One of the great things about our sport is how every event feels like a family reunion. The Transition Bike’s Demo Day at the Colonnade had exactly this tone. Riders came together under I-5 and put a hurting on the the jumps. Especially, K-line. The lip was built up on the Rainbow Bridge and riders such as Transition’s own Casey Groves were showing the rest of us how to trick a big jump. I admit, I don’t have the ability to throw a back flip over a gap, but my fun was just being there and taking part in a great fall afternoon of bike riding. An in my own way, I improved on my own abilities. It just seemed easier going hard when you are being towed in by some of the best - Mike Metzger, Lars Sternberg. Continue reading ‘Transition Bikes Demo Day @ The Colonnade’
Archive for the 'Ride Spots' Category
Lately my ride life has been tainted with what I want to call life’s little momentum vampires. These little soul suckers come in all varieties. And they are unique to each individual. And contagious for sure…
Mine are too many to list, but have something to do with Unemployment and a site that seems to be popular, but no known EFFECTIVE way to monitize it. So, in search for a solution to these mental parasites, I called up Miles ‘Shovelpick’ Sullivan in Hood River and told him that Kim Sturts and I are coming down. You’ll know Miles from his work on Bones Over Metal (see video on this post.)
We showed up late morning and meet Miles who’d already been riding with some of the Transition Bike community down from Bellingham, WA. Miles is always good for a ride in and around Hood River. After a quick rip around the yard on Miles’ 50, we joined Anna from IMBA and headed up to the top of Post Canyon. By the time we were bouncing our way up the shuttle road my malaise was already drifting away. As long as the wheels are going round, it’s difficult for me to have a frown.
Post Canyon has it all. When you start well above Two Chairs you even get a fair amount of Downhilling. So, you’re nice and warm by the time you hit the jump lines. This works great for me, since I am just getting instinctive with jumping. That being said, Post Canyon is one place besides Whistler where you can learn to get your jump on. It’s all there. It was late afternoon, by the time we had sessioned all the way down to the bottom of Post Canyon. That’s more than 12 linking trails. Enough to call it a day? No.
This video is from a similar trip two weeks earlier.
For the evening romp, we meet up with Mike Estes, Steve Pinner and more for a couple shuttle runs down from Nestor’s Peak. This run is on the Washington side of the Columbia. It’s like Syncline, but better. By this time, my problems only existed deep inside me and all I wanted was vertical. Their was no limit.
This last run dropped 3,000 feet over six miles and is fast. FAST, I tell you. Old school singletrack that can be ripped as fast as your nerves will allow. The kind of fast that has you yelping and hollering to the guy up in front. We even got Carl Warren to put his camera down and join us. (This is why you see very few action shots in the following photos.) It was good to see Carl have fun.
By the time, we sat down for beer and pizza in Hood River it was dark. My soul was put back together. I felt that inner glow that we all know as our relationship with the bike and the dirt. The perfect threesome. But, just to make sure that it would stay that way for awhile, we did it all again the next day. Yeah!!!!
Check out Carl Warren’s Main Gallery for more from around Hood River.
Carl lives on the Washington side of the river.
On our recent trip to California we stopped in on a few ride spots. The following videos show the Santa Cruz area and Auburn, CA.
We ran into a cool grassroots group that rides and builds. They have a site, www.nodignoride.com and offer really cool apparel that states this mantra of “No Dig, No Ride.” We wanted some shirts for ourselves and so we shot this video of them and Eric Porter on their favorite dirt jumps. Check out their site for more.
On the way back form Sea Otter we stopped for a few days in Auburn, CA. This town is east of Sacramento in the foothills. The dirt is that dry red clay that packs like cement. This video shows two of the places we rode. Cheers,
I traveled out to Boise and met up with Anna from IMBA for the Ride On event at Eagle Bike Park. I showed up earlier and stayed later than Anna so got in quite a bit more wheel time than her. We spent most of our time waiting out the rain, because it does dry rather quickly once the sun comes out, but it seemed like as soon as it got dry enough to ride the rain would come back. Bad luck I guess, because I hear that doesn’t happen that often this time of year. So we’re planning on making another trip back to cover the race that has been rescheduled for early next month. Meanwhile, enjoy this short video that I came up with on the fly.
Photos by Anna Laxague Article and Video by Miles ‘Shovelpick’ Sullivan
Seattle’s Pro Parks Levy was just the first income source that helped the Colonnade concept become a reality. The levy, approved by Seattle voters in November 2000, freed up $198.2 million for more than a hundred projects and programs, including $1.8 million for the project officially named I-5 Colonnade.
