We've been hanging out in Boulder for the past two weeks getting prepped for our new roles with IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association. In harsh contrast to the temperate weather back home in San Francisco, the temperature is usually quite cold here, and snowfall is frequent. Somehow we made it here on a weekend devoid of snow, and were able to get a day of local riding in on the books. A few of our pals came up to visit and ride with us from Colorado Springs (SRAM home turf).
Jon Cancellier leads the group through the warm-up line at the Gun Barrel Jumps
We ended up hitting up a local jump spot at Eaton Park, AKA the Gunbarrel Jumps, for a warm-up session before heading out of Boulder to Lyons to ride the Hall Ranch Trails. Unfortunately, snowfall the next day prevented us from hitting up any more of the local trail action.
Fortunately, Boulder has a lot of great riding to be had in the dirt jumping arena. With local spots like the Fix, 63rd, the Boulder skate park, (bikes are allowed in the morning) as well as Eaton Park, there was plenty of riding to be had once the sun came out. We were stoked on all the available riding this close to IMBA HQ. We also caught wind of the new Velodrome- not exactly a mountain biker destination, but the word is that a Ray's Style indoor MTB park is in the works on the inside of the track. Our favorite spot was the Fix- with multiple dirt jump lines as well as a fast and fun pump track, the Fix is not just easy access for your daily "Fix," but the shop is great too.
Tammy D shows Inga how its done a the Fix pumptrack in Boulder, CO
Our hosts, Jimmy and Tammy Donahugh (both awesome industry peeps- Jimmy works for PUSH, and Tammy is a co-worker of ours at IMBA) are both dirt jumping rippers that took us all over to hit up local riding spots. We found that if your are willing to travel an hour or so, your riding opportunities in the Boulder area double. The city of Longmont, just north of Boulder, has a bike friendly skate park.
Heading even further, to Fort Collins, and you get Lory State Park and the Corral Center Mountain Bike Park, with multiple dirt jump lines, wood features, and one of the longest pump track lines I have ever seen.
The Corral Center Mountain Bike Park in Fort Collins
Although all the lips on the big lines were currently out of commission, the pump track, intermediate lines, and the wooden structures were good to go. Unfortunately, although much of the park was rideable, it was closed-a major let down. We ended up at a local dirt jumping spot known as Tynan's and ended up getting a great session in anyway. Tynan's was a really cool spot, and although much of it was also beat down, it was clear that in the season, a lot of fun was to be had here. With numerous slalom lines twisting over the hillside leading to various dirt jump hits, this was another spot we put on the list to return to when it is prime.
The highlight of the day was sessioning the big step up. It had a nice, soft landing, great for hucking yourself and throwing new moves.
We also had a really fun session at Jimmy and Tammy's place, AKA 320 Shred Street. They are popular with the locals for the jump jams in their yard, so if you can, I recommend becoming friends with them-they're rad.
Jimmy D whips it out at his backyard jumps (AKA 320 Shred St)
Snow is a fact of life in the winter months here, so we also ended up riding the Woodward Park in Denver. The bike sessions were short, but sweet. The first day we visited, some locals set out wrestling mats on the deck of one of the quarter pipes--great for hucking yourself and trying that new trick you've been wanting to learn, with minimal consequences. In my case, I've been wanting to learn tuck no-handers. Already comfortable with suicide no-handers on my personal Demo 7, I did a standard seat pinch no-hander before proceeding to go for it. I'm happy to say, I got both hands back on, but I still ended up bouncing off the soft mats then running into the fence at the back of the deck (where I then crashed into Tammy's foot). Progression can be a funny thing.
We're bummed we didn't get to ride as much as we would have liked, but hopefully we'll be back again after the
Valmont Park is complete. Boulder is a happening town and on its way to becoming a major destination for phenomenal riding.
Jason Van Horn is an accomplished photographer and capable bike-handler who is now travelling throughout the West as an IMBA Subaru Trail Care Ambassador. We are happy to introduce Jason as MBAction's newest contributor. Look for Jason's products tests and his first-hand impressions of the parks and trails that the Subaru Crew discovers along the way.
--RC