RR: Devil's Backbone

That map brings back memories of my years in 5th
Special Forces.

I MTB 2004

On 2004-07-18, [email hidden] penned:

Quoted message said:

That map brings back memories of my years in 5th
Special Forces.

??

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Monique sez:

Quoted message said:

I wanted to try something new today, so Eric and I drove out to Loveland
to check out Devil's Backbone.

Cool, I haven't heard of this trail. We do too much riding in our own
backyard (Matthews/Winters, Green Mountain, White Ranch, etc), and may
give this a shot next week.

Quoted message said:

Summary: This trail has more personalities than Sybil.

<G> I like it. (DIDs a pain huh. Shut up Tom! No! You shut up!)

Quoted message said:

Eric actually fell for the first time since I've started biking with
him; an endo in a technical section through a turn.

LOL, Ruth (my wife) was so surprised the first time she saw me crash
that she just stood there and kept repeating, "You crash too...". Not
that I don't crash, but it's only recently that she's been able to ride
some of the more technical stuff.

Quoted message said:

Which brings me to my gripe. There are a handful of easy trails around
here that I've been doing since I started this MTB thing -- Rabbit,
Betasso, Heil. And there are a whole lot of really hard trails -- Hall,
White Ranch, Walker, Devil's Backbone -- seemingly everything I pick
anymore. Yes, they do make me a better rider, but ... where's the stuff
that's somewhere in between??

Try the Rawhide loop at White Ranch, the initial downhill is scary if
you're not used to going over water bars, and there are a few hard
climbs, but this is a really good trail.

Green Mountain is a good trail for a workout, but there's not much
technical there. We generally start at the Florida trailhead.

Check out the Colorado Trail, Buffalo Creek area. It's in the trees and
it's some great, fast single track. Good place to camp and ride.

Three Sisters is a lot of fun too.

I found these in the Falcon Guide to the Denver/Boulder area. (I need a
new copy, mine is about eight years old.) I don't know how it compares
to other area guides, but it's been pretty accurate in directions to the
trails as well as technical and endurance ratings.

Head out to Fruita and do the rides out on 18 Road, they're mostly
intermediate and insanely fun. Venture over to the other side of I-70
too, there's some excellent rides there. Check out the bike store in
Fruita and pick up one of their trail guides. Fruita makes for a good
camping weekend.

T o m Dillon
Lakewood, CO
Z to S to email

I forgot the coolest part!

We saw a mule deer along the hillside to our left. You know how some
dogs have one ear that sticks up and one that flops down, and they're
really adorable? This deer had the same deal going on.

I also saw a teeny tiny lizard, but he was scurrying across the trail
and had disappeared before I got anywhere near him. Maybe two or three
inches long.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

On 2004-07-19, Sunastar penned:

Quoted message said:

Monique sez:

Cool, I haven't heard of this trail. We do too much riding in our own
backyard (Matthews/Winters, Green Mountain, White Ranch, etc), and may
give this a shot next week.

Quoted message said:

Summary: This trail has more personalities than Sybil.

<G> I like it. (DIDs a pain huh. Shut up Tom! No! You shut up!)

I've had Sybil on the brain since reading about my Sugar's rear
suspension design, which is called Sybil on account of its supposedly
radically different uphill and downhill character. So I just had to
slip it in there somewhere =)

Quoted message said:

LOL, Ruth (my wife) was so surprised the first time she saw me crash
that she just stood there and kept repeating, "You crash too...". Not
that I don't crash, but it's only recently that she's been able to
ride some of the more technical stuff.

In Eric's case, it has actually been quite a while. He used to abuse
his mountain bike on a regular basis when he lived in California, but
that was many moons ago. He hadn't ridden it in over a year when I got
my Trek, and since then he's only ridden without me twice. Once was the
first weekend I got my bike; my aunt invited him on an epic ride while
we were visiting her in Park City. The second time, he got his brand
new fork the same week that my bike was totalled.

