My mountain biking season has officially started and have almost 30 miles logged. I am feeling great. The early season equipment hiccups I experienced gave me an even greater appreciation for these last few rides. I've chosen to spend my time in Lyons, CO lately. It has a few great trails to choose from, each with some good climbs, flowing sections and best of all it's just over ten miles from my house.
My Favorite local spot is Hall Ranch. Admittedly, I've been avoiding the front side of this trail since last season when I begun riding with clip-in's. The front side is a lot of fun with a boulder field to navigate through. Though not as much fun to learn to ride clipped in on as the sandstone is not sand like, that is to say soft.
My choice these days is to hit up the back side access point called Antelope Trail. It has a mixture of sweeping switchbacks, narrow singletrack and an old fire access road. This trail hooks up with the main Hall Ranch Trail granting access to the flowing upper sections of the trail system. Total length for this route is seven miles which makes it a perfect way to unwind after a long day at work.
I have also enjoyed the Picture Rock trail system which connects with the Heil Vally Ranch loop. This trail has about seven miles of uphill before you get to play in a narrow singletrack surrounded by trees through a fast and flowing portion of the loop. One of the fun features of this trail is that you ride past an old silo, car and truck from what appears to be the 40's. This route along this trail system is just under 16 miles in length and is great for that day off escape into nature.
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| My Diamondback Sortie 2 aka "Orange Crush" chillin with the past. May 28, 2012 |
The best thing about this season is that I get to play with my new GoPro Hero 2, giving me an opportunity to share my experiences with my friends that don't ride. The best mounting option I have found so far is using the handlebars. This makes the picture a little more jerky than I'd like but the helmet mount is awkward and I have yet to pick up a chest harness mount.
I have included a video from my most recent adventure at Hall Ranch recording the entire decent from the top. It's a little long at 18 min but it's great way to experience the trail. Enjoy the video and until next time...
Have a Camtastic Ride!
