![]() |
Posted June 13, 2004 Downcountry ride: South St. Vrain and Sourdough trails ![]() I hereby propose a new style of riding: "downcountry." Downcountry riding mixes the best of downhill and cross country. You ride normal, legal trails, but a van does most of the climbing. You run a trail bike and cross country helmet, which don't terrify trail users as much as big bikes and full-face helmets. Best of all, you ride lots of quality miles, but without all that pesky pedaling. The route ![]() Note: This map will give you a general idea. If you hit these trails, bring a real map. South St. Vrain Trail From the road, northern Sourdough flits through the woods for a twisty, rocky warmup. We cruised along, getting used to the terrain and the 10,000-foot elevation. After we crossed St. Vrain Creek and joined South St. Vrain Trail, things got more serious. Long, jumbly rock sections tested our suspensions and timing. We handled them like BMX rhythms: roll this, manual that, jump those. The trail has a funny rhythm; you hammer through rough woods -- BAP BAP BAP! -- then you roll through a perfect little meadow -- la, la, la -- then you dive back into the woods -- BAP BAP BAP!!! This trail has is all: speed, tightness, flow and violence. Near the end, the canyon funnels and the trail scrapes along the canyon wall. We flew relatively straight, interrupting our projectilism only to jump over or jive around randomly placed outcroppings. This section reminded me of Butcher Ranch in Downieville: Totally fast and predictable, then WHOA! What a fun run. The weather was clear, the dirt was tacky and the rocks were dry. On the drive back up we were like, "Ha! We're so glad we're not riding slippery rocks in West Virginia!" Well, let's not forget this is Colorado, and the weather changes more often than the street lights. While we prepared for our second run, lighting flashed, thunder crackled and the skies let loose with a cold combo of rain, hail and snow. So much for perfect conditions. The dirt stayed tacky, but the roots and rocks soon got slick. We changed to safer lines that either smacked the rocks head-on or went around them. We when hit rocks at angles, our bikes went for little side trips. Oh well, new challenges for everyone! With lots of stops for photos and group togetherness, each run took about 40 minutes. I'd consider this an advanced downcountry ride. South Sourdough Trail
Sourdough descends about six miles and 1,000 feet over tiny loose rocks, fist-sized loose rocks, football-sized loose rocks and TV-sized embedded rocks. In short, lots of rocks. It resembles Heil Ranch, only gnarlier, but not nearly as intense as South St. Vrain. There's lots of pumping and a fair bit of pedaling. Many of the turns, especially near the fast bottom, are sketchy. I'd consider this an intermediate downcountry ride. Shuttle props Mark Camineti volunteered to drive while his sprained wrist heals. Super cool. Thanks, man. By the way, he didn't hurt his wrist jumping; he did it on the road. |
Home
|
Home Email Lee © 2004 Lee McCormack. All rights reserved. |