Most of the mountain towns in Colorado were founded in the 1800’s by hard rock miners looking for mineral riches. Steamboat Springs, though, was established in 1876 in the lush Yampa River valley as a ranching community and still cherishes its cowboy heritage. The city has flourished over the past 50 years because deep winter snow makes it a world-class ski town. More recently, mountain bikers have discovered that the miles of back country ski trails make excellent bike trails in the summer months. The Rocky Mountain Bicycle Boys chose Steamboat Springs as the destination for a multi-day trip over the 4th of July Independence Day holiday in 2015.
To view the Steamboat 2015 Bike Guide with descriptions, maps and photos of the many trails in and around Steamboat Springs, Colorado, click here
Oaxaca is just half the size of Denver, but boasts more mountain bike clubs and more frequent races. However, there are some really classic races to be had in Colorado. The sixth annual Bailey Hundo took place on Saturday, 20 June 2015. This 100 mile cross-country race on the looping trails of the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area in the Pike National Forest is fast becoming a legend. Four hundred eager riders jostled for a place at the starting line in the little community of Bailey, which sits in a mountain valley about an hour’s drive west of Denver. Enthusiasm ran high — perhaps to counter the dread of having to pedal 100 miles before the day was out! The weather was ideal and trail conditions excellent for the day’s contest. Riders ranged in age from late teens into their sixties. Both female riders and fat-tire bikes were well represented. Congratulations to all who took part in this very challenging event!
To view a trail map showing the route of the 2015 Bailey Hundo, click here.
Moab, Utah is widely seen as the Mecca of mountain biking. Every cyclist wants to visit there at least once in a lifetime. The lucky members of the Rocky Mountain Bicycle Boys go there every spring for the Memorial Day holiday the last weekend of May — a tradition going back to 1997. Somehow the magic of Moab never fades, and the attraction of the trails there never lessens. The author is spending several months this summer in Colorado, and so reunited with old friends and biking buddies to savor again the charm that lures thousands of mountain bike enthusiasts into the desert country around Moab.
To view maps of some of the trails in and around Moab, Utah, click here.
The Zapotec artist Rodolfo Morales is best known for his brightly colored surrealistic dream-like canvases and collages, which often feature Mexican women in village settings. He was born 8 May 1925 to working class parents in the town of Ocotlan de Morelos in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. He studied art at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City, after which he began a 32-year career as an art teacher in the capital. With the help of Rufino Tamayo, an established artist and fellow Oaxaqueño, Morales became a recognized painter. By 1985 he had the financial capacity to quit teaching and return to his hometown, where he dedicated himself to his art and to the community through a program of restoration. He funded the restoration of fifteen churches, including the 17th century church in Santa Ana Zegache. His most important restoration project was the former convent in Ocotlan, which now houses part of his art collection. Two of his murals can be seen in the municipal building in Ocotlan, just steps away from the restored convent. Until his death in 2001 at age 75, he and Francisco Toledo were regarded as the greatest living artists in Mexico. Rodolfo Morales is buried in his restored Convent of Santo Domingo in Ocotlan.
This is a pleasant and easy ride through open countryside over mostly flat terrain. The round trip distance amounts to about 12 miles (19.5 km). If you ride in the fall, you will find the farm fields ablaze with bright colors, as this is the region where the brilliant flowers sold in local markets and used for the “Day of the Dead” are grown.
The village of San Miguel del Valle is one of the gateways to great mountain biking in the high country of the Sierra Norte mountains near Oaxaca city. Tucked into a fold of the mountains on the north side of the Tlacolula valley (one part of the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca state), San Miguel is reached by driving north from Tlacolula and passing through the municipio of Diaz Ordaz. San Miguel itself is part of the valley, but it lays claim to miles of mountainous terrain abutting the Pueblos Mancomunados. Once you have reached San Miguel, you should check in at the ecotourism office on the town square (the bright green building next to the municipal building). There is a 50 peso fee for hiking or biking on communal land. The charge is worth it, though, as there are miles of great trails, most of which are mapped and are well marked with signage — which is rather unusual hereabouts! Guides may also be hired at the ecotourism office for 150 pesos for three hours work. The office may be contacted at 951-520-9105. The person in charge in 2016 is Sergio Lopez Garcia.
The ride that is featured below is a 12.9 mile (20.7 km) loop utilizing dirt roads running through the forest. The loop can be ridden in either direction, but we recommend going counter-clockwise, hitting El Carrizal first and then continuing on to La Neveria and La Ventosa. Why? The road drops rather steeply from the El Pedimento trailhead (again, well marked and easy to find) to El Carrizal, losing 1134 feet (346 meters), with only 651 feet (198 meters) of climbing along the way. This would be a painful climb out if you ride the loop clockwise. The distance from the El Pedimento trailhead to El Carrizal is just 4.4 miles (7.1 km). The road from El Carrizal to La Neveria, on to La Ventosa and back to the El Pedimento trailhead runs 8.5 miles (13.7 km) — a greater distance, but with gentler climbs alternating with some mild downhill sections. An alternative — for those who like to finish a ride going downhill rather than up — is to start the ride in El Carrizal, ride counter-clockwise and finish with the screamer of a downhill back to town. The overall elevation gain & loss riding around the loop is 2219 feet (676 meters).
