Color Country Cycling Club Newsletter

Cleared section of the VRRT (Webster's Flat to Te'ah)

High altitude, that is. Ron Rodriguez of the US Forest Service reports that Webster Flat to Teah is clear of snow and fallen trees as of July 1. Navajo Lake is supposed to be ready now, too. We’re not sure of Woods Ranch up to Webster but I’ll bet some local riders will be checking it out this weekend. Be sure to leave a post if you ride and let everyone know the conditions you found.
There are thousands of trees down from the hard winter so the effort to get these trails open was epic. If you see a Forest Service person out there, give them a big Thank You.

JULY 17 UPDATE from John and Steve: What a difference 2 weeks makes. All the snow is gone and the hard-working USFS crews have cleared all the trees from the Navajo Lake Loop and the Webster-to-Teah leg of the VRRT. Good effort, guys! Now summer is really here. Ron reports that the whole VRRT should be good now.

JULY 2 UPDATE from John and Holly: It’s not quite all ridable yet.

• The Navajo Loop is clear of trees except for the section from the water tank down to the Lodge Trail intersection. However, in that small section, the downed trees are so dense, we scrambled down to the road rather than hack and slash our way around them.
• Also, there are several patches of snow on the south side that, while they interrupt your ride, are easy to walk over or around. They’re getting smaller every day.
• The road that connects the far end of the lake to the beginning of the Teah-to-Webster section of the trail is completely blocked by a couple of dozen trees. The entrance to the trail also has several downed trees and we did not do down the trail very far.
• We climbed up the Lodge trail until it became stupid (not very far). No one has started clearing downed trees there yet and snow patches abound in shady areas.
• The water is high but we’ve seen it higher. The lava section (covered in a prior wet year) is open and in good shape. The dike is under 9 or 10 feet of water and the lodge has waves lapping at their entrance. Much of their signs and access are under water.

The Forest Service folks have their work cut out for them. There are a staggering number of downed trees throughout the forest and its worth going up just to see it all.
Bottom line: The north side is in perfect shape and if you’re willing to scramble around snow and fallen trees, you can have a fun ride on other areas.

by John Stavros

Sweet Sugar Bottom single-track

Where can you find 18 miles of narrow twisting forest single-track with 1,700 feet of climbing that is 7 miles from a major university? It’s not Colorado or Utah. It’s Iowa. I know. Who knew? The Sugar Bottom trail system sits on a relatively small patch of ground and you are never more than 3/4 of a mile from your car. The trails are compactly fit to make the most of the limited space.

I am at my daughter’s graduation from the University of Iowa. I had heard about Sugar Bottom and watched a couple of YouTube videos so I decided it was worth bringing my bike along. Good decision. These guys have been grooming and improving the trail system since 1990 and they have an area that rivals anyone’s forest single-track. The one-way system is marked with the standard green, blue, and black signs — and the black trails are fairly challenging. Technical at Sugar Bottom, like many forest trails, means roots, tight steep switchbacks, and little drops from ledges and logs.

Access is limited to a constricted gate (no motorized encroachment possible) and even has a free bike wash at the exit.

See all the pictures.

The first annual True GRIT Epic mountain bike race took place on Saturday, March 26th. The 50-mile course covered virtually all the trails we love in the St. George area including the Race Course Loop, Barrel Ride, Zen, Bear Claw Poppy, Stucki Springs, Rim Runner, Sidewinder, and Barrel Roll. (Whew.)

Race Director and Promoter Cimarron Chacon organized all the details of the event to perfection — all except the weather. The forecast on the morning of the race called for mostly sunny, 10% chance of showers, and low 60s. Nice. But about one hour into the 5-hour race, it started raining. Not a quick spring squall or a refreshing shower. Rain. And it really didn’t let up for the whole race.
But the problem wasn’t 175 cold, wet riders plus a few dozen shivering volunteers. The real problem was the mud. The trails went from firm and damp to sloppy ruts and gooey clay in a matter of minutes.

photo courtesy of Crawling Spider Photography

But the racers and volunteers persevered. (The name of the race is, after all, True GRIT.) After a few riders were treated for hypothermia and reports of unridable mud kept coming in, Cimarron executed her plans B, C, and D (and maybe even X, Y, and Z) and shortened the race by diverting riders to safer, more passable routes or ferrying riders back to the start/finish. Volunteers and spectators, plus on-site paramedics and law enforcement all pitched in to keep riders safe while still maintaining the epic nature of the race.