Anyway, he pretty much just rides the stuff I ride -- which thus far has
been pretty tame. The good part is that I ride with him, and I ride
with other people, and I ride by myself, so I've been catching up to
him. Of course, I still have a long way to go, but I seem to be having
better luck than him at picking lines lately.

Quoted message said:

Try the Rawhide loop at White Ranch, the initial downhill is scary if
you're not used to going over water bars, and there are a few hard
climbs, but this is a really good trail.

I have a scar from my last foray into White Ranch territory ... Maverick
to be specific ... but I really wish I could find a decent guide to each
individual trail there. I mean, even a ranking of difficulty. Oh, hey,
that Falcon guide does at least have a map of the trails.

Quoted message said:

Green Mountain is a good trail for a workout, but there's not much
technical there. We generally start at the Florida trailhead.

I haven't tried that.

Quoted message said:

Check out the Colorado Trail, Buffalo Creek area. It's in the trees
and it's some great, fast single track. Good place to camp and ride.

Nor that ... though, for the most part, I'm looking for stuff that I
don't have to stay overnight for. Weekends are too busy as is =/

Quoted message said:

Three Sisters is a lot of fun too.

Nor that ...

Quoted message said:

I found these in the Falcon Guide to the Denver/Boulder area. (I need
a new copy, mine is about eight years old.) I don't know how it
compares to other area guides, but it's been pretty accurate in
directions to the trails as well as technical and endurance ratings.

*blush*

I totally forgot that I bought one of these last year. I actually have
the second edition, copyright 2003. I do kind of find it frustrating
because it often chooses different routes than I would (for example,
Betasso -- almost no one starts from the Canyon Rd. climb, but he
chooses that as the starting point and hence gives it a far more
difficult rating than imo he should). And the ratings seem off to me
for some stuff -- he calls Teller Farm aerobically easy, but most folks
I know use it as interval training to make themselves more fit for other
trails.

For what it's worth, Devil's Backbone is in this edition. It's
described as a 6.5 mile loop of moderate aerobic difficulty and
technical "mostly in the 2 or 3 range with a couple of technical, rocky
sections rated 4."

I actually think I first heard about this trail through this book ...

Quoted message said:

Head out to Fruita and do the rides out on 18 Road, they're mostly
intermediate and insanely fun. Venture over to the other side of I-70
too, there's some excellent rides there. Check out the bike store in
Fruita and pick up one of their trail guides. Fruita makes for a good
camping weekend.

Fruita is definitely on my list.

Thanks for reminding me that I do have these books. I probably have a
lot more options in them than I did last time I looked.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Monique

Glad to hear you finally rode the Devil's Backbone. If you just travel
another 500 yards or so west on 34, you'll be right in front of the best
little bikeshop in Colorado, Mountain High Cyclery.

Jen is anxious for the "fest" we talked about after the RP ride ;o)

Cheers
Mark

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I wanted to try something new today, so Eric and I drove out to Loveland
to check out Devil's Backbone. The name has intrigued me ever since I
heard about it; then again, that's about *all* I've heard about it.
Every web search seems to turn up a slightly different set of
mostly-useless links. I did find this topo map:

http://www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/openlands/images/os_devils_trail.jpg

But I think it's old, or doesn't show everything or something.

Also on the web somewhere, I found a claim that the topmost loop is
off-limits to bicycles, but I looked hard and found no such reference
either at the trailhead or anywhere in the upper sections.

The reason for the name was obvious -- a line of rock formations jutting
out of the hills like, um, well, like an undulating backbone. Yes, I
forgot my camera again.

As near as I can tell, we took Backbone to Wild, then did the Hunter
loop.

Summary: This trail has more personalities than Sybil. It starts out as
a simple hardpack trail, then morphs into all sorts of terrain, from
loose dirt to jagged rocks sticking up from the ground to sections of
bumpy, smooth rock. The only constant is the roller-coaster effect;
you're always either climbing or descending, but never for very long.
That and the sun; there's not a single bit of shade on the whole trail.
We ended up walking a fair amount, but we also cleared more than I would
have expected. Once we'd gotten past the introductory hardpack trail,
we saw not one other person. Beautiful. Also, the really tough
technical parts are interspersed with more hardpack, so just when you
think you've had enough, the trail gives you a chance to clear your
head.

