How 'bout some Friday ride stokeage?

On some Friday morning, I'm able to coordinate family and work enough to manage a brief ride. Today was one of those days. I had less than an hour so I did the ol' "up and over" at Hall Ranch. Up Antelope, over the top, and back thru the rock garden back to town on Highway 7. Despite the wind, which was pretty mighty at times, the ride was fantastic.

December? Check
55 degrees? Check
Shorts???? Check

Crocodile warnings? Check

Dry slick? Check
Fast, rippin' smooth singletrack? Check
Some rocks to have fun on as well? Check
Uncrowded singletrack and witness to a beautiful rising sun? Check
And a great day with the water moving in town? Check
Make sure y'alls get out today and tomorrow. Might be the last good ride for a while. But we've been saying that for a month now, guess we'll see!

Gotta get back on the horse that threw you

This morning I made it out to Hall Ranch. I didn't have much time so the plan was to take the Tomac on a shakedown ride before Big Fall Ride this Sunday. Kids to school, down to the bike shop and I find a broken spoke on the rear of the Tomac. I had about an hour so I was going to take the full squisher up Antelope, down the rock garden, and back thru town.

With the broken spoke, though, I was relegated to the SS. My normal SS ride is out and back on Picture Rock, but I wanted to hit Hall since we'll wrap up our Big Fall Ride on PR. Truth be told, I kinda didn't want to take the SS up and over Hall since, last time I did, I burped my front tire and ended up ass over teakettle in the rocks. It left me hurtin' for days. Well, when the syrens of the rock garden call, you've got to answer.

I pushed the gear up Antelope and topped out. I lowered my saddle a couple inches, took a breather, and headed down. This time a bit more carefully than last time. Admittedly, a little slower and more in tune with the rigid GT. I made it down in one piece - a clean run without touching the ground. All good. Sigh of relief?

Oh, and speaking of sigh of relief, the "redstone" section of the lower rock garden by the parking lot is in fine condition. The dirt is hard packed and you can hit the corners hard. Much, much better than the old off camber gravel version.

Feeling tired and fatigued, I thought that a singlespeed ride at Hall Ranch would be just the ticket. I was fortunate enough to hook up with Chefrog for a little AM ride time.

The critters were out in force on the Nelson Loop.
The ONLY real moisture at Hall. It can rain now. It's dry and dusty enough that rain ought to make it perfect.
Tuesday ride is 5:30pm at the shop, weather providing. I will not be your ride leader tonight so where you go is up to you. So long as you end up at OB. I'll be there :)

Hall Ranch Conditions/Trailwork Update

Since I got a bunch of phone calls yesterday about conditions at Hall Ranch, and I no doubt will receive many more today, I thought it best to saddle up and check them out first hand.

Right out of the lower parking lot, the parking lot connector trail was so muddy that I turned around. Went back up the road to the upper parking lot and I ran into the county trail crew (and a jail crew) taking a break. Because it's been so muddy and because so many folks haven't been paying attention to the rules of trail, county trail maintenance has gone to drastic measures.

They are completely reworking the tread of the lower section reroute. They are raking the mud, mixing in crushed rock and tamping it in to create something more akin to roadbed. The photos here show just some of the work they've done this morning. They were waiting on another truck full of rock and they needed to further work it in. I pointed out that the off camber corners with ill placed rock could become even more dangerous with a loose, crushed rock surface. County workers acknowledged the fact, but are counting on the fact that it will pack in and wear in well over time. Their primary concern is to keep the trail sustainable enough for people to stay ON TRAIL. The project supervisor pointed out that they wouldn't be doing any of this if folks would stay away when muddy and/or stay on trail when they encounter mud.

The good news. Word was that past the lower mud quagmire, the rest of the Bitterbrush trail is not too bad and should be good to go for the weekend, pending continued wind and warm temps. If you go - remember to stay on trail and ride thru the mud. thanks!

A little AM Hall Ranch

Even if it doesn't snow today, it's going to be a bit until the rock garden dries out.  Frozen on the way up and a little on the wet side coming down.  I got my fix, though.  Anyone else going a little stir crazy?

Ask and ye shall receive

Remember the cone zone at the bottom of Hall Ranch and how the trail had widened to an unacceptable and disgusting width? Boulder County OS staff has reworked the trail. They have fixed most of the damage and have given more visual cues of the trails character. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that recent changes at Hall Ranch are a direct result feedback from the mountainbike community.

I was out today. Here are a couple few before and after pics:

Boulder County Open Space doesn't exactly move at light speed on most projects, but I found this to be refreshing. From what I've seen, they ARE listening, it just takes a while usually to get things happening.