The race organizers were sensitive to the long-term protection of the trails. Riders were diverted early on from the Bear Claw Poppy section to avoid damaging the trail. Most of the ruts that occurred were on the road sections, not the single-track. So if you go ride the area this weekend, you will see little, if any, impact from the race.

In the end, there were no serious incidents or injuries. Everyone who finished — and most who didn’t quite finish — really felt they had accomplished something. Back at the start/finish area in Tonaquint Park, the promoter prepared a post-ride feast. And wouldn’t you know it: Just as the last riders were coming in and the race wrapped up, the sun came out.

Color Country participants included racers DJ Morisette and Robert DePoe, and volunteers Jeff Huyboom and John Stavros. (Sorry if I missed anyone. If I did, post a comment with your name and I’ll add you.)

There were only 9 people who finished the Epic race. All but 1 challenge racer finished. Official results will not be posted for a couple of days until the promoter can verify all the finishers. (She thought there were 12 but 3 came forward and said they had short cutted.) Race results can be found on the promoter’s web site: http://gropromotions.com.

By Bruce Beattie

Euphoria – derivation: cycling – when all the body systems are functioning at their peak on the same day in combination with great weather and a fabulous event.

I think one would have to search long and hard to find anyone that would say anything negative about the 2011 Tour de Palm Springs.  The overnight low was supposed to be 46 with a day time high of 81.  It seemed like it was in the low 50’s at the start—no extra clothing required.  By early afternoon it was 78.  The winds were light and for the most part seemed to be assisting, although Joe claims he was riding into a head wind the entire ride.  (You were just riding too fast to enjoy the light tailwind.)  The only time the breeze was noticeable was on the initial climb out to the north. Read the rest of the report.

Recent flooding in southern Utah did significant damage to some of the bike trails in the St. George area. Steve and John decided stopping was the best move here. Check out more pictures of the damage.

Hey everybody. Check out Brent Rodriguez and his dad, Ron as they ride the Prospector/Church Rocks trail. They’re lucky they got this ride in before the big rains came. Until things dry out a bit, this video is the closest most of us will get to our mountain bikes. Thanks Ron and Brent.

View the video.

By Bruce Beattie

I bet everyone expects this report to be about the great road riding in Moab. My buddy Bill from Bozeman convinced me I should join him and his friend Chris in Moab for some mountain bike riding. Why I would allow myself to be cajoled into mountain bike riding the week before El Tour de Tucson, is not easily explained. Read the rest of the report.

By Bruce Beattie

I had high hopes for the ride this year. I probably jinxed myself when I introduced myself to John Howard—he was signing autographs in one of the booths.
One of the most respected Master riders in MN—Scott Flanders—has ridden the Tour at least the last 5 years. He spends the winters in Sierra Vista and the summers in MN. He is 4 years younger than me, but he still races the Pro/1/2 fields in MN. I had seen him in line in past years to get his Platinum Pass, but by the time I got mine he was gone. When I walked into the hall this year for the Platinum Meeting he was standing right there so we chatted until the meeting started. Read the rest of the report.

By Bruce Beattie

I decided to take advantage of my free entryintor a Planet Ultra event and participate in the 1st Annual (we hope) Mesquite Gran Fondo. There were several familiar things—roads and wind. The temperatures were such that no extra clothing was required. The front group was soon whittled down to about a dozen riders. It soon became apparent that we would be fighting the wind all day—it was a cross wind when we were heading WNW and when we turned north we were going straight into it. I was dropped about 21 miles in with more than 6 miles to go on the first ascent of Utah Hill. Brooke got dropped about a half mile later, but I could not catch her and never saw her again. I guess that was my Brooke fix for the year—it seems I see her on one ride per year. Read more…

by Bruce Beattie

I am losing it.

Those of you that are familiar with how much time I spend on bike maintenance, particularly keeping it clean, would not have believed your eyes.  I pulled into the parking lot for the ride and immediately took a rag out of the trunk and wiped the entire car down.  I had been sprayed by an errant (actually missing) sprinkler and I had the “pony.”

View the rest of the story.