
Riding BV Style
Having previously ridden and enjoyed the south end of the Buena Vista trail network I was curious about the north end. The north end of their trails, officially known as the Whipple Trails, is accessed from River Park at the east end of Main Street in beautiful downtown BV.
Continue readingIvy League
Way back in the 1860’s and 1870’s, back before Colorado even became a state, survey crews from what is now called the U.S. Geological Survey fanned out across the Rocky Mountains to catalogue, measure, map and name the mountains. Imagine that, being given the authority to name mountains! Most of the names we use to this day came from those 19th century surveys.
Continue readingSmooooooth
This past Thursday, I decided to head up to Buena Vista to check out what they have to offer in the way of mountain bike trails. I had never ridden in BV but I know they have a network of trails in the Arkansas Hills similar to Salida’s. The trails are the creation of the Buena Vista Singletrack Coalition and their website has maps and information to help you orient yourself. The Midland Hill section on the south end of the network looked promising and I plotted out an eleven-mile loop for my introduction to BV mountain biking.
Continue readingBV or Bust
It was way past time to give the road bike some love. It’s funny, in Houston I practically lived on my road bike. Pre-COVID my routine was long group rides on weekends, recovery ride on Monday, hammerfests on Tuesday and Thursday, summer races on Wednesday, rest day Friday. Like clockwork. For years. About the only time I rode my mountain bike was to race. But that makes some sense. Houston is pavement rich, trail poor. Here, the equation has been flipped and I now find I live on my mountain bike while the road bike mostly collects dust on a hook in the garage. It was time to right that wrong.
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