Eric actually fell for the first time since I've started biking with
him; an endo in a technical section through a turn. I'd declined to
ride that particular bit because I knew I couldn't manage the turn.
Fortunately, he didn't fall too far, and the damage was minimal. I'm
glad that we're finally doing stuff that challenges him, though. I've
been the only one suffering for far too long!

We considered turning back several times during the ride, but we always
kept going. I'm really glad we did, though I didn't always feel that
way when pushing my bike up some of the rocks. I hate it when I not
only fail to manage a spot, but can't even think of what I could do to
improve my try. It's one thing to know you can go back and try
something different; it's another to know that this section just isn't
doable for me right now. Or for most people, ever, I suspect.

I know that I want to go back to this trail; I just would like it to be
a little cloudier when we go, and I want to be a bit better.

Which brings me to my gripe. There are a handful of easy trails around
here that I've been doing since I started this MTB thing -- Rabbit,
Betasso, Heil. And there are a whole lot of really hard trails -- Hall,
White Ranch, Walker, Devil's Backbone -- seemingly everything I pick
anymore. Yes, they do make me a better rider, but ... where's the stuff
that's somewhere in between??

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

On 2004-07-19, SuperClydesdale penned:

Quoted message said:

Monique

Glad to hear you finally rode the Devil's Backbone. If you just
travel another 500 yards or so west on 34, you'll be right in front of
the best little bikeshop in Colorado, Mountain High Cyclery.

Jen is anxious for the "fest" we talked about after the RP ride ;o)

I forget: have you ridden the Backbone before?

It looks like I will be in Germany for a week some time in the latter
half of September ... if we can work around that, I'm definitely game!
Maybe we can take Jen on some more trails, too. Has she gotten her
mountain bike yet?

I wanted to find the shop, but I had no idea where in Loveland it might
be and Eric was anxious to get home to see some motorcycle race (sigh).

I'm confused, though. I looked Mtn. High up on Mapquest later, and it
looked like it was close to the 25/34 junction, which doesn't jibe with
your description.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Monique Y. Mudama said:

It looks like I will be in Germany for a week some time in the latter
half of September ...

Bringing the bikes? 🙂

On 2004-07-19, bomba penned:

Quoted message said:

Monique Y. Mudama said:

It looks like I will be in Germany for a week some time in the latter
half of September ...

Bringing the bikes? 🙂

No =/

This is more of a "spend a week with my ailing grandmother whom I
haven't seen in 16 years" kind of thing. I don't anticipate doing
anything that doesn't involve my grandmother.

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I wanted to try something new today, so Eric and I drove out to Loveland
to check out Devil's Backbone. The name has intrigued me ever since I
heard about it; then again, that's about *all* I've heard about it.
Every web search seems to turn up a slightly different set of
mostly-useless links. I did find this topo map:

http://www.co.larimer.co.us/parks/openlands/images/os_devils_trail.jpg

But I think it's old, or doesn't show everything or something.

Also on the web somewhere, I found a claim that the topmost loop is
off-limits to bicycles, but I looked hard and found no such reference
either at the trailhead or anywhere in the upper sections.

The reason for the name was obvious -- a line of rock formations jutting
out of the hills like, um, well, like an undulating backbone. Yes, I
forgot my camera again.

As near as I can tell, we took Backbone to Wild, then did the Hunter
loop.

Summary: This trail has more personalities than Sybil.

that sure makes for a fun ride. You don't have to fight for survival, or
get bored either.

glad to hear your riding buddy took the fall for you, too. I remember when
I no longer had to wear the sign around my neck of newbie designated biffer
for the amusement of all the more experienced riders. I understand your
frustration of finding trails "in between." Boise has a fairly high
learning curve, not in terms of technicality, per se, just that everything
is so danged steep. So when sane people see me out running in winter, or xc
skiing around the neighborhood, or stair stepping during a movie at home, I
tell them that I don't want to start over when the trails open up. it's
just that painful.