Other funding came from REI, Starbucks, Vulcan, Bikes Belong, King County (for a Youth Sports Facilities Grant) and the City of Seattle, as well as private donors.
Continue reading ‘Colonnade — The Money’
On Wednesday night BBTC.org held a reception out at the new Duthie Hill
mountain bike park location….
The reception was conducted by Justin Vanderpool and the new BBTC Director John Lang. King County, Various Local Bike Shops and many concerned riders were in attendance for this first look at the what will be King County’s Newiest Bike Park. Building on the ongoing success of The Colonnade, BBTC and King County have begun the work on this 120 acre park off the Issaquah-Fall City Road. King County has given a total of $150,000 in grants and further funding is being sought to complete work on this park that is scheduled to open December of 09. Continue reading ‘Duthie Hill Report’
Simon Lawton — professional downhiller and founder of first Downhill Northwest and now Fluidride — moved to Seattle in 1996. Two years later, he met Chris Leman from the Eastlake Community Council, who had seen Simon loading his bike for races, etc. Turns out both had envisioned mountain bike trails in the area below I-5 — and Chris had connections in city government from his work on the Council.
Suddenly, Simon found himself going to meetings with everyone imaginable — bike commuters, community councils, anyone who might work with him to create the Colonnade. Continue reading ‘Colonnade — The Concept’
Tuesday and Wednesday: Hood River, OR.
So, I crawled into Hood River, Oregon and met up with Mike Estes, Miles Sullivan and Carl Warren for a little ride and shoot among Bike Media types. You would have seen Carl Warren’s stuff here, as well as, on Pink Bike with Mike Estes and Miles Sullivan. Kim Sturts, Karen Johanson, and Leif Olson all came down from Seattle to ride with us. By the time we all got together and got up to Post Canyon it was getting a little late. Plus the rain just continued to come down on us. We all ended up riding some quick lines on Middle School and then taking the Super D line 7 Streams out to the bottom pick up. It was a great run out in the rain, but my legs were rebelling by the end of the trail. After Sea Otter they didn’t need to ride another long pedally course on a downhill bike.
Today dawned cold and overcast just like countless northwest days before it. The only difference was that there were six inches of snow blanketing South Everett on this particular April morning. Needless to say this unexpected little bit of precipitation put a damper on our plans to sample the best of Bellingham. But fear not, there was still some GnarlBurl to be had…
Olympic Dirt Society sponsored a shuttle day at Dry Hill in Port Angeles on March 8th and 9th. Riders in the PNW have come love these events put on by ODS and think of them as our little Whistler. I hear that over 180 riders registered for this last event. The lines were long, but the trucks kept hauling us up the hill and we never waited longer than one needed for a breather.
It was one of the best girls riding weekends I’ve ever had! The first ever Dirt Rag Women’s Weekend at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park in Cleveland, OH was a great success. From cross country riders to jumpers to bmx’ers, women of all bike disciplines from all over the US came to Ray’s for some fantastic winter riding.
If you have never been to Ray’s, you are missing out. It is an indoor mountain bike park built inside an old factory building. Instead of the usual dirt trails, everything is built out of wood – ladders, ramps, jumps, log pile crossings, even rock gardens (not built out of wood) create a plethora of trails, stunts and obstacles to improve your biking skills. There is a pump track to practice working the terrain for momentum, a cross country loop with tight turns and short climbs into the rafters, several short trails with a variety of challenges, a beginner room with skills sections low to the ground, a stunt section with a variety of teeter-totters, drops and interesting bridges, 4 different sized box jump rhythm lines with up to 6 jumps in a row, 2 skate park sections, and a foam pit to practice your tricks before trying them on hard ground. No matter what your skill level or preferred type of riding, there is something for you at Ray’s!
The weather is breaking and riders are dragging their bikes out and dusting off their legs. The sun is drying up the trails in places like Seattle. Yeah, Seattle! While the East Coast of the States is getting rocked by a spring storm, and Cali is bracing for driving rains, Seattle has been sunny and down right special. Here’s a few photos from Saturday’s session @ SST.
Check out more of these Pics in the Gallery.
Up coming Spring Events:
March 8th an 9th: Port Angeles, WA. Spring Shuttle Details Here, Get The Best Room Rates For Port Angeles Here.
March 14, 15, 16: Spring Break Fat Tire Festival. Details Here.
(Leave a comment on this post to let us know abou your event)
Local ride group Olympic Dirt Society gets together with DNR and makes a ride area that is legal and challenging. Check out the video.
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