Hall sweet Hall

Ahh, it's that time of year again. Time of year when I can get out of the shop around 3:30 and barely have time to squeak out a decent ride. It was feeling kinda chilly when I rolled out so I decided to check on conditions at Antelope. I've ridden the rock garden something like 3 times this week and was ready for something different. Conditions report? Delightfully tacky and a little icy in spots. Get it while it's cold because in warm or in full sun, it's going to be a mess. Stay away if that's the case.
I rode up to the loop (which looked about the same as Antelope, but I didn't ride it) and the sun was starting it's final descent for the day. I called it a day and rode out via the rock garden. The descent thru that thing doesn't ever get old :)

Oh, couple of Hall Ranch rants while I'm at it. First, I think I told about 5 or 6 people to stay on trail. If you were out there and a shaggy bearded guy said "Hey - no reason to ride in the grass, it's already plenty wide," that was me. :) Keep it single folks.

Rant #2. I was stopped on the side of the trail re-ziptie-ing a ziptie holder doohicky when a dude completely raced by at top speed without saying hey or asking if I needed a hand (I didn't). Here's a tip when you see a fellow cyclist on the side of the trail. First, say hi, cause that's just a nice thing to do. Second, ask if they need a hand. That friendliness on the trail is what seperates us from skinny tired racer types that can't be bothered to look up from their aero tuck.

Rant off.

I rolled back to town via Old South, the bottom connector of Picture Rock and then some LGS. The trail sign is finally up at Picture Rock trail! Thanks to all that helped out with that in one way or another. As part of our trail stewardship program with the county, we donated over 60 man hours of trailwork on Picture Rock this season.

good day to ride

Mondays are always good days. Today was no exception. I found myself short on time so I rode up the frontside of Hall and back. The rock garden was in great shape. Seriously - it was almost perfect.


All was good until I got up almost to the top. WTF was this?

I wonder who built this line? I'm guessing it's a line that the county built because equestrians bitched that they couldn't ride up the rock. Just a guess, though. I'll find out more so I can bitch about it later with solid facts under my belt. But I won't complain for now :)

Can't wait for downtown Lyons to get repaved!

See all of you for this Tuesday nite's ride. LHC, can't wait. heh heh.

beautiful day for a bike ride

Today's ride was fantastic. Conditions were a little greasy here and there going up Antelope but the views were outta sight.

Up top, between the rock garden and Antelope, things were a little too muddy(I walked) but going down the rock garden was fantastic as always. I got a bit sloppy from the standing water but impact on resource was minimal.

A brief spin down the road and I found myself at Heil Ranch. Conditions were stellar. I couldn't believe how velcro like grippy the tacky dirt was on Picture Rock. Mmmm, Picture Rock. Anyone else notice the new mileage markers at Hall and Heil?

I rode up to the quarry and back. Bout time I got to the quarry, the skies had really clouded back over and started dumping snow. Excellent.

View from the pic-a-nic table on the way up

Same view on the way down.

By the return trip, it was really dumping. I was glad to have some waterproof gear on for the return trip.

long way in

This morning, I took the long way to work. I rode down the hill a bit, then hung a righty on Apple Valley Road. Destination Hall Ranch. I had about 45 minutes - just enough time for me to do the "up and over." Up Antelope to the junction, then left to the top, down the rock garden, and back to town. I wasn't feeling too hot but it did not dissapoint. Antelope has some nice erosion on it now. The rock garden always did have erosion but it's even better or worse now, depending on how you look at it. Tougher, for sure.

Sure is green, though...
And the commuter sandals handled Hall alright, too.

Yay commute.

trails are good

I got out yesterday and today both. Yesterday was great - an evening effort at Hall Ranch.


Again, just the deer and myself.

I was lucky not to get blown away today. I snuck out of town to hit a trail that I'd not been on in a couple of years. It was in the fold and forested enough that I was able to stay out of the wind. Good stuff you see on the trails less traveled, too.

A note of thanks for all advocates and volunteers

I'm tired. Tired in a good way, though. In just a week I went from riding about 1.5 times per week to getting 8 hours of riding in over the last 5 days. I cannot believe that it's been so super nice this early in February. Guess we'll have to ride this one out to see what happens.

My good streak started on Sunday. The shop closes relatively early and I sneak out of Redstone as close to 3pm as I can. Gotta maximize daylight, after all. And the days are getting longer, too. Anyway, Sunday was Superbowl Sunday, a date that has always mixed well with riding. It's a day when most folk are prepping for their Bowl party and no one is out on the trails. Antelope was my choice to climb. After riding up the rock garden for years and years, I still appreciate the variety that Antelope offers and I'm thankful for its construction I rode Hall Ranch completely solo that day.


I mean really solo. I didn't see another soul until I was down in the parking lot. I rode from home up Antelope, did one loop, and came back down thru the rock garden. It was great. I was even lucky enough to hook up with Keith in the parking lot to ride back thru town. Keith had to get straight home, but it wasn't quite dark yet. I opted to detour about 2 miles up into Picture Rock. Because I could. Again, more variety of local singletrack. Again, not a soul.

Just me and the deer out enjoying the bliss.
Monday was good, too. I decided to settle unfinished business so I headed from home again. This time to Picture Rock and Heil.



Rode up PR, right on Wild Turkey, Ponderosa Loop clockwise and back down Wild Turkey North and Picture Rock. Again, nary a soul. I did encounter 3 people, though. Guess it was kind of busy. Wild Turkey, especially the north section, is really good, too. I like the way that it is wearing in.
Have I mentioned lately how much I'm loving my Intense Tracer VP? I'll have an in depth review of it up shortly. I promise. Really.
For our weekly Tuesday nighter, we met up in South Boulder at the Marshall Mesa trailhead. GB Matty and I used to ride that all the time 10 years ago when all that was legal and open was Community Ditch and lower Doudy Draw. Now with more trail opened to bikes and more trails built recently, it's actually a pretty good network of trails.
We were thankful to need a map. None of us had ridden down there and we just had to doublecheck that we knew what we were doing. South Boulder has really blossomed into a great riding area. It's only going to get better, too.

Today I was able to sneak out for a quick lunch lap with OBs Chad and Jeremy. We left town heading up 36 for a quickie. Up Antelope and down the Rock Garden and back to town. As we rode out on 36, I couldn't help but recall how crappy that road used to be just a few years ago. It was narrow, no shoulder, and nowhere to go off the side of the road due to a close in cliff. Now we've got a wide on street bike path and a crusher fine trail right beside it. Much mo better now.
So what's all this have to do with Advocates and Volunteers? Without them, none of this wouldv'e been doable. Antelope Trail was a gift from the BLM that stipulated multi use recreation. BMA stepped in and helped get it built. Likewise with Picture Rock and Wild Turkey at Heil. You can thank BMA for those babies, too. Without their persistent lobbying and selfless trailwork dedication, we probably wouldn't have either of those trails in our local aresenal. Ditto that on South Boulder. Same with the bike path on 36. If Lyons pro trails folk had not lobbied for it's existence, CDOT never would've built the road bike friendly. So thanks all Advocates and Volunteers that had a hand in all of this. Mountain biking in Boulder County is alive and well. And flourishing.

Sunday Snowy Sunday

Doug, Sam, and I got out for a ride today. It was cold. We rode up Antelope into Hall, up and over and down thru the rock garden.



The rock garden of Hall Ranch is a treat on a day like today. There was just enough snow and frozen drizzle on the rocks to keep things exciting.
To add to the excitement, my 3 year old prototype XTR brake lever gave out (front of course) so I was left with only about 30% of my normal braking capacity. At least it was icy enough that I didn't want to favor the front brake anyway.



Sam was styling as usual, making everything look smooth and easy.



The plan was to head over to Picture Rock after the long descent. It was getting really cold, though, and daylight was escaping so we opted for a little Lyons Ghetto Singletrack then back in.

Great ride. I hope everyone was able to get out to enjoy the day somehow today.

Eight at Nine Thirty

Over a few beers last night, a last minute Sunday am ride plan was hatched. Despite all of those potentially involved, for whatever reason (could have been the 8 degree temps, could've been the hangovers) the only brave souls that showed were Keith and myself. The sun helped things to feel much, much warmer than they really were.

We rolled out thru Bohn Park and hit the lower lower section of Picture Rock out to Red Gulch. Again, with the snows and the winds, it was arctic frozen tundra - you couldn't even tell where the trail was. It was a struggle to make it to the road. Up Old South was a little chilly with no sun and a fast road. The Hall Ranch parking lot basking in the sun was already a welcome site.

To our surprise, one lone rider (on a sweet Turner Sultan) was gearing up to head up, too. Trail conditions were winter-perfect. It was a mix of hardpack snow, ice, and dirt. You had to work a little harder than normal, but the trail was easily cleanable. Once at the top bench, a quick time check told me that it was time to head on in to the bike shop. Keith kept a going. Later Keith - have a good ride and stay warm up there.

Looking back down to the southeast, you can see where our Boulder County friends have resurfaced a little bit of trail. It is the same crusher fine that they laide by the cliff on Wild Turkey as well as the lower section of Picture Rock. I was happy to see it, as this particular section of trail is always muddy in the Spring and Winter.
The descent was rippin' as usual. Heck, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter - no matter the conditions, the downhill thru the Hall Ranch rock garden never, ever, ever dissapoints. Today was no different. Here's a glimpse of today's wintery conditions.
It's going to warm up significantly in the next few days - when it does, stay away from Hall. It's going to be one big soupy mess. Enjoy it now, though - those frigid temps are good for something!

Climbing Hall

I knew it was a good day

Only part of today would've been good for a road ride. Later in the day, it looked kind of wet down there to me.




I chose to ride dirt instead. The days's snow, followed by a brief bit of sunshine left the trails tacky and good.

The clouds hung low in the hills. Those clouds had snow in them, too.

I had to hit some secret stash, too. I get a lot of folks asking, "Gee Dave, there has to be some choice singletrack stash around those parts, eh?" Well, it's time to blow the cover on it. Free tube to the first individual to identify this choice bit of tree covered singletrack ;)