Sounds like a great day, and a fun ride.

Paladin
<snip the goods>

Quoted message said:

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:

Quoted message said:

that sure makes for a fun ride. You don't have to fight for survival,
or get bored either.

There was a little bit of survival-fighting, but definitely no boredom!
The view was great, too, but apparently Eric is "here to get some
exercise and spend time with you, not to sightsee!" (direct quote)

Apparently I'm allowed to take rest breaks, but not to stop and smell
the roses.

Bah.

Quoted message said:

glad to hear your riding buddy took the fall for you, too.

In this case, the riding buddy was my husband, but yeah. I would have
fallen, I'm sure, but I had the good sense to stop and walk that section
=)

It's definitely interesting, in that I am a total mtb newbie; he has
done lots of mountain biking, but most of it was in california, and the
stuff he did out there was much less rocky. So, while he has more
experience and better skills, we're both kind of learning how to deal
with these terrain types.

Quoted message said:

I remember when I no longer had to wear the sign around my neck of
newbie designated biffer for the amusement of all the more experienced
riders. I understand your frustration of finding trails "in between."
Boise has a fairly high learning curve, not in terms of technicality,
per se, just that everything is so danged steep. So when sane people
see me out running in winter, or xc skiing around the neighborhood, or
stair stepping during a movie at home, I tell them that I don't want
to start over when the trails open up. it's just that painful.

We're thinking of getting road bikes for the winter. It's sunny and not
horrifically cold until it gets dark. Of course, we usually ski during
the weekends and it gets dark awfully early ... so this may not be a
well-conceived plan unless I start riding to work.

Quoted message said:

Sounds like a great day, and a fun ride.

Yes indeed!

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:

Quoted message said:

that sure makes for a fun ride. You don't have to fight for survival,
or get bored either.

There was a little bit of survival-fighting, but definitely no boredom!
The view was great, too, but apparently Eric is "here to get some
exercise and spend time with you, not to sightsee!" (direct quote)

Apparently I'm allowed to take rest breaks, but not to stop and smell
the roses.

Bah.

Quoted message said:

glad to hear your riding buddy took the fall for you, too.

In this case, the riding buddy was my husband, but yeah. I would have
fallen, I'm sure, but I had the good sense to stop and walk that section
=)

My motto on these group rides: "there's no shame in walking." I've patched
myself and others up too many times to want anybody to take foolish risks.

Quoted message said:

It's definitely interesting, in that I am a total mtb newbie; he has
done lots of mountain biking, but most of it was in california, and the
stuff he did out there was much less rocky. So, while he has more
experience and better skills, we're both kind of learning how to deal
with these terrain types.

When California racers come up here to race our podunk little circuit, which
is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw, (apologies to Ron, our promoter),
they're always amazed at how varied, technical and tough our courses are.
They're laid out by a big guy on a dirt bike and a demented mind, not
lawyers paranoid about liability.

Paladin

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:

Quoted message said:

My motto on these group rides: "there's no shame in walking." I've
patched myself and others up too many times to want anybody to take
foolish risks.

Agreed. Actually, I'm more likely to take a bit of a risk when there
*are* other folks around to help patch me up

I know there are sections I've ridden before that I'll choose to walk at
other times. It's all about my comfort level right at that moment.

Quoted message said:

When California racers come up here to race our podunk little circuit,
which is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw, (apologies to Ron,
our promoter), they're always amazed at how varied, technical and
tough our courses are. They're laid out by a big guy on a dirt bike
and a demented mind, not lawyers paranoid about liability.

Is scenic a bad thing? Why do you need to apologize?

I've heard of mtb races that are basically just wide dirt roads. Bleh!

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:>

Quoted message said:

When California racers come up here to race our podunk little circuit,
which is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw, (apologies to Ron,
our promoter), they're always amazed at how varied, technical and
tough our courses are. They're laid out by a big guy on a dirt bike
and a demented mind, not lawyers paranoid about liability.

Is scenic a bad thing? Why do you need to apologize?

I was apologizing for calling it "podunk" which was out of line. Scenic is
a good thing. You sometimes need something else to look at on a long climb
than the butt in front of you. The courses are very fun, and the series is
organized well.

Paladin

Paladin said:

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:>

Quoted message said:

When California racers come up here to race our podunk little
circuit, which is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw,
(apologies to Ron, our promoter), they're always amazed at how
varied, technical and tough our courses are. They're laid out by a
big guy on a dirt bike and a demented mind, not lawyers paranoid
about liability.

Is scenic a bad thing? Why do you need to apologize?

I was apologizing for calling it "podunk" which was out of line.
Scenic is a good thing. You sometimes need something else to look at
on a long climb than the butt in front of you. The courses are very
fun, and the series is organized well.

Paladin

Unfortunately for me the butt in front of me in most races belongs to a man.
Sometimes the timing of the staging works to my advantage and I get to ride
behind some of the faster women, which could make almost any ride scenic.
Too bad the nature of racing keeps me from spending much time enjoying the
scenery anyway.

Matt (did get some good appreciation in last weekend riding with MrsB!)

On 2004-07-20, Paladin penned:

Quoted message said:

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:>

Quoted message said:

When California racers come up here to race our podunk little
circuit, which is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw,
(apologies to Ron, our promoter), they're always amazed at how
varied, technical and tough our courses are. They're laid out by a
big guy on a dirt bike and a demented mind, not lawyers paranoid
about liability.

Is scenic a bad thing? Why do you need to apologize?

I was apologizing for calling it "podunk" which was out of line.
Scenic is a good thing. You sometimes need something else to look at
on a long climb than the butt in front of you. The courses are very
fun, and the series is organized well.

Ahh. I somehow skimmed over "podunk" and was confused by the location
of the apology.

I was supposed to go to a race this season, wasn't I? Hrm. Winter Park
has a race this weekend, but that's kind of short notice and it's 19
miles ... is that a typical length, or can I find shorter races that
aren't actually "short track"?

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2004-07-20, Paladin penned:

Quoted message said:

"Monique Y. Mudama" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 2004-07-19, Paladin penned:>
> When California racers come up here to race our podunk little
> circuit, which is very fun,and usually very scenic, btw,
> (apologies to Ron, our promoter), they're always amazed at how
> varied, technical and tough our courses are. They're laid out by a
> big guy on a dirt bike and a demented mind, not lawyers paranoid
> about liability.

Is scenic a bad thing? Why do you need to apologize?

I was apologizing for calling it "podunk" which was out of line.
Scenic is a good thing. You sometimes need something else to look at
on a long climb than the butt in front of you. The courses are very
fun, and the series is organized well.

Ahh. I somehow skimmed over "podunk" and was confused by the location
of the apology.

I was supposed to go to a race this season, wasn't I? Hrm. Winter
Park has a race this weekend, but that's kind of short notice and
it's 19 miles ... is that a typical length, or can I find shorter
races that aren't actually "short track"?

That's a pretty typical XC length, maybe slightly longer than usual. Crested
Butte has a community race series with courses typically running about 12
Miles if you want someting a little shorter. Those are casual with pizza and
beer afterwards and all ability levels are welcome. Entry is $12 this year.

www.skicb.com has a schedule if you're interested.

Matt

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2004-07-20, Paladin penned:
it's 19 miles ... is that a typical length, or can I find shorter
races that aren't actually "short track"?

Short track is a special kind of mtb race, sort of like criterium but on
mountain bikes. You might want a beginner XC race.

penny

On 2004-07-20, pas penned:

Quoted message said:

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2004-07-20, Paladin penned: it's 19 miles ... is that a typical
length, or can I find shorter races that aren't actually "short
track"?

Short track is a special kind of mtb race, sort of like criterium but
on mountain bikes. You might want a beginner XC race.

I know (sort of) what short track is. I've done some clinics on a short
track course. I was just asking if there are beginner XC races shorter
than 19 miles! That's a lot for me!

--
monique

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live."
-- Mark Twain