Rider Profile - Rep. Michael Merrifield
Written By: Kyle Henley
Posted: January 17, 2006
The Colorado General Assembly began meeting on Jan. 11. In honor of
their 120-day session, we sat down with Rep. Michael Merrifield,
D-Manitou Springs. Merrifield is a hard core mountain biker that's
been ripping up Colorado single track for more than 20 years. He's
written a mountain biking guide to Colorado and almost always has his
bike with him during the session, hoping he can sneak out for a ride in
between his duties as a state representative.
TrailCentral: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING?
Rep. Michael Merrifield: I've been riding since 1984, when I lived in
Gunnison, CO.
TC: WHAT GOT YOU INTO MOUNTAIN BIKING?
MM: The sport was just catching on in 1984 and the first production
Specialized Stumpjumper had just come out. I was a poor teacher in
Gunnison, and my buddies had these Stumpjumpers. I was just dying to
get one. The second year they were out I'd made friend with the guy
at a local bike shop and he let me make payments.
TC: YOU WROTE A GUIDE BOOK CALLED "COLORADO GONZO RIDES." TELL ME
ABOUT IT.
MM: I got divorced and that's what really started it. I moved to
Colorado Springs from Gunnison. I was a teacher and had the whole
summer off. I was riding all day, every day. I was riding all these
trails and I said, "I should write about all the places I'm
exploring." A friend said, "You write and we'll get it
published." I did, and I wrote about the best places to eat and the
best places to sleep.
TC: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE RIDE OUT OF THE BOOK AND WHY?
MM: 401 in Crested Butte. It's just too spectacular. You take a good
chunk of an hour or more to get their. You have a good climb along
lakes and creeks and then you just fly down on this tight, smooth,
unbelievable single track. The wildflowers are just spectacular, too.
I've never seen better wildflowers.
TC: HOW MANY BIKES HAVE YOU OWNED? WHAT ARE YOU RIDING NOW AND WHICH
WAS YOUR FAVORITE?
MM: I'm on a (Santa Cruz) Blur right now. But every new bike I get is
the favorite one, and I never think they can get any better. But every
time I get on one I like it better than the last one. The Blur is a
pretty awesome bike. I've had nine bikes, including the Stumpjumper,
a Diamond Back, a Trek, 3 Manitous, 2 Tomacs and the Blur.
TC: WHAT'S BEEN THE BIGGEST CHANGE IN YOUR 20 YEARS OF RIDING?
MM: Full suspension. It's helped me enjoy the whole concept, the
whole feeling of riding. It's really increased my ability to ride
technical stuff and go fast downhill.
TC: DESCRIBE YOUR RIDING STYLE.
MM: I like to ride hard enough to hurt. I also like a cold beer when
I'm done. A beer never tastes better than at the end of a mountain
bike ride. Now I take a little cooler and leave them in the car.
TC: HOW MUCH RIDING DO YOU DO NOW YOU ARE A LEGISLATOR?
MM: Not nearly enough. That and my yearly weight gain are my biggest
complaints about this job. I still manage to get enough riding to keep
me a little sharp.
TC: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORE PLACE TO RIDE ANYWHERE?
MM: Every mountain biker, if they get chance, should go to Banff,
Canada. It's big, god, and the rides are long. The single track is
just as sweet as Crested Butte and then you have all this water --- big
lakes, huge trees and greenery. The mountains, wow, it's almost
embarrassing to say you are from Colorado when you see these mountains.
They are jaw dropping.
TC: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE EVERDAY RIDE?
MM: Palmer Trail is my favorite regular ride in Colorado Springs. It is
a good climb and you can descend Section 16 if you want. I do that like
once a year to see how bad it's gotten. I like to just turn around at
the top and just fly down it because it is so, so nice.
TC: WHAT SHOULD COLORADO RIDERS PAY ATTENTION TO AT THE CAPITOL?
MM: They should be buying their lottery tickets and supporting
preservation of open space. They should also watch what we are doing
with the roadless areas, because that will have an impact on some of
the really primo trails.
TC: WHAT PERSPECTIVE DO YOU HAVE AS A MOUNTAIN BIKER THAT OTHER
LAWMAKERS DO NOT?
MM: I'm not sure, but we should pass a law that every legislator has
to buy a mountain bike and ride a minimum of 3 to 4 times a week. IT
would change everybody's attitudes. With a cold beer afterward,
we'd get a lot more done.