Since Macky gets all the fun posts I think I will have to one up a little bit with my training ride from yesterday.
Here was the plan: 3.5 hours, 3 by 15 minute Climbing Repeat Intervals with a 15 second attack every 2 minutes, 10 minutes recovery between each interval.
Here's the best part: I started the ride at the Left Hand Valley Trailhead about half way between Boulder and Longmont. Cruised into Boulder on some fast and flowy singletrack and then followed the Foot Hills Trail around till I ran out of trail/bike path. Eventually I wandered over to 9th street until I got to Mapleton Avenue. Mapleton Avenue, if you head west starts the long climb up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill. Intervals GO!!!!! As I hammered up the climb, suffering every step of the way I kept hoping for some cold breezes. This was one of the hottest days I have had in 2009 in CO and man did my body show it. I was taking endurolytes and endurance aminos like there was no tomorrow the whole ride. Sunshine Canyon is paved for about half of it but then it becomes a dirt road into Gold Hill. The road had just been graveled over after the winter damage so it was pretty tough to get up, at least for a dirt road on a mountain bike. After I reached Gold Hill, a common stop for Boulder Cyclists, I kept heading west to Switzerland Trail. After a fast and scary descent I hopped on some of the switzerland trail singletrack and then kept cruising along the narrow jeep road. Switzerland Trail eventually has a point where there is a sign saying that it is a dead end, this is a lie, but for anyone on an ATV of any sort this is true. Here is where it gets good. Switzerland Trail used to be the route where they would transport goods between Ward and Gold Hill, two old mining communities, so it is a very narrow rough road cut of the side of the mountain overlooking Left Hand Canyon. Pretty awesome. THEN a MOOSE!!!! The moose was just chilling and then started to trot down the trail the way I was heading. Game On moose, I'm going to get you! Actually I failed the moose got through the rocks faster than I could and was able to get up the only hike a bike section back to the road much faster than I was able to, unfortunately. Initially when I had planned out my ride I was going to then head up and ride the South Sourdough trail from Brainard Lake towards the CU research station. Unfortunately I was running out of time and the amount of snow on the side of Switzerland Trail made me think twice about trying a trail with more shade and at a higher elevation than Switzerland. Maybe in another week I will be able to get up there. So the rest of the ride was just a fast descent down Left Hand Canyon and then a quick jaun along some dirt roads back to the car.
This was definitely an awesome ride, so much fun, and super challenging with hard climbs and fun trails. I look forward to many more high country explorations this summer along these trails as they are so much more fun than the front range stuff I have been riding all winter out of necessity.
Due to me having too much fun I did not pull my camera out during this one, I wish I did though!!!
As a final note, if anyone knows of an internet program like MapMyRide.com that can do both roads and trails in order to map out mountain bike routes leave a comment with that info. This is something I would love to see as many others would to as not everyone can afford a Garmin 705!
Here was the plan: 3.5 hours, 3 by 15 minute Climbing Repeat Intervals with a 15 second attack every 2 minutes, 10 minutes recovery between each interval.
Here's the best part: I started the ride at the Left Hand Valley Trailhead about half way between Boulder and Longmont. Cruised into Boulder on some fast and flowy singletrack and then followed the Foot Hills Trail around till I ran out of trail/bike path. Eventually I wandered over to 9th street until I got to Mapleton Avenue. Mapleton Avenue, if you head west starts the long climb up Sunshine Canyon to Gold Hill. Intervals GO!!!!! As I hammered up the climb, suffering every step of the way I kept hoping for some cold breezes. This was one of the hottest days I have had in 2009 in CO and man did my body show it. I was taking endurolytes and endurance aminos like there was no tomorrow the whole ride. Sunshine Canyon is paved for about half of it but then it becomes a dirt road into Gold Hill. The road had just been graveled over after the winter damage so it was pretty tough to get up, at least for a dirt road on a mountain bike. After I reached Gold Hill, a common stop for Boulder Cyclists, I kept heading west to Switzerland Trail. After a fast and scary descent I hopped on some of the switzerland trail singletrack and then kept cruising along the narrow jeep road. Switzerland Trail eventually has a point where there is a sign saying that it is a dead end, this is a lie, but for anyone on an ATV of any sort this is true. Here is where it gets good. Switzerland Trail used to be the route where they would transport goods between Ward and Gold Hill, two old mining communities, so it is a very narrow rough road cut of the side of the mountain overlooking Left Hand Canyon. Pretty awesome. THEN a MOOSE!!!! The moose was just chilling and then started to trot down the trail the way I was heading. Game On moose, I'm going to get you! Actually I failed the moose got through the rocks faster than I could and was able to get up the only hike a bike section back to the road much faster than I was able to, unfortunately. Initially when I had planned out my ride I was going to then head up and ride the South Sourdough trail from Brainard Lake towards the CU research station. Unfortunately I was running out of time and the amount of snow on the side of Switzerland Trail made me think twice about trying a trail with more shade and at a higher elevation than Switzerland. Maybe in another week I will be able to get up there. So the rest of the ride was just a fast descent down Left Hand Canyon and then a quick jaun along some dirt roads back to the car.
This was definitely an awesome ride, so much fun, and super challenging with hard climbs and fun trails. I look forward to many more high country explorations this summer along these trails as they are so much more fun than the front range stuff I have been riding all winter out of necessity.
Due to me having too much fun I did not pull my camera out during this one, I wish I did though!!!
As a final note, if anyone knows of an internet program like MapMyRide.com that can do both roads and trails in order to map out mountain bike routes leave a comment with that info. This is something I would love to see as many others would to as not everyone can afford a Garmin 705!
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