Monday, January 25, 2010

Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series #1


We loaded the bikes & headed to 10,200ft through the snow to ride bikes....yes to ride bikes. The first race of the 2010 Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series was the East Side Epic. The snow caused some issue's for the race organizers who had a completely dialed course preceeding the snow on Thursday & Friday evenings. The new snow made for hard riding & the snow bikes definately helped the cause. It was a blast & we're looking forward to race #2 on February 20th...hope to see you there!
Dale gettin' dep in the corner...
tooo deep...
way too deep...
Chad cuttin' 'er up trying to stay on the bike.

Dale had to sprint it out via foot for the finish...ouch!

Beer & food was enjoyed at awards after....Cheers to the Leadheads!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Redstone Tuesday Night Strikes Cold Gold

The Redstone crew headed to Lefthand Canyon in search of dry or frozen trails. Riding this late in the evening & in areas we have been thinking would freeze and firm up. This winter has been tough with the the trails holding water & the temps staying warm creating muddy & unrideable trail conditions.

The conditions have forced trail closures along the front range....here is the most recent:
This winter is taking a toll on our trails. While Picture Rock and Wild Turkey remain closed, open trails on Heil and Hall Ranches are being seriously impacted by users widening and damaging the trail trying to avoid the mud.
This freeze/thaw cycle that our frontcountry lands have been enduring creates a perfect storm of damage that could take years to recover from.

Please, if you have to use the trails, ride THROUGH the mud, not around it. Better yet, BMA suggests that you go discover the network of hard surface trails throughout the County and Denver Metro area and give our singletrack a break.

To our knowledge, the only good riding to be had this weekend in Colorado is at Lake Pueblo State Park. Conditions are dry and wonderful there



We headed up the frozen jeep road pretty stoked to see it well frozen & packed.
At the sharp swithback to traverse to the single track it was packed in by a few 4-wheelers & plenty frozen. The ride took on a persona at this point, a bit more snow that turned the riding into lean back & surf the drifts...good stuff. My Spot Brand Longboard CDS single speed is getting the Maverick fork worked on so I'm cheating a bit riding a longboard 9. Turned out to be pretty nice on the steeps of the climb.
Once we reached the single track we found variable conditions...snow drifts, dry/frozen dirt and some packed trails. Up top there was no traffic & we got the best freshies of my snow lacking winter. I went over the bars gently 3 times while encountering differing depths of drifts, fun stuff.
The further down we dropped the better the trails got as well...
...until Dirty Doug hit well packed trails.
A satisfying ride during this time of poor trail conditions.

Of course we headed to OB for Apres ride food, beer & music with previous Lyons local Jefferson Hamer mixin' it up with his old crew.

Let's all take care of the delicate trail situation we have here in the front range & save the trails for better future conditions...until then here's a toast of ale to winter riding.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Lack of Afro & Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series



We've been off the back with a lack up updates at the midway point of the winter. www.oskarblues.com launched a new website that includes a blog, so stay tuned there for updates as well. We've stayed upright on two wheels but have been busy pushing the boundaries of what we can do with trailside beer. It's been an exciting 2010 & although the trails have been muddy & slopes a little less deep that we'd have liked, we're looking forward to Race #1 of the Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series this weekend. The races are fun & always have a great vibe. Check out Cloud City Wheelers for more afro.




Jan. 23rd: The East Side Epic: A tour of Leadville's Historic Mining District / 8am Register/Check In @ Cycles of Life, 309 Harrison Ave., Race starts @ 10am @ 700 East 8th St.

Feb. 20th: Tennessee Pass Night Jam: Bring your lights to Tennessee Pass Nordic Center for a fast race through the trees at Ski Cooper / 5pm Register/Check In @ Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, Race starts @ 7pm

Mar. 6th: Mineral Belt Mayhem: A 12 mile loop on Leadville's Beautiful Mineral Belt Trail at Night! Start and Finish on Harrison Ave. during Leadville's Crystal Carnival Weekend: 5pm Register/Check In @ Cycles of Life, 309 Harrison Ave. Race starts @ 7pm

We hope to see everyone in the new year! Hoist a brew & cheers to a great series!

find'em on Facebook: Leadville Winter Mountain Bike Series

Here's a little somtin' somtin' to keep your foot stompin'...LACK OF AFRO