So the Fourth of July is over, now what? If you're a mountain biker, it is probably time for recovery. If you're a fire fighter your probably still worried about the all unused fireworks out there. Well, since we are mostly mountain bikers here, let's talk about recovery for us (good luck fire fighters).
This weekend, for me, was all about over-doing it. I rode until my little legs couldn't stand it. Basically, I try to put in as much during this weekend, because, well, that's what I always do. I love to ride, what can I say.
We started our adventure in Penitente Canyon. This small volcanic tuff canyon is full of climbing routes - over a thousand, they say. We climbed six pitches on Satuday. It was time well spent as my Fiance is still learning how to get up that fingery stuff. Then, it was off to Breckenridge, CO to meet some friends.
In Breckenridge, we found the coolest camping spot and guided our friends there. The camping spot is off of Swan Mountain road. We set up as quickly as we could and hit Keystone mountain for a long run. Then, the rains set in. This was the troubling part. If you were in the front range over the weekend, rain, and avoiding it, was part of your vacation plan. Well, thankfully, it was late enough in the day to avoid my weather-bitching and someone had brought wine. We enjoyed our campfire (the only place in all of Colorado that allowed campfires was this camping spot) and the wine.
The next day I got up early and rode Loveland pass. I rode it up and then rode it down. I rode one side, then I rode the other. The roads on Loveland pass are amazing! They aren't like Durango's, although the road crews have been doing a great job improving them. Furthermore, the overall grade on Loveland pass is really mellow; again, not like Durango. I decided that wasn't enough. So, I followed my friends to the Colorado trail - one of the sections off of the highway. They planned to hike it, I wanted to ride.
The sections of the Colorado trail in Breckenridge and Keystone are amazing. I swear they must hire someone to fix them up. There isn't a stick on them. I rode for about an hour and a half, before it was time to say goodbye to my friends. Yes, I missed riding a lot of the trail, but that's how things go.
I ended the day with a ride to the top of Keystone mountain. I rode up Jackstraw road and then mixed in some of the trails for the downhill. I also saw a lot of riders going to the top of the mountain, but they rode the Gondola. Granted, they are riding 40-lbs bikes.
We are now on Monday (yep, I took the day off). We woke up to a very think cloud cover and wet gear from the night before. So, we packed up the bike stuff and drove to the Banana Belt. I'm talking about Salida. Our route of choice was the Monarch Crest trail, but we missed the shuttle. So, me and the little lady hit up the Banana Belt race loop. If you haven't had a chance to ride this loop, then get on it! There is not doubt that it is one of the best rides you'll ever do. We decided to take it slow, because of our pending race on Tuesday. However, the total distance we covered was around 20 miles - probably not a good idea to ride that long before a race, oh well. After some good Mexican food in Breckenridge, we decided to hit the sack early. We were beat after the Banana Belt loop.
Now, we are on Tuesday. I thought about writing about the Firecracker 50 race and how it went, but I'm going to save that for my next post. And, you'll find that post at YOURMTB.COM.
This weekend, for me, was all about over-doing it. I rode until my little legs couldn't stand it. Basically, I try to put in as much during this weekend, because, well, that's what I always do. I love to ride, what can I say.
We started our adventure in Penitente Canyon. This small volcanic tuff canyon is full of climbing routes - over a thousand, they say. We climbed six pitches on Satuday. It was time well spent as my Fiance is still learning how to get up that fingery stuff. Then, it was off to Breckenridge, CO to meet some friends.
In Breckenridge, we found the coolest camping spot and guided our friends there. The camping spot is off of Swan Mountain road. We set up as quickly as we could and hit Keystone mountain for a long run. Then, the rains set in. This was the troubling part. If you were in the front range over the weekend, rain, and avoiding it, was part of your vacation plan. Well, thankfully, it was late enough in the day to avoid my weather-bitching and someone had brought wine. We enjoyed our campfire (the only place in all of Colorado that allowed campfires was this camping spot) and the wine.
The next day I got up early and rode Loveland pass. I rode it up and then rode it down. I rode one side, then I rode the other. The roads on Loveland pass are amazing! They aren't like Durango's, although the road crews have been doing a great job improving them. Furthermore, the overall grade on Loveland pass is really mellow; again, not like Durango. I decided that wasn't enough. So, I followed my friends to the Colorado trail - one of the sections off of the highway. They planned to hike it, I wanted to ride.
The sections of the Colorado trail in Breckenridge and Keystone are amazing. I swear they must hire someone to fix them up. There isn't a stick on them. I rode for about an hour and a half, before it was time to say goodbye to my friends. Yes, I missed riding a lot of the trail, but that's how things go.
I ended the day with a ride to the top of Keystone mountain. I rode up Jackstraw road and then mixed in some of the trails for the downhill. I also saw a lot of riders going to the top of the mountain, but they rode the Gondola. Granted, they are riding 40-lbs bikes.
We are now on Monday (yep, I took the day off). We woke up to a very think cloud cover and wet gear from the night before. So, we packed up the bike stuff and drove to the Banana Belt. I'm talking about Salida. Our route of choice was the Monarch Crest trail, but we missed the shuttle. So, me and the little lady hit up the Banana Belt race loop. If you haven't had a chance to ride this loop, then get on it! There is not doubt that it is one of the best rides you'll ever do. We decided to take it slow, because of our pending race on Tuesday. However, the total distance we covered was around 20 miles - probably not a good idea to ride that long before a race, oh well. After some good Mexican food in Breckenridge, we decided to hit the sack early. We were beat after the Banana Belt loop.
Now, we are on Tuesday. I thought about writing about the Firecracker 50 race and how it went, but I'm going to save that for my next post. And, you'll find that post at YOURMTB.COM